2005 Jeep Wrangler

HAD BEEN NOTICING A PLASTIC BURNING SMELL FOR A COUPLE MONTHS, NEVER FOUND A CAUSE OR ANYTHING NOT WORKING PROPERLY. DRIVING HOME EARLY ONE MORNING I NOTICED MY HEADLIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING, THE BRIGHTS WORKED AND SO DID THE FOG LIGHTS, BUT NO LOW BEAMS. AFTER LOOKING ON JEEP FORUMS AND NOTICING A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM I DECIDED TO TAKE THE COVER OFF MY COLUMN AND TAKE A LOOK. THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTED TO MY MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH WAS BURNT, PROOF OF AT LEAST ONE SMALL ELECTRICAL FIRE, IF NOT MULTIPLE SMALL FIRES. I CANNOT BE THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM, MULTIPLE POSTERS ON JEEP FORUMS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR EVENTS. *TR

ON 12/6/09, I PULLED THE LEVEL TO SWITCH TO HIGH BEAMS. I HEARD THE SWITCH CLICK TO HIGH BEAM AND THEN HEARD A CRACK. THE SWITCH WOULD NOT SWITCH BACK TO LOW BEAM. I TOOK THE SWITCH OUT OF THE VEHICLE ON 12/7/09. I CONTACTED MY DEALERSHIP ON 12/8/09. THEY STATED THERE ARE 1263 ON BACK ORDER IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY DID NOT HAVE ONE BUT WOULD ORDER ONE. THEY DID GIVE ME THE NAMES OF 2 DEALERSHIPS THAT SHOWED THEM IN STOCK. I CONTACTED ONE DEALERSHIP. THEY STATED THAT THEIRS WAS ORDERED FOR A CUSTOMER AND COULD NOT SELL IT TO ME. THE SECOND DEALERSHIP, DARCARS IN ROCKVILLE, MD, STATED THEY HAD ONE BUT WOULD NOT SELL IT TO ME. THEY SAID IT WAS FOR THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND HAD 9 ON BACKORDER FOR OTHER CUSTOMERS. I ATTEMPTED TO OPEN UP THE SWITCH TO TRY TO MANUALLY PUT IT BACK IN LOW BEAM. AT LEAST I COULD THEN DRIVE HE VEHICLE UNTIL THE NEW PART ARRIVES. I WAS NOT ABLE TO OPEN THE CASE ON THE SWITCH. I WOULD HAVE TO BREAK THE PLASTIC AND DID NOT WANT TO DO THAT. THE SWITCH IS CHRYSLER PART NUMBER 5016709AD. APPARENTLY, CHRYSLER IS HAVING AN ISSUE WITH ONE OF THEIR PARTS SUPPLIERS. THIS MUST BE A WIDESPREAD ISSUE IF THERE ARE 1263 PARTS ON BACKORDER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH AT NIGHT WITH THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS ACTIVATED,THE HEADLIGHT DIMMER SELECTOR FAILED TO FUNCTION WHEN ENGAGED. THE DRIVER CONTINUED OPERATION WITH THE HIGH BEAMS IN ACTIVATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION. THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE DIMMER SWITCH. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE MALFUNCTION DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY OF THE MANUFACTURE PART REQUIRED FOR THE REPAIR. THE PART WAS ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE.

WIRING OVERHEATING AND MELTING BLOWER MOTOR FAN SWITCH AT 36,500 MILES. WIRING OVERHEATING AND MELTING MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH FOR TURN SIGNALS, HEADLAMPS, HAZARDS, ETC... AT 37,800 MILES. UNKNOWN CAUSE FOR EITHER FAILURE. REPLACED BLOWER MOTOR CONTROL SWITCH ASSEMBLY AFTER FAILURE MYSELF AS IT WAS ONLY $25 USD AND 10 MINUTES TIME. NOW THE MULTIFUNCTION SWITCH IS DOING THE SAME - MELTING AND CAUSING HEADLAMPS TO FAIL. IS THERE A VOLTAGE CONTROL PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS TO CAUSE THESE FAILURES? WILL THE REPLACED PARTS FAIL AGAIN? WILL A FIRE RESULT THE NEXT TIME? *TR UPDATED 02-01-08 *BF UPDATED 02/01/08 *TR