Improperly secured window surround on Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer could fall off while driving
by Chris Chilton
7 hours ago
- Stellantis is recalling 2022-25 Jeep Wagoneers and Grand Wagoneers.
- The SUVs need their badly fitted window surround trim correctly attached.
- Almost 123,000 Wagoneer SUVs and 41,000 Grand versions are affected.
For 80 years, civilian Jeeps have given American drivers the opportunity to get away from it all in the way that ordinary cars just can’t. But now the go-anywhere Stellantis brand has been forced to recall thousands of SUVs because pieces of their door trim want to do some exploring on their own.
A total of 163,735 Jeeps built for the 2022-25 model years are affected by the escaping trim phenomenon. That breaks down to 122,998 Wagoneers and 40,737 examples of the long-wheelbase Grand Wagoneer.
Related: Thousands Of Jeep Plug-in Hybrids Could Suddenly Lose Power While Driving
The issue isn’t with what the NHTSA recall notice refers to as the DLO trim, with DLO standing for daylight opening, a high-falutin’ designer term for the garnish around your side window. It’s how that trim is attached that’s the problem. Jeep believes the trim on thousands of Wagoneers might not have been properly attached to the door at the Warren, Michigan, plant, and could fall off.
Missing trim looks ugly on any car, and especially so on an expensive luxury vehicle, but the NHTSA is more concerned that trim parts falling into the road could create a hazard to other drivers, potentially making them crash. Sure, that’s a seriously unlikely scenario, and FCA US knows of no related accidents, but with injury lawyers ready to pounce across the country automakers and regulators have to be cautious.
Warranty Claims Mount
As of August this year the Jeep had already handled 405 warranty claims over detaching trim, but from October 31 it will be mailing the remaining owners to tell them to book their car into a local service center to have the problem trim firmly refitted.
When they get to dealerships those owners might get a chance to check out the facelifted 2026 Grand Wagoneer that Jeep teased last month and will debut this fall. A design update borrows from the electric Wagoneer S and gives the flagship SUV slimmer headlights and a seven-slot grille with integrated light bar, while a 4xe range-extended hybrid powertrain joins the lineup. Jeep is also launching a new Cherokee, a facelifted Grand Cherokee and the trail-ready Recon.
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