[Discovery Sport News]

ZF is finally issuing a recall of their nine-speed automatic transmission after more than two years of warranty claims and owner complaints.

This new recall is coming from the transmission supplier ZF and it’s expected to affect 505,000+ vehicles currently equipped with the 9HP transmission. FCA was the one to discover this problem after recalling more than 300,000 vehicles due to owner complaints. The sensor cluster in the transmission may have insufficient crimps in the wiring harness that connects it to the electric system. This connection problem results in higher electrical resistance which could cause the vehicle to shift into neutral. Other complaints from owners which may be caused by crimping issues are acceleration surges, rough shifts, hesitation to downshift, and some owners have even reported their vehicles rolling away in neutral or engaging to drive after they have shifted to park.

FCA, Honda and Land Rover will be handling the recalls at their dealerships and the list of affected models includes the Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Renegade, Chrysler 200, Ram ProMaster City, Fiat 500X, Range Rover Evoque, Land Rover Discovery Sport, upper trims of the Honda Pilot, and six-cylinder versions of the Acura TLX. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a recall notice on their site and only transmissions produced between 05/01/2013 and 07/15/2014 should have this problem.

The fix shouldn’t be too hard since all the manufacturer has to do is update the transmission software. So far only FCA has issued a recall but Honda and Land Rover should follow soon.

 

[rcbjr2]

Hmm, my DS was "created" 4/1/15, so maybe it didn't get an engine in that range?

 

[USER.000]

So that explains why gear transitions are jerky, unresponsive, etc. I can't wait to get the official recall letter. Yeah, baby!

 

[USER.000]

This may be the same engine that killed the actor Anton Yelchin (from his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee as it rolled back and crushed him). Lawsuit from his parents is still pending.

 

[stzombie]

Well that explains alot...This ought to be interesting.

 

[USER.000]

Excerpt from Anton Yelchin Got Jeep Recall Notice 7 Days After His Death | Variety :

A recall notice for a Jeep Grand Cherokee was mailed to actor Anton Yelchin seven days after he was killed in a freak roll away accident, his family’s attorney said Tuesday.
Yelchin’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the vehicle’s manufacturer, Fiat Chrysler, as well as ZF North America, which manufactured the gear shift. Fiat Chrysler recalled more than 800,000 vehicles in April, after receiving hundreds of rollaway complaints.

“The safety recall was way too little and way too late,” attorney Gary Dordick said at a press conference in Beverly Hills. “They should have never used this device.”

 

[rcbjr2]

Excerpt from Anton Yelchin Got Jeep Recall Notice 7 Days After His Death | Variety :

A recall notice for a Jeep Grand Cherokee was mailed to actor Anton Yelchin seven days after he was killed in a freak roll away accident, his family’s attorney said Tuesday.
Yelchin’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the vehicle’s manufacturer, Fiat Chrysler, as well as ZF North America, which manufactured the gear shift. Fiat Chrysler recalled more than 800,000 vehicles in April, after receiving hundreds of rollaway complaints.

“The safety recall was way too little and way too late,” attorney Gary Dordick said at a press conference in Beverly Hills. “They should have never used this device.”

It may be the same engine but what I read the other day is that the gear shifter on the Cherokee doesn't really change position when changing gears. It always snaps back to the same center position (unlike other handle shifters that move up and down between park and drive (or whatever order it goes in)). There are supposedly warning sounds if the engine is not in park, but the article acknowledged that some people get desensitized or don't hear them. The "fix" is supposed to a software fix that ensure the car is in park if someone exits the vehicle from the driver's side. They aren't going to fix the hardware of the engine.

 

[DiscoDisco]

Hmm, my DS was "created" 4/1/15, so maybe it didn't get an engine in that range?

Just because your Disco was created on 4/1/15, it doesn't mean the trans wasn't made months earlier .

Our Disco is very close in age so we'll see. :nerd:

 

[petcha]

"The sensor cluster in the transmission may have insufficient crimps in the wiring harness that connects it to the electric system. This connection problem results in higher electrical resistance which could cause the vehicle to shift into neutral."

"The fix shouldn’t be too hard since all the manufacturer has to do is update the transmission software."

How would this be fixed with a software update? Doesn't the physical issue with the connection need to be fixed?

 

[DrJJC]

I agree that sounds like it is more than a software fix to me as well.

 

[rcbjr2]

Just because your Disco was created on 4/1/15, it doesn't mean the trans wasn't made months earlier .

Our Disco is very close in age so we'll see. :nerd:

Oh, I know. I'm just hoping. . Haven't seen any notice on TOPIx yet. I still have license plate light fix pending, though.

 

[DiscoDisco]

Yeah, we got our plate lights done. I took it in at 7am and had it back that afternoon. Not a big deal.

 

[DiscoDisco]

"The sensor cluster in the transmission may have insufficient crimps in the wiring harness that connects it to the electric system. This connection problem results in higher electrical resistance which could cause the vehicle to shift into neutral."

"The fix shouldn’t be too hard since all the manufacturer has to do is update the transmission software."

How would this be fixed with a software update? Doesn't the physical issue with the connection need to be fixed?

Agreed. Something is being lost in translation. We just gotta see how this shakes out.

 

[petcha]

Would be great if this fix worked out the weak spots in the shifting where the car doesn't doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind.

Like breaking before a 90 degree turn and accelerating quickly into the turn. My disco usually lags big in those situations...maybe the car is actually switching into neutral for a second? hmm...

 

[DiscoDisco]

Would be great if this fix worked out the weak spots in the shifting where the car doesn't doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind.

Like breaking before a 90 degree turn and accelerating quickly into the turn. My disco usually lags big in those situations...maybe the car is actually switching into neutral for a second? hmm...

I know what you're talking about in those slow down to 90degree turns. I don't think it's going into neutral. It's just not downshifting far enough. I think it only goes down to 2nd or 3rd gear making the vehicle caught out of the proper gear and not being able to access its powerband. If you manually shift all the way down to 1rst, the DS will squirt right out of the turn with much more authority. However the revs will be high if your over 10MPH
Either the gear ratios are not quite right or the shift mapping is wonky.

And that's the inherent problems with any transmission that has more than 8 speeds. 9 and 10 speeds are just a lot for the computer to manage. I think 8 speeds are stil the ideal number. It'll be interesting to see how Ford and Chebby's 10 speed works out :nerd:

 

[ccomley]

Hmm. Not had it shift into neutral unbidden. SO it sounds like they're still ignoring all the users who don't like the way the box works, and just worrying about the bit that might kill someone. OK, I can see you might make it a priority, but I do wish they'd sort out the software so it changes gear when it *should*.

 

[urazen]

Hmm. Not had it shift into neutral unbidden. SO it sounds like they're still ignoring all the users who don't like the way the box works, and just worrying about the bit that might kill someone. OK, I can see you might make it a priority, but I do wish they'd sort out the software so it changes gear when it *should*.

I do understand your frustration, and I do think the box should be better than this. However, using manual mode is the right solution eventually if you care about better transition. Nothing can be better than full control by yourself

 

[Enda]

You often don't need to wait for an official recall letter, just phone up your nearest LR service center and they can take it in....