The Jeep Wrangler is One of the Most Unreliable Cars of 2020

[viper88]

Because I do not currently own a Wrangler, but fully intend to when I make up my mind exactly what I want through thorough research, I’d like to offer an outsider opinion.
Please remember while reading this reply I think Jeeps are cool and really want to own one despite the things I read that give me pause before buying one.

It seems because most Wrangler owners are so enamored with their vehicles that they are willing to accept the fact that FCA quality control is substandard. Saying “It’s a Jeep thing” doesn’t force the manufacturer to step up their quality game and put out a better product. I realize some owners have never had major issues, but it seems most on this forum have had at least a few things that I would call unacceptable. Sloppy steering and especially the “death wobble” issue seriously concerns me. Corrosion at the hinges should never be ok. LSD bearings coming apart before 10,000 miles is troubling. Rusty and missing frame welds. Wavy doors. None of those are allowable in my book.

To put it in perspective, I drove my $28,000 1998 Ram 2500 V10 4x4 or 21 years and almost 300,000 miles. Coil sprung Dana 60 front and Dana 70 leaf spring rear. You can say I’m familiar with straight axle ownership. Only mod I did was put 33x12.50s on it immediately and Rhino-lined the bed. I do ALL my own maintenance and work on my vehicles and the only “big” repairs I had were one starter rebuild, three water pumps, one radiator, and after 250,000 miles, a leaky rear axle seal.

Granted, I think my Dodge was exceptional, but I do not think a $50,000 vehicle in 2020 should require any dealer visits (other than maintenance) before 50,000 miles, if not 100,000. That isn’t that uncommon in this day and age and I think it is what we should demand from Jeep, too.

I agree with your statement in bold.

I guess I am guilty because I keep buying Wranglers. I love my JLR and would buy another in a heartbeat.

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[viper88]

And I have owned 3.

2018 - bought back due to bad frame welds.
2019 - Repurchase due to all kinds of issues. (Engine coolant leaks, steering issues)
2020 - has been great overall. However I am impacted by the 2020 recall for the LCA bracket weld missing / off.

I fully understand why the overall quality may be viewed as low. But.. again I have had 3, and would buy another if the conditions were right. For example, if they make a Wrangler version of the JT Mojave , a wrangler raptor so to speak I would be all over that. I'm planning to build mine like that anyways, but if I can get it from the factory and not have to worry about dealership / FCA warranty hassle due to modifications I would be all for it. I am also looking at the Bronco, really to me it is about the vehicle meeting my needs for how I use it. I am not brand loyal, as no brand is loyal to you. I will go with what works for me.

aftermarket parts on the other hand, very much brand matters as some stick by their products much better than others,

Video's like this don't help either. JEEP has a great display at auto shows showing off their capabilities. They give rides in each JEEP. They suffered some embarrassment at the Chicago Auto Show this year. One actually broke down on the course with passengers inside of it. Another JTs had to be pushed off the JEEP display because it high entered or something. This video is of the one that broke down with a guy in the back and a female passenger in the front passenger seat. You can actually hear someone yell "It's a Jeep Thing" in the background as they were trying to push it off the course.

 

[rubileon]

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

Thoughts?

Well have a look at the author, Jordan Almond's, credentials...

Jordan Almond
WRITER

When I'm not writing about the auto industry, I love to write poetry, do yoga, and go on outdoor adventures with my husband and our two sons. Together we share a love for growing things, traveling, and trying new foods.​

I don't see any mentions of their education, let alone an engineering or a science degree. It shows in their writing too.

 

[sf5211]

Shrug, I don't really see significantly more complaints or problems on the Wrangler forums vs most any other vehicle. While they may not be the most reliable, I'd say they're also by far the most tinkered-with and used/abused vehicles on the road today - both of which are going to seriously skew their perceived reliability.

This^^^^ then show me the suv that gets great fuel mileage and is so reliable

 

[Arterius2]

My Jeep is in the shop again for an axle seal leak...

 

[BRuby]

This is valid except ours tracks straight with maybe 1/2” play tops. Zero DW. All stock. We have punished it off-road over deep washboard ruts + rock crawled many single track trails. Used it constantly all winter up snow covered mtn roads. Thing is a beast and just unloaded 30 bags of 50 lb gravel. Not perfect. But does everything we require. YMMV.

Performance

"As we started heading east and up the mountains from the Pacific Coast, weather alerts let us know to expect freezing temperatures and snow at our destination in Lake Tahoe. We had chains (which are very pricey for the 33-inch-diameter tires, by the way), but we never needed them thanks to the Rubicon's standard BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2s' M+S mud and snow rating. Once in 4-Hi, driving on the mixed conditions of slush and fresh snow proved no problem for the KO2s, and all the noise and ill-handling complaints on the highway were long forgotten." — Calvin Kim

"It's funny, the Wrangler's old straight-six used to be in keeping with its rough and tumble image. But the new(ish) V6 and eight-speed auto are clearly more modern and refined than the rest of the package. The powertrain is really quite good, giving the Wrangler a wide ratio spread and no shortage of oomph. Just the thing for when you're crawling over a technical trail or on a freeway cruise." — Jason Kavanagh

 

[PeeCeeJunior]

The first Wrangler I test drove (or tried to test drive) wouldn't start. Even with jumper cables it took 15 minutes to finally get the vehicle rolling. The whole time I was driving the alternator light was on. When the sales manager asked if I wanted to buy a Jeep I said "maybe, but not THAT Jeep."

Would you consider JD Powers the gold standard? Who would you say is the most accurate and unbiased QC survey company ?

There as good as any survey. If I'm remembering right, JD Power surveys everything for free, but companies pay for the right to advertise their ranking. Personally I like Consumer Reports' reviews. They're somewhat skewed because the only people sampled are the kinds of people who read Consumer Reports so there are a lot of Subrau's and Hondas sampled and fewer Ford F350 dually trucks. But you can also be certain that any bias is because the reviewers just hate or love a particular car brand and not because another car maker paid for extra advertising.

 

[SeaJay]

Bought a Tacoma a few years back... it was such a Lemon we nicknamed it the "Lemoma" lol. My sister in law recently purchased a Rav4... last I heard it was at the dealership because of a leaking sunroof. Btw... ToyotaCares?? Yeah right. People who put FCA down have yet to deal with the snobs at Toyota.
Loving our Wranglers!

 

[UTES]

Just my thoughts on this Jeep quality issue:

I've owned 10 off-road Jeeps since buying my first - a 1980 convertible CJ5. That Jeep had multiple problems, but I fell in love with Jeeps anyway. 2 of the worst Jeeps I owned were during the AMC years. My Jeeps spent so much time in the shop that it was ridiculous. I was a sales rep for Jeep at the time.

I was excited when the TJs came out. Going from those old long springs to the new coil springs was a huge success and made the TJ perform well on the road and on the trail. I think the JK Jeeps were awesome as well. I had a hard-core JK Rubi that was one of my favorites.

This time I went with a 2020 JLU Sahara with the new Diesel engine. I think I'm in love. The JLU is gorgeous and its street manners are the best ever. This was also my most expensive Jeep with a $58,000 MSRP. The Diesel is shaping up to be my favorite engine - it's reliable and sturdy. And, it's no performance slouch. My wife was surprised to find she could spin the rear tires accelerating through a turn when it's raining. I think pairing the Diesel with the HD Dodge auto trans was a perfect move. I thought I'd miss the manual trans, but the current auto trans is so good.

May you be safe and happy, my friends.

Hunter

 

[aldo98229]

Would you consider JD Powers the gold standard? Who would you say is the most accurate and unbiased QC survey company ?

JD Power has some serious issues regarding the public ranking of makes and models based on indices that often are not statistically significant, and with the appearance of conflict of interest resulting from selling rights to the awards it gives out to the automakers. But their sampling and research methodologies are solid: they rely on a random sample of new-vehicle buyers, obtained from independent third-party providers like Polk and state vehicle registrations.

JD Power’s “problem per 100 vehicles” (PP100) metric, used in its IQS (Initial Quality Study, 90 days from purchase) and VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study, after 3 years of ownership), are considered the global standard for quality measurement in the automotive industry.

I’d take JD Power results over Consumer Reports every day.

 

[Tangokilo]

July 18 build JLU Sport S 3.6 6 speed manual made by the UAW in Toledo Ohio. 23000 miles. Zero failures of any part or system. ZERO. No steering drift. No death wobble. No clutch issues. Tom

 

[_olllllllo_]

July 18 build JLU Sport S 3.6 6 speed manual made by the UAW in Toledo Ohio. 23000 miles. Zero failures of any part or system. ZERO. No steering drift. No death wobble. No clutch issues. Tom

My JLUR was built in 2019 and it exhibits the same issues. What are the odds that we got the only two of 400,000+ JL Wranglers built with the same result.

 

[Nomad]

Well, mine has had the steering stabilizer recall (not fixed yet because they said they put me on a list but hadn't), the radiator recall (fixed), the clutch recall (not fixed yet, no parts yet), and the auto start stop that took 3 attempts to fix, all in 2 years and only 15k miles. Yes not a beacon of reliability. I still love it. The repairs haven't or ultimately will not cost anything but it sure is frustrating every time another issue pops up. I'm glad I popped for the big warranty.

 

[sf5211]

My JLUR was built in 2019 and it exhibits the same issues. What are the odds that we got the only two of 400,000+ JL Wranglers built with the same result.

I’m with ya Will, as a matter of fact we were in the JL waiting room at the same time. Mine has been perfect also. The only time I’ve been to the dealer was to buy an oil filter.

 

[Kyanche]

At least with a Wrangler the residual is much better and you will have some equity to roll into the next one.

Fair enough. My first forray into Chrysler was a 2006 300c that was both a beautiful car and a blast to drive. The hemi crapped out at 7 years, 107k miles due to a fairly common problem with the valve seats. We ended up selling it for $3500. Ugh. Wish I had the money at the time to get a new engine for it. It was a lovely car. Of course I hear everything else on them ends up breaking too haha.

The 300 we replaced it with, and the Jeep I had before this were pretty good for the time we had them! Still I hope I don't have that kinda luck again.

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