10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 4,272 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
The vehicle auto stops when the hood is closed and the driver remains in the seat with the seat belt buckled. The owner-??s manual specifies that an open hood will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of closing the hood initiating the event. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops which confuses and distracts the driver. Additionally, after jump starting another vehicle, the vehicle-??s battery may be sufficiently depleted. Upon closing the hood, the vehicle could auto stop, and with the numerous other malfunctions impacting the auto stop system the vehicle may not be able to restart possibly leaving the driver stranded. The unexpected / wanted auto stop could cause a rear-end collision of the stranded vehicle leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle auto stops when turning down or turning off the climate controls, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. This condition is not listed as one of the three conditions to activate an auto stop in the owner-??s manual. This condition is also not listed as one of the conditions that will inhibit the vehicle from an auto stop in the owner-??s manual. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops in traffic which confuses and distracts the driver. The unexpected / wanted stop in heavy traffic could cause a rear-end collision leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 different dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle auto stops when putting on the driver-??s seat belt, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. The owner-??s manual specifies that if the -??Driver-??s seat belt is not buckled-?? it will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of the act of buckling the seat belt initiating the auto stop. Furthermore, the instrument cluster does not present a -??STOP/START READY-?? message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents factually incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops creating driver confusion and distraction. Additionally, this creates a serious safety hazard as the issue inhibits the driver from attempting to flee an emergency situation, wherein the driver hops into an idling vehicle, plugs in their seat belt, and the vehicle turns itself off. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 different dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-??. This portion of the vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner-??s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle-??s Auto Start / Stop System activates and shuts off the vehicle while the instrument cluster reads -??STOP/START NOT READY-??, in direct conflict with owner-??s manual. Per the owner-??s manual, the first condition for an Auto Stop with a manual transmission is that the instrument cluster must read -??READY-??. Other Jeep vehicles, clearly show -??READY-?? on the instrument cluster before shutting off. However, the Jeep Gladiator presents a false / incorrect -??NOT READY-?? notification to the driver on the instrument cluster before shutting off. This anomaly with the Auto Stop / Start System distracts the driver and creates confusion impeding normal driving operations such as stopping at traffic lights / signs, pedestrian areas, and parking lots. This poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly shut off when the driver is not prepared and presented with an incorrect notification warning. In heavy traffic, this could lead to a stalled vehicle and a rear-end collision. The -??NOT READY-?? malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 different dealership, who expressed safety concerns. The -??NOT READY-?? malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-??. The vehicle is NOT operating as designed, as the Jeep design engineers would likely not design a vehicle that presents blatantly incorrect information to the driver. If this display screen on the instrument provides false information to the driver, other displays may also provide false readings to the driver. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle-??s throttle surges sporadically when shifting gears without driver input to the accelerator / controls. The issue impacts the driver-??s ability to operate the vehicle safely in heavy traffic or dynamic situations. The throttle surges while shifting introduce delays to driver reaction times, and they create a safety hazard in heavy traffic where fractions of a second can make the difference in a major accident. The throttle surge while shifting malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at the local dealership. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? The throttle surge while shifting was recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. An FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? both when he could not recreate the issue and when he could recreate the issue. Both of these statements cannot be correct and factual as they directly contradict each other. Additionally, the FCA TA claimed that the vehicle is equipped with Rev Matching; however, the vehicle-??s owner-??s manual and available technical documentation do not mention Rev Matching. And, the issue occurs while braking when a vehicle would not intend to Rev Match. The randomness of this throttle surge issue also causes the driver to briefly take their eyes off the road between every shift to check the tachometer for the throttle surge malfunction. Distractions like this which divert the driver-??s attention during what should be routine driving tasks, creating a safety hazard. To account for the unexpected throttle spike, the driver must deviate from a normal driving routine by taking extra steps and inducing significant delays in response times. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle-??s throttle bounces and surges off idle, in direct opposition to the driver-??s inputs to the controls. After the driver lifts off the accelerator and engages the clutch, the RPMs drop slowly to idle, then the throttle regularly bounces and surges without user input to the controls by ~500 to ~1,500 RPMs. The issue occurs while driving in every gear and or in neutral. The issue occurs frequently but not every time. The issue occurs with or without the driver-??s foot on the brake. The failure to maintain idle malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at the local dealership. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? The throttle spike off idle was recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. An FCA TA claimed that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? both when he could not recreate the issue and when he could recreate the issue. Both of these statements cannot be correct and factual as they directly contradict each other. The throttle bounce and spike off idle substantially impairs the vehicle-??s use as it impacts normal driving operations such as shifting, accelerating, and braking. The throttle bounce off idle creates as serious safety hazard as it causes the driver to delay or miss shifts in heavy traffic and divert attention from the road to the instrument cluster. The issue also creates a serious safety hazard as it induces driver confusion by making them think they accidentally pressed the accelerator while shifting. The claims of -??operating as designed-?? indicates that the Jeep Gladiator Engineering Design Team designed a vehicle to spike the throttle without driver inputs to the controls. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle-??s throttle spikes / surges when the driver completely lifts off the accelerator and presses in the clutch. The issue indicates the throttle sticks after the driver lifts off the accelerator. The issue happens in multiple gears at various RPMs. The issue happens with or without the climate controls off. The issue regularly occurs in 4th gear at 44 mph at ~1900 RPMs. On 1/26/2021 while on a ride along, the customer and Service Tech at Texan DCJR were able to recreate the issue multiple times. On 1/29/2021, the Service Director at Texan DCJR stated to the customer that he and 3 members of his team were able to recreate the issue multiple times. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to 1/28/2021 claiming that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? After two inspections, the FCA TA claimed that he -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-??, the -??vehicle is driving normal-??, and that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-??. Then on 9/17/2021, the FCA TA was able to recreate the issue multiple times, but the FCA TA continued to state that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-??. The FCA TA contradictory claims the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? both when he could not recreate the issue and when he could recreate the issue. This throttle surge issue substantially impairs the vehicle-??s use as it impacts shifting gears and normal driving operation. The issue occurs sporadically which surprises and distracts the driver creating a serious safety hazard as attention is diverted from the road to the instrument cluster. The issue also creates a serious safety hazard as it induces driver confusion by making them think they accidentally pressed the accelerator while shifting. The claims of -??operating as designed-?? indicates that the Jeep Gladiator Engineering Design Team designed a vehicle to spike the throttle without driver inputs to the controls. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle randomly stalled out / died while idling, with the clutch pedal fully engaged. This poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle may unexpected stall out at a traffic light or while driving resulting in a serious accident. The most likely risk is a stalled out vehicle in heavy traffic resulting in a rear end collision. The vehicle stall out and failure to maintain idle malfunction was reported to the local dealership and an FCA Technical Advisor (TA). The vehicle-??s stall out was witnessed and documented by an independent mechanic. However, the dealership and FCA TA continue to state that the vehicle is -??operating as designed-?? and that -??this is normal characteristic of the vehicle-??. These claims indicate that the Jeep Gladiator Engineering Design Team intentionally designed the vehicle to stall out with the driver completely pressing in the clutch pedal. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The vehicle fails to maintain idle. During normal driving conditions the idle spikes significantly and noticeable from 200 -?" 2,000 RPMs. The throttle surges unpredictably without driver input to the controls. The failure of the vehicle to maintain idle creates a serious safety hazard as it distracts the driver-??s attention and substantially impairs the vehicle-??s use during routine driving tasks. The failure to maintain idle malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at the local dealership. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? An FCA TA stated that, -??There are certain scenarios where the engine's idle speed may increase normally without accelerator input, this would include A/C operation or alternator charging requirements, however the difference in rpm is very slight and most people do not notice it and it will not cause the vehicle to gain or lose speed.-?? However, the malfunction occurs with a fully charged battery and the climate controls off, and it is highly noticeable. The FCA TA stated that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? when he could not recreate the failure to maintain idle malfunction. However, the same FCA TA stated the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? after he was able to recreate the failure to maintain idle. Both of these statements cannot be factually correct as they directly contradict. Four independent mechanic shops evaluated the vehicle and were able to recreate the failure to maintain idle. A new Service Director and a Service Manager at another dealership both recreated / observed the failure to maintain idle and said that it was not right. However, after inspecting the vehicle again the FCA TA stated that -??this is normal characteristic of the vehicle-??, implicating Jeep Gladiator Engineering Design Team. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
There is a failure of the vehicle-??s Brake Throttle Override (BTO) system which poses a serious safety hazard. When braking the throttle will surge from ~500 to ~1,500 RPMs without driver input (foot completely off the accelerator pedal, clutch pedal pressed in, and applying brake pedal). Despite the driver-??s foot firmly engaging the brake pedal, the vehicle sends rogue commands to the throttle to surge in the direction opposition to the driver-??s inputs and intentions. The BTO malfunction creates a serious safety hazard as it impacts stopping distance. It also causes driver distraction / confusion causing them to second guess that they accidentally brushed the accelerator, which could lead to a serious accident. There is a significant risk that the vehicle-??s BTO system may not prevent an unintended acceleration (UA) event leading to severe injury or death. For driver safety, the BTO system should be fully operational and the throttle should not spike while braking. The BTO malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at the local dealership. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? An FCA Technical Advisor (TA) inspected the vehicle, and he stated that -??the brake pedal should always take precedence over the accelerator-??. The FCA TA stated that the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? when he could not recreate the issue. However, the same FCA TA stated the vehicle was -??operating as designed-?? after he was able to recreate the throttle surge while braking multiple times. Both of these statements cannot be factually correct as they directly contradict. The FCA TA claims that vehicle is -??operating as designed-?? indicating that the Jeep Engineering Team violated the BTO standard governing the safe operation of a motor vehicle when designing the Gladiator. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Huffman, TX, USA
The vehicle operates in direction violation of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR): 49 CFR 571 Standard No. 124 outlining the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards governing the operation of the Accelerator Control Systems. The -??standard establishes requirements for the return of a vehicle's throttle to the idle position when the driver removes the actuating force from the accelerator control.-?? 571.124 Section 5.1 requires that -??there shall be at least two sources of energy capable of returning the throttle to the idle position within the time limit specified by S5.3 from any accelerator position or speed whenever the driver removes the opposing actuating force.-?? 571.124 Section 5.3 requires that the -??maximum time to return to idle position shall be 1 second.-?? After testing, the average return to idle time is 5.2 seconds, indicating the failure of a dual-redundant fail safe. The excessive delay in the return to idle is due to frequent but unpredictable throttle spikes that occur without input to the controls as the driver-??s foot is completely off the accelerator. These unexpected / unwanted throttle surges vary from ~200 to ~1,500 RPMs. The excessive delay in the return to idle poses a significant safety risk to the driver and others. The throttle malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by 4 personnel at the local dealership, including the Service Technician, Shop Foreman, Service Manager, and Service Director. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they -??couldn-??t duplicate concern-?? and that the -??vehicle is driving normal.-?? An FCA Technical Advisor (TA) inspected the vehicle, and he recreated the failure to return to idle within 1 second. However, the FCA TA claims that vehicle is -??operating as designed-?? indicating that the Jeep Engineering Team violated this Federal Regulation governing the safe operation of a motor vehicle when designing the Gladiator. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
- Kingwood, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving 67 mph, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact adjusted the battery terminal for the vehicle to restart and operate as designed. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer miracle Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (1290 nashville pike, gallatin, tn 37066) who inspected the vehicle but was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,400. Invalid VIN.
- Clarksville, TN, USA
- Kingwood, TX, USA