Consumer Reports finds 2020 JL to be one of the most unreliable vehicles

[PyrPatriot]

According to this article found in a thread on the sister site

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-jeep-wrangler-is-one-of-the-most-unreliable-cars-of-2020/

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ne-of-the-most-unreliable-cars-of-2020.49040/

What surprised me in the article is the body integrity problems. News to me.

wonder if the problems are shared with the JT since they are so similar


electrical issues worry me the most

Edmunds 50k review of the 2018 seems encouraging
https://www.edmunds.com/jeep/wrangler/2018/long-term-road-test/wrap-up.html

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[sad85XD]

So its just regurgitated Consumer report? Plus Consumer report's website still has the 2020 as "Predicted reliability"

The age of sensationalism.

 

[PyrPatriot]

So its just regurgitated Consumer report? Plus Consumer report's website still has the 2020 as "Predicted reliability"

The age of sensationalism.

Many dont have access to Consumer Reports and 2020 is still young, could have a valid “prediction”

 

[seesharp4me]

My and my son's Jeeps have never left us stranded. TJs, JKs and now a JT. If you stay up on your maintenance overall you will be in good shape. Yes there are quirks, but just like when I was a computer programmer these are features. Just saying...

 

[Jay Gatsby]

I personally have not found CR to be accurate. I subscribed to their mag years ago and used it for reference before I made any large purchases. I was disappointed more than satisfied with their recommendations.

MotorBiscuit just regurgitates stuff already posted on the web like so many other sites. I'm not aware of any independent testing or research done by their staff.

 

[jimbom]

My god that is a poorly written article. Like it's written by a failing 4th grader. Pisses me off that I clicked on that shit.

The good news is the Gladiator is in the top 4 of CR overall ratings for trucks and essentially tied for 3rd with the Tacoma (1 pt difference.) If you want any off-road capability, you can throw out the Honda topping the list, so that promotes the Jeep and Tacoma tied for 2nd. Not bad. (Unfortunately predicted reliability still is not well rated.)

 

[ZTMAN]

I view Consumer Reports like those "Best Places to Live" pieces. Put a bunch of stats into a computer and it spits them out with recommendations.

Useful to some extent, but certainly I would not let Consumer Reports be a significant part of any decision.

 

[LostWoods]

CR also rates the Ridgeline as the best mid-size pickup so that's really all I have to say about them.

 

[Commodus]

According to this article found in a thread on the sister site

https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-jeep-wrangler-is-one-of-the-most-unreliable-cars-of-2020/

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ne-of-the-most-unreliable-cars-of-2020.49040/

What surprised me in the article is the body integrity problems. News to me.

wonder if the problems are shared with the JT since they are so similar


electrical issues worry me the most

Edmunds 50k review of the 2018 seems encouraging
https://www.edmunds.com/jeep/wrangler/2018/long-term-road-test/wrap-up.html

I take articles like this with a grain of salt. Yes there may have been some research behind the numbers but like any survey or poll, numbers can come out any way you want by who you interview. After all it is not your subscriptions that pays the bills for the company it is their advertisers and backers. What got me started was looking at their first issue of non reliability and it was fuel mileage. I did not buy a smart car to commute around town.

 

[jimbom]

I take articles like this with a grain of salt. Yes there may have been some research behind the numbers but like any survey or poll, numbers can come out any way you want by who you interview. After all it is not your subscriptions that pays the bills for the company it is their advertisers and backers. What got me started was looking at their first issue of non reliability and it was fuel mileage. I did not buy a smart car to commute around town.

To be fair, the research cited is from Consumer Reports which, in fact, is non-profit and keeps their testing and editorials separate from their commercial income. The publisher of the written article is as you describe, only interested in generating clicks in order to attract advertising dollars. The former is legitimate, the latter is basically a scam.

 

[jimbom]

CR also rates the Ridgeline as the best mid-size pickup so that's really all I have to say about them.

Having owned a couple Hondas, I have no doubt the Ridgeline is a good quality vehicle. But it is barely a truck, has zero off-road capability and targets a completely different buyer than the Jeep, or pretty much any other utility truck. Consumer Reports rates mostly objective qualities (i.e. reliability, acceleration, braking, mileage, ride, noise) so it's hard to argue with those numbers.

But they also provide commentary, and in the case of the Honda, they make it very clear that it isn't on the same level as something like the Jeep: "... it isn't a conventional workhorse. Towing capacity at 5,000 pounds is nothing to boast about. The bed is shallow. The Ridgeline is no off-road champ, so this isn't the truck for anyone planning to cross the Rubicon Trail. "

 

[LostWoods]

Having owned a couple Hondas, I have no doubt the Ridgeline is a good quality vehicle. But it is barely a truck, has zero off-road capability and targets a completely different buyer than the Jeep, or pretty much any other utility truck. Consumer Reports rates mostly objective qualities (i.e. reliability, acceleration, braking, mileage, ride, noise) so it's hard to argue with those numbers.

But they also provide commentary, and in the case of the Honda, they make it very clear that it isn't on the same level as something like the Jeep: "... it isn't a conventional workhorse. Towing capacity at 5,000 pounds is nothing to boast about. The bed is shallow. The Ridgeline is no off-road champ, so this isn't the truck for anyone planning to cross the Rubicon Trail. "

Oh I totally get it. My post wasn't implying that the Ridgeline wasn't a good vehicle, it was implying that CR is heavily biased toward comfort and widespread consumer opinions. The Honda is the perfect mid-size for the vanilla consumer because it is a 9/10 or 10/10 in all those metrics - ride comfort, ease of entry, noise, acceleration... it's a great crossover with a bed which does fine in poor weather thanks to front-biased AWD and it hauls enough that it will serve the average consumer well on weekend Home Depot runs.

What I don't get is how the jack of all trades, master of none Tacoma gets rated so low or how the unabashedly polar opposite of the Ridgeline Gladiator is equal to the Tacoma. The Tacoma IMO is the #1 that somehow got dragged down by one recall (radar sensor) and transmission complaints from a transmission that was grossly overblown by internet chatter. For the average person, it's a great truck by every measure even if it never veers into excellent territory.

The Gladiator, meanwhile, is okay when it comes to comfort (other than seating position... that's excellent) and an excellent truck from a truck stuff perspective. It rides rough, it's hard to get into, and it tends to bounce and wander due to the SFA but it has an excellent payload, towing, and off-road capability that put it at or near the top of the heap in those metrics. It makes sense if you prioritize truck metrics but it's clear from the Ridgeline coming out on top that those aren't what CR is after.

 

[20HBPJT]

My two cents for what it’s worth. I have had Japanese cars ever since I started driving over a decade ago. This is my first “American” car. I have seen daily on my various commutes more Jeep wranglers then I can count on the road. I have never ever seen a single one on the back of a tow truck nor on the shoulder of any highway. I don’t bother going by what “experts” claim their studies have shown them. I go by what I have seen as well as friends that own several wranglers all different years. These are men that do not believe in taking care of a auto. They are finically better off than me. The fact that they finance the wrangler and lease European luxury speaks volumes to me. The fact that they could nitpick almost anything and praise their wrangler speaks volumes to me. At the end of the day they trust as do I that our Jeep will always get us where we need to go under it’s own power. What sets the wranglers and now the gladiators apart is a ridiculously amount of aftermarket support and the willingness of the owners of these vehicles to mod them for their need. When ever you modify something it has the potential to malfunction. These jeeps have gone and will continue to go to the ends of the earth. If they were so unreliable as some experts claim they are why do they continue to show up on unpaved roads and in such large numbers?

 

[bgenlvtex]

These deals almost always come down to the dealership experience.

Some brands put alot of emphasis on service departments because they know they will make or break the brand.

Some brands like FCA and Hyundai give lip service to it, but you will frequently get into an "earn while you learn" thing with them.

They all make stuff that breaks and is broken when you get it, it's manufacturing.

Another thing that is a factor is the number of people who get out of a more refined vehicle, and the learning curve of the "Jeep Experience" is steeper than they imagined it would be.

 

[Oilburner]

Eff CR I stopped paying attention to that outfit when they went after the Suzuki Samurai.

Eff them Very Much

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