[Sunny_team_bhp]

Hello Team-Bhp Friends.
Posting this on behalf of a friend who just had an unsafe incident with Jeep Compass jack (original supplied) and still undergoing a lackadaisical attitude from Jeep / dealer service .

Wheels: Jeep Compass Longitude (o) - Diesel [Sep 2017 Make]

Sequence of Events :
1. Date - 22 November 2021 @ Delhi. My friend reached home after finishing work at office around evening hours. Took a cursory look at his ride (as we all do) and noticed very little air pressure in front right tyre.

2. Since, he needed his ride to be fit again for office commute early next day, he decided to change the tyre with spare wheel by using original Jeep supplied tool & jack.

3. Since, its a simple process and we all have undergone this quite a few times, he was halfway done and had removed the punctured tyre. Now, he picked up the spare tyre and moved towards the vehicle to install it.

4. Lo & behold, he hears a metal cracking sound from his original Jeep supplied jack! Jack breaks and Compass falls right on his pavement.

5. Gathering his senses, he calls up Jeep RSA, which thankfully was on time and lifted the car using a different Jack and informed him that his brake disc has damaged during this incident and advised to take it to Jeep authorised service center.

6. Next day, he followed the procedure and registered complaint officially with Jeep India through telephone + email. He was assured full support.

7. On 24th November 2021, he arranges his Compass to be taken to Landmark Jeep service centre, Okhla, Delhi. The diagnosis was same and the brake disc needs replacement. However, the Jeep service center is demanding money for repairs giving various reasons viz. 'Sir, we know Jack is broken but We cant help'. Jeep India customer care is promising support over call but no message is passed down to the dealer.

Compass is still waiting for repairs at the Jeep dealer!

8. Question is, how can we expect a jack to break (OEM supplied) within 4th year of its service, while being used on a levelled granite pavement. Jeep India's sole USP is the quality of its products. What if the Compass had fallen on him while he was actually engaged in removing/installing the tyre? What if jack fails when someone is working below the car on some other issue?

This is a serious (but hidden) quality issue with Jeep Compass. We all should be aware of these incidents for our own safety awareness.

Any feedback and suggestions from the members of this esteemed forum is welcome.

[Sran]

I will leave the technical aspect of jack for our more learned members but it is apalling to see someone jacking up their vehicle on a smooth surface and that too on a polished marble/granite/tile surface. The jack is bound to slip majority of the time. I am specially intrigued as to how the owner was able to keep the jack rotating on this smooth surface as it may have slipped umpteen number of times. This is vehicle illiteracy at best and I would urge others to not try this ever.

Do not lift up your vehicles on smooth surfaces, if possible not even on parking tiles or tar roads. If available use a brick to keep the foot of the jack on it, it will not only prevent slippage but will also reduce the rotation needed to lift up the vehicle. The jack should be on a rough surface so that it has a firm grip. Always keep the tyres at a hand's distance. The right way to change tyre is to put the stepny near B pillar between the car and surface so that it acts as a wedge.

Edit: Is that a claw hammer in blue colour there? Never changed a compass tyre but why would changing a tyre need a hammer? Man, I need to upgrade myself.

[nitkel]

The pic is not clear enough to determine if the jack broke or just slipped out due to the smooth floor or improper mounting. Best to get the car fixed and move on!

[SideView]

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

Hello Team-Bhp Friends.
Posting this on behalf of a friend who just had an unsafe incident with Jeep Compass jack (original supplied) and still undergoing a lackadaisical attitude from Jeep / dealer service :
Wheels: Jeep Compass Longitude (o) - Diesel [Sep 2017

We need a clearer pic of the jack.

Sorry to say but like mentioned above, seems like jack slipped due to improper setting and not because of failure of jack itself.

4. Lo & behold, he hears a metal cracking sound from his original Jeep supplied jack! Jack breaks and Compass falls right on his pavement.

From your words i was getting the picture that jack failed as in it broke and car landed on it but from the pic it looks like it slipped.

[aargee]

First time in my life I'm hearing a broken OE car jack; heard of many slippages though. Besides very difficult to gauge from the picture whether the jack has been broken or not

[abhishek46]

Similar type of useless jack is provided by other OEMs too (like VW).
Its best to throw this rubbish away, and purchase a strong & sturdy one from outside.

[Carspook]

OEM jacks are quite reliable, we just need more pictures to understand this.

[Indian2003]

The jack is not broken. It is more likely that improper use caused the car to fall. Did you loosen the wheel bolts after the car was lifted up? Were the handbrakes on? It looks like the car just moved while jacked up.

These screw jacks are very reliable and I have never seen one broken.

About 5 decades ago I had jacked up my Simca 1000 to have a look at the rear brakes by the roadside. While under, I felt the car getting closer and closer to my face and I used my arms to protect myself. Some people walking by lifted up the car and pulled me out. I suffered only a broken nose.

In my case it was improper use, uneven ground and placement of the jack away from the jacking points of the car.

You should just learn from this incident and move on.

[CarNerd]

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

My friend reached home after finishing work at office around evening hours. Took a cursory look at his ride (as we all do) and noticed very little air pressure in front right tyre.

We all do look at our cars (Sometimes we don't) but do we all try to change the tyre for low pressure? I don't think so. Was the tyre punctured? If not, Your friend could have gone slowly to the nearest tyre shop or petrol pump to fill air. Even with a punctured tyre, you can very slowly drive in a straight line on a smooth surface to the nearest puncture repair shop.

In any case, if the Jack failed as you said, it is a serious issue provided your friend knew how to use the Jack according to the instructions.

[YD14]

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

Originally Posted by Sunny_team_bhp

'Sir, we know Jack is broken but We cant help'.

The dealer has accepted that the jack broke.

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


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

[Altocumulus]

Not sure how experienced your friend is, however it looks like from the broken part a case of either wrong mounting or vehicle movement due to brakes not being applied resulting in the weight not being distributed as it should.

Anyway thank god your friend is safe. This is not a major expense, so just tell him to pay for it and move on. And of course be careful next time.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by Sran

Do not lift up your vehicles on smooth surfaces, if possible not even on parking tiles or tar roads.

Appreciate the advice on not using a jack on a smooth surface and wedging the spare in between.

How on earth is it possible to avoid doing so when you are out on the road? Please don't tell me to keep or carry a brick. As practical as it may sound, I don't think anyone wants to keep a brick in the boot. The jack should be designed keeping conditions on the road. While it is possible to squeeze a brick for a vehicle like the one being discussed, I am not sure if you will have enough clearance to fit a brick and the jack on top of it for most sedan's.

I am sure that under 99% situations, that jack would have held up the Compass just fine. In this case, the tiled surface would have caused it to slip, perhaps due to someone leaning on the vehicle, some minor motion from pulling out the tire, parking brake slack.

[Tkm]

Sometimes in a hurry we forget basic safety measures. Whatever be the reason this jack broke, this just tells us to do something like changing a tyre exactly the way it must be done even if it takes longer.

[EV NXT]

This is clearly an improper use of the jack.

Your friend should have locked the diagonally opposite wheel with blocks so that the vehicle does not move while on the jack. This would have helped to keep the vehicle steady while on the jack.

The pic shows the jack is twisted out of shape - this happens when the vehicle moves while on the jack and falls down.

Additionally, what is the hammer doing there - looks like he used the hammer while on the jack - a very wrong thing to do and would lead to the current situation.

The dealer is obviously not well informed and luckily believed it to be a fault of the jack. A case where dealer incompetence comes in handy at least to get a free replacement.

[PreludeSH]

Things can go wrong while jacking up. The weight needs to be acting perpendicularly down on the jack. I always try to use flat ground even if it means moving a little bit with flat tyre (mostly the tyre is not completely flat out). Peeping up below the car is dangerous with jacks.

If there is some shear force acting on the jack with weight not being rested on it could mean either damaging the jack and axle coming down on the ground. The dealership might have accepted but might use some reason to absolve of any responsibility.