[GautamJ]

Not a post to help OP, but I have always had ‘trust issues’ with jack .
So, what I do?
Simply place the 5th tyre under the car, by doing so I don’t have fear of damaging underbody or brake(s) of the car if jack fails/breaks.

[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

#Latest Update : On Further visit to JEEP Service center to enquire about the status of parked Compass, he founds that his Side Mirror is Dangling !!!
(He believes that it was done because he had raised this issue to JEEP India Customer Care through all possible means over Emails/Twitter/Social Media) and ofcourse this was not liked by the Guys @ Official Service Center.)

#He has filed a police complaint for the Broken Mirror since as per Service Center Rules, Vehicle is parked at the risk of the customer.

Surprising turn of events, anyhow is this an ex-Fiat dealer?

[Sunny_team_bhp]

Originally Posted by Kosfactor

Surprising turn of events, anyhow is this an ex-Fiat dealer?

A very large group. Multiple dealerships of multiple brands.

[Thegermanbadger]

On a recent outing. A friend of mine hit a curb and blew his front left Tyre.

After aligning the jack at the right mounting spot the jack failed to lift the car, a polo. Tried many times but the jack just did not lift the weight of the car. It extended when we tried without the car. It was so strange. But realised that a jack can fail.

Had to get a repair guy to come the next day with a different jack.

The car was 8 years old and don't think the jack was used more than a couple of times in that time.

I've changed many tyres on many cars in the last 15 years of driving but had never seen a failed jack.

Cheers

[fawad0222]

Friends, I think its time to stop the post-mortem. All said and done if the owner claims, he had followed the due procedure, we should accept that. Anything under the sky can fail so does a jack too. But damage to the mirror should not have happened and the ASS should take responsibility for this loss.
I find it little strange when someone says that the owner should have gone to the professionals for getting the wheels replaced. Yes that one can do but not necessarily. Its something expected to be required sometimes and that's the reason jack is there in the car in the first place. I mean most of the members here must have done it some or other times in life. This much skill is a must for anyone who drives a car or a bike, something akin to life saving skills all healthcare providers must know.
Nevertheless, there were some good things to learn from the thread like placing the stepney under the car, which I never did before but would definitely follow next time.

I have committed mistakes like forgetting to loosen the nuts before placing the jack or not using the hand brakes or keeping the gear in neutral, primarily due to rarity of this need.Thank God no harm ever done. But one thing I am sure about that everyone must be confident of doing this job before he/she goes on a long ride, taking all the precautions.

[Mr.Boss]

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

Since, its a simple process and we all have undergone this quite a few times,
...
What if jack fails when someone is working below the car

Doing it multiple times doesn't mean we are always right. 2nd statement clearly says you (or your friend) is unaware about Dos and Don'ts of Scissor jack.

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

how can we expect a jack to break (OEM supplied) within 4th year of its service, while being used on a levelled granite pavement.

From my experience of designing jacks and looking at the only snap, failure mode could be because of
1) Wrong placement of jack - either inclined or eccentric loading (load on one corner of the jack head)
2) Inclined floor
3) Vehicle moved after jacking-up

Point 3 could be consequential damage of either point 1 or 2
Point 1 could occur either because of not following the procedure or when the jack is justed (or stuck due to limited or no usage) I personally experience this when the worm screw is rusted and trying further to raise the jack we end up disturbing the jack position.

Originally Posted by fawad0222

if the owner claims, he had followed the due procedure, we should accept that.

may be YES, if the OPs question is only on 'How could it happen?' and not the below statement without any facts or figures.

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

This is a serious (but hidden) quality issue with Jeep Compass.

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by YD14

Many members here have missed this line in the original post.

The dealer has accepted that the jack broke.

If that is not reason enough to believe, the picture clearly shows this broken linkage.
Attachment 2238614

I seriously cannot comprehend how it broke in such a way.

Just a hypothesis - the jack could have broken at the mentioned point due to unequal weight distribution, which may have been caused by the jack not holding itself well on the smooth surface.

Anyway, take home msg from this thread so far:
- Do not use the jack on a smooth surface
- Use the jack on an absolutely flat surface
- Using a brick may be useful
- Leave the spare tyre under the car by the jack - in case it slips/breaks

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

...What if jack fails when someone is working below the car on some other issue?

Please DO NOT, EVER, get under a car that isn't hoisted safely on a lift or at least jack stands.

[adi_sun]

My father taught me to always put one tyre under the car when jacking up
under no circumstance you will not have at-least one tyre spare to put under the car.
Should the jack slip it knows where to land, have done this ever since.

[prateekchanana]

Originally Posted by adi_sun

My father taught me to always put one tyre under the car when jacking up
under no circumstance you will not have at-least one tyre spare to put under the car.
Should the jack slip it knows where to land, have done this ever since.

But wouldn't this technique, in case of a slipping jack end up damaging the alloy and side skirting of the car, ending up being more expensive to fix than a damaged disc.

However, this is really very rare case if it broke just like that. Have used jacks on so many cars which were much more old and never had any such issue. As other members pointed out, it might broke because of car slipping / no handbrake / beige used on slippery floor and not a rough surface. Or may be it simply was a a case of poor quality. But a manufacturer like Jeep saving on costs to build a flimsy jack which even much cheaper cars have no issues with doesn't sound very acceptable.

Still hope the company and dealership offer the best possible help to the customer as the damage has already happened and there is no way to find the exact cause of it except examining the jack / other jacks of the same batch if that's even feasible.

[PowerSpike]

Why are there drag marks seen in the picture as if the break disc was dragged backwards after falling?

Was the parking break not engaged leading to the car rolling backwards after falling off the jack? Was the car raised on a sloping surface instead of a flat surface while using the jack?

I don't have complete details about the surface hence asking these questions as don't want to make assumptions looking at the picture.

[venkat_partha]

As suggested by 'adi_sun', this is always a good practice to follow. It is better to be safe than sorry. Ask me how! It is cheaper to repair the car than your body!

[ACM]

Yes the Jack was maybe not used in the best possible manner.

But if Jack breaks, Jeep pays for Jack and damage. But only if both Jack and Jeep are in warranty period. Else bad luck.

Keeping tyre in gap to ground below doors is a good safety measure. This is not possible for wider tyres though.

[mercedised]

I follow a simple rule, First & last, I don't remove the punctured tire from vehicle until I have spare ready to be installed immediately.