JL Reliability Opinions/Thoughts

[INCRHULK]

42000km in a year, I’ve had two issues.

1. bad radio
2. TCM bus comms (and that was caused by me cutting a wire accidentally)
3. Cracked windshield

Yeah I’m super happy with it and I get about a hundred smiles to the gallon. My only semi regret is not getting the Gladiator I had been looking at before my KL TrailHawk was totalled.

If you’re looking long term, there’s going to be a million parts for this vehicle for decades. I’ve every confidence that if I blow a differential in 10 years, I can replace it, and inexpensively.

EDIT: updated - forgot cracked windshield.

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[PsychoTrucker81]

This is a long story, but the condensed version is I currently have a deposit and holding out for a 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro. I really like the TRD Pro and the Rubicon Wrangler. I've got pros and cons for both, but right now the ship may be steering towards the wrangler purely based on back seat interior space, and unique feel factor. The fiance likes the jeep, but she "supports" the Taco. It's a sizable purchase for us and ownership interest is definitely long term, hence trying to get a deeper feel for what current owners think about reliability.

While there are some makes/models that are known to be nothing but problems, even the “most reliable” vehicles aren’t always so. We’ve had 2 Toyota’s...an 08 Rav4 and a 2012 Tacoma, both factory certified, and they were both nothing but problems. Have a 15 Grand Cherokee we’ve put 35k on with no problems, my 15 JK only put on 22k but no problems besides the EVAP, and a 15 Charger RT we put 25k on with zero problems. Don’t always follow Consuner Reports lol

 

[cosine]

its 1 year (5/2019) and 9k miles with the 2 door jl sport. i went with the base model and 4 options. the 3.6 and 8 spd auto is by far the best combo. the mpg is great. the ride comfort is better than my 07 grand cherokee. no issues. this is my daily driver and without all the bells and whistles, i'm loving it.

 

[Shaved Ice]

I considered a TRD Pro 4Runner before buying this (my 4th Jeep). The Jeep won due to availability to take top/doors off, availability of aftermarket/customization for decades to come, and the Jeep community/events. If reliability trumps all of those for you, buy the Taco.

 

[LooselyHeldPlans]

Only issue I’ve had was pinched wire in my drivers side door that threw codes and disabled my airbag for the first 2k miles. Dropped it off at a dealer, there was a know service bulletin, picked it up the next day.

I’m now at 9,500 miles and no other issue except for a cracked windshield.

I’ve got pretty much all the electrical options but the non-electric 3.6 because I was worried about long term dependability.

 

[flharleycop]

Sting Gray. Seems to change a bit under different light.

Wow that looked like a green in the last picture. Nice.

 

[Arterius2]

You'll get all kinds of different opinions on a forum. Best vehicle ever! Worst vehicle ever! I never trust what people say on a forum. Or Consumer Reports when they report on the Wrangler. They fall in the worst category opinion.

So you can’t trust people’s opinions, and you can’t trust published opinions, so what can you trust?

To be fair, I have not seen the Wrangler rank high in reliability in any of the published standings.

since we are talking about reliability here, this is not to take away from how much fun these vehicles can be.
I’m coming up to my 11th or 12th (involuntarily) dealer visit in the 1.5 year ownership (I stopped counting) and I have to say that is not something I’m proud of.

 

[nerubi]

So you can’t trust people’s opinions, and you can’t trust published opinions, so what can you trust?

To be fair, I have not seen the Wrangler rank high in reliability in any of the published standings.

So a lot of stulid people I guess because they keep buying Wranglers.

 

[Arterius2]

So a lot of stulid people I guess because they keep buying Wranglers.

Well since we are talking specifically about reliability and not about the overall value of the vehicle, I’d say many people buy Wranglers based on a lot of other factors.

I’m sure people didn’t buy Wranglers for its renowned reliability. Most fun cars aren’t reliable and I thought people knew this going in.

 

[jessedacri]

To be honest if we all bought based on consumerreports and other published reliability rankings we'd all be driving Corollas. Life's too short to be driving anything like that - my last three vehicles were alleged "unreliable" vehicles. I got 100,000 miles out of a first gen 2.0T Audi A3 (famous for HPFP issues), almost 100k out of my twin turbo 2009 BMW 135i (famous for turbo waste gate issues), 60k out of my supercharged twin-clutch 2014 Audi S5 (overall an extremely complex drivetrain) all with relatively few or no issues. The vast majority of vehicles are fine, but I think it's worth playing the odds every single time for how much enjoyment I get out of getting behind the wheel of something fun.

It's one of many factors obviously, but I use those as a general "possible cost of ownership" evaluation more than an avoid at all costs kind of thing.

 

[nerubi]

Yep, third one and only thing that cost me in 11 years was one thermostat.

 

[texasyj2009]

This is a long story, but the condensed version is I currently have a deposit and holding out for a 2020 Tacoma TRD Pro. I really like the TRD Pro and the Rubicon Wrangler. I've got pros and cons for both, but right now the ship may be steering towards the wrangler purely based on back seat interior space, and unique feel factor. The fiance likes the jeep, but she "supports" the Taco. It's a sizable purchase for us and ownership interest is definitely long term, hence trying to get a deeper feel for what current owners think about reliability.

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.

 

[Strommen95]

So you can’t trust people’s opinions, and you can’t trust published opinions, so what can you trust?

To be fair, I have not seen the Wrangler rank high in reliability in any of the published standings.

Personally I tend to trust peoples opinions I meet in real life over anything on the internet whether it be a forum member, youtube review or a publication. That isn't to say all the people I know are trustworthy when it comes to opinion but I know who I'm speaking to and they lack the sense of defeatism that many on here show when it comes to reliability. The internet is an echo chamber and people will echo others regardless of their experience whether it be this forum or on social media.

In all honesty out of all the Wrangler owners I've met throughout the years I've never met one in real life who called their Jeep unreliable. I've also heard "they last forever" as a compliment to Jeeps plenty of times from non Jeep owners. I'm not calling Jeep reliable or unreliable but I am definitely saying the internet perception is far different than the real life perception I've experienced. I've met plenty of Jeep haters but they hated ride quality, fuel economy, how loud the cabin is, etc.

 

[Pumping4Jane]

I've never owned another vehicle that I've enjoyed more. Sure, the ride can be a little Spartan but It has that "Every day is like going camping" feel to it. That ain't a bad thing.

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