The Jeep Wrangler 4xe The plug-in hybrid is a very advanced SUV – much like the Jeeps, anyway. Some of the road examples, though, appear to have counts issues, because they were recalled for the odometer to freeze at exactly 13,342 miles and then stop showing up altogether.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign #21V949000 warns that up to 2,903 Wrangler plug-in hybrids – all in 2021 and all manufactured between September 8, 2020 and September 13, 2021 – could fall victim of this problem. It originates from the instrument panel assembly software that may have been pre-installed on newer examples or updated at the dealer for those built earlier.
Supposedly the digital odometer hits 13,342 miles (21,473 km) and then the value disappears. “Missing odometer readings can lead to unintended delays in safety-critical maintenance, potentially affecting the safe operation of the vehicle and increasing the risk of accidents. “, one NHTSA Document December 14 read.
It can also resulted in an unscrupulous seller trying to defraud a potential buyer, even though the report makes no mention of that. You have to be a pretty careless shopper to not be able to verify mileage and get past that red flag, but anything can happen. I suppose it’s better if the watch freezes at 13,342 miles but keeps showing, at least.
To remedy this, Wrangler 4xe owners with less than 13,342 miles on their vehicle will be contacted for a free dashboard update at the end of January. Wranglers with more than 13,342 miles – at which point the odometer probably won’t show – will automatically have the entire assembly replaced. And anyone who paid for such a service will get a refund, as the report notes. The more new software we have on our cars, the more we continue to see weird things happen when that software goes wrong.
