Jeep Gladiator Complaints (2021)

292 consumer complaints on file.

#11482378September 1, 2022
SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that the rear middle seat belt failed to retract or operate as needed. The contact stated that the seat belt had to be manually tightened to function as needed. The contact initially took the vehicle to the dealer where a diagnostic test found no defect with the seat belt. As the failure persisted, the contact took the vehicle back to the dealer where the failure was confirmed and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11480565August 22, 2022
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Windshield cracked in center - replaced - 3rd windshield installed today(8/22/2022) 1st 2 cracked in same place. If broke could enter driver/passenger compartment. Windshield repair shop and now again by Kunes CDJR Oregon (Chrysler dealer/place first purchased/new), Oregon, Illinois. Inspected by service department at dealership -
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11472955July 8, 2022
POWER TRAIN
While at the dealer for a routine oil change, the tech observed fluid on inside of the passenger rear wheel, brake, and rotor. Fluid appears to be axle fluid that is leaking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11468816June 11, 2022
SUSPENSION
My front suspension keeps bottoming out while driving down the road. If I catch a pothole or dip in the road I will bottom out. Today I was in a parking lot and it bottomed out going over a speed bump. I know there is a TSB for the eco diesel Rubicons but for no other sub-models.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11467726June 6, 2022
ENGINE
I was driving the vehicle, while towing a 5000lb trailer (vehicle tow rating is 6000lb), up a 4-5% grade at 4000'-6000' elevation, with ambient temperature around 80 degrees, and the vehicle unexpectedly derated / limited speed to approx 45 mph with no warning indicators on the vehicle. I had a number of cars and semi trucks behind me, and so I unexpectedly needed to find a safe place to pull over, which was limited due to the road conditions. I travel in areas frequented by semi trucks with limited shoulders. If I had not found a pull-out, this could have been dangerous. This appears to be an issue countered by a number of Jeep Gladiator Diesel owners, relating to either engine oil temperature too high, or EGT temp too high when towing uphill.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11467673June 5, 2022
ENGINE
Engine oil temperature reached 265 degrees while towing within capacity - engine derated power and I could not drive above 35mph on a road with a speed limit if 75mph. It was dangerous!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11467416June 3, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, POWER TRAIN
Vehicle derates power when ambient temps are 85* F and up while towing my camp (which is far below the max tow rating) During a couple of these derates I was in areas where the speed limit was 65 and 75 mph, my max obtainable speed was 35mph. I heavy truck traffic i feel that was in danger and a hazard in the road. This vehicle is rated to tow far more than the loads it is actually capable of towing in higher temperatures. I have seen my oil temps rise to 265* F on multiple occasions and it seems this is around the temperature that the vehicle starts to derate. It has been my observation that the cooling system is under sized and in turn puts occupants of the vehicle at risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466782May 31, 2022
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
After stopping for fuel in Quartzite, Arizona I began to merge onto HWY 10. As I accelerated the vehicle limited my speed to 45 MPH. This is on a 70 MPH section with heavy truck traffic. I was able to pull onto the shoulder and limp to the next exit without incident. I then drove around backroads for 10 minutes, starting and stopping the vehicle and accelerating to 55 MPH. After this period of time the vehicle operated normally. This happened with no warning at all, temperatures were all within normal ranges. Since the incident I have found that this "derating" is common to the diesel engine in hot ambient temperatures or while going up hill. My safety was definitely at risk, in a different scenario it could have been much worse. I have spoked with several factory service centers and Jeep directly, they say they have never heard of the issue and don't have any advice.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466777May 31, 2022
ENGINE
3.0 EcoDiesel in the Jeep Gladiator has cooling issues. Thousands of users affected and discussing on forums and on Facebook groups but the manufacturer is unwilling to fix. Core of the issue is that the engine was altered in the Gladiator and Wrangler over previous installations in the Ram and Grand Cherokee by removing oil coolers and a larger oil pan, which has resulted in high oil temps. At 265 degrees (which is accomplished easily during the summer with a trailer UNDER the tow rating), the engine starts derating and limp mode. The aftermarket community has tested everything ... removing hoods, fenders different cooling solutions, etc and nothing is working at the moment other than aftermarket solutions to cool the oil (which are negligible at best at the moment due to the space constraints imposed by the engine being quite large in the engine bay not not substantial room for a larger oil pan and external cooler). Chrysler should have put more work in to the design, or not sold the EcoDiesel in the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466776May 31, 2022
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
While towing a trailer the vehicle suddenly reduces power to less than half and multiple check engine lights appear. This seems to happen only when outside temperatures are above 80f. I went from going 65mph to 45mph within 1/4 mile which caused sudden traffic issues behind me. I have had the vehicle to the dealer multiple times and they do not find anything even though there are multiple engine lights. I have had it happen a over 8 times in 1 year. I also have a co-worker that has had the same issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462151April 25, 2022
ENGINE
Overheating during normal driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462120April 25, 2022
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
When operating the vehicle under heavier loads (5%+ grades, towing even light trailers, higher highway speeds) vehicle loses power limiting speed to 15-50mph depending on how hot the water or oil temperature is. I have had this issue in ambient temperatures as low as 31°F while towing 4000lb up a steep incline, but will absolutely overheat if ambient temp is over 100°F. Vehicle must be left running during a fuel stop or heat soak caused by the vehicle is not running will prevent me from merging back on the highway at a safe speed....max speed is 50mph until the engine oil cools off. Air conditioner use as expected makes the problem worse. There are many threads going on the Jeep internet forums with many diesel equipped Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators having the same issues, so I know these aren't isolated incidents from my vehicle alone. If you were to search "Ecodiesel power derating as temps rise" on Google, you would see some discussion. Engine fan runs at full speed, coolant is full, and radiator/grill is clean/free of debris. I have owned this vehicle since new and have operated in many types of conditions/loads over the past 14 months 23,000 miles from 9°-126°F. The first time I had the issue was late May of 2021 (At approx 5,000 miles) and it has happened no less than 20 times since then. The only visual alarm is when coolant temp reaches 248° and the vehicle speed drops to 10mph. The gauge does not read linear........Meaning the vehicle is almost already overheated by the gauge shows the temp is rising. I can only assume the is intentionally programmed into the code by the vehicle manufacturer to make the operator feel like the high temps are normal. I have not had the vehicle inspected by the local dealer because in the past they were never able to duplicate the conditions in my opinion due to laziness or incompetence. I own an auto repair shop and know the problem to be an undersized cooling system which Chrysler does not have an approved fix for.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11461515April 20, 2022
STEERING, SUSPENSION, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Traveling speeds excess of 60 mph, any bump or flaw in the road will cause the vehicle to enter into severe vibration and shaking of front end/ axle. The steering wheel violently shakes from side to side and the vehicle will stay shaking until you reduce your speed to under 50 mph. Ball joints and other steering components are put under severe stress. The issue has been reported to the dealer who is unable to correct the issue even with replacing steering stabilizer as they suggest. A formal case was opened with the Chrysler group.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11457519March 20, 2022
TIRES
My Bridgestone tires were the wrong rated tires put on by Chrysler at 70 miles per hour they would bounce did not matter which one would bounce they all did it after hitting a small bump on the highway they are the dueler 255/70/r18 113t ms with 1 nylon and 2 steel belts in tread and only 2 polyester side wall this was to light of a tire for a light truck , talked to Chrysler and they just blew me off on this problem I purchased light truck tires and solved the problem they now owe me $1095.97 . I am sure they put these tires on other Jeep gladiators.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456488March 13, 2022
STEERING, SUSPENSION
SUSPENSION: 2021 Jeep Gladiator - 12,000 Miles: On several occasions at freeway speeds vehicle hits uneven road / bumps and vehicle looses steering control like it jumps off the pavement / shutters over road way with no control: At one point I thought I blew a front tire and did loose some control of vehicle and pulled over to shoulder to scope it out: No tire blew: This is a major concern: My safety and the safety of passengers are at risks: I would not put my family members in this vehicle other than city driving!! Tried contacting MOPAR but was unable to do so - 12 March 2022 - A Joke
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456320March 11, 2022
STEERING
Steering is very loose. Vehicle constantly drifts and requires constant steering correction. Approximately 3” of slack in steering response.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454343February 27, 2022
STEERING
At highway speeds a uncontrollable wobble of the front wheels occurs when hitting a tar strip or bump that is only brought under control by stepping on the brakes very hard to slow the truck to 60MPH or less. I think that sudden slowing while in traffic puts not only my life in danger, but also those drivers around me. At this point, the dealer is replacing the steering damper. But I suspect this is a band aid to cover a larger issue. Current mileage is 13,XXX miles. The wheels, tires and suspension are factory stock.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453209February 21, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, STEERING
1. Major electrical system intermittent failures, each incident progressively longer lasting and various malfunction warning lights/messages displayed in dash. 2. Loss of power steering while driving on three separate occasions within a 40 day period. First incident was loss of steering for only a few seconds. Second incident vehicle had to beame shut off and on multiple times before the computer reset and the vehicle drove fine. Third incident was catstrophic loss of electrical the system while driving, vehicle was pulled into middle turn lane where the engine died and would not start. Vehicle unable to start, shift, display hazard warning indicators etc. Vehicle displayed many errors and stated due to safety it would not be allowed to start without servicing. 3. Jeep has been at dealer three times. First incident, electrical malfunctioning was blamed on power step installation. Second incident was blamed on loose ground wire in engine bay. Third incident has yet to be determined by dealer. Vehicle is still at dealer, and there were approximately 73 computer DTC's pulled by the technicians that I was informed of. 4. Many various warning lamps and messages appeared on dash. Everything from shifter, engine, power steering, 4WD, no bus error, TPMS, electronic stability control, anti lock brakes, airbag system etc. These errors flickered on and off randomly before moving to next error displayed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451758February 13, 2022
SUSPENSION, STEERING
I was exiting the freeway with a speed limit of 75 mph. On the off-ramp I lost control of the Gladiator. The front end wobble was so bad that I could not hold onto the steering wheel for fear of breaking my wrist. Instead I had to wrap my arms about the wheel in an attempt to stop the wobble. I was unable to keep the vehicle in my lane, and finally ended up in a large ditch next to the off ramp. What happened appears to be a problem with the Mopar 1.5" lift kit installed by the dealer. The kit was installed 8/17/2021. This incident occurred in Jan 2022, about 4,000 miles later. I had the kit installed and then inspected about a month later specifically to check for any loose bolts, and to double check the torque for the bolts. The CV bar in the front lost a the bolt on the passenger side, dropping the cross bar and resulting in total loss of control of the passenger side front tire. I felt very lucky not to have been injured, and not to roll the jeep. It took about 150 feet to stop the vehicle in the ditch. I am attaching a photo of the bar held in place after the accident using bungie cords. This was done just to get the bar off the road and allow for moving the vehicle. The mechanic was able to secure the cross bar with a new bolt. The original bolt and nut were not found. We speculate that either the bolt was not torqued correctly or might have been missing a lock washer. At any rate, potentially this could have resulting in much worse. If this happened just a few seconds earlier on the freeway, the damage and injuries could have been much worse. Now the vehicle is driving like new, after new bolt and alignment. However, I will be checking those bolts more frequently, particularly if I notice any extra play in the steering. Before this happened, the play in the steering had increased. I thought I just needed an alignment, but it was much worse than that. Really I would think this cross bar needs redesign to ensure it can't break loose.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11450137February 3, 2022
STEERING
Driving at approx. 70 mph the vehicle steering became very difficult to control. I was unable to turn the steering wheel ( it felt like a vehicle without power steering at low speed). I slowed the vehicle down, I could feel the steering get easy as I neared a stop. After stopping at a stoplight and resuming the vehicle drove normally. The vehicle was never shut off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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