JL Reliability Opinions/Thoughts

[Goosed]

OP you buying new or used?

1. Drive it for a while before you buy it. Steering issues are out there, new or used
2. Spend some time under the Jeep. Check those welds and if buying used check for mud packed I to places.
3. Whether new or used, check car fax for service history. If you see a repetitive pattern like “checked ECM” or “electrical system checked” there could have been some previous issues that did not get worked out.

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[stylett9]

Very helpful. Fortunately I am planning to buy new from a dealership in Idaho.

OP you buying new or used?

1. Drive it for a while before you buy it. Steering issues are out there, new or used
2. Spend some time under the Jeep. Check those welds and if buying used check for mud packed I to places.
3. Whether new or used, check car fax for service history. If you see a repetitive pattern like “checked ECM” or “electrical system checked” there could have been some previous issues that did not get worked out.

 

[mm141]

I purchased my JLU almost two years ago and it has spent almost six months in the shop with various issues. The first major issue was the auto shut off kept disabling which affected the anti-lock brakes. They replaced the computer, all the lines to the ABS system, then went into a detailed diagnostic to discover there was an issue with the design of a part. That took over two months to fix. The next issue was the steering stabilizer and the death wobble on my jeep. The dealership said there was nothing wrong despite continuing to get the death wobble anytime I hit a pothole over 50 mph. I ended up changing out the steering stabilizer myself then the recall came out shortly after. Most recently I have had issues with the rear axle making a clunking noise. It has been in the shop since the beginning of April. The dealership replaced several parts including the rear driveshaft with no results then they determined that it was the rear axle. The axle has an estimated delivery of July 8. Jeep Cares and Jeep Wave contacted me to try and expedite the part but so far there has been no movement. This has been my first Jeep purchase and I have been pretty disappointed. I love being able to take the doors and top off but, in retrospect, I would not have bought it.

 

[Whisky19]

This is my 3rd two dr I’ve owned. The common denominator with all of them is that I’ve stayed with the 6 cyl time tested Engine. From a mechanical standpoint I can’t recall having any major issues with any of my Wranglers. Fast forward to my new 2020 Rubi and the design and attention to detail is simply night and day from the older versions. No matter what vehicle you purchase there stands a chance you will be the recipient of a lemon. We purchased a brand new Volvo Cross Country Wagon years ago that everyone raved about. The crash tests were unmatched in safety. We sadly, experienced every major mechanical and electrical problem you could imagine( a nightmare to say the least). Jeeps are an odd vehicle. There really isn’t anything to compare them to. My philosophy in buying a new ride is the pleasure factor. Do your research and if there aren’t glaring warnings of a vehicle being complete garbage, buy what you enjoy. Nothing worse than buyers regret.

 

[rallydefault]

My honest opinion:

It's fine, I've been lucky for 2.5 years with an early '18, but it looks more like a tank than it feels like a tank, if that makes any sense. I've owned other vehicles, all much smaller than this one, that just kind of felt more reliable/sturdy than this one. (Honestly best car I ever had was a '96 Geo Prizm. That thing just wouldn't die.)

Certain aspects of the jeep just feel a bit flimsy, which I know is more of fit/finish than reliability, but sometimes things bleed over. For instance, my Uconnect system was bonkers from the beginning. Wasn't a huge deal, they just swapped it out during one of my oil changes, but still something that had to be done. A lot of the plastic panels, especially the trim panels that run along the bottom interior, are popping out, though I don't care much because I have the carpet out and I'm not really going for a plush interior lol I'm not a fan of the push button start; feels cheap and I did have one instance where I'm pretty sure I pressed it as normal and absolutely nothing happened. If something like that happens again, then I'll have to seriously reevaluate the vehicle.

I have the V6, so that's good, but I'm not actually not as big a fan of the automatic transmission as most people are; I feel like the downshifting is super aggressive, and I live in a very mountainous area so it's a common and very palpable occurrence.

I've started to get some clanking coming from my front end, especially over bumps, in the last couple months. I offroad on beaches during the summers and haven't encountered any problems during those times, so most likely just something working loose over the winter from the numerous potholes and poor roads in my area. I'll just have them look at it next time it's in, but again, another minor thing that eventually adds up.

 

[emptyminded42]

I don't think the JL generation has been out long enough to know what its long-term issues may be. A lot of times, chronic problems with vehicles don't show up as a consistent problem until 5-7+ years after first sale because that's when you get enough people putting enough miles on them to have a reasonable sample size.

Personally I think the Toyota is the sensible choice for the brain to make but the Jeep makes more sense with your heart. I love my JLU but I am fortunate enough to not have to depend on it - it's our third vehicle. Would I trust it to be a reliable commuter? So far, absolutely. It's far more comfortable than I expected and super fun to drive. I have the V6 with the 6MT and while I have a recall outstanding for the clutch pressure plate, I'm not at all worried about its long term durability. That being said - I have a very basic Sport S with the 5" infotainment and I'm personally skeptical of how well the very integrated 7" and 8.4" systems will hold up over time since they control a lot of stuff.

 

[Windshieldfarmer]

I had a 2015 JKUR since new that was entirely problem free. Picked up a 2020 Recon a couple of months ago and hoping for the same. My steering is good. We’ll see what the next 50,000 miles brings....who knows.

 

[stylett9]

I don't think the JL generation has been out long enough to know what its long-term issues may be. A lot of times, chronic problems with vehicles don't show up as a consistent problem until 5-7+ years after first sale because that's when you get enough people putting enough miles on them to have a reasonable sample size.

Personally I think the Toyota is the sensible choice for the brain to make but the Jeep makes more sense with your heart. I love my JLU but I am fortunate enough to not have to depend on it - it's our third vehicle. Would I trust it to be a reliable commuter? So far, absolutely. It's far more comfortable than I expected and super fun to drive. I have the V6 with the 6MT and while I have a recall outstanding for the clutch pressure plate, I'm not at all worried about its long term durability. That being said - I have a very basic Sport S with the 5" infotainment and I'm personally skeptical of how well the very integrated 7" and 8.4" systems will hold up over time since they control a lot of stuff.

I definitely agree, it's hard to evaluate what true long term reliability looks like until you have people in that 100-200K mileage benchmark, which Likely will be several years for a sizable sample.
One thing I've noticed about the jeep forums over the tacoma forums, I get a strong feeling the owner/crowd is more mature and perhaps older. With that, I take away as having a better group of reasonable people with more life experience that can chime in with any feelings or indications of where their jeeps are headed.

There's been some one offs in this thread of having pretty bad experiences, and i feel bad. that's the worst that could happen with a 30-50K vehicle. Hopefully those get resolved. Seems like a lot of folks do enjoy their jeep though.

 

[timn1984]

Will be 2 yrs in October, about 15000 miles on it right now. , best vehicle I have ever owned. I had just one major issue with the ESS battery, dead, but dealer replaced it and it has been working fine every since.

 

[BikiniJLRubi]

I think it is wise to research before making a big purchase like this. Like you, I had been weighing different options, for me it was between the JL Wrangler and the TRD Pro 4runner. I ended up going with the JL based on options that I could get with the Rubicon that Toyota didn't offer at the time: Front and Rear Axle Lockers, Infotainment system, LED Headlights, Steel bumpers. (At the time I was considering purchasing, the TRD pro didn't have the updated infotainment screen that they have now which was a big thing for me personally, not so much for other people, but Toyota has since improved on that) I love my 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon but I also knew what I was potentially getting into. I have 1990 Jeep Wrangler YJ that I bought used 15 years ago, and as much as I love that thing, I spent a lot of time working on it due to various small issues (Even though certified Youtube expert Scotty KIlmer says old Jeeps are reliable and easy to work on). I have had my 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon for 14 months with 11,000 miles on it and I have been very happy with it. The steering did feel a little loose when I first bought it but after putting a couple hundred miles on it, it doesn't feel loose anymore. (Why that is, I am not sure) I still need to take it in for the steering damper recall but no problems on that front. I drove it from Houston, TX to Silverton, CO to do the off road trails up there and it performed flawelessly up there. I had a blast with it. Is it perfect though? No. There isn't a single vehicle out there that is perfect. You do need to remember a Jeep is a Jeep. It's forte is fun, open air, off road driving. Jeeps are more refined now (especially compared to my YJ) that you can use them as a daily driver. Compared to "normal" vehicles, they will still be less comfortable, but not bad. I drove it to Colorado which is over 1,000 miles and I had fun road tripping with it. On road manners won't be as nice as the Taco or T4R due to the solid front axle on the Jeep which is better for off road performance than on road performance while the Taco/T4R have Independent Front Suspension which gives better on road performance but you sacrifice some off road performance (but still very capable). To me it depends on what you want to do. I bought my Rubicon because I planned on doing a lot of overlanding with it. It's not a daily driver for me, so all those 11k miles are fun miles. If I was going to have a daily driver, I would lean more towards the TRD Pro. I love both vehicles to be honest. My girlfriend is looking at replacing her 2012 Toyota Camry with a 2020 4Runner TRD PRO soon. So for me its a win/win, I get to drive a Wrangler Rubicon and steal her TRD PRO when shes not looking . Everyone has different needs and different experiences with vehicles. Some people are nice to their vehicles and some people aren't so you gotta take everything with a grain of salt, and as mentioned before in this thread, some vehicles known for reliability still have issues too. Either way, I hope this helps, regardless of which vehicle you choose. It's your money, go with what makes you happy, not what makes others happy. Toyotas are great vehicles too and I'll wave at everyone on the trail, no matter what they drive.

People consider Scotty Kilmer an expert? I can’t take the guy seriously and find ChrisFix to be much more knowledgeable.

 

[Arterius2]

Will be 2 yrs in October, about 15000 miles on it right now. , best vehicle I have ever owned. I had just one major issue with the ESS battery, dead, but dealer replaced it and it has been working fine every since.

You see, you’ve owned it for 1.5 years and had to replace the ESS battery, I agree that it’s the best vehicle I’ve driven. So after the warranty expires, let’s say over the course of 10 year's that I plan to own my Jeep, what kind of issues will I be dealing with is what I’m worried about. The 48v ESS battery on my 2.0 is super expensive and already showing signs of use ($1500) and probably will be replaced out of warranty.
I would never buy a Toyota after I’ve driven the Jeep but reliability concerns are still worrying for me.

 

[stylett9]

out of coincidence I just read the other topic about the ESS and the primary and secondary battery... That's another interesting issue I'd have to be mindful of. However, 1500 to replace your 48v ESS Battery? Am i misunderstanding something?

Are the days of going to costco to buy a battery for 100 bucks and do it in the driveway in 15 minutes, gone?

 

[Arterius2]

out of coincidence I just read the other topic about the ESS and the primary and secondary battery... That's another interesting issue I'd have to be mindful of. However, 1500 to replace your 48v ESS Battery? Am i misunderstanding something?

Are the days of going to costco to buy a battery for 100 bucks and do it in the driveway in 15 minutes, gone?

2.0 ESS uses a massive 48v lithium-ion battery that is mounted under the Jeep. Not the same as the 12v aux battery the 3.6 uses.


48V Battery Assembly
68381513AA
$1,565

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/bsg-48v-battery-replacement-cost.16492/

 

[stylett9]

2.0 ESS uses a massive 48v lithium-ion battery that is mounted under the Jeep. Not the same as the 12v aux battery the 3.6 uses.


48V Battery Assembly
68381513AA
$1,565

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/bsg-48v-battery-replacement-cost.16492/

by any chance do you have the hybrid assist start motor? I wonder if that's why you have the 48V, and if the 2020 2.0 uses the 12V so they no longer come with the hybrid.

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