Reliability

[Whiskey 13]

I totally agree with many of the posts, it comes down to what you are looking for and no one but you can answer that question. I have had many hot cars going back to the days or the 426 Hemi and 440 six packs. They were fun and I had a ball owning, driving, and fixing them but a jeep is the vehicle that takes you to where your dreams are. Not a single one of my muscle cars could ever come close to taking me where at that moment not a single other person was within miles of me and I was alone in the wilderness. Many years in jeep wrangles and still love being alone in the wilderness.

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[HeavyUser]

If this is your dream vehicle then do it, just know going into it you have a chance of picking up one that may have many issues. Before I bought mine I signed up here and read through Issues part of this Forum, I was well prepared and rolled the dice. I lost, my Jeep has been unreliable as fck, it's been in the shop close to a dozen times and it's about a year old. I still love to drive it though, lol!

 

[Oldbear]

The real question here is what experience do you really want. You are talking about a long term purchase. Mustang and Wrangler are two completely different animals so it is a bit puzzling why you are deciding between the 2. They both give completely different experiences on the road.

Are you looking for topless slow rides in town? maybe offroading/camping exploring outdoors? heavily modding your Jeep?

You are comparing a brick on wheels vs a sports car. Very different, and long term you might get bored if you dont pick the one for your lifestyle.

I find most people who use their jeeps tend to keep them long. Mall crawlers get sold, once it is modded they get bored.

I agree fully. Around here a huge % of “late model” used Jeeps sitting on the lots have lift kits, big tires and fender deletes/mods. I’ve seen at least a dozen like this in the month before I bought my JL, and none of them had 20k miles on them. Meanwhile the guys I know who keep their Jeeps for years will typically have bumpers, a winch and Rubi take-off wheels/tires. Nothing extreme (I’m talking Jeeps here who’s owners actually drive them daily, hunt, fish and camp with them, and generally Use them to get where they want/need to go). I know there are folks who are seriously into extreme off reading and that’s cool, but it seems around here that an awful lot of “extreme” rigs are de facto mall crawlers and never get dirty. Makes you wonder if folks buy one, go extreme on mods, and then discover that for day to day on pavement use the extreme Mods may be a bit too much?

 

[Kluk Ztopolovky]

Thank you, I will look into the MaxCare and of course since I am planning on a 2021 it will have a warranty. I just want to make sure that I make an educated and intelligent and not an emotional one based on the fact that I've always wanted one.

it can be said openly that that extended warranties are aggressively pushed by the vendors and that's enough of a warning sign to me , if one should be purchasing vehicle with a mind set on repairs and more endless future repairs then I would say just get something like Mitsubishi with 10 year warranty ... there is a very dark part to this story ... you won't be driving a Jeep

 

[Kyanche]

Thing is, the more stuff they put on a vehicle, the greater the chances something will break. And FCA just loves to put a lot of “stuff” on vehicles to make more money.

While this is true, I think the implementation of that "stuff" matters a lot and can make an enormous difference in how reliable it is. For example, a vehicle with an awful lot of off-the-shelf components from Bosch, Panasonic, and Lucas with a giant messy wire harness is going to be a disaster. There will probably be a lot of little details missed in communication and the software that patches that mess together will be a disaster.

 

[COBill]

So it has me curious, should I go for a vehicle that I've dreamed of having since childhood and take my chances or not. I am 58 and have always driven vehicles until they were 13-14 years old and I plan on doing so on my next vehicle. I am just worried about the reliability issue.

The bottom line is:

• If you want/need a vehicle that can do what the Wrangler can do, you have no other choice and will have to put up with it.

• If you want a vehicle that will be reliable, will run perfectly and won't require regular trips to the dealer or another garage to fix, I'd recommend you stay far far away from the Wrangler (and frankly any other FCA product.)

Yes, some have had Wranglers with no issues, but both from my own personal experience and being around a lot of other Wrangler owners in Colorado, if it weren't for their off-road capability no one would buy another.

(I'll mention again that my 1997 TJ spent at least one day per month in the dealership garage for the entire three years I owned it, and that doesn't count the stack of issues they couldn't reproduce like all my gauges going dead and the horn not working when pressed despite reapplication of dielectric grease on the dash connector and several replacement clocksprings for the wheel.)

That's why it will be interesting to see what the new Bronco does for sales, as Ford isn't exactly known for their reliability either, though they tend to do a better job than FCA.

(But seriously, breaking brake pedal brackets in a Mustang?!?!)

In all seriousness, if you have another vehicle you can drive if/when the Wrangler is down for repairs (and you have to wait months for parts), go for it.

If it's going to be your only daily driver… reread the above.

 

[aldo98229]

While this is true, I think the implementation of that "stuff" matters a lot and can make an enormous difference in how reliable it is. For example, a vehicle with an awful lot of off-the-shelf components from Bosch, Panasonic, and Lucas with a giant messy wire harness is going to be a disaster. There will probably be a lot of little details missed in communication and the software that patches that mess together will be a disaster.

Agreed. Also, FCA appears to have modified, after-the-fact, the original design to add features at a latter stage.

For instance, when you buy the Mopar LEDs, while the headlights are plug-and-play, getting the halos to work isn’t. You have to remove the fender liner to pass a new wiring harness, guide it under the auxiliary battery and through the firewall, etc. The supplier that makes the LED headlights for FCA, on the other hand, sells the exact same headlamp under its own brand; it is completely plug-and-play, including the halos. This suggests that FCA decided to add halos to the LEDs after the original electrical wiring harness has been designed and approved.

We can probably think of a thousand other instances where FCA went back to add some feature after-the-fact, altering the original design and compromising its integrity. Chances are it is for this reason that many JLs are coming out of the factory and throwing all sorts of codes after a few hundred miles.

Add to that Fiat’s well-known indifference towards quality, and a organizational culture shaped by Marchionne’s cost-cutting/profit-maximizing obsession, and it is easy to see both FCA and its suppliers cutting corners here and there to save a few pennies.

I am lucky that my JL hasn’t had any issues in its first 5,500 miles. But I am under no illusion. It is not a matter of if but when something will start acting up. Depending how well JL behaves under warranty will determine if I want to keep it after the warranty expires, and/or if I will want to buy another Jeep or replace it with some other brand.

 

[Whiskey 13]

Many years running wrangles, many years running Dodge and Ram 4X4 trucks. I don't care what era you are from there has never been anything built by man that on any given day will not let you down.

I have never been a badge collector, Extreme trails have never been what I personally care about. I am the guy who loves to hunt, fish and camp and wants a vehicle that will allow me to do those things but also take me to work every day.

Some people by jeeps for show at the mall and or look what I got and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that if that is what spins your prop. People do that exact same thing with many other vehicles.

All vehicles have issues and yes some more than others but in my years of wrangle ownership I have not experienced any more issues with this brand than I have with any other.

If people ask us for advise on this forum by all means tell them what has worked for you but always remember, it is your opinion and just that, your opinion. It is not your money your vehicle and not your problem and don't belittle them for their choices. You make yours's allow them to make theirs.

 

[COBill]

If people ask us for advise on this forum by all means tell them what has worked for you but always remember, it is your opinion and just that, your opinion. It is not your money your vehicle and not your problem and don't belittle them for their choices. You make yours's allow them to make theirs.

I would never belittle someone for buying a Jeep but I would never recommend it to anyone who wanted to use it as their only vehicle, either.

Yes, anyone can have an issue with any vehicle, but I know my experience with my TJ was not at all unique and quite frankly some of them still occur with JLs.

 

[wpwood3]

To echo some of the previous comments...
Don’t buy a Wrangler just because it looks cool. Buy it because you want and plan to use it’s capabilities. (Which are exceptional)
Don’t buy a Wrangler to commute to work daily. There are many cheaper, more reliable and more efficient choices out there that handle better and are safer.
Stopping distance and emergency handling with the Wrangler are marginal.
Don’t buy a Wrangler for reliability. They are not and have never been known for reliability.
But...
My 2018 JEEP Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon JL puts a smile on my face every time I drive it or even look at it. You only live once! Sometimes practical is just plain boring.

 

[Harleexl]

Love the Wrangler!
Reliability on mine has been perfect for the entire 15 months and 25,000 miles I've had it. My kids love it and drive it all over, so it doesn't sit idle to often. Doors have been off many times, and roof off a few times. It's been from southeast Michigan to Arkansas to Tennessee and only been to the dealer for a couple oil changes and tire rotations.

 

[IamThad72]

Love the Wrangler!
Reliability on mine has been perfect for the entire 15 months and 25,000 miles I've had it. My kids love it and drive it all over, so it doesn't sit idle to often. Doors have been off many times, and roof off a few times. It's been from southeast Michigan to Arkansas to Tennessee and only been to the dealer for a couple oil changes and tire rotations.

New Jeep Owner. I got my Willys in May. It's not a car or even an SUV. It's a Jeep. It's therapeutic. It's top off, windows down, wind blowing all around, running wherever you want to go in-charge.

It's also addictive to work on. I'm not a car guy, and I've already put new fenders, bumpers, and on Thursday larger tires. I've installed a hard top harness in my garage to make going topless fast and easy.

I'm all bought in!!!! So far, no issues.

Reliability is subjective. I had a Mazda that ran forever but everything else fell apart. I had a Audi that burned oil after 75K miles. It was a great garage couch. I had a Tacoma that would break leaf springs ALL THE TIME. I had a VW that dropped a muffler every 16 months. So go into knowing that vehicles, for the most part, are depreciating assets and have fun.

 

[gcdaz]

My 2019 Rubi is about a little over a year and a half old. Problems so far:
* Front seat back upholstery pulling away from the molle panels (both seats)
* A couple recalls/service bulletins
* A persistent problem with the Uconnect system where sound stops working on all inputs (I know the workaround for this--press the little button under the steering wheel on the right hand side and cycle through inputs until sound suddenly starts again) that has never been resolved
* Little battery died
* Big battery died (and left a ton of warning lights that took hours for the dealer to clear)

And that's it, really. I've driven it daily and offroad many weekends in AZ, Utah, and Colorado. It's about 25,000 miles now. I feel that the issues above were minor, easily covered under warranty. I'm very satisfied with the reliability. It's a huge upgrade from my 2006 LJ.

 

[Boatmaan]

Okay, ever since I was a little kid there are 2 vehicles that I have always dreamed of owning, the Ford Mustang and the Jeep Wrangler. I am currently searching for a new vehicle and the Mustang is out since I've been told that it is not good in the snow at all and the Wrangler is a vehicle that I am strongly considering. I am looking at all cars and suv's out there from all makes my main criteria is AWD or 4X4 and preferably manual transmission but I am waffling on that. My question is this, I am seeing so much on line about the unreliability of the Wrangler, everything talks about its low reliability yet as I am out and about and I see a Wrangler owner in parking lots I walk up and talk to them about everything Wrangler, especially the reliability factor and none of them have any complaints and say that it has been reliable. So it has me curious, should I go for a vehicle that I've dreamed of having since childhood and take my chances or not. I am 58 and have always driven vehicles until they were 13-14 years old and I plan on doing so on my next vehicle. I am just worried about the reliability issue.

Sounds a bit like me, except I a a lot farther down the road. My neighborhood is loaded with Wranglers. My neighbor around the corner, 74, just bought his first. I have been "shopping" since I rented one in Florida in Feb (before the Pandemic). Was astonished how nicely it rode on the highway. I bought mine 2 weeks ago, an all white Sahara, with the new Sky Top. to say we (yes, even the wife) love it, would be an understatement. I too questioned the reliability, and will, more then likely, purchase the Max warranty. Have plenty of time to do it. Oh......I am 74, and I kept my Ford Escape for 10 years, and 124,000 miles before I sold it for $5k. From what I have noted, there is NOTHING that holds its value better then a Jeep Wrangler! The demand is, was, and always will be strong! Go buy it!

 

[aldo98229]

My 2019 Rubi is about a little over a year and a half old. Problems so far:
* Front seat back upholstery pulling away from the molle panels (both seats)
* A couple recalls/service bulletins
* A persistent problem with the Uconnect system where sound stops working on all inputs (I know the workaround for this--press the little button under the steering wheel on the right hand side and cycle through inputs until sound suddenly starts again) that has never been resolved
* Little battery died
* Big battery died (and left a ton of warning lights that took hours for the dealer to clear)

And that's it, really. I've driven it daily and offroad many weekends in AZ, Utah, and Colorado. It's about 25,000 miles now. I feel that the issues above were minor, easily covered under warranty. I'm very satisfied with the reliability. It's a huge upgrade from my 2006 LJ.

Them LJs hold their value better than any other Wrangler.

LJ had the best proportions of any Wrangler IMO. If Jeep built a 2-door JL on the 4-door frame, I’d be the first in line!

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