Jeep Renegade sales being held due to powertrain issue

Jeep Renegade sales being held due to powertrain issueImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon TurkusImage Credit: Brandon Turkus2015 RenegadeMSRP$17,995ShopReviewsMore Photos2015 Jeep Renegade TrailhawkJeep Renegade Desert Hawk: Moab Easter Jeep SafariJeep Renegade Desert Hawk ConceptJeep Renegade Hard Steel Concept2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk: Quick SpinOff-Road Mopar Jeep Renegade: Detroit 2015Chris Bruce

The Jeep Renegade appears to be facing early software problems that are similar to the ones at the introduction of the Cherokee a few years ago. The issue is keeping the brand's latest compact crossover away from dealers until the situation can be resolved.

The fault reportedly deals with the software controlling the Renegade's nine-speed automatic transmission. FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne briefly talked about what was happening in an interview with Automotive News. "I'm having a very bad engineering day," he said. "It's a combination of attributes of that vehicle that is making my life horrible." The company boss predicted at the longest it could take until mid-June to fix things. Through April, Jeep has sold 5,157 Renegades, including 4,214 of them in that month alone.

Autoblog reached out to an FCA US spokesperson to learn more about the software problem, but the company had no comment.

Getting the software right to control the nine-speed automatic plagued development of the Cherokee. The issues delayed the model's launch in 2013, and the company was still releasing improvements for some vehicles this year.Featured Gallery2015 Jeep Renegade: First Drive

Posted in: being, issue, powertrain, Renegade, sales