Jeep launches new Wave warranty program 

Jeep Australia has revealed its new Jeep Wave warranty and service program, applicable to all of its models moving forward.

According to the American automaker, Jeep Wave gives new buyers a five-year/100,000-kilometre warranty, capped-price servicing, and lifetime roadside assistance if the vehicle is serviced at an authorised Jeep dealership.

The Wave program will also involve dedicated mechanics to fly across the country for better vehicle diagnostics at dealerships.

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The announcement comes at the same time as Jeep works to repair its reputation with Aussie consumers following a falling sales record over the last five years.

“We’re committed to rebuilding the Jeep brand here in Australia, and it’s imperative this has a customer-first approach,” Tom Noble, marketing communications director for Jeep Australia, said.

Back in 2015, Jeep was selling more than 30,000 vehicles a year locally, but by 2020, those numbers had plummeted to less than 6000.

One reason may be that from 2015 to 2020, Jeep issued 32 recalls for its products. One model alone, the fourth-generation Grand Cherokee (WK2), which was launched in 2011 and is still on sale today, has been recalled a 20 times since going on sale in Australia.

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American-Russian actor Anton Yelchin was killed in 2016 when his Jeep Grand Cherokee rolled onto him. Photo Credit: Tommaso Boddi/Wireimage

In 2016, the same model Grand Cherokee rolled onto and killed Russian-American actor Anton Yelchin at his Californian home.

The Grand Cherokee was under recall at the time in the US due to issues with the vehicle's gear selector, which could result in the vehicle rolling away unexpectedly.

Yelchin's family sued Fiat Chrysler over the 27-year-old actor's death. However, they later settled the case with the automaker in 2018.