Manual Transmission Nightmare

[ohiobrad]

I bought one of the first manual Gladiators a year and half ago and I'm seriously regretting the purchase. I didn't have the Gladiator for two weeks when I went out to drive it one day, I could REALLY smell burning transmission fluid and had to park it on the side of the road and get it towed. It took my dealer a few weeks to get it repaired and back to me (it got so ridiculous, Jeep paid my first loan payment for the trouble).

I've had the Gladiator for ~20 months now and have yet to hit 10,000 miles. I park it in my garage every night and haven't even taken it off-roading. I don't grind the gears nor abuse it and have only had it in 4-wheel drive for a few occasions in winter weather.

A few weeks ago, I could feel the clutch getting really loose when running some errands and I just drove straight towards my dealer. I got within a few miles and I could no longer change gears when coming off the highway ramp. I allowed it to roll to a stop in neutral on the side of the road and had it towed from there.

It took another week of repair time and I've driven it twice since then. I went out this morning to start it and when I depressed the clutch and hit the start button, the Jeep LEAPED forward, nearly crashing into the wall of my garage (with the clutch DEPRESSED). Thank God I had a bit of room to work with and was able to kill the engine before I had an accident inside my own home. The gear shit was completely locked up and the clutch felt loose as hell (again).

With the engine off, I was at least able to muscle the gear shift back into neutral so it can be towed (again) back to the dealer.

I've never owned a bigger lemon in my life. (It breaks my heart to write this)

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[SuburbanGP88]

Wow. That sounds so uncharacteristic of jeep manual transmissions because that's their usual bread and butter to offer a manual for the serious of schoolers.

I hope they eventually fix it or replace your car under your state lemon law.

 

[Renegade]

I’m wondering if your first “smell” was actually clutch hydraulic fluid rather than transmission fluid. Your second scenario sounds like a master or slave cylinder fluid leak, resulting in no hydraulic pressure. This would cause the clutch/pressure plate to remain engaged despite the pedal being pressed. If the ignition lock out switch is on the pedal itself, it could have allowed the engine to crank while the transmission was in gear and engaged. If so, it could be as simple as a loose hose fitting.

 

[SuburbanGP88]

Air in the clutch line would also cause the clutch to not engage.

 

[Renegade]

Air in the clutch line would also cause the clutch to not engage.

That would result from air replacing the fluid, like from a leak. It couldn’t just appear there. The other possibility is a master cylinder failure, which doesn’t seem likely to happen all of a sudden.

 

[SuburbanGP88]

That would result from air replacing the fluid, like from a leak. It couldn’t just appear there. The other possibility is a master cylinder failure, which doesn’t seem likely to happen all of a sudden.

Depends on if it's a flaw. I had a motorcycle that came with a defective master slave cylinder and air got into the line cost constantly.

After bleeding it a few times i got tied and just replaced the whole thing with an after market that looked better, was cheaper, and reduced clutch effort.

 

[5JeepsAz]

Sorry to hear this. At least sounds mechanical and therefore fixable. You could run this by a local top shop for a quote completed with inspection only. When they solve the problem, run over to the dealer and insist they complete the recommended repair or pay for the top shop to complete it.

 

[Renegade]

Start by checking the master cylinder reservoir to see if it’s empty.

 

[mountainpass]

My whole intent when shopping for a replacement for my manual Tundra was another manual truck. I was looking at the same time when the clutch recall happened. I was disappointed when the recall only addressed the aftermath instead of cause. I did buy a JT but begrudgingly an auto. Hope you get a positive outcome.

 

[JeepCares]

I bought one of the first manual Gladiators a year and half ago and I'm seriously regretting the purchase. I didn't have the Gladiator for two weeks when I went out to drive it one day, I could REALLY smell burning transmission fluid and had to park it on the side of the road and get it towed. It took my dealer a few weeks to get it repaired and back to me (it got so ridiculous, Jeep paid my first loan payment for the trouble).

I've had the Gladiator for ~20 months now and have yet to hit 10,000 miles. I park it in my garage every night and haven't even taken it off-roading. I don't grind the gears nor abuse it and have only had it in 4-wheel drive for a few occasions in winter weather.

A few weeks ago, I could feel the clutch getting really loose when running some errands and I just drove straight towards my dealer. I got within a few miles and I could no longer change gears when coming off the highway ramp. I allowed it to roll to a stop in neutral on the side of the road and had it towed from there.

It took another week of repair time and I've driven it twice since then. I went out this morning to start it and when I depressed the clutch and hit the start button, the Jeep LEAPED forward, nearly crashing into the wall of my garage (with the clutch DEPRESSED). Thank God I had a bit of room to work with and was able to kill the engine before I had an accident inside my own home. The gear shit was completely locked up and the clutch felt loose as hell (again).

With the engine off, I was at least able to muscle the gear shift back into neutral so it can be towed (again) back to the dealer.

I've never owned a bigger lemon in my life. (It breaks my heart to write this)

We're very sorry to hear of these concerns so soon in ownership! Is the Gladiator still with the dealer? If so, send us a private message, our team would be happy to discuss further with you.

Kate
Jeep Cares

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