JL Reliability Opinions/Thoughts

[Spank]

I've owned every generation of the Wrangler since the YJ and only had issues with JKs. I'd have problem after problem with them well before 10,000 miles and never kept one more than 3 years. I just hit 60k on my JL and I'm still amazed how reliable this thing has been.

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[aeonixx1001]

I've owned every generation of the Wrangler since the YJ and only had issues with JKs. I'd have problem after problem with them well before 10,000 miles and never kept one more than 3 years. I just hit 60k on my JL and I'm still amazed how reliable this thing has been.

Lets look at the alternatives. I would not buy a Ford, or GM product. I am on Jeep #8 and the worst thing that ever occurred was I blew a clutch and it was my fault (dont ask, I was young and dumb). The new JL is one of the most reliable vehicles I have had in the past 10 years. I love my Jeep and hopefully it gives me the same service and reliability as the other 7.......

 

[DanW]

It’s more complicated than that.

It is a lot cheaper to retain an existing customer than to attract a new one. Customer retention is worth billions of dollars every year. But FCA’s inconsistent quality and customer service results in one of the lowest retention rates in the industry. So FCA has to spend a lot more money attracting new customers than say Toyota, Honda or Subaru.

This is not too obvious with Wranglers because we are a pretty loyal bunch. But it places FCA at a real disadvantage when it is trying to sell Renegades, Compasses, Cherokees, Pacificas, Alfa Romeos, Fiats, etc., to people who have never owned an FCA product before. The only way to move the metal is by buying those sales with heavy discounts and incentives. That is money down the drain.

5 Jeeps. No problem retaining a customer here. Show us the data on actual customer retention. And according to the latest JD Powers, FCA and Jeep both have made gains. Consumer Reports recently put the Gladiator as #1, IIRC, and the Wrangler was high, too, in their member survey. CS has always been VERY tough on Jeep/FCA.

 

[aldo98229]

5 Jeeps. No problem retaining a customer here. Show us the data on actual customer retention. And according to the latest JD Powers, FCA and Jeep both have made gains. Consumer Reports recently put the Gladiator as #1, IIRC, and the Wrangler was high, too, in their member survey. CS has always been VERY tough on Jeep/FCA.

Yeah, I’ve owned 11 Jeeps. But we don’t count; we are the loyals. It is those who are new to the brand that are the most likely to defect the moment they encounter a quality problem or a crummy dealer.

 

[Ray Pezzi]

Consumer Reports recently put the Gladiator as #1, IIRC, and the Wrangler was high, too, in their member survey. CS has always been VERY tough on Jeep/FCA.

They're still tough on the Wrangler. They've got it rated lowest in its category, and by a wide margin. (you'll see it's rated #10 of 11, but when you wonder what's #11 and go to their rankings you discover it's the Ford Bronco, which they haven't tested yet, of course).
They have some pretty dreary cars rated above it, though.

 

[DanW]

They're still tough on the Wrangler. They've got it rated lowest in its category, and by a wide margin. (you'll see it's rated #10 of 11, but when you wonder what's #11 and go to their rankings you discover it's the Ford Bronco, which they haven't tested yet, of course).
They have some pretty dreary cars rated above it, though.

Look at 2020. Pretty sure the Gladiator scored shockingly well. IIRC, it was 2020 when the Wrangler did better, but I could be wrong.

 

[Punknhed]

ive owned a wide variety of vehicles since becoming of driving age. Everything at some point or another has some kind of issue. Some i have shrugged off and said no biggie, others, it was get rid of it as soon as possible. That being said, this is my first Wrangler, and i really do like it. There are definitely some things that I dont like, (clutch, lack of power/shitty gearing) but those will be addressed as finances allow. I bought mine as a weekend / fun vehicle, and it has been a lot of fun, off roading with my son, beach trips, and other road trips. I would buy another one, i would just option it a little differently. Havent had any major issues in 44,000 miles other then stuff that was taken care of by recalls, or service bulletins.

 

[mwilk012]

They're still tough on the Wrangler. They've got it rated lowest in its category, and by a wide margin. (you'll see it's rated #10 of 11, but when you wonder what's #11 and go to their rankings you discover it's the Ford Bronco, which they haven't tested yet, of course).
They have some pretty dreary cars rated above it, though.

Just the fact that they have the wrangler and Bronco in this category makes them lose all credibility.

 

[aldo98229]

They're still tough on the Wrangler. They've got it rated lowest in its category, and by a wide margin. (you'll see it's rated #10 of 11, but when you wonder what's #11 and go to their rankings you discover it's the Ford Bronco, which they haven't tested yet, of course).
They have some pretty dreary cars rated above it, though.

The fact that it rates Jeep Wrangler against Nissan Murano, Toyota Venza, Chevrolet Blazer, Hyundai Santa Fe and Honda Passport shows how clueless Consumer Reports really is. The only thing Wrangler has in common with those vehicles is that it has four wheels.

But, like I’ve said a thousand times before, the underlying problem with Consumer Reports remains its methodology: while surveying members is cheap, it results in a biased sample that is representative of its subscriber base, NOT of the overall market it claims to reflect.

 

[Ray Pezzi]

The fact that it rates Jeep Wrangler against Nissan Murano, Toyota Venza, Chevrolet Blazer, Hyundai Santa Fe and Honda Passport shows how clueless Consumer Reports really is. The only thing Wrangler has in common with those vehicles is that it has four wheels.

But, like I’ve said a thousand times before, the underlying problem with Consumer Reports remains its methodology: while surveying members is cheap, it results in a biased sample that is representative of its subscriber base, NOT of the overall market it claims to reflect.

While I'd agree that CR's ratings skew in favor of suburban blandness,

The fact that it rates Jeep Wrangler against Nissan Murano, Toyota Venza, Chevrolet Blazer, Hyundai Santa Fe and Honda Passport shows how clueless Consumer Reports really is. The only thing Wrangler has in common with those vehicles is that it has four wheels.

But, like I’ve said a thousand times before, the underlying problem with Consumer Reports remains its methodology: while surveying members is cheap, it results in a biased sample that is representative of its subscriber base, NOT of the overall market it claims to reflect.

While I agree that the reviews of Consumer Reports skew toward suburban blandness, I think the Wrangler is kind of tough to categorize. Until Ford actually gets around to manufacturing the Bronco, I think it's almost in a category all by itself. So I asked myself, "OK, where do they categorize the vehicles that would be the Wrangler's most direct competitors and how do they rate?'" The Toyota 4Runner is in a different category: "Midsized sport-utility vehicles 3-row" and so is the Land Rover Defender: "Luxury midsized sport-utility vehicles". They rate the Wrangler considerably lower than either of those, mainly because of its road test score. Interestingly, they assign a lower reliability rating to the Defender than they do the Defender.
(It's been a lot of years since I've owned a 4Runner -- I can't get past the styling now -- but I had no idea you could get 3rd row seating these days. I sure wouldn't want to sit back there!)

 

[aldo98229]

While I'd agree that CR's ratings skew in favor of suburban blandness,

While I agree that the reviews of Consumer Reports skew toward suburban blandness, I think the Wrangler is kind of tough to categorize. Until Ford actually gets around to manufacturing the Bronco, I think it's almost in a category all by itself. So I asked myself, "OK, where do they categorize the vehicles that would be the Wrangler's most direct competitors and how do they rate?'" The Toyota 4Runner is in a different category: "Midsized sport-utility vehicles 3-row" and so is the Land Rover Defender: "Luxury midsized sport-utility vehicles". They rate the Wrangler considerably lower than either of those, mainly because of its road test score. Interestingly, they assign a lower reliability rating to the Defender than they do the Defender.
(It's been a lot of years since I've owned a 4Runner -- I can't get past the styling now -- but I had no idea you could get 3rd row seating these days. I sure wouldn't want to sit back there!)

How to categorize Wrangler is only half CR's problem.

Their bigger problem is that by surveying their subscribers, to whom they recommended what to buy in the first place, CR is in fact biasing the results.

Be definition, the only CR subscribers who buy a Wrangler are those who do so against CR's explicit advise. Within that frame of mind, the moment anything happens to the Wrangler, those subscribers are going to bash it in a way, say Tacoma subscriber won't bash their Toyota.

I agree that Jeep needs to work on producing more consistent quality. But so does Consumer Reports. From a market research sampling perspective, Consumer Reports is trash.

As the refrain goes: garbage in, garbage out.

 

[viper88]

Yeah I'm definitely trying to keep that in perspective. From the 2018 posts it seems like some concerns regarding steering rack, leaks whether it be water or noise. Fortunately haven't seen any major electric or mechanical things...

As I literally just told the sales guy i'm working with. I love the idea of the jeep, but no one can argue the long term reliability of a toyota. While i don't expect this to be a toyota, I just want to avoid unnecessary head ache/money pit problems.

I owned a '19 JLR 2.0T eTorque for 2 years and 21K miles. No problems the first 12 months. I did have warranty issues and claims after the first year. I had several bad radios, I believe the UConnect has a lot of problems with software and or hardware. My power mirror, seat bottom, rear shock, proximity antenna had to be replaced. I also replaced 3 cracked windshields.

You will not be getting Toyota quality control or reliability from any FCA-Stallantis products. You will not be getting the refinement or steering feel of a SUV with IFS. This is by design. A Wrangler is shaped like a brick so there will be more wind noise. This is truth. What you will get is great resale value and tremendous fun. There is a decent bumper to bumper warranty. The drivetrain warranty is excellent. What you can get is a Mopar Max Care Extended warranty for more peace of mind if you plan on owning long term. You can buy a Mopar warranty at a huge discount.

I believe most of the early Wrangler problems about steering have been addressed. The frame weld issues are a non-issue now. Both the 2.0 and 3.6 engines are solid. The ESS had some early issues that seem to be taken care of. The eTorque system is solid. The 8-speed automatic is solid. The manual trans had some issues that are probably taken care of by now.

The infotainment or UConnect 4 system is buggy. Hopefully UConnect 5 is better and available in future Wranglers. Gorilla Glass is a very reasonable $95 option now so hopefully winsdhields are more durable.

Every dealer is different but I think it's common knowledge that Jeep dealer service can be improved upon. Try to pick a decent one. You get 3 years of Jeep Waves. They actually follow up and with the dealers and and you. Not perfect but they try.

There really nothing quite like a Wrangler. Almost nothing. The new Bronco is probably the closes competitor but it's no even out yet. It does not have the same suspension as a Wrangler which could be good or bad depending on what you want to do on or off road. I expect there to be early production issues with the Bronco also.

I owned a TJ, JK, JL. The current JL is by far the best Wrangler and they get better every model year. I understand the Wrangler has short comings and accept it for what it is. It is unique and tremendously fun. I sold my '19 2 days ago and I already miss it. I did not sell because of the problems. I could not resist the price I was offered in this crazy car market. I will order a '22 as soon as they start taking orders for them.

In short, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a Wrangler. A factory backed extended warranty is available to alevate any repair anxiety. You don't need to rush into buying a Mopar Extended Warranty. You can buy one just before the factory warranty expires.

I hope to see you in the Wrangler family. I do not think you will regret it. Good Luck!

 

[aeonixx1001]

I really dont give a shit what all the graphs and charts and surveys all say. Jeep is a Lifestyle and you take the good with the bad and deal with it. Thats why they make Duct Tape....

 

[HDinkH]

My brand new Jeep was great for 8 days and 228 miles.
Then 11 times in the shop, 3 times towed.
Dumped it at Carmax on the way home from the dealer after the 3rd time towed.
I lost a great deal of money as Fiat doesn't care.

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