Is the JL the worst Jeep ever?

[Craigzjeep]

Zero issues with my JL since owning it 1 & 1/2 years

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[Jimac]

Here’s a pic of my ‘79 CJ5 4 spd 304 V-8

Here’s a pic of my ‘79 CJ5 4 spd 304 V-8

Here’s a pic of my ‘79 CJ5 4 spd 304 V-8

Here’s a pic of my ‘79 CJ5 4 spd 304 V-8

 

[desmosurf]

2018 JLR 2dr 30k miles
bought the Mopar 7 year/75k warranty (its our 4th Wranger)
Here are the issues we've had:

1. Steering (had both updates and all good now)
2. Hinges (had corroding doors and hood hinges replaced and all was painted, they did a nice job!)
3. Had issues with plastic vertical cover on hard top rattling lose(drivers side) seems to be all good now

Otherwise, it's been a pleasure to drive, by far the best on/offroad manners of any Wrangler we've owned. Driven it cross country twice (it behaves like an SUV compared to our previous Wranglers).
Hoping the hinge's repair hold out, but happy with our purchase!

 

[Milk Money]

I've had a few other Jeep's, and I can say they have gotten better with quality. It may not seem so based on the number of problems many owners have, but compared to my 98 TJ and 08 JKU, the 19 JL is much better in terms of things going wrong.

 

[Matthewraffai]

It’s your battery iff i had to guess. Once the battery goes out all hell goes crazy. Happened to my wife’s Jeep. It would die in the middle of pulling in parking lot, died in an intersection, lost ac, wouldn’t start. Sometimes. She has it there for 3 months and they bought it back and offered 2k under cost for another Jeep. That’s how i got my current rubicon is with her trade in deal. It will act up in every way possible once those two batterys crap out you have to get it replaced asap or you’re in for a real treat. Better yet just buy a bypass battery wire thing i saw so all you run is on main battery problem solved Jeep is fun again. That’s what I’m doing after my warranty expires

 

[JSFoster75]

3 JL’s here. 2018 Sahara, 2018 Sport and 2020 Sport S. Zero issues with all three and all 3 have the 2.0 which has been a blast to drive. All three have catch cans. Combined mileage on all three is about 120k miles, the sahara
Is always on the highway.

Have you noticed any difference with the catch cans? What brand did you go with? Link? I have 2 Jeeps with the 2.0L.

 

[JSFoster75]

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.

Read the write-up I just did here, it might help:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ver-auto-stop-start-warning-lights-etc.63143/

 

[rvb]

Demand a refund from the dealer. If not call a lawyer. My brand new 2019 Moab spent about 120 days in the shop the first 2 years of ownership. They did eventually fix everything and the list is long. Save yourself the trouble and get your money back and document everything.

My situation before the most recent 100 consecutive days in the shop is the dealer I purchased the Jeep from service department was horrible. The quality department really matters.

I am convinced the quality of service varies from dealer to dealer. Good luck. I’m glad you and your family are safe. Jeep cares was very good and stuck with me the last 100 days and helped quite a bit. Find a good dealer with a great service DEPT

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.

 

[Thegrants82]

Have you noticed any difference with the catch cans? What brand did you go with? Link? I have 2 Jeeps with the 2.0L.

• Mitsimoto is the brand. I think I spelled it wrong but it’s easy enough to figure out. To tell you truth on all 3 2.0’s I haven’t gotten anything out of any of them. I don’t think that they need it. I had one on my WRX and got a couple ounces every 3k miles.

 

[tcass]

have a 2019 with 35000 miles on it. no issues, knock wood.

 

[Ahre]

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.

Hello Ronnie,
I had a similar problem with a Buick Regal. Driving on the freeway at speed and the car went dead. The dealer couldn't figure it out and gave up. They became involved with factory technicians with no luck. An older well seasoned dealer mechanic stopped by my car and asked what seems to be the problem... He said it sounds like a low voltage issue. Because vehicles are highly electronic dependent and voltage sensitive, it turned out there was only one cell in the battery that was marginal and that was sufficient to compromised the the system, even though the initial battery check passed.
I also recommend taking off the lid to your TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module)/Fuse Box and simply press each individual component with your thumb to make sure they are all fully seated. 95% of mine were not fully seated.
Best wishes... -Paul

 

[keda69]

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

There are always going to be a few lemons no matter the brand, of course some brands are better than others. I bought a 2002 blazer brand new . Fuel pump went at 38000 ! Right after warranty ! Then the alternator went not to long after that. Then finally third gear in the transmission went at 90k. On the flip side I had chevys I got 250000 miles on them before anything major went.

 

[Boatmaan]

I have a 2019 Sahara (I guess its a JL), my first Jeep. My only issue so far is a bad battery, that provided a no-start, and a light show from the dash! with a jump start, I was able to Get it home to my garage where I tested the battery, and found it to need replacement. Getting that accomplished was a small nightmare......each time I called, (the call center probably in India) wanted to send a tow truck. I gave up, and called Fiat of America, and spoke to a nice rep that got me an appointment at the 4th Jeep dealer (the other three never picked up the service phone line). they were a 45 min ride from my home (a 5 min ride to the closest would have been nice)however, being 2nd on line, 35 minutes early, they took me in, diagnosed a defective battery (I knew that) replaced it (took 2 1/2 hours in the waiting room) and I drove back home. No other issues thus far! I will state that with all the negatives I read about, I purchased the MAXCARE extended warranty. The electronics and computers in this car scare me!

 

[hingedthinker]

As stated earlier, every first-year vehicle I have owned was trouble. 2004 BMW 545i... a $7500 nightmare in the first six months. Had an F150 that was trouble. Have owned a 2013 JKU and never had any issues, and so far our 2019 Moab JLU at 10k miles and no issues. Well, other than the seats are not as comfortable as the ones in our Expedition.

Every brand has these types of issues it seems. I'd do your best to escape that vehicle and get something else. Like a 392 Wrangler or a Bronco.

 

[Ali eshragh]

fat_head,
I notice we both have 2018s. Maybe the first year of our body style had issues that were corrected in subsequent years. I had a 2007, which was the first year of the JK and drove it 158K miles before getting a 2014. Never an issue.
6 weeks and not even a clue of what's wrong with it seems a bit outrageous. Maybe the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL is the worst jeep ever made?

I own a 2018 JLU Moab Edition and no problem had with it!
I am sorry for your experience(

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