‘You’re driving these stupid little ducks around’: Jake pleads with Jeep owners to clear the dash during massive recall

Chrysler is recalling 328,381 Jeep Grand Cherokees because incorrectly installed rear coil springs could detach from the vehicle while driving, and KIRO host Jake Skorheim said it’s the perfect excuse for owners to finally deal with their rubber ducks.

“When they go in there to fix the coil things, they should also make sure to clear the ducks off the dash,” Jake said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “It’s getting out of hand. People are overdoing it on these ducks.”

The recall covers seven Jeep Grand Cherokee models, including the 2022–2023 Grand Cherokee, the 2022–2023 Grand Cherokee 4XE, and the 2021–2023 Grand Cherokee L. Dealers will replace rear coil spring lower isolators for free. Notification letters are expected to go out Sept. 29, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This is actually the third recall for the same underlying issue, following previous campaigns in June 2023 and February 2026.

‘I nearly got shot dropping a duck on a Jeep’

While the recall is serious, Jake and KIRO host Spike O’Neill couldn’t help but pivot to the rubber duck phenomenon that has taken over Jeep culture.

“Jeep ducking” is a tradition where owners leave small rubber ducks on other Jeeps as a gesture of camaraderie. Spike said he learned the hard way that not every Jeep owner appreciates the gesture.

“I nearly got shot dropping a duck on a Jeep,” he said.

Spike added that one friend eventually relocated their dashboard duck collection to their garden because the inside of the vehicle had reached capacity.

“It gets to a point where, I mean, for the love of God!” he said.

Dashboard ducks become a safety concern

Jake spotted a Jeep while driving that illustrated exactly how far the trend has gone.

“This car got up close, and they had the entire dash, like there was no space available, the whole windshield, tiny little ducks,” Jake said. “If you got in an incident where you got ducks flying around, that can’t be super safe.”

Spike joked that his dashboard ducks serve double duty.

“In my world, they act as an airbag since I didn’t get mine reinstalled,” he said.

‘By executive order, they are now called Donald Ducks’

Jake always thought of Jeeps as a serious vehicle with a serious pedigree.

“I always thought of Jeeps as having kind of a cool, this is an off-roadsman’s vehicle,” he said. “It was a former military vehicle. America won the war driving those Jeeps. Then we figured out how much fun off-road was. And now you’re driving these stupid little ducks around.”

Jake offered a foolproof plan to kill the trend overnight.

“By executive order, they are now called Donald Ducks,” he said. “Donald Ducks on your dash. And people will stop putting them up there.”

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.