I bought the car in September 2007, I used 4 wheel drive for the first time in early December during our first snow fall. The next time I started the car the 4WD! light came on I was unable to engage/disengage 4 wheel drive and turning the car off/on did not resolve the light.
I took the car to the dealer and it was in the shop for 3 "Business" days. I was told the issue was caused by a screw that was driven through the wiring to the 4x4 controller. I was told this must have been done during production.
The car ran fine after the repair till today April 24, 2008. On my way to work my ABS 4WD! ESP and Traction Control light illuminated as I was braking downhill (from 40 to 30 MPH). I immediately pulled off the side of the road and turned the jeep off/on. The lights were still on, I decided to take a risk and move the car forward. The warning lights shut off after the car began to move.
About 10 minutes later when accelerating up hill (from 40MPH to 50MPH) the same 4 lights came on for about 10 seconds and then went out.
Another 8 miles down the road I came into another area that required me to change speed (40MPH to 50MPH). The same 4 lights came on again and stayed on this time. So I drove to the closest Jeep dealer to show their service dept.
It seems like a coincidence that every time the issue appeared it was under accelerating/braking when in 4th gear.
Jeep makes good 4x4s, but still it's not a good idea to buy a car /truck etc in the first year of production.
Sounds like loose wiring.
If nobody ever bought a car during its first year of production, there would never be a SECOND year of production. This is no excuse for shoddy workmanship; perhaps bankruptcy will drive that lesson home.
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