Diesel Gladiator Sway Bar Disconnect / Vehicle shut off problem

[MarkusAurelius]

Last year on the highway after a long trip in my 21’ eco diesel. Driving down highway and the sway bar disconnect /svc 4wd light came on and killed the engine. Had it towed to the dealership who said their was water in my fuel system and also that I needed a “new chip” both took over 6 months to fix due to part shortage and 2k$ to tow across the state the rest of the way home.

Fast forward to today, my swaybar disconnect unavailable light is turning on again at highway speeds, at red lights and at speeds of 35. Jeep hasn’t died yet but I’m sure it will. Scheduled for another trip to North Carolina in 2 weeks. Which I’ll have to cancel. I can’t take this thing on a simple road trip let alone overlanding confidently. Should have bought a Toyota. After probably nearly 50k$ in upgrades I’m left with a Jeep to sell I won’t get nearly that back. Looking to sell it for something reliable now. Maybe a Toyota. But I’m going to miss the torque of this diesel. It was great when it worked. Taking it to the dealer who I’m sure again will give some bs story. I think there’s an electrical system problem with these jeeps.

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[Tommyd]

You must not have heard of all the problems with the Tacoma and tundra. Like total engine failure and transmission failure.

 

[MarkusAurelius]

Silverado with a diesel is an option. Won’t be able to fit tight trails but would be good for cross country? I live in Ohio so it’s several hour drive to anywhere good.

 

[sharpsicle]

Sorry to hear you're having problems, but it's a far cry to say what you're experiencing is common across the Gladiator lineup. It really isn't.

With that in mind, there is always a way to fix these things, so don't give up hope just yet! Work with, not against, those who are working on your Jeep. The biggest mistake I see is people going in to places and acting like a jerk and then wondering why the shop does whatever they can to just get them to go away rather than address the real problem.

 

[Rahkmalla]

if you really have 50k in upgrades without an engine swap, we're in a real "Ship of Theseus' situation where one has to question how much of the original vehicle you're advising people not to buy is even left.

The massive aftermarket is a really cool part of owning a jeep... but the more you change the more you're spreading out the possible responsibility for failures. The more you splice and tap and ground the more possibility for shorts you introduce.

Sorry this is happening to you, but i'm not sure the information you've provided here is really relevant to 99% of potential future owners.

 

[jeepers29]

I have read on here about a wire harness that is up against the exhaus manifold, I think, that melts and causes problems. Have you looked into that? Hope you get it fixed quickly, otherwise we will look for you in the "O" thread.

 

[Riverdog]

Unfortunately there aren't many vehicles today that have zero issues. No matter which company makes the vehicle...there are some lemons and some QA problems they leave us to find. Toyotas make some fine vehicles but they also have a ton of recalls these days. It's cheaper to force them off the line and pay for recalls and warranty work. A few years ago I spent $60k on a new Sierra 1500 AT4, 8 months later the paint (summit white) started falling off in chunks all over the truck. GM refused to warranty the paint claiming "environmental causes" and wanted me to pay $4500 to fix the paint issues on my new truck. I doubt I'll ever buy anything "new" ever again. Good luck

 

[Jteakus]

You can fix the problems for a fraction of the financial loss you will incur.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Too late, most of us on here already own Gladiators.

 

[Jaxmax]

Sounds like either a harness problem or sway bar disconnect. I have a Mojave so no sway bar disconnect but do have the simple Apex sway bar disconnects and like them a lot. Perhaps disconnecting the sway bar plug and see if problem goes away should have been done.
I can see your frustration but sounds like you are not having any engine problems and like the truck other then these two events, but if there is no faith in your truck , then I guess moving on is where you want to go…….Jack

 

[AustyPosty]

Unless you buy an older Toyota, you are probably going to have even worse luck with the new Tacoma and tundra. Probably the least reliable trucks on the market currently. Toyota ain’t what it used to be.

 

[MarkusAurelius]

if you really have 50k in upgrades without an engine swap, we're in a real "Ship of Theseus' situation where one has to question how much of the original vehicle you're advising people not to buy is even left.

The massive aftermarket is a really cool part of owning a jeep... but the more you change the more you're spreading out the possible responsibility for failures. The more you splice and tap and ground the more possibility for shorts you introduce.

Sorry this is happening to you, but i'm not sure the information you've provided here is really relevant to 99% of potential future owners.

Nothing has been done that alters the power train. Really the only thing that has been done to void warranty would be a Clayton lift and 37s.
The complications are with the stock engine/electronics. So far all repairs have been under warranty. And my local dealership in Madison Ohio while they have been very cordial to me and I to them, have been unable to fix the problem for any amount of time. Nor are they able to diagnose the electrical issue. I realized when I did my 40k service that maybe I need to try a different dealer as they returned my Jeep to me with the drain plug hand loose and leaking transmission fluid.
This issue where it’s throwing codes may not be very common among all the gladiators but I think it’s important to note that you may get a lemon that Jeep can’t fix or diagnose. Hopefully a new dealer can help. I can’t find much info on the forums to help tho there are some people indicating instances of the same issue.

 

[MarkusAurelius]

Unless you buy an older Toyota, you are probably going to have even worse luck with the new Tacoma and tundra. Probably the least reliable trucks on the market currently. Toyota ain’t what it used to be.

That’s what I’m realizing today after a little research

 

[Bluey]

Sorry to hear. My family has had cam gear issues in two different Ecodiesel Ram 1500s. Our Pentastar Ram has 190K without issues. Same with the Caravans. I stick to 5K mile synth oil changes. Steered me to a pentastar Gladiator. Though, its a pig compared to the 8-speed 5.7l Ram.

 

[Janster]

I used to be a Toyota fan girl..... and my whole family (as a kid) used to be Toyota fans...... I've had at least a couple that had transmission failures.

The Tacoma's had a HUGE frame rust recall - It was HUGE!! The frames were rusting from the inside out. To look at the frame from the outside, you couldn't tell it was rotting. Toyota (at first) was spraying undercoating - but that quickly changed to frame replacements. There were sooo many trucks getting new frames. My 2007 failed the frame inspection and had the frame replaced. I have photos of it (at the dealership) as a rolling chassis. It was scary... and to be honest, that truck was never the same after they tore it apart. So, I traded it in for a GMC Canyon.

That 2016 GMC Canyon was awesome for 8 years that I owned it...... I was worried about it because we'd never owned a GMC before.

So, sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.... I don't have any sort of brand loyalty anymore. We buy what we want and hope for the best.

Crossing fingers, crossing arms, crossing legs, crossing toes and everything else inbetween.....

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