Now I’m worried

[Sboden]

As many have said, if you join a forum for any vehicle worth having a forum for, you would be scared to buy that vehicle. A forum helps enthusiasts learn what products are out there and get real use reviews, helps members by good cheaper used products, see what's new first , work through issues with their vehicle. You now know things that have happened and how to handle if they happen to your vehicle. I've owned a lot of vehicles (many first year models) and they have been everything from premium luxury, sports cars, motorcycles, SUV's and a couple of pick ups.

All of them no matter whether they were German, Japanese, American, Sweden or Korean had lots of issues if looking at the forums. Some of these vehicles had issues and some didn't but it didn't matter which country it came from except for how expensive it was to fix or how long to get parts. I'm saying this for American cars after around 2008 as I had more issues with those prior to that time frame.

If you like the vehicle buy it.

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[Gee-pah]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

@mjindy: what I'm about to say has been well covered by members above. All I can hope to do is reiterate it via a story...a different angle/perspective.

First, if a Wrangler isn't for you then it isn't. It certainly isn't for everyone, and not owning a Wrangler is a perfectly suitable state of being, much that I love mine. People have already spoken about how forums attract the enthusiast and the disenfranchised.

But...that said, if your reasons to shy away from purchase truly lie with the infrequent Wrangler that dies, then you are making decisions based on rare outlier events that, as discussed, all vehicle models have. Tell me your decision is based on probabilities of greater reliable among other brands and you'll get no argument.

I had a friend who refused a colonoscopy at age 50: which is medical protocol. She cited the rare cases of perforated organs associated with the test and cast aside my attempt to persuade her that such rare things are overwhelmingly statistically counterbalanced with the painless removal of polyps: benign, pre-cancerous, and malignant alike before the latter metastasized. She died a year ago of easily avoidable colorectal cancer.

Buying a vehicle isn't life, but the rationale for decisions in each area is the same--statistical probability, not "rare but serious side effect.

 

[kmmn]

I traded my Tacoma for the Jeep in June. If you read the tacomaworld.com forum you'll wonder how a hell can the Tacoma be at the top of the reliability scale.

Like others said, forums are not the best place to gauge reliability.

I've had more recalls on my Tacoma than my 2 JKs combined, but buying a new car is always a roll of the dice (if the old car/truck dies, then you have no choice, so in some respects that's less stressful)... it comes down to what YOU want to do... good luck!

 

[_olllllllo_]

First of all I commend you for joining the forum and doing your homework. It is much better to be informed about a product that just wing it, especially when purchasing a vehicle. I joined this forum almost a year (362 days) before ordering and purchasing my 2019 Rubicon. I have read all the posts about the various issues owners have experienced. I can only pass along my experiences with my vehicle, but here goes:

I have over 35,000 completely trouble-free miles of ownership. There was a recall for the manual transmissions, but all they had to do was put a nylon sleeve on a piece of tubing from the reservoir and bleed the system. I have done all my own maintenance after learning how easy it is to do on a Jeep. You will never find a community (this forum or other sources) that provide as much information on a vehicle, feedback on modifications and solutions to issues as you will for Jeep Wranglers. I tried to get torque specs for a Subaru Impreza suspension and it took hours and I still didn't have all the details. For my Jeep it took less than a minute to find multiple sources that had the torque specs for EVERY bolt on the vehicle.

The vehicle has brought the most enjoyment of any I have driven over 35 years. I have taken the top off, doors off, lowered the windshield, gone really off-road for the first time in my life and had a blast doing it all. My girls love to ride in the Jeep, my dogs run to it when we are going on a walk (so they can go to dog park or simply ride around in it) and even my wife pushes to go on rides in the desert or the mountains ... and that isn't happening with a Honda. I have gotten so many compliments on the color and the fact that I drive a Jeep. That never happened with my Honda Accord, Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot, Kia Sedona or Subaru Impreza. The best part is I drive around and take the scenic route and will turn down dirt roads just to see where they go and have experiences most will never have that drive vehicles meant for the pavement.

Good luck with whatever decision you make, but after fighting getting a Wrangler for over 18 years because of gas mileage I kick myself for not getting one 15 years ago.

 

[DanW]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

An internet forum is really a bad place to get a feel for reliability. I know many JL owners outside of the forum through the several Jeep clubs I'm in. Nobody has had a nightmare story. None.

I also posted in that thread about my 96 4 Runner that basically did the same thing, in the middle of a busy intersection while my wife was driving. Nobody worries about Toyotas, yet there it was. And it was not even a 21st century vehicle with all the tech.

Worry doesn't gain you anything. And the Ridgeline is nice, but BORING. Live a little, and stop worrying. The odds are overwhelming that you'll have a great experience and love it. And it will take you places the Ridgeline would never dare to go. And it will do it in fun ways, such as with the top open and doors off that again, the Ridgeline would never do.

And I have yet to see a Honda dealer with no service department, or an empty one, for that matter. They are also made by human beings, so they are not as perfect as the media and others would like you to think. They are good, but not perfect. These Jeeps are good, too, and they take a beating like nothing else I've driven. I don't think any Honda would survive the 13 years and 146k miles of off-road beating my JK has endured. And it still looks and drives like new, other than some dented skid plates and pin stripes from vegetation.

 

[timn1984]

Ditto on all the above, except DONT GET THAT SQEAKY SLIDY TOP, get the hard top to you can take it off with one other person , of course.
In all seriousness, if you get scared reading one post about one incident then you should not buy a Jeep. Jeeps are rugged vehicles for adventurous people. If you are not that type, then I would go with a Subaru. Just kidding, buy a Jeep!

 

[timn1984]

Also I have a 2018 Sahara, and as discussed on many threads in this forum, most people have had minor problems, but no major ones. And my guess would be that any make of vehicle will have its share of problems. sounds like you want a Jeep, buy one.

 

[CMF150]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

Guy with car mysteriously dying is scary, but it could happen to anyone/any car. As for Sky One Touch, we just got one this month and love it. Yeah, we've only had it a couple of weeks, so there's been no problems, but I love having the ability to have the roof pull back and be in open air in a matter of seconds by just pushing a button.

As far as the squeaking goes, I have a Ford F150 with the twin panel moon roof. After about year of heavy use (I open it pretty much every day), I noticed some squeaks, but quickly solved the issue by applying some silicone lubricant. Problem solved. I bring this up because the Ford moon roof and Skyone Touch work with the same premise and I noticed the same lubrication on our Sky one touch when we got it.

 

[MauiSteve]

I'm sure Ridgelines are great vehicles, Honda is a great company. A Ridgeline is a van with a pickup bed on it, great for some folks, not so much for others. I like to limit complexity as much as possible which is why I stay with naturally aspirated engines, and avoid complicated things like a power roof on a vehicle that can go off road and twist and turn. Jeeps are not perfect but they are great vehicles that of course can have issues like any other. Life is short, get what makes you happy, just try to get a version that suits your needs.

 

[wchevron]

We bought a used 2020 Sahara. Only had it about 2 months but we love it. Had a few 70* days, 2 weeks ago, up in New England. Kids and I took the top off. Wife came home and looked at me with a frown and said, I can't believe you took the top off.
That afternoon, the 4 of use went out for a drive down to the beach and cruise around. After about 10 minutes driving, my wife looked at me and said, You were right about removing the top, this is great. I'm glad we got this, it's so fun to drive.

Friends of ours have had the retractable top for a year. They love it and I don't think they have had any issues with it so far.

 

[CJTJJK-JLNOW]

I joined this forum when I was researching dealers who would sell under invoice back in early 2018. I used the order tracker thread as I waited for our JL’s to get built and shipped to us at the dealer we found thanks to this forum. Prior to this as I was debating the order I dove into threads and I had many of the same thoughts. Are these things just falling apart? - I was coming out of a 2017 JK which was flawless for me so should I roll the dice?

I noted several common threads as things to keep an eye on and others that as a multiple Jeep owner over the years, I discounted as folks new to Jeeps. (This thing is not going to be as quiet as your Lexus, it won’t feel the same as your Civic. If your buddy is a Ford guy or Toyota guy he will have a 20 page list of reasons why the Jeep sucks and I’m not going to argue with that sort of thing.)

QC does worry me when it comes to Jeep based on what I read here. You are doing the right thing. Do your homework but also analyze what you find. My protection against the risk of running into issues was buying as discounted as possible factored against the great resale value of the Jeep. If the thing was a lemon, I would have shot it into the sun ASAP vs fighting a dealer for mediocre service time and time again. That was my playbook but both our Jeeps at home have been great since we got them AprilMay of 2018.

This forum is awesome for sharing information. I’m more of a lurker because when I do encounter something I am wondering about, I hit the old search button and the answers been given probably a few dozen times. There are some frustrated folks here with some very bad issues. There are happy folks too. The common thread usually is both sides are really passionate about these vehicles and that tells you something about what driving a Jeep is like emotionally.

Last note if you take the plunge, if you are fortunate enough to have the option, find a service department that’s worth a damn. I’m not even putting the bar super high here... lol. But I think that’s a key missing part for a lot of us. Now... back to lurking... LOL

 

[zakaron]

I agree with what everyone has stated about forums in general, but the biggest thing to remember not get worried about "all" the problems you read about, just keep a mental note on things to look for when you do make your purchase. Don't go into it expecting problems, go into it mindful of things to look for is what I'm trying to get at. When I picked mine up, I pushed down each fuse to make sure they were seated (after reading posts on loose fuses). I turned on every option to make sure things work. Granted I don't have a lot of miles yet (just over 900), but everything has been working fine. When a company produces 200K units/yr, you are bound to have a few bad ones, but you are also more likely to have more good ones.

 

[Themistocles]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

About 3 years ago my Honda motorcycle did almost exactly the same thing to me in the middle D.C. traffic at 70 MPH on the interstate...that was a barely survived event. My 1995 Dodge Ram did a full shutdown like that also in the middle of the interstate about 15 years ago.

Fact is, it doesn't matter who makes it, cars are very complicated machines...and stuff just breaks. Completely agree with the other posts, you hear about the one-off rare occurrences or the scary stuff, but the vast vast vast majority of normal uneventful trips are never reported (silent evidence). This makes the rare seem much more common...and scary

My recommendation, get a vehicle that makes you happy. Take care of it, work on your driving skills, make sure you have emergency gear, and recognize that at some point it is going to breakdown...no matter what you drive. A jeep makes me happy...so I drive one.

 

[SolarWizard]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

every single brand has problems. Buy what makes you hsppy

 

[starrs]

I have been so excited as I have been planning to purchase a new Sahara with the one touch sliding top so I joined this forum to learn all I can about the Sahara. I know I’m just beginning to dive into all the posts but now I’m having second thoughts. First and foremost is the post about the Jeep that died in the road and all functions stopped working, on more that one occasion. I’m glad he is ok and was able to use his driving skills to divert a tragedy. But that would scare the crap out of me. Then there is the complaint about the squeaky sliding top. I’m thinking now I should just keep my Ridgeline. Any encouraging words? Thanks. From a first time post

Lol

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