2021 Jeep Gladiator Reliability Report

Most complaints here also describe death wobble. The front end shakes violently at 65 to 75 mph after a bump or dip, often around 28,000 to 36,000 miles. Dealers replace steering dampers, tie rod ends and drag links, and the shaking often comes back. EcoDiesel owners report the front end bottoming out on ordinary bumps and potholes, and they say the trucks use suspension sized for the lighter gas engine. One crash involves a diesel truck whose rear wheels lifted under hard braking. A shock absorber leak and a shock that let the truck bottom out at 1,100 miles also appear.

EcoDiesel trucks overheat their engine oil when towing, climbing grades or running in hot weather. The engine then cuts power and holds speed to roughly 35 to 50 mph with little warning, which can leave the truck crawling in traffic. Gas engines draw a different pattern: camshaft and rocker arm failures cause misfires, ticking from the passenger side and limp mode, reported at higher mileage such as 98,000, with long waits for parts. One report describes white smoke followed by a fire that totaled the truck. Erratic stop/start behavior and surging idle round out the list.

Most of these complaints are about a recall repair that dealers could not complete because parts were unavailable. Many owners waiting on the part had no failure. When failures do happen, the high-pressure fuel pump quits. The truck loses power or stalls at speed, sometimes with no warning light, and may not restart. These reports cluster around 40,000 to 46,000 miles. Separately, one diesel owner got a DEF tank warning with a countdown to a no-start condition at 165 miles, and the tank and sensor were on backorder.

The LED third brake light in the tailgate burns out, and nothing on the dash tells the driver. The whole unit has to be replaced, not a bulb, and owners report failures at low mileage such as 18,000. Several owners also say snow packs into the recessed LED headlights and blocks the beam, so they have to stop every mile or two in a storm to clear them. Less common reports include melted wiring at both headlamp assemblies, headlights that dazzle oncoming drivers, and a rear turn signal that stops working.

The throttle surges or sticks without driver input. On manual trucks, idle jumps by hundreds or thousands of RPM after the driver lifts off the gas or shifts. More serious reports describe the engine racing while the brakes fail to slow the truck for 30 to 45 seconds, in city traffic and at highway speed. One owner says adaptive cruise control, when cancelled but not switched off, made the truck lunge forward on brake release. Another describes ABS and stability warnings that knock out cruise control and let the brake pedal sink.

Only 3 complaints are on file, and each describes a different problem. In one, the engine surges while the brake pedal is pressed on a manual truck, which can lengthen stopping distance. In another, ABS, traction control and collision warnings come on in gentle highway curves, cruise control shuts off and the brake pedal shudders with reduced stopping power for a moment. A third, crash-related report says the brake pedal sits too close to the gas pedal, so a driver hit both.

The passenger seat occupant sensor fails, so the airbag warning light comes on or cycles on and off whether or not anyone is in the seat. One truck showed this at 3,153 miles and was not repaired. In one crash with an injury, the driver's air bag failed to fully deploy, the side air bag had a hole in it, and there was a burning smell after deployment. With only 3 complaints, no broad pattern is clear.