Is the JL the worst Jeep ever?

[Stormin’ Moorman]

My guess is that it is the 20" wheels that caused the malfunction...

You’re obviously a FCA tech.

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[Thegrants82]

You’re obviously a FCA tech.

Sounds about right

 

[mnjeeper]

I could try to rescind the contract, but I really liked this Jeep. It was loaded! It had the one-touch sky roof, heated leather, every package available on it. The roofs, in particular, are very rare to come across. I also put the wheels on it and ordered a bunch of accessories for it that I would have to eat. For example, the Katzkin seat covers for the rear fold-down arm rest with "Sahara" embroidered won't work if I don't get a Sahara, or don't get the arm-rest seat, or the colored stitching isn't a match. I can swap back the wheels, but the lift would be more expensive to remove than to abandon.
Don't get me wrong, I've been watching the classifieds for something comparably equipped in my area, but without luck so far.

Honestly, this is what you should do. Within a week? Most places have a 3-5 day "any reason" return thing from what I have seen. I would ask to swap parts (as many as you are able) back to stock and find another. You don't need to worry, there are LOTS of Jeeps out there.

 

[Chupacabra]

You couldn't PAY ME to acquire an XE until 2022 at the earliest. Never buy the 1st gen anything. They should've called the 2018 JLs a Beta test.

Truth. I have a rule that I don't buy a first-year model anymore. Bought a 2004 Chevy Colorado, biggest POS I've ever owned and I've had something like 36 new cars in my life (story for another day). Broke my rule and bought a 2020 Outback - new model - had lots of teething issues as well - which I traded out of for this 2021 JLU. Knock on wood, so far no issues but it's only 4 months old with 1,700 miles.

This is also why I wouldn't buy a first-year 2022 (2021s will never come out IMHO) Bronco either. That thing will be a recall-fest, guaranteed with Ford's recent history.

 

[Xcoaste]

It sounds like you have some good dialogue with your dealership but they just can’t get it figured out. I would really try to see if you can work something out in regards to them being more helpful. While they aren’t required to, maybe you can get a loaner out of them?
In my younger years, I would have probably stormed in there and made a scene to try and get what I wanted. Older , wiser me though has learned it is better to treat people with respect if you want anything in return. I am sure eventually you will have your Jeep back and you will be able to enjoy it. I hope this issue is resolved for you soon!

 

[TrailTorque]

Wait wait wait, something doesn’t add up here..

Quotes from your first post:

It's my first post because I've not had much time with my JL.

Within a week of buying a certified pre-owned 2018 Sahara it died.

I had it towed back to the dealership from where I purchased it and it's been there since. That was 6 weeks ago!!! Since then it has sat at the dealership, leaving me with nothing but frustration and a car payment.

Your reply to @Chocolate Thunder :

Chocolate Thunder, I don't think I can Lemon Law a pre-owned vehicle in my state, also I have 20" wheels, Katzkin interior and a total of $4000 in mods I purchased for this car, so I'd be eating a lot more than the purchase price if I had to get out of the deal.

Not that it’s not possible, many people purchase things ahead of time when ordering a new JL while they are waiting but I’ve never heard of anyone doing this before buying a used vehicle OR buying mods for a vehicle that’s been in the shop ever since they got it..

I’m confused now..

 

[AgentWolf]

My frustration is not so much with the vehicle as it is the shit show they call dealerships. Installed wrong parts twice. Multiple trips back because they never verify the work fixed the problem. They clearly never test drive the vehicle. I feel bad for folks that can’t verify the work being done as they are probably getting screwed

 

[Tim W.]

My frustration is not so much with the vehicle as it is the shit show they call dealerships. Installed wrong parts twice. Multiple trips back because they never verify the work fixed the problem. They clearly never test drive the vehicle. I feel bad for folks that can’t verify the work being done as they are probably getting screwed

Sorry to hear about your Jeep troubles but I wanted to share a different experience.
I leased my 2018 JL Sahara because it was a 1ts year model. 2-1/2 years later not one problem. Traded in 2014 JKU. Again no problems except bad drivers kept hitting it. Replaced frame for 1 accident. Later T-boned, still no issues. Hope this is encouraging.
I still can't find a dealer I like though. That's a tough one. Been to several

 

[YippieKiYayMrFalcon]

Oh man this is really similar to my situation. I bought a Certified Pre Owned 2018 Sahara in 2019. 13k miles. For a year and 9k miles, it was the best Jeep I’ve owned (6th one). Then one day, I got a “Stop safely, vehicle will shut off soon” message, check engine light, “service electronic stability control” message, “auto park disengaged” and a loss of power. I had it towed in. Over the course of roughly the next 90 days:

First fix at the dealer I purchased it from: replaced the batteries. (Also damaged my fender causing it to need to be repainted). 1 mile away from the dealer, issue came back. Wouldn’t even turn on once I got it back to the dealer.

second fix was the starter. That made it back to my house, then wouldn’t restart.

This time I had it towed to a different dealer...codes point bad PCM, so new transmission valve body. I didn’t even get the Jeep back this time before they determined it was a defective part, so on to the fourth fix, replace the transmission valve body again. They also replaced the batteries several times...again.

this fix ultimately wasn’t the issue either. Made it just about home and the issue came back.

I was the second owner, so no lemon law. It was still under warranty, though, and I finally gave up and asked them to take it in on a trade, which they did because it was still under factory warranty. Last I heard, they were waiting on a new gear shifter. lol

I’ve had a 2021 80th anniversary for about 1,000 miles and so far so good. It’s new, so I can at least fall back on lemon law if I need to, but that’s a pain too. Hopefully I’ll never deal with it.

Oh, and guess what? That same Jeep is listed CERTIFIED PRE OWNED on their used vehicle lot right now. If anyone is looking at a used 2018 silver Sahara at Ed Voyles in Atlanta, run away.

 

[GtX]

I also bought it from a franchise dealership and only because it was "Certified Pre-Owned" and I had that level of comfort that in case something did happen I would be protected.

They certified that it was pre-owned. That's it. You probably bought someone else's problem.

 

[Sontavaman]

I am always suspicious of vehicle that are still basically new when the first owner traded it in. I am sure the previous owner realized it was a lemon, and got rid of it ASAP.

 

[YippieKiYayMrFalcon]

I am always suspicious of vehicle that are still basically new when the first owner traded it in. I am sure the previous owner realized it was a lemon, and got rid of it ASAP.

I would agree, except that I could see someone getting a JL, driving it for a year and realizing a loud soft top, solid axel, poor gas mileage having Jeep isn’t for them and trading it in.

At least that’s what I told myself with my last one. Won’t make that mistake again.

 

[Sontavaman]

I would agree, except that I could see someone getting a JL, driving it for a year and realizing a loud soft top, solid axel, poor gas mileage having Jeep isn’t for them and trading it in.

At least that’s what I told myself with my last one. Won’t make that mistake again.

Years ago I bought a slightly used Miata. I loved that car! So it can work out. but Mazda is a little more dependible than our beloved jeeps.

 

[Ross]

@Ronnie772 , Nobody in this thread has mentioned it, but many JLs leave the factory with fuses that are not fully inserted. After being driven for a while, they loosen and cause odd problems. There are several threads on this in the forum. Anyway, have the tech push down on all the fuses and see what happens.

FWIW, my 19 has 15 k on it now, and has been great. I would like to get the steering TSB done, but other than that no issues at all. I think the design of the Jeep is really good. It's the engineering that's falling short. I can understand electrical problems with a new gen, but they should be ironed out by now. The electronics are advanced for a Jeep, but not compared to many other vehicles. Why people are getting death wobble when solid axles have been around for 100 years is beyond me.

 

[DanW]

This is my first post here. It's my first post because I've not had much time with my JL.

Within a week of buying a certified pre-owned 2018 Sahara it died. I was driving down the highway when all power was lost, the dash started displaying every possible malfunction warning and I barely made it to the side of the interstate where I sat with my wife and 2-year-old son without even my 4-way emergency flashers working! It was an incredibly scary and dangerous experience.

I had it towed back to the dealership from where I purchased it and it's been there since. That was 6 weeks ago!!! Since then it has sat at the dealership, leaving me with nothing but frustration and a car payment.

Initially the tech thought it was a body control module, after replacing that didn't work, they said it required an ignition control module to pair with the new BCM. After that didn't work they told me the replacement BCM was defective and they needed to swap it again. After that didn't work they said it could be a wiring harness, but it turned out to not be that either.

When the shop threw up their hands, they opened what's called a "Star Case". That entails the local technician emailing an engineer at FCA who responds within 24-48 hours. The local technician will try the step suggested by the engineer, email the result back, and within another 24-48 hours will get the next step. The technician will then try turning the screw the other way and 24-48 hours later will come the next suggestion. That went on for a couple of weeks, when they apparently escalated it to a "Level 2" engineer for more back and forth.

The local technician tells me he barely touches my car. He gets a response every day or two, does what it says, reports back, and then waits another day or two for the next response. He's in the same position as he's been for more than a month, not even knowing what's wrong with the car, and this tedious process FCA has for diagnosing problems with their vehicles has taken me from regretting my decision to outright hating the Jeep brand.

In addition to the "Star Case" the service department opened, I called FCA and got assigned a Case Manager who I follow up with every few days but who hasn't really been able to do much in moving the process along.

Notably, before this one I had a 2014 JKU, immediately before that a 2007 JKU and a couple decades ago I had a TJ. I have been very loyal to Jeep, so it really pains me that the latest iteration of the Wrangler is anything but the durable and reliable car I expected and is instead such a complicated mess that even their own technicians can't fix them.

I'm reaching out to the community to ask what more I can possibly do and to see if you agree that the JL is the worst Jeep ever.

So all of your posts on this forum are in this thread. But you´ve had this thing since 2018? You list a bunch of problems but your major point is really not about solving your problems but about declaring it the worst Jeep ever?

I don´t know you, but it isn´t really a reach to say this smells like a trolling expedition. Maybe I´m wrong, but it sure quacks like a duck.

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