2022 Jeep Gladiator Reliability Report

The front end wobbles after bumps at freeway speed, and the shaking stops only when the truck drops below about 50 mph. Dealers usually start by replacing the steering damper, then the shocks and steering rods, and the wobble often returns. One crash complaint describes a front axle that fractured during a right turn after weeks of jerking. Other reports cite failed rear stabilizer links and leaking front shocks within 12,000 miles of a rear differential rebuild, and side-to-side swaying over bumps at 15,000 miles.

The camshaft and rocker arms fail from cam scoring, bringing a flashing check engine light, ticking, and misfires. One report puts this at about 52,000 miles, with parts on national backorder. The high-pressure fuel pump fails repeatedly, in one case even after a full fuel system replacement under warranty. Other owners say the engine shuts off at highway speed with no warning, and dealers cannot reproduce it. One complaint describes a fire on a truck that had been parked for 4 days, leaving it a total loss.

Gasoline leaks from the passenger side of the underbody after the truck sits parked, heavily enough that fumes reached one owner's house. Fuel also spits back out of the filler at every fill-up, even at slow pump speeds. On the 3.0 EcoDiesel, complaints center on fuel pump repairs that dealers cannot finish for lack of parts. One dealer reportedly receives one pump a month. Owners report waiting 9 months or more, and one was quoted about 30 more months.

Snow packs into the recessed LED headlights and fog lights during night driving, and the lights do not run warm enough to melt it. The light then scatters instead of reaching the road. Drivers have to pull over in bad weather to clear the housings. Three of the 4 complaints describe this winter problem. The other concerns a tailgate third brake light that keeps failing even after it has been replaced.

Fires start in the engine area while the truck sits parked and switched off. Two of the 3 complaints describe this, and both trucks were destroyed, with damage to the property around them. One owner suffered burns to the arm, neck, and head while fighting the flames. One fire hit a Rubicon with 18,000 miles about a day after it was parked. The third complaint involves a warranty repair delayed by a backordered part. The owner says the delay caused further damage to brake and sealing components.

The parking brake fails to hold. In one report the truck rolls after being shifted into park. In another, the parking brake cable adjustment nut keeps loosening, so the cable falls out of its connector and the brake stops working. A third complaint, filed at 135 miles, says the brake pedal sits higher than the accelerator, so a foot can catch between the two when stopping. Dealers declined to fix that pedal concern.

Airbags fail to deploy in crashes, according to both complaints, which together list 5 injuries. In one, the airbag stayed off when the truck struck a utility pole hard enough to snap it, and the truck was totaled. The other describes a side impact in which the side airbags did not deploy but the front airbags did. The rear seat belts also failed to lock, so two children hit the backs of the front seats. Those belts reportedly still do not lock.