VOIDED Factory Warranty after taking it through mud

[Riccochet]

Those pictures have been re-quoted, shared, and published on articles/blogs. They're on FB, everywhere that mentioned this article. They are irrelevant because Jeep can probably get them during discovery, along with all the other pictures taken and not posted. For what it's worth, not saying taking the photos down is a bad or good idea

Never post something on a public forum that you don't want to forever be archived somewhere else. Pretty much the second you post it a web crawler will pick it up and archive it. Whether that be with web.archive, Google, M$ or any number of other companies.

Forum's with paywall's help a bit.

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[Burton79]

I’m going to go ahead and side with Gladiatrix on this one. If Jeep is saying one thing advertising and making statements regarding capability, please refer to picture and small print, and Gladiatrix can prove that the watery mud puddle was less than 30 inches, then I believe Jeep is bound by the warranty. Misuse is the eyes of law is intentionally using an item or product for something other than its intended for. Jeep and FCA opened the door by stating it was capable of fording 30 inches of water. If it’s raining hard and enough , simply driving down a highway and splashing water up from a pot hole could be construed as misuse per most of your arguments and FCAs stance. I think Gladiatrix not only has a leg to stand on, but if even one more issue like this happens to another customer and the process is the same, then I think FCA will have a class action lawsuit pending in the very near future.

 

[PyrPatriot]

So here are some videos of what I presume are official Jeep commercials. I had emailed Jeep about one of their commercials of the JT driving fast through some woods and wanted to get the parameters that JT was driving (where was this, when, and at what speeds - to have a baseline). Jeep said they had a 3rd party make it and couldnt get me the info. Oh well.

In fact, most of the time spent in Wrangler/Gladiator commercials is on pretty dry terrain

Commercial 1 - I see mud on the roads but nowhere near as deep as the OP. It splashes up but doesn't come down over the hood as a wave.


Commercial 2



Commercial 3 - you MAY have an argument that the Jurrasic Park Commercial hits a mud hole like OP


Commercial 4



And at the FCA proving grounds they take mud slowly and little splashing

 

[TahoeJohnny]

With no offense, there are a couple weird comments in your post.
Why did you buy a Jeep with mud tires you did not want?
You said 2H engaged on the freeway. You supposed to be in 2H on the freeway.
I have owned many Jeeps in my life and every year I run the Rubicon Trail in my Wrangler. Yes my Gladiator is Trail rated, but I wouldn't expect Jeep to cover the warranty if I try to cross the Rubicon doing 20 miles an hour.

Obviously I don't know the whole story, but as many others have mentioned, I think you abused the Jeep you didn't want. ?

 

[TahoeJohnny]

I’m going to go ahead and side with Gladiatrix on this one. If Jeep is saying one thing advertising and making statements regarding capability, please refer to picture and small print, and Gladiatrix can prove that the watery mud puddle was less than 30 inches, then I believe Jeep is bound by the warranty. Misuse is the eyes of law is intentionally using an item or product for something other than its intended for. Jeep and FCA opened the door by stating it was capable of fording 30 inches of water. If it’s raining hard and enough , simply driving down a highway and splashing water up from a pot hole could be construed as misuse per most of your arguments and FCAs stance. I think Gladiatrix not only has a leg to stand on, but if even one more issue like this happens to another customer and the process is the same, then I think FCA will have a class action lawsuit pending in the very near future.

It is rated to FORD up to 30" WATER, not fly the through MUD at 30 MPH.
Things are not adding up.

 

[Nachostheclown]

We just had somebody do what I am guessing is pretty serious damage to his 2020 in mud on Sunday. Jeep is currently not running and he was taking it to dealer in the next day or 2. When I say serious damage Im talking his coolant reservoir exploded. Looked like an M80 went off inside it. I have a feeling that he will have same results as the OP.

 

[PyrPatriot]

It is rated to FORD up to 30" WATER, not fly the through MUD at 30 MPH.
Things are not adding up.

I do wonder how fast someone has to hit a mud dip to get as muddy as OP did. The picture I posted was on flat pavement, just covered in river mud that overflowed on my way home (so not "mudding"). I was still in stock street tires so I had to keep steady speed to get through, probably 15mph, but the mud was wet enough and flew up that over a short stretch I got covered boot-to-bonnet.

 

[PyrPatriot]

We just had somebody do what I am guessing is pretty serious damage to his 2020 in mud on Sunday. Jeep is currently not running and he was taking it to dealer in the next day or 2. When I say serious damage I talking his coolant reservoir exploded. Looked like an M80 went off inside it. I have a feeling that he will have same results as the OP.

He means this thread
https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/blown-radiator-reservoir.38722/

 

[Burton79]

It is rated to FORD up to 30" WATER, not fly the through MUD at 30 MPH.
Things are not adding up.

True. but the warranty is pretty vague, for Jeep’s protection I’m guessing. It doesn’t explicitly say that it can’t go through the mud though either. If they didn’t want Jeep’s. Going through mud, why do they sponser competitions where there is deeper water than that tiny puddle and have a team for it too? It just makes me wonder what the suits are thinking.

 

[PyrPatriot]

why do they sponser competitions where there is deeper water than that tiny puddle and have a team for it too? It just makes me wonder what the suits are thinking.

For aftermarket and post-warranty stuff.

 

[Riccochet]

True. but the warranty is pretty vague, for Jeep’s protection I’m guessing. It doesn’t explicitly say that it can’t go through the mud though either. If they didn’t want Jeep’s. Going through mud, why do they sponser competitions where there is deeper water than that tiny puddle and have a team for it too? It just makes me wonder what the suits are thinking.

I've been to some of those events. You sign a waiver than you accept full responsibility for any damages to your vehicles.

 

[Riccochet]

And again. Just because something is marketed that it can be used a certain way does not make the manufacturer liable for repairs when used in those ways.

The "Track Mode" on a C8 doesn't mean GM is going to fix your Corvette if you blow it up while running 180 MPH on the track. In fact they cover no damages while used on a track.

 

[PyrPatriot]

And again. Just because something is marketed that it can be used a certain way does not make the manufacturer liable for repairs when used in those ways.

The "Track Mode" on a C8 doesn't mean GM is going to fix your Corvette if you blow it up while running 180 MPH on the track. In fact they cover no damages while used on a track.

Just like most car insurance policies I have come across, especially when digging deep here in KY offerings, cover anything outside of a "road", which has its own definition and restrictions.

 

[Usethis83]

1000%

Every time I’ve had a problem, getting stuck or fkn something up, it’s been in mud. Mud is a massive PIA. Learned that lesson at 19 years old on a $6k Jeep. Not at 40 on a $50k Jeep.

Don’t understand the appeal of mudding.

2 minutes of fun is 2 hours of cleaning. Minimum.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I do wonder how fast someone has to hit a mud dip to get as muddy as OP did. The picture I posted was on flat pavement, just covered in river mud that overflowed on my way home (so not "mudding"). I was still in stock street tires so I had to keep steady speed to get through, probably 15mph, but the mud was wet enough and flew up that over a short stretch I got covered boot-to-bonnet.

If I was in the mood, I'd calculate the size of the mud pool in the original video, figure the number of seconds of video it took to cross that mud and calculate the mph. It's doable, get fairly close, anyway. There was mud on the roof, if I recall the pics correctly. That's more than the 5-10 mph specified.

The thing about these threads is that it's all 100% opinion, none of it legal advice and anyone who reads all of this and then goes out and makes a choice based on what they got here and says "well these other guys do it and said I'd be ok" - they likely get what they deserve.
I do auto-electric, restoration of auto parts, including entire vehicles. I've worked on alternators and starters in conditions I bet most folks here have never seen and would ask "how did THAT happen"...... it would take a fair amount of something more than WATER to damage an alternator. I recently did one packed with sand and silt so bad I had trouble getting it apart - yet, it wasn't physically damaged and likely would have still worked had I tested it first.
Then there was the starter so bad inside that the through bolts were literally rotted halfway through and the field windings turned green and parts all but gone. A lot of water was in there for a period of time - likely more than plain water based on the damage.

My opinions are based on experience in the auto repair field, doing the work. And worth every penny you just paid for 'em. Money back guarantee, not to include shipping and handling fees. Not valid in the state of Utah. Owners in California not entitled to anything.

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