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Jeep Gladiator - happy owners? seeing scary stuff in the repair forums

Eric Kern

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Not that many in the grand scheme...... would have been a lot more had things not been cancelled or postponed.
Currently have about 9,600 miles - if things were normal, I would have -
Added 1600 for round trip to Colorado Springs for the big AMO international show,
added about 800 for the round trip to Kenosha for the every three year AMC reunion show and swap meet at Kennedy Park by the lake,
and added 360 for the round trip to Cordova, IL for the annual AMC races and swap meet.

So I'd have another 2800 plus other miles here and there if things hadn't been shut down. I'd be over 12,000 miles in less than a year and that's high for me and a truck. My Chevy saw an average of about 6800/year when I had it - but then I drove other vehicles and put about 7500/year on my Eagle back then.

Did I mention - I love my truck?

.....well damn, now you have me wondering...how the F*** did I put 25k miles on my truck already????? It’s an LE but I bought It Sept 30th 2019 with 56 miles on It....damn
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ShadowsPapa

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.....well damn, now you have me wondering...how the F*** did I put 25k miles on my truck already????? It’s an LE but I bought It Sept 30th 2019 with 56 miles on It....damn
You must like the truck? LOL
 

HONCHO

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Actually it does fix the issues in many of the cases. There have been people who have had the update and said that the issues went away. Some have reported increases in performance.
There are multiple issues in play - like so many other such things. There have been times where the VVL was an issue, solenoids stuck, some have said after the TSB resolutions they've had no more problems, while others still had problems and went on to find they had physical engine issues (compression tests yielded over 10% differences with an engine under 2,000 miles)
The bad thing about "compression tests" these days is you can't get an accurate test the old fashioned way! A leak-down test is the ONLY accurate way. The reason a standard compression test could give mixed results is that the valves aren't controlled completely mechanically - the VVT and VVL mean you have things getting in the way of the valves opening and closing while cranking for a compression test and those can skew the results.
Are dealers checking for those things - or condemning low compression that could be caused by solenoid issues, valves not opening while running the test - or opening at the wrong time.
I have yet to see anyone say their dealer did a leak-down test. Why don't they if they find low compression????? Even on a legacy vehicle if you don't prop the throttle and choke wide open you can get false results. On these, if the valve system, controlled by hydraulics and the PCM, is messed up, you'll get false results.

So to say it doesn't fix the problem is not quite accurate - it depends on the root cause and in this case, there's more than one thing causing similar symptoms.
Frankly so far it's still a mix of "this guy told me" or "my dealer says" - and from dealers who didn't believe there was any steering issue............

So far - too few verifiable facts, too much speculation.

And yes - my partner own/operate/manage/run the AMC forum. We started it over 13 years ago while other forums have come and gone. We let the group of moderators handle things daily, we check in with them only when needed or major issues come up.

FCA has done a very good, detailed job of hiding. Their use of sponsors and advertising to support it instead of their financing it directly, redacting or hiding administrative contacts, registering via cloudflare.... it's a good money-maker for them. Costs almost nothing to run, all of the advertising dollars coming in...................
Thanks for the AMC forum, you guys do a good job running it . It is a wealth of information that is badly needed.
 

ShadowsPapa

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Thanks for the AMC forum, you guys do a good job running it . It is a wealth of information that is badly needed.
Thanks, you're welcome. I wish I had a bit more tech skills on the programming side (or, honestly, much of any at all...) or I'd have the ability for members to post "stores" or "auction-like" pages.
My son started helping make things more attractive years ago then got married, had a job, moved away (Korea and back) and is swamped so that ended.
 

John P.

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Thanks for the info. Please keep us informed
Have had the truck back for 2 weeks with no problems. I've exercised the start/stop function multiple times to see if I get any warning lights and none have been seen. It appears the engine swap solved the problems. It's a hard way to solve the issue, but Jeep stood behind their product. Thanks to Jeep engineering for solving the problem.
 

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jmdwifi

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Keep in mind, people are far more likely to complain than come to a forum to talk about how great everything is. My jeep runs so smooth I sometimes look at the tach to make sure auto start/stop isn't enabled. It's not. almost 15,000 miles and the only problem I'm having is my garage door opener in the visor does not work. They are going to order me a new one. Oh, I've had the bluetooth speaker replaced. Everything else has been great.
 

ShadowsPapa

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Keep in mind, people are far more likely to complain than come to a forum to talk about how great everything is. My jeep runs so smooth I sometimes look at the tach to make sure auto start/stop isn't enabled. It's not. almost 15,000 miles and the only problem I'm having is my garage door opener in the visor does not work. They are going to order me a new one. Oh, I've had the bluetooth speaker replaced. Everything else has been great.
The only trouble I had programming my opener was the fast the door system is from 1980, the remotes OLD, I lost track of where they were, and the batteries were toast and not real easy to find locally. It's the sort you have to use the remote to program, no rolling code. My wife's side of the garage has a newer opener with rolling code - those are fun because you need a ladder to get up to the opener to push the button on the opener and then swiftly get down from the ladder and to the Jeep..........
 

jmdwifi

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The only trouble I had programming my opener was the fast the door system is from 1980, the remotes OLD, I lost track of where they were, and the batteries were toast and not real easy to find locally. It's the sort you have to use the remote to program, no rolling code. My wife's side of the garage has a newer opener with rolling code - those are fun because you need a ladder to get up to the opener to push the button on the opener and then swiftly get down from the ladder and to the Jeep..........
Mine isn’t very new but it is rolling code. I had my tundra programmed to it. But, I also went to a friends house and tried with no luck. He just had the house built and has a brand new opener. I programmed my motorcycle to it no problem. The dealer gave me Canadian instructions to try (two people method). My wife is short and if I have a Canadian visor, I want it swapped out. Merica
 

tumbes2000

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^ this. Go to any Acura or Lexus board and you'll see the same. Even brands known for bulletproof reliability have scary forums.

This is my first FCA product (ever) and I have to admit, I'm impressed with the build quality and overall execution of the vehicle.

The one thing that sets the Wrangler / Gladiator apart is that it's like a life-size Lego. The parts come off, they're easy to upgrade, relatively inexpensive, etc. Plus, most people just love Jeeps :like: :jk:
This is true. I had a 2014 e350 before this and had no issues at all but the forums were full of people having issues. I have also found on the more expensive brands, owners tend to not be as harsh on the brand when they have issues. I think its the whole psychology of I just spent $100K on something that doesn't work that well and having to admit that to yourself. The "lower end" brands tend to be bashed a bit more. Hell my father had a Panamera where the cam shaft bearing cap broke (under warranty thankfully)and left him stranded on the side of the road. He still went and bought another one a year later and still claims Porsche makes a quality vehicle. I gently remind him that I know of only one car in our immediate family that has left someone stranded due to a malfunction.

My biggest issue with FCA products is the dealer network. It is really hit and miss on which dealers are good. Once you find one that is good for service its not an issue but it can be frustrating at first. I would suggest getting JeepWave and go straight to them for any issues beyond regular maintenance. So far I have been impressed with those customer service reps and their ability to get parts to the dealer quickly if needed (TSB for steering box)
 

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Jellygladiator

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I’m just not happy with the lack of defrost come on FCA wipers build up and don’t work because you stoped the vents halfway wtf
 

mstrav73

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Don’t just study failure / defect / recall issues but the fact that Jeep doesn’t cover warranty if you actually use your features or go through a mud puddle. If a brand doesn’t back up it’s buyers I wouldn’t support that brand, I suggest you search this issue and also see what dealers to avoid

always clean vehicle spotless before bringing in for warranty and say nothing other then it’s broken
 

Eric Kern

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31000 miles here, nothing major at all replaced the rear window (unfortunately a legitimate known issue, dealer told me they sent out a very large quantity of windows missing a component / gasket /seal, which is why they’re leaking...is what It is), also replaced steering box, did not have any issue with the steering, felt completely normal, was more worried about resale or possible longevity with the AL box, but that was not a legit issue for me...besides that, pretty awesome vehicle
 

Eric Kern

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Don’t just study failure / defect / recall issues but the fact that Jeep doesn’t cover warranty if you actually use your features or go through a mud puddle. If a brand doesn’t back up it’s buyers I wouldn’t support that brand, I suggest you search this issue and also see what dealers to avoid

always clean vehicle spotless before bringing in for warranty and say nothing other then it’s broken
I don’t really fee that’s an FCA issue, that’s a shitty dealer issue.....my dealer (Colchester CT) would NEVER deny me a warranty claim for off roading the Jeep, nor would they infer to FCA that I mistreated the vehicle to deny a claim...find a new dealer for sure
 

bring44

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Well...if you look for information in the repair forums...you'll find issues that need to be repaired. It's somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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