Jeep Gladiator Rubicon Towing Failure - Sensor Seal Rupture - Disappointed

[Tank43]

Sorry folks. I didn't want to create a new post, but couldn't find anything that covered all the bases. And as you may note, I'm fairly verbose.

I've had my 2022 Gladiator Rubicon for several years now and I love it. But... never towed anything more than a kayak trailer till a few days ago. Bottom line.... my daughters school team had a competition across the state about 200 mi. away. I volunteered to drive the team gear trailer, estimated 3,200 max with manufacturer 2,460 empty. (I estimated the gear load but conservative). So towing with the gladi rubi auto trans at its 7,000 limit, and yes I have the tow package gear option. There were problems!!

The Gladiator did it, but I was not impressed. Trying to maintain 70mph speeds was off and on. The engine fluctuated between 3,000 rpm for level travel then up to 5,000 rpm on slight inclines. It did the job, but seemed to struggle. Basically towing sucked!

Then after several hours I got a light indicating the rear locker was trying to connect. Hmm. while in 2wd on the interstate at 70 mph. Not good. So what happens is a chamber seal for a sensor in the rear differential blows due to the towing and leaks gear oil into the sensor causing it to flash the engagement of the rear differential.

So stopped, disconnected the trailer, tried the full range of gear shifts. Confirmed no rear locker engaged. Pulled the electronic sensor on the diff it was full of oil confirming it was sensor issue vs something more serious.

Apparently this issue is known by Jeep and there is a fix at the dealer under the 60,000 mi 5yr powertrain.

Gas Milage: I am still in the stock Gladiator Rubicon 3.6 setup with 33 in tires. No alterations from stock. I set the trip calculators both up and down. Both were consistently at approximately 10 mpg. I'm driving conservative, not balls to the wall. Approx 70 mph or less. I tried hanging behind some trucks travelling at 60 -65 ish for a while, but it didn't seems to affect my milage at all.

Good luck and good bless to all!

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[Zachanadandy]

The sensors poor design and seal failures are well known. It wasn't the towing that caused it. Bad timing for you obviously, but it was likely already on its way out. I'm guessing the gear trailer has a fairly large frontal area and the wind resistance was therefore pretty high as your description of the towing/ shifting/mpg was about what I experienced towing 8400pounds. You can't beat poor aerodynamics and your engine is going to need is full power to do the job. With this v6 that means 4k+ rpm and the terrible fuel economy that comes with it.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Sorry folks. I didn't want to create a new post, but couldn't find anything that covered all the bases. And as you may note, I'm fairly verbose.

I've had my 2022 Gladiator Rubicon for several years now and I love it. But... never towed anything more than a kayak trailer till a few days ago. Bottom line.... my daughters school team had a competition across the state about 200 mi. away. I volunteered to drive the team gear trailer, estimated 3,200 max with manufacturer 2,460 empty. (I estimated the gear load but conservative). So towing with the gladi rubi auto trans at its 7,000 limit, and yes I have the tow package gear option. There were problems!!

The Gladiator did it, but I was not impressed. Trying to maintain 70mph speeds was off and on. The engine fluctuated between 3,000 rpm for level travel then up to 5,000 rpm on slight inclines. It did the job, but seemed to struggle. Basically towing sucked!

Then after several hours I got a light indicating the rear locker was trying to connect. Hmm. while in 2wd on the interstate at 70 mph. Not good. So what happens is a chamber seal for a sensor in the rear differential blows due to the towing and leaks gear oil into the sensor causing it to flash the engagement of the rear differential.

So stopped, disconnected the trailer, tried the full range of gear shifts. Confirmed no rear locker engaged. Pulled the electronic sensor on the diff it was full of oil confirming it was sensor issue vs something more serious.

Apparently this issue is known by Jeep and there is a fix at the dealer under the 60,000 mi 5yr powertrain.

Gas Milage: I am still in the stock Gladiator Rubicon 3.6 setup with 33 in tires. No alterations from stock. I set the trip calculators both up and down. Both were consistently at approximately 10 mpg. I'm driving conservative, not balls to the wall. Approx 70 mph or less. I tried hanging behind some trucks travelling at 60 -65 ish for a while, but it didn't seems to affect my milage at all.

Good luck and good bless to all!

It happened to me as well around 50k miles. It wasn’t the towing. You didn’t do anything wrong. Just coincidental timing. Known issue with the sensors, which some theorize happens when limited slip friction modifier is used in the open/locked differentials in the rubicons and others. I’m one that used to use that oil, as I at the time didn’t understand the difference. I now do and use the oil Revolution Gear recommends. If you don’t want a complicated fix, just get the z automotive sensor fix. It worked for me for a very long time. You won’t do any damage using it.

 

[WILDHOBO]

The sensors poor design and seal failures are well known. It wasn't the towing that caused it. Bad timing for you obviously, but it was likely already on its way out. I'm guessing the gear trailer has a fairly large frontal area and the wind resistance was therefore pretty high as your description of the towing/ shifting/mpg was about what I experienced towing 8400pounds. You can't beat poor aerodynamics and your engine is going to need is full power to do the job. With this v6 that means 4k+ rpm and the terrible fuel economy that comes with it.

Completely agree. Completely normal to use 4-5.5k rpms when towing, or on hills, or when towing on hills. That’s not impacting the sensor. It was already full of oil and finally gave up the ghost. Thankfully the z automotive, or the sensor replacement fixes are both easy.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Sorry folks. I didn't want to create a new post, but couldn't find anything that covered all the bases. And as you may note, I'm fairly verbose.

I've had my 2022 Gladiator Rubicon for several years now and I love it. But... never towed anything more than a kayak trailer till a few days ago. Bottom line.... my daughters school team had a competition across the state about 200 mi. away. I volunteered to drive the team gear trailer, estimated 3,200 max with manufacturer 2,460 empty. (I estimated the gear load but conservative). So towing with the gladi rubi auto trans at its 7,000 limit, and yes I have the tow package gear option. There were problems!!

The Gladiator did it, but I was not impressed. Trying to maintain 70mph speeds was off and on. The engine fluctuated between 3,000 rpm for level travel then up to 5,000 rpm on slight inclines. It did the job, but seemed to struggle. Basically towing sucked!

Then after several hours I got a light indicating the rear locker was trying to connect. Hmm. while in 2wd on the interstate at 70 mph. Not good. So what happens is a chamber seal for a sensor in the rear differential blows due to the towing and leaks gear oil into the sensor causing it to flash the engagement of the rear differential.

So stopped, disconnected the trailer, tried the full range of gear shifts. Confirmed no rear locker engaged. Pulled the electronic sensor on the diff it was full of oil confirming it was sensor issue vs something more serious.

Apparently this issue is known by Jeep and there is a fix at the dealer under the 60,000 mi 5yr powertrain.

Gas Milage: I am still in the stock Gladiator Rubicon 3.6 setup with 33 in tires. No alterations from stock. I set the trip calculators both up and down. Both were consistently at approximately 10 mpg. I'm driving conservative, not balls to the wall. Approx 70 mph or less. I tried hanging behind some trucks travelling at 60 -65 ish for a while, but it didn't seems to affect my milage at all.

Good luck and good bless to all!

Don’t get me wrong. When it happened to me, I was pretty pissed off, and didn’t know if it was going to be a major deal to fix. So I sympathize with your frustration. I was also in 2wd on the interstate, tired, and not in the damn mood. So don’t take my comments as flippant. I’m definitely not. Just reassuring you that you’re good. Your Jeep is fine. Feel free to reach out with a pm and I’ll happily give you my contact info. Happy to walk you through either fix in detail.

 

[IamPro2A]

I'm guessing the gear trailer has a fairly large frontal area and the wind resistance was therefore pretty high as your description of the towing/ shifting/mpg was about what I experienced towing 8400pounds. You can't beat poor aerodynamics and your engine is going to need is full power to do the job. With this v6 that means 4k+ rpm and the terrible fuel economy that comes with it.

This.
Even far bigger trucks will often see huge drops in mpg when towing large frontal area trailers above 55-60mph. Also, as a future fyi, most trailers have a recommended max tow speed of 65mph, small trailers often even lower. Mostly due to tire size and ratings, because the typically smaller tires need to spin faster to "keep up", which creates more heat and bearing wear, and also trailer tires are generally designed for to carry heavier loads, not for high speeds. But trailer aerodynamics do come into play as well.

 

[Tank43]

Thanks to all for weighing in on this. Like I said, it was my first time towing anything heavier than a kayak trailer behind the JT. Good to know your towing experiences and similar issues with that sensor. I'll look into the fixes mentioned. And good point on the trailer towing speeds. I'll keep it under 65. Wish I could drive back roads, but that would been impractical across state. Some of ya'll mentioned aerodynamics, so for reference here are pictures of the trailer, the warning light, and the sensor location. For anyone referencing this in the future, I gently pulled the tiny white retainer clip on the sensor cover down and the cap came off easy enough, and it was full of oil.

I guess the bright side is that the Team won first place in their division and we got the gear there on time.

 

[WILDHOBO]

Thanks to all for weighing in on this. Like I said, it was my first time towing anything heavier than a kayak trailer behind the JT. Good to know your towing experiences and similar issues with that sensor. I'll look into the fixes mentioned. And good point on the trailer towing speeds. I'll keep it under 65. Wish I could drive back roads, but that would been impractical across state. Some of ya'll mentioned aerodynamics, so for reference here are pictures of the trailer, the warning light, and the sensor location. For anyone referencing this in the future, I gently pulled the tiny white retainer clip on the sensor cover down and the cap came off easy enough, and it was full of oil.

I guess the bright side is that the Team won first place in their division and we got the gear there on time.

It depends on the trailer. My cargo trailer, similar to that one, I don’t exceed 65. But my small camping trailer. I tow that up to 80 all the time. But it’s got at tires and isn’t heavy or long.

 

[Idlethunder]

That sensor went out on me around 28k miles. Dealer replaced it under warranty but I also now have a Z Locker cable under the seat just in case. As for towing, keeping your speed down a little is key especially with anything catching a lot of wind. I actually like the way my JT tows compared to the Fords I’ve owned. Knowing I’m using a small underpowered tow vehicle reminds me to keep the speed down. Driving just 5mph slower keeps the heat down and allows the Gladiator to get better fuel economy than my last F150. It still sucks getting 10 to 11 mpg in the JT but it’s better than the ford getting around 9.

 

[bd100]

17MPG with a fold-down camping trailer, approx 2000lb. Probably mostly just to a smaller frontal area. I think the manual may have a rating for frontal area of the trailer.

Wonder if they could get a lower trailer?

 

[IamPro2A]

Congrats on the win. Yeah, that trailer looks about as aerodynamic as a brick wall. :P

 

[Jaxmax]

That’s a big trailer, whole lot of frontal and it looks like a flat front , only weighs 3200 pounds loaded sounds pretty light for that , had to tow it as is cause it is not yours but a weight distributing hitch would help the experience a lot!
My sensor went bad at 94 miles back in 2020 and used the Z bypass and never looked back everything works fine all the lights light up as they should and locker works, at 59,000 now. Some people here put multiple sensors in ,back in the beginning, the fix was to swap out the whole rear axle. I would go the bypass way and enjoy life!
Lastly crank the tongue jack up all the way on any trailer ,anywhere catching that jack foot on a curb or dip in road would really, really suck.
Awesome the team won and that you supported that!…..Jack

 

[WILDHOBO]

That’s a big trailer, whole lot of frontal and it looks like a flat front , only weighs 3200 pounds loaded sounds pretty light for that , had to tow it as is cause it is not yours but a weight distributing hitch would help the experience a lot!
My sensor went bad at 94 miles back in 2020 and used the Z bypass and never looked back everything works fine all the lights light up as they should and locker works, at 59,000 now. Some people here put multiple sensors in ,back in the beginning, the fix was to swap out the whole rear axle. I would go the bypass way and enjoy life!
Lastly crank the tongue jack up all the way on any trailer ,anywhere catching that jack foot on a curb or dip in road would really, really suck.
Awesome the team won and that you supported that!…..Jack

Nice job zooming in. I had to check. That Jack is really close to the ground.

 

[LouisvEarlleJT]

Brick towing a brick at 70 mph, 10mpg sounds right.

Next time try slowing down. Towing isn’t a race.

Sucks about the sensor though.

 

[Jaxmax]

Nice job zooming in. I had to check. That Jack is really close to the ground.

Well my name is Jack , so looking out for other Jacks and not wanting another Jack to get bent outta shape my friend!….jack

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