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The Jeep Wrangler is One of the Most Unreliable Cars of 2020

Freebooter

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This is my opinion! I take Consumer Reports with a grain of salt. There is a lot of politics going on behind the scenes with CR. CR is ran by old men that feel they have great power. They use certain test areas and test groups to get their feedback. My Dad at 88 still gets CR and he uses it with more of a "brand" direction than a specific product or model.

I think FCA as a "brand" is probably a constant target for CR. As complicated as the engineers have made these new JL's, I can see a lag in real solutions from the dealers. This is going to hurt "reliability" and "satisfaction" which is what CR is looking for. My experience with the death wobble was handled quickly and professionally. We have gone over a few bumps that would always bring the wobble on without any problems.

So far, we are very happy with our JL. I hate that other people are having such terrible issues. Hope the dealers can figure things out because JL's are too fun not to drive!
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deserteagle56

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This is my opinion! I take Consumer Reports with a grain of salt. There is a lot of politics going on behind the scenes with CR. CR is ran by old men that feel they have great power. They use certain test areas and test groups to get their feedback. My Dad at 88 still gets CR and he uses it with more of a "brand" direction than a specific product or model.

I think FCA as a "brand" is probably a constant target for CR. As complicated as the engineers have made these new JL's, I can see a lag in real solutions from the dealers. This is going to hurt "reliability" and "satisfaction" which is what CR is looking for. My experience with the death wobble was handled quickly and professionally. We have gone over a few bumps that would always bring the wobble on without any problems.

So far, we are very happy with our JL. I hate that other people are having such terrible issues. Hope the dealers can figure things out because JL's are too fun not to drive!
I don't put much weight to Consumer Reports testing as far as any automobile, and have bought - and enjoyed and had good luck with - several vehicles that they did not recommend.

But as far as reliability stats and owner satisfaction - that comes directly from "consumers" like me. Twice a year I get a survey form from Consumer Reports for my vehicles that asks about 15 different areas of a vehicle - engine, electronics, body, etc. I note and elaborate on anything I've had problems with and then return the survey. Those survey results are where the reliability stats come from.
 

Freebooter

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"But as far as reliability stats and owner satisfaction - that comes directly from "consumers" like me."
.

CR data comes directly from their "subscribers"! Enjoy your magazine! And hope you are happy with your jeep!
 

blnewt

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I like to gamble (and even the best vehicles can have issues), with our many trips to Vegas never had any vehicle problems, we even ordered our Jeep from Jim Marsh in Vegas, went there to pick it up and drive it back. So far so good, and like others mentioned CR is ok for many products but vehicles that are in the "niche" category rarely do well w/ CR.

And for those that are having or have had some reliability setbacks I sure hope they have been corrected or will be soon!
 

cosine

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I don't put much weight to Consumer Reports testing as far as any automobile, and have bought - and enjoyed and had good luck with - several vehicles that they did not recommend.
same here. i will look at what cr say, but dont totally rely on them. for example, when i was looking at the grand cherokee in 2007 cr didnt rate it good. i broke everything down as to what cr wrote about the cherokee and figured out whats valid or not. most of the reviews was against the cherokee and would not recommend. after other research i pulled the trigger and got one. i was very happy with the decision and concluded that cr is full of $hit. the funny thing is i get a trial copy of cr in the mail. i dont bother looking at it and it goes straight into the recycling bin.
 

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PeeCeeJunior

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"But as far as reliability stats and owner satisfaction - that comes directly from "consumers" like me."
.

CR data comes directly from their "subscribers"! Enjoy your magazine! And hope you are happy with your jeep!
Consumer Reports polls it's subscribers on a variety of products. I was a subscriber until probably 8 months ago and yes, I rated my Jeep and yes I included all the little issues I've been having. So part of their poor polling is because of me, or more specifically because of Jeep.

Every car forum that's not Toyota or Honda thinks CR has it out for them. I used to see it on a Saturn forum back in the early aughts. The data is reliable and truthful as far as the polling sample, which is going to be middle to upper-middle class people who like to read product reviews. That's not representative of the population as a whole, but it's not so far off the mark to be inaccurate.
 

virginia_is_for_rubis

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Consumer Reports polls it's subscribers on a variety of products. I was a subscriber until probably 8 months ago and yes, I rated my Jeep and yes I included all the little issues I've been having. So part of their poor polling is because of me, or more specifically because of Jeep.

Every car forum that's not Toyota or Honda thinks CR has it out for them. I used to see it on a Saturn forum back in the early aughts. The data is reliable and truthful as far as the polling sample, which is going to be middle to upper-middle class people who like to read product reviews. That's not representative of the population as a whole, but it's not so far off the mark to be inaccurate.
+1, same here. They polled me and I was honest -- my 2020 JLUR need new radiator hoses at 2k miles, new tie rod end at 3k miles, and a new pitman arm at 5k miles. I love it and am not planning on trading it in, but it has been super unreliable for me (and this was before any mods).
 

richardya

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I’m wondering about the fact that most people who were responding about the JL were driving 2018 and early 2019s which were new. Every vehicle gets more stable and has less recall as the years progress. It’s also a new engine that dealers are less familiar with. The experience should get better assuming the changes aren’t good, as in, if the 2.0 is junk.
 

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PeeCeeJunior

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I’m wondering about the fact that most people who were responding about the JL were driving 2018 and early 2019s which were new. Every vehicle gets more stable and has less recall as the years progress. It’s also a new engine that dealers are less familiar with. The experience should get better assuming the changes aren’t good, as in, if the 2.0 is junk.
Consumer Reports generally accounts for this by focusing on short term reliability for new model vehicles. But it's not like Fiat and Chrysler don't have a reputation for mechanical issues.

On the plus side CR ranks Jeeps very high in customer satisfaction.
 

PeeCeeJunior

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I saw the car ranking issue at the grocery store today and grabbed it since that was the only reason I ever had a CR subscription anyway. Looking through it in more detail, the Wrangler scores poorly because it lacks modern conveniences. Wind noise, ride, handling got called out specifically. We enjoy those aspects of the vehicle, but other people (like my family) don't, so you have include an objective metric that reflects a wide range of makes and models. If your automobile has ride handling straight out of 1972, then it's going to score poorly.

The powertrain for the last 3 years actually scored alright. All green icons of varying degrees.

CR is trying to be as objective as they can. They could offer a category for just rough handling off-road vehicles, but all it would have in it are other Jeep Wranglers.
 

JEEPIDON

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I saw the car ranking issue at the grocery store today and grabbed it since that was the only reason I ever had a CR subscription anyway. Looking through it in more detail, the Wrangler scores poorly because it lacks modern conveniences. Wind noise, ride, handling got called out specifically. We enjoy those aspects of the vehicle, but other people (like my family) don't, so you have include an objective metric that reflects a wide range of makes and models. If your automobile has ride handling straight out of 1972, then it's going to score poorly.

The powertrain for the last 3 years actually scored alright. All green icons of varying degrees.

CR is trying to be as objective as they can. They could offer a category for just rough handling off-road vehicles, but all it would have in it are other Jeep Wranglers.
I've had no problems with my two wrangler JL's ; Rubicon and Sahara. Every manufactured vehicle has it's ups and downs and if you don't believe me take a look at the latest Motor Trend long term wrap up. I can't believe a Subaru is that bad.

I've been on this forum for a couple of years and my observation is that at least 1/2 of the folks that subscribe should never by another Jeep product in their life!!! I've never seen so much pissing and moaning over the most picayune issues that I would thick twice about. One guy didn't unplug his Tazer when he traded it and now has to pay to have it unmarried and is rip-shit over it. Usually when I make a mistake I admit it, suck it up and move on. There are so many drama queens it's incredible. An don't forget we have the over abundance of advisors that scream "Lemon Law", "Sue them", "The dealers are all idiots", etc. I guess they love to see themselves type and read it back to themselves. If you don't like them, don't buy them, and stop bitching about them.

By the way, I used to work for Consumer Reports and I can tell you they do not try to be as objective as they should. There definitely is politics behind the scenes.
 

viper88

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I've had no problems with my two wrangler JL's ; Rubicon and Sahara. Every manufactured vehicle has it's ups and downs and if you don't believe me take a look at the latest Motor Trend long term wrap up. I can't believe a Subaru is that bad.

I've been on this forum for a couple of years and my observation is that at least 1/2 of the folks that subscribe should never by another Jeep product in their life!!! I've never seen so much pissing and moaning over the most picayune issues that I would thick twice about. One guy didn't unplug his Tazer when he traded it and now has to pay to have it unmarried and is rip-shit over it. Usually when I make a mistake I admit it, suck it up and move on. There are so many drama queens it's incredible. An don't forget we have the over abundance of advisors that scream "Lemon Law", "Sue them", "The dealers are all idiots", etc. I guess they love to see themselves type and read it back to themselves. If you don't like them, don't buy them, and stop bitching about them.

By the way, I used to work for Consumer Reports and I can tell you they do not try to be as objective as they should. There definitely is politics behind the scenes.
It's true every car company has it's ups and downs. It is also true some brands are better and more consistent with quality control. And some are worse. FCA products consistently rate at the bottom of most if not all customer service and quality surveys. Not just Consumer Reports. JD powers, etc. They can definitely improve. Consumers have the right to demand a better product if there are QC short comings. Hopefully the car company listens, addresses the problems and the end product is better for everyone.

I am NOT a hater by the way. I owed other Wranglers and love my current JLR.

As far as the MT long term Subaru. It's a test sample of one. Kind of like the small test samples of troubled JLs on this forum. I have owned both brands and have had good ones and bad ones from both brands.

Interesting comment about your experience with Consumer Reports. A actual inside perspective is always appreciated.
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