JL Reliability Opinions/Thoughts

[DanW]

It may be just me, but I interpret "reliable" to mean that the vehicle drives safely and reliably and doesn't leave you stranded. Not sure that I count small issues like the steering stabilizer (at least in my case, which was never unsafe, IMO.)

In my 51 years on the planet, I've only encountered one vehicle that never had a defect, and I owned it long enough to put 110k miles on it before I sold it. That was a 1990 Pontiac Sunbird. It never even had a light bulb burn out. I've had Toyotas, a Honda, Chevys, Pontiacs, Fords, a Buick, and a Mercedes Benz, and each one had at least something, like a misaligned sticker, trim piece out of alignment, or worse. None were unreliable, though.

But, no vehicle I've owned has endured the bone-jarring abuse of off-roading like the Jeeps I've owned. Not even the 4 Runners, Silverado, or F150. Only my YJ suffered an off-road failure and it wasn't off-roading that cause it, but rather it revealed it. It had a rusted out engine mount that failed. Under 100 bucks and it was back on the trails.

My JL has been on hard trails in Colorado, Moab, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, and all over Indiana in its short life and it is as solid as a rock. The steering dampener and clutch recall (it has exhibited no felt issues) are not reliability issues, IMO. The fit/finish has been down right perfect on it. Not one paint blemish or adhesive drip, anywhere.

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[yotajeeper]

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.

If you want reliable get a Toyota. I have 2 with over 200k miles running strong

 

[yotajeeper]

It may be just me, but I interpret "reliable" to mean that the vehicle drives safely and reliably and doesn't leave you stranded. Not sure that I count small issues like the steering stabilizer (at least in my case, which was never unsafe, IMO.)

In my 51 years on the planet, I've only encountered one vehicle that never had a defect, and I owned it long enough to put 110k miles on it before I sold it. That was a 1990 Pontiac Sunbird. It never even had a light bulb burn out. I've had Toyotas, a Honda, Chevys, Pontiacs, Fords, a Buick, and a Mercedes Benz, and each one had at least something, like a misaligned sticker, trim piece out of alignment, or worse. None were unreliable, though.

But, no vehicle I've owned has endured the bone-jarring abuse of off-roading like the Jeeps I've owned. Not even the 4 Runners, Silverado, or F150. Only my YJ suffered an off-road failure and it wasn't off-roading that cause it, but rather it revealed it. It had a rusted out engine mount that failed. Under 100 bucks and it was back on the trails.

My JL has been on hard trails in Colorado, Moab, Kentucky, Tennessee, Michigan, and all over Indiana in its short life and it is as solid as a rock. The steering dampener and clutch recall (it has exhibited no felt issues) are not reliability issues, IMO. The fit/finish has been down right perfect on it. Not one paint blemish or adhesive drip, anywhere.

That’s the thing about Jeeps. Many owners have no issue and they love them. But there’s too many owners having issues. More so than other Brands hence the poor reliability ratings for FCA. I have too many real life examples
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[Ray Pezzi]

That’s the thing about Jeeps. Many owners have no issue and they love them. But there’s too many owners having issues. More so than other Brands hence the poor reliability ratings for FCA. I have too many real life examples
Here

Well, one great thing about having had a Jeep is that it made me finally break down and buy a really good battery charger (NOCO genius 10). After 5+ months with my Audi, while I do miss the "go anywhere" capability of the Wrangler, I have to say it's awfully nice to be able to drive down the road and have the vehicle actually go where you point it (and not have all the interior displays crash when one of your Sirius favorites comes on). I'd buy another Jeep -- it was a blast -- but strictly as a toy, not something I depended on.

 

[4xFUN]

I only had my JLR a few days when an ESS system failure caused a warning message to appear in the dash stating to safely pull over and stop as engine will soon shut off...The dealer found a ground wire loose at the ESS start-stop relay, that was well over a year ago and she has been trouble free since. My previous two vehicles from FCA, including my current 2019 RAM Longhorn 4x4 have been completely trouble free-hell at just over two years and 42,000 miles my Longhorn does not even have a rattle!

ALL vehicle manufactures have service departments and not just for routine maintenance...In a previous career I was line tech, shop foreman and then service director for one of the largest Mercedes dealerships in the region. We often had new vehicles in for service/repair-as ALL new car dealerships do. This is NOT to say Jeep does not need to improve their overall quality control, just to point out that ALL new vehicles can experience problems during warranty...

 

[aldo98229]

Even if it ends up being only a loose ground wire, the unpleasant experience of being stranded by the side of the road in a brand new Jeep full of kids doesn’t go away the moment the tow truck arrives or when you get the vehicle back from the dealer.

Nothing kills the excitement and anticipation of owning a brand new Jeep faster than losing trust in it. That’s something FCA seems unable to get through its thick skull.

True, it doesn’t happen to everyone, but it seems to happen more often than it should.

 

[Baddog2020]

Pinhole leak on radiator hose in first couple months. Repaired under warranty and no issues in 32k.

 

[rallydefault]

I'd buy another Jeep -- it was a blast -- but strictly as a toy, not something I depended on.

And in that statement you've encapsulated how FCA wants it all ways (which any company out to make money wants, really, so who can blame them?). They market wranglers (and all jeeps) as tough-as-nails with implied reliability and grit. But they're also increasingly chasing a higher-end market of people with some excess cash willing to buy a 60k toy probably with thousands more in mods they'll never use that they'll only trot out to the beaches when they go on vacation every summer (which is whatever, you can do what you want).

The "built like a tank" image I see in all the jeep commercials always makes me laugh, but hey, the roads are drowning in JLs so it must be working.

 

[Outrun]

Anywhere anyone can post, people will complain. The internet is the squeaky wheel of the world. On any forum you could scare yourself out of anything.
My Jeeps have been reliable and never had any issues.

 

[fjernen]

I have had 7 Jeep wranglers (93, 94, 98, 02, 05 Rubi, 08 Rubi UL, and now 21 Rubi UL only 4k miles) I have more than 1,300,000 miles in these Jeeps most of them lifted and offroaded a fair amount. Most of them met their demise do to a variety of idiots crashing into them or 200k plus in miles. I have had very few issues. The main one for me has been paint peeling off the doors especially the hinges. No engine failures none of them burned oil although many of them leaked oil especially the 08. Tires, belts, fuel filters, spark plugs, thermostats and common wear items only. The 08 probably was abused the worst by far due to a variety of health issues. It rarely got its oil changed on time. It went 160k without a transfer case/transmission fluid change. (mechanic lied about changing them twice. 2 different shops) No broken drivetrains, one u-joint in all of these, no axel issues/gear issues. The 08 had a crappy first gear that I rarely used because it would never stay in gear. This started at about 40k and was still doing it when I traded it in for 15k 2 months ago. In comparison my wife's 4 cars she has had has spent more time in the shop than all of mine combined. 98 Pontiac GA, 03 Mazda 3 (POS), 05 Jeep Liberty (fragile as hell) and 18 Ford Explorer.

Until recently its been a pretty primitive car. I would describe the wrangler community as more of a cult. Its a vehicle that has certain following... If you are looking for a soft riding, high speed performance automobile this isn't it. However its a vehicle that will take you to some of the most amazing places on the planet with a great top down view.

 

[WranglerMan]

I honestly have only had one issue besides a few normal recalls and that issue never left me stranded, the main crank battery failed 7 months into ownership and was taken care of under warranty and now I’m at 45k miles and I hope she continues to serve me well with no issues.

 

[Ray Pezzi]

And in that statement you've encapsulated how FCA wants it all ways (which any company out to make money wants, really, so who can blame them?). They market wranglers (and all jeeps) as tough-as-nails with implied reliability and grit. But they're also increasingly chasing a higher-end market of people with some excess cash willing to buy a 60k toy probably with thousands more in mods they'll never use that they'll only trot out to the beaches when they go on vacation every summer (which is whatever, you can do what you want).

The "built like a tank" image I see in all the jeep commercials always makes me laugh, but hey, the roads are drowning in JLs so it must be working.

The funny thing is that I bought my Wrangler to replace a 2013 Toyota Tacoma which I had purchased new and driven every day without any problems at all for 6 years. I had convinced myself that the Tacoma was boring me to tears and that even though it'd probably soldier on for the rest of my life, I needed some excitement. Well, my Jeep provided a bit more excitement than I'd hoped for. Nothing like driving down a two-lane country road at 60 mph with oncoming traffic and having the Jeep decide to do one of its little darts to the left. Heck, every time I drove down the road with a cop behind me, I figured I'd get pulled over as a suspected drunk driver because of all the constant steering corrections. My dealership's "helpful" response: "It's a Jeep thing."

Yes, I was bored with the Tacoma...but sometimes, boring is really, really good.

 

[aldo98229]

And in that statement you've encapsulated how FCA wants it all ways (which any company out to make money wants, really, so who can blame them?). They market wranglers (and all jeeps) as tough-as-nails with implied reliability and grit. But they're also increasingly chasing a higher-end market of people with some excess cash willing to buy a 60k toy probably with thousands more in mods they'll never use that they'll only trot out to the beaches when they go on vacation every summer (which is whatever, you can do what you want).

The "built like a tank" image I see in all the jeep commercials always makes me laugh, but hey, the roads are drowning in JLs so it must be working.

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.

 

[aldo98229]

The funny thing is that I bought my Wrangler to replace a 2013 Toyota Tacoma which I had purchased new and driven every day without any problems at all for 6 years. I had convinced myself that the Tacoma was boring me to tears and that even though it'd probably soldier on for the rest of my life, I needed some excitement. Well, my Jeep provided a bit more excitement than I'd hoped for. Nothing like driving down a two-lane country road at 60 mph with oncoming traffic and having the Jeep decide to do one of its little darts to the left. Heck, every time I drove down the road with a cop behind me, I figured I'd get pulled over as a suspected drunk driver because of all the constant steering corrections. My dealership's "helpful" response: "It's a Jeep thing."

Yes, I was bored with the Tacoma...but sometimes, boring is really, really good.

I have a lot of respect for Toyota as an automaker. But it totally dropped the ball with the 3rd-gen Tacoma.

I owned a 2019 TRD Off-Road: it was a good looking truck and felt well-built, but I could not believe how terrible the powertrain was. That automatic transmission is simply atrocious, and kills whatever little grunt that 3.5 V6 has. I got rid of it after only six months; sold it privately. Thankfully, I got my money back...minus tax & license!

 

[Ray Pezzi]

I have a lot of respect for Toyota as an automaker. But it totally dropped the ball with the 3rd-gen Tacoma.

I owned a 2019 TRD Off-Road: it was a good looking truck and felt well-built, but I could not believe how terrible the powertrain was. That automatic transmission is simply atrocious, and kills whatever little grunt that 3.5 V6 has. I got rid of it after only six months; sold it privately. Thankfully, I got my money back...minus tax & license!

Yes, I've heard that about the current-generation Tacoma. I owned a first-gen ('98 TRD Off-Road) and a second-gen ('13 SR5). I actually preferred the '98. Even though the 3.4L V-6 was only rated at 190HP, it always felt quicker to me than the 2013. Of course, it was a much smaller truck and must have weighed a lot less. Wish I still had that truck...

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