Jeep Gladiator years to avoid

[Hootbro]

Owned a 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2025 JT. Can say the 2020 was the worst of them with the recalls and TSB's galore for the random misfires, random floor heat on blast, steering box and rear window leaks. Things seemed more sorted with my 2022 and no niggles from my 2025.

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[NC_Overland]

Owned a 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2025 JT. Can say the 2020 was the worst of them with the recalls and TSB's galore for the random misfires, random floor heat on blast, steering box and rear window leaks. Things seemed more sorted with my 2022 and no niggles from my 2025.

Somehow my 2020 only had one recall since new. The stupid back up camera one. They took care of it for me when I had it in for a free oil change. I did gladly have my steering gear replaced and a few other warranty repairs when new, but it’s been solid since. I trust my 10/19 FCA built/pre-covid 2020 over the newer years. Steering gear was no big deal. I dropped it off, they put me in a nice loaner, and I picked it up a few days later and it drove amazingly better. No window leaks or misfires.

 

[Tim]

IMHO, the years to definitely avoid are the 2020 and 2021s. NOT the 2020s built before COVID.

The 'COVID' years Gladiators suffered a lot of issues because the quality control departments for parts and even finished products were severely diminished and a lot of defective parts and such got through and were installed in the vehicles.

My "2020" Overland, I ordered her 5/19 and she was delivered 7/19. Mechanically, she's been trouble free and, I tow with her too. A 27', 5,100 lb (with all we want or need) travel trailer.

The only two real issues I had was the dreaded leaking rear window which called for a total top replacement because water had gotten inside the top itself and, I argued that with it being winter, the water would freeze, expand, and crack the top so, they replaced it. No further issues there. The other issue...again, structural, was the passenger door seal went bad. I had water pooling in the floor board on the passenger side. By this point, it was out of warranty but, they did replace it and it no longer leaks.

Again, really trouble free.

This is an interesting perspective and one I hadn't previously considered. I have a 2020 Rubicon that I purchased in the "before times" in October 2019. If I remember correctly it was built in May 2019. It's been mechanically trouble free as well, aside from the fuel pump, which died at 41k miles. My hard top leaked but I sold it and got a soft top. I needed to replace the batteries maybe sooner than one would expect but the truck is nearly 7 years old at this point. It would have been needed at some point by now, anyway.

I have 98k on it now. I've kept up with maintenance and have serviced all the drivetrain fluids. I recently replaced spark plugs, coils, fuel injectors, and PCV. I replaced the oil cooler/filter housing while I was in there, but it didn't seem to be leaking. My lower oil pan was starting to corrode so I replaced it. I live in the north where roads are salted all winter so I can't really fault the Jeep for that.

All in all it's been a pretty reliable vehicle for me.

Edited to add: My steering has been ok. I still have the original aluminum box. I will probably replace it with a PSC box at some point but that has more to do with the stock setup struggling with big tires.

 

[NC_Overland]

This is an interesting perspective and one I hadn't previously considered. I have a 2020 Rubicon that I purchased in the "before times" in October 2019. If I remember correctly it was built in May 2019. It's been mechanically trouble free as well, aside from the fuel pump, which died at 41k miles. My hard top leaked but I sold it and got a soft top. I needed to replace the batteries maybe sooner than one would expect but the truck is nearly 7 years old at this point. It would have been needed at some point by now, anyway.

I have 98k on it now. I've kept up with maintenance and have serviced all the drivetrain fluids. I recently replaced spark plugs, coils, fuel injectors, and PCV. I replaced the oil cooler/filter housing while I was in there, but it didn't seem to be leaking. My lower oil pan was starting to corrode so I replaced it. I live in the north where roads are salted all winter so I can't really fault the Jeep for that.

All in all it's been a pretty reliable vehicle for me.

Edited to add: My steering has been ok. I still have the original aluminum box. I will probably replace it with a PSC box at some point but that has more to do with the stock setup struggling with big tires.

I can’t believe that you’ve dealt with the aluminum steering gear for so long. It was horrible even on 32s. Best free upgrade I’ve ever had.

 

[Dilly’S Willy]

I can’t believe that you’ve dealt with the aluminum steering gear for so long. It was horrible even on 32s. Best free upgrade I’ve ever had.

I have a 21 Willys, and I just figure the wander is the normal thing with solid front axles, especially when you have MTs on it. I've driving bigger truck with SFAs and they do the same thing even on street tires. My VIN doesn't have the steering box recall either, and was an early/mid 21 build, so I'm not planning on swapping steering boxes.

Unless the thing where sometimes my PS doesn't like to let me turn the wheels on pavement is related to the recall. Most dealers don't want to bother with effort on anything unless you'll gladly dump money in their hands it seems, which is the main reason I stayed away from FCA and domestics for so long.

 

[NC_Overland]

I have a 21 Willys, and I just figure the wander is the normal thing with solid front axles, especially when you have MTs on it. I've driving bigger truck with SFAs and they do the same thing even on street tires. My VIN doesn't have the steering box recall either, and was an early/mid 21 build, so I'm not planning on swapping steering boxes.

Unless the thing where sometimes my PS doesn't like to let me turn the wheels on pavement is related to the recall. Most dealers don't want to bother with effort on anything unless you'll gladly dump money in their hands it seems, which is the main reason I stayed away from FCA and domestics for so long.

It was never a recall. It was a TSB. You had to complain about it to have it replaced. Most 2021s have the updated steering gear. The 2020 steering gear was so bad it felt dangerous on the hwy. Like I was driving a 300k mile work truck with worn out steering. I had a few inches of play in the steering in both directions, like 4” of play. My JKU Rubicon’s steering, on shitty M/Ts, felt like a Porsche in comparison. It was so bad. They replaced it with another aluminum one and it was a little better and then when the new one came out it was great to drive. Now I take it on long road trips and enjoy driving it.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

For the aux battery when you change it out. You need to go in and reboot the battery management system under aux and reboot it to get the vehicle to actually charge the aux battery.

Where did you get that??
You fully charge any new battery before you put it in.
You disconnect the IBS for a few seconds - like 30 seconds, and drive the bloody thing, and let it sit about 3 or 4 hours with the fob away from the truck.
You have really gotten some BAD BAD info.
There's no rebooting of anything needed.
It's going to learn even if you do NOT reset the IBS by unplugging it for a while and plugging it back in. It's always going to charge the AUX even if you do nothing.

I hope no one believes your post - it's bad info.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The aux battery gets charged whenever the alternator output voltage is higher than the battery voltage, no other action is needed.

It's good to reset the IBS - but, not NECESSARY as it only takes longer to relearn. I don't know where some of that crap comes from. Like you said - it's going to charge anyway.

 

[sharpsicle]

Yay, another thread full of garbage info!

We seem to be collecting them these days.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I have a 21 Willys, and I just figure the wander is the normal thing with solid front axles, especially when you have MTs on it. I've driving bigger truck with SFAs and they do the same thing even on street tires. My VIN doesn't have the steering box recall either, and was an early/mid 21 build, so I'm not planning on swapping steering boxes.

Unless the thing where sometimes my PS doesn't like to let me turn the wheels on pavement is related to the recall. Most dealers don't want to bother with effort on anything unless you'll gladly dump money in their hands it seems, which is the main reason I stayed away from FCA and domestics for so long.

No recall, and no, wander is not due to solid axles.
All 2021s have the different sector.
Many here with a 2020 never had the problem with the original steering sector.

TSB - technical service bulletin - which means if a customer has a problem or complaint, this is how to fix it.
If there was no complaint, there was nothing done. It impacted many, but certainly not all, of the 2020 model year. And 2021 and later were already using the new box.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Owned a 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2025 JT. Can say the 2020 was the worst of them with the recalls and TSB's galore for the random misfires, random floor heat on blast, steering box and rear window leaks. Things seemed more sorted with my 2022 and no niggles from my 2025.

My 2020 was soo good, I move to a 2022, then to a 2025. The 2020 had the steering issue - and the dealer resolved that via the TSB. It had the HVAC issue, that was resolved. Otherwise - no misfires, no leaks, no rattles, things fit great. Two issues, resolved by the dealer with ease. I can't say it was a bad year, really.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Yay, another thread full of garbage info!

We seem to be collecting them these days.

I wish people could have heard the phone call I had with my son, discussing AI and Chat.
After that call, I only believe a fraction of what Chat has to say and take AI results in searches with a a grain of salt. Like he said - it refuses to say "I don't know" and will often fill in the blanks with bogus stuff just to avoid "I don't know". It also has problem with CONTEXT, so will often twisting things around. I've learned to not trust it to ID certain stamps as it mixes up features, blends results and gets things wrong as often as not.
This sort of video is out there about people, TV shows and more - those are usually OLD news presented as new facts - and not even factual.
Once I see the source of the video or recognize it as AI - I close the tab.

 

[Tim]

I can’t believe that you’ve dealt with the aluminum steering gear for so long. It was horrible even on 32s. Best free upgrade I’ve ever had.

It was never a recall. It was a TSB. You had to complain about it to have it replaced. Most 2021s have the updated steering gear. The 2020 steering gear was so bad it felt dangerous on the hwy. Like I was driving a 300k mile work truck with worn out steering. I had a few inches of play in the steering in both directions, like 4” of play. My JKU Rubicon’s steering, on shitty M/Ts, felt like a Porsche in comparison. It was so bad. They replaced it with another aluminum one and it was a little better and then when the new one came out it was great to drive. Now I take it on long road trips and enjoy driving it.

I know what you mean. My brother had a very early 2020 gladiator, like one of the first ones off the line. His steering was so bad he ended up invoking lemon law on the truck. This was pre-TSB and his dealership literally had no clue. I drove his truck and it was so bad it was comical. It was like playing a game. You never knew when the steering wheel would make the front wheels start turning. lol.

I would describe mine as a little soft/vague right in the middle but it's doesn't have a dead spot. I can feel a change in direction to the wheels even with the slightest input on the steering wheel. It just feels a bit "mushy." That said, it's not as solid feeling as my wife's 2024 Wrangler. There's no arguing that so I suppose it's fair to say some of the 2020s had far better steering that others. I guess I got a good one.

It's totally liveable for me. I will change the box out for a PSC box at some point in the next year and maybe add their high volume power steering pump. That is primarliy due to the direction my build is taking at this point. It's been marginal turning at slow speed with 35s. I'm getting 37s next week so I expect it'll need a little more ass than the stock box/pump deliver. I don't mind throwing a few bucks at it after 100k miles.

 

[Tim]

I have a 21 Willys, and I just figure the wander is the normal thing with solid front axles, especially when you have MTs on it. I've driving bigger truck with SFAs and they do the same thing even on street tires. My VIN doesn't have the steering box recall either, and was an early/mid 21 build, so I'm not planning on swapping steering boxes.

Unless the thing where sometimes my PS doesn't like to let me turn the wheels on pavement is related to the recall. Most dealers don't want to bother with effort on anything unless you'll gladly dump money in their hands it seems, which is the main reason I stayed away from FCA and domestics for so long.

As was already mentioned, wander has nothing to do with solid axles. Anecdotally, I have an F-350 for work and that thing is tight as tight can be.

Not being able to turn the wheels on pavement is related to the stock power steering pump/steering box not having enough power to turn the wheels. I assume you have larger-than-stock tires if this is an issue. I never felt the steering was underpowered until I went to 35s.

 

[DylanM]

Unless the thing where sometimes my PS doesn't like to let me turn the wheels on pavement is related to the recall. Most dealers don't want to bother with effort on anything unless you'll gladly dump money in their hands it seems, which is the main reason I stayed away from FCA and domestics for so long.

Give the steering pump ground a look (TSB/Star advisory S2208000063 Rev.A).

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