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Jeep Compass falls after OEM jack snaps, brakes damaged

The incident has raised some serious questions on Jeep's quality issues in the mind of the owner.

BHPian Sunny_team_bhp recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello Team-Bhp Friends.

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

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

The Sequence of Events:

  1. Date - 22 November 2021 @ Delhi. My friend reached home after finishing work at the office around evening hours. Took a cursory look at his ride (as we all do) and noticed very little air pressure in the front right tyre.
  2. Since he needed his ride to be fit again for office commute early the next day, he decided to change the tyre with a spare wheel by using the original Jeep supplied tool & jack.
  3. Since, it's 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 was advised him to take it to Jeep authorised service centre.
  6. Next day, he followed the procedure and registered a complaint officially with Jeep India through telephone + email. He was assured full support.
  7. On 24th November 2021, he arranges for his Compass to be taken to Landmark Jeep service centre, Okhla, Delhi. The diagnosis was the same and the brake disc needs replacement. However, the Jeep service centre 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!

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 the 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 are welcome.

Here's what BHPian Sran had to say on the matter:

I will leave the technical aspect of jack for our more learned members but it is appalling 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 the majority of the time. I am especially intrigued as to how the owner was able to keep the jack rotating on this smooth surface as it may have slipped umpteen 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 the tyre is to put the stepny near the B pillar between the car and the 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.

Here's what BHPian YD14 had to say on the matter:

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.

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

Here's what BHPian sandeepmohan had to say on the matter:

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 to keep 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.

Here's what BHPian KPR had to say on the matter:

I had the same issue on my Punto two months back when I had tried to change the driver side flat tyre. The place was a playground and there was soil and grass which was dry and hard. I had used OEM jack and the same procedure like I've done many times. The jack simply kept sinking in due to the car's weight and the ground although looked dry & hard but kept sinking in. Luckily our family driver came to the rescue. He kept a few bricks underneath and kept placing small marble tiles as the car was raised above using the jack. At one point jack gave up and the lever broke. Luckily the car was standing on the bricks and stones placed by the driver. Somehow we changed the tyre carefully and came out of a tricky situation by using another family car - wagon R's jack.

Our driver was driving a lorry about 15 years back. He advised putting Stepney wheel underneath so that in case of jack failure there will not be damage. Also, he advised checking if the ground is hard and rough to get it done. These are some failures that we experience and we need to be careful about them in future.

For the OP post - I don't see anything wrong here with Jeep or FCA. Just an unlucky day for your friend to change a tyre (if he has done proper way) and also lucky that he has no injuries to him.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 
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