2021 JEEP GLADIATOR Unknown Or Other Problems

The heating steering wheel had an electrical short in the heating element where it began to melt the rubber of the steering wheel and start smoking. This became very hot where it could burn my hand. I was forced to pull over immediately to diagnose the problem before anything else could burn. The smoking stopped when I tuned off the heated steering wheel.

Without any warning and after about 7 minutes of driving, Jeep turned off while driving at about 40 mph. There were no dash lights or warnings and the Jeep has never had an issue or any other symptom previously. Would not start and had to be towed. 8 hours later it was still in a crank no start condition. Both batteries were fully charged so not a battery issue. I'm a long time Jeep owner, VP of the Middle Peninsula Jeep Association LLC and fairly well versed in Jeep mechanics. I only say that to let you know that I have a lot of experience with Jeeps, was able to exclude certain causes and have not encountered thisnwith any of my previous Jeeps. Jeep is in show condition and meticulously cared for. The day after vehicle shut off, all dash lights and windows also stopped working so issue also caused batteries to fully drain. Dealership says it is needs a new PDC. I strongly suspect this is due to manufacturer defect related to PCM and some of manufacturing defects associated with COVID-era manufacturing issues. Uncertain if it could also be related to other open recall. Vehicle has less than 50K on it. It really doesn't feel right that just a large component would go out on such a new Jeep and definitely isn't in accordance with the quality I've come to know and expect when owning other Jeeps. Would appreciate anything you can do to assist. On another note, about half of the Gladiators I see have the 3rd brake light out (mine included). Any idea what the issue could be with that as I also have to get that replaced, too. Many thanks!

As I was driving, I reached out over the dashboard and accidentally lightly bumped the front windshield with my hand. Light enough that my middle knuckle barely tapped the glass, and the windshield spider cracked completely top to bottom, left to right, and every other angle. The force can be compared to wiping or cleaning your dashboard and bumping your finger tips into the glass. The windshield is broken all the way through. Im reporting this because Im fairly certain windshields are supposed to hold up to more than someone's knuckle lightly bumping them. The windshield did not have any damage prior to this moment and had just been to the dealership for standard maintenance confirming no damage to the windshield prior to this event. Visibility became immediately obscured for me as the driver, the windshield flexed and cracked even more as we drove to a safe location clearly indicating it was no longer safe for us to be in the vehicle. No warnings came up. The incident is fresh for us, but many Jeep Gladiator owners experience windshields breaking incredibly easily with extreme breaks for minimal impacts.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Fishbone Offroad bed rack (an aftermarket accessory on my Jeep Gladiator) failed structurally, developing cracks at all four outside corners of the beam with rust at the welds. The rack is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The rack’s failure posed a collapse risk while supporting a 200-lb roof-top tent and a 50–60-lb 270° awning. A collapse during driving or camping could have caused the load to fall, potentially leading to a crash, injury, or damage to the vehicle or others on the road. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, as the rack was removed from use after the failure was discovered to prevent a collapse. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The manufacturer, Fishbone Offroad, was sent photos of the damage but has not physically inspected the rack. They offered to inspect it if I paid for shipping, which I declined. No police, insurance representatives, or others have inspected it. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps or messages, as this is an aftermarket accessory. The cracks were hidden under the load of the roof-top tent and only became visible after its removal in early 2025. Rust at the welds was the only prior symptom, noticed a few months earlier.

I was driving my 2021 Jeep Gladiator and stopped at a red light at a busy intersection. When the light changed to green, I removed my foot from the brake and attempted to go through the intersection. Instead of moving forward the truck engine turned off and would not restart. As this was a busy intersection this was an extremely dangerous situation for both myself and other motorists. A local police officer assisted me in pushing the truck out of the intersection. The truck then had to be towed to a Jeep dealership. After an initial diagnosis at the dealership the issue was not readily apparent, and the dealership could not get the truck to start. After multiple diagnosis attempts the dealership believes the issue is a faulty Radio Frequency Hub Module, Fuse, Relay, and Auxiliary Battery. The truck is still at the dealership awaiting the parts so it is not clear if this will correct the truck turning itself off. Also, there were no warning signs or indicator lights on when this occurred. One final note, this model truck is known to have an issue with a leaking rear window. My rear window did leak and was replaced under warranty. I have learned that the Radio Frequency Hub Module is located in the rear wall of this truck below the rear window.

UNKNOWN 3rd brake light has faulty solder and keeps going out. Had it replaced under warrenty and now needs replaced again. Out of warrenty. Needs to be a recall on this. Safety issue when 3rd brake light does not work.

the car will not accelerate or maintain speed. it is apparently a bad gear position sensor which was recalled on subsequent models however is not listed as a recall on this model. this clutch had just been replaced after a 2 year long wait for a recall fix

My vehicle has about 17,000 miles. Both key fobs are failing to connect with the vehicle. The batteries have been checked by the dealership to determine the fobs are in working order. Without having the fob work, I am unable to unlock my doors or start the engine. Thankfully, learnng my fobs were not connecting occured while in my garage at my home. However, if this occured while away from home, or at night, I would have been stranded with no access to drive the vehicle. My Gladiator will have to be towed to the dealership now to get this resolved.

The vehicle would not turn over, but the battery came on. The vehicle wouldn’t allow me to turn off the battery and stayed in the position while I waited for the tow truck. By the time the vehicle made it to the dealership they refused to do a diagnostic and attempted to charge me for battery replacement even though it was due to a car malfunction. While the care was glitching the dash displayed messages about the stability control module and transmission were out and malfunctioning. If I were to be driving, the vehicle would have shut down while I was driving.

My Jeep has a manual transmission and Jeep realized there was an issue with the clutch pressure plate back in 2023 where the issue can possibly lead to a fire. Every time we call about getting the issue fixed all we ever get is excuses. I think almost a year is plenty of time to have come up with a fix for the issue. Apparently our safety doesn’t mean a whole lot as we still have the issue and it doesn’t seem they’re in any hurry to find a fix.

Each time I drive my 2021 Jeep Gladiator Diesel over 55-60mph, I experience the 'death wobble' and i have to brake /slow down to under 50mph before it will stop. This is really dangerous on the Atlanta highways where people are driving far in excess of 60mph and tend to tailgate & change lanes quickly. When I first bought the truck, I didn't experience this but in the past year, it has been happening pretty much every time I drive on the highway (which I avoid now). The most recent time was the WORST, which is prompting this complaint.

This Jeep has the death wobble. When you’re going 70+ miles an hour and hit a bump. It violently shakes and you have to slow down to 55 quickly for it to stop. This has been an ongoing issue and I have even put a new set of tires on and it’s continued. This is a known issue but there’s not been a recall. I had a previous 2012 Jeep and it did the death wobble on that as well.

There is one safety recall on the truck that jeep won't fix 22V-767 its been almost a year and there still isn't any fix. There is also an EMISSIONS RECALL Y81 that they also won't fix that is preventing me from smog and registering the vehicle in California.

This vehicle is equipped with remote start as a factory option. I was checking things under the hood, with the keyfob in my pocket. The start button must have inadvertently been pressed. To my surprise, while I was poking around under the hood, the engine started. Luckily, I heard the fuel pump and other electronics power up and got clear of everything, but I was quite surprised to have the engine start while the hood was open. I thought there was supposed to be an interlock that would prevent this. I could have been seriously injured if my hands would have been near moving parts and I not noticed an imminent engine start. I will be contacting my dealer to investigate, but thought I would report it here, too. This situation should never happen.

On February 25, 2023, while slowing down as I approached an intersection controlled by a red signal light and applied my brakes which was slowing me down. My foot never moved off the brake pedal as I slowed down. Suddenly, the Jeep Gladiator "accelerated/surged" forward and stated gaining speed. Although I was applying constant pressure on the brake pedal, the vehicle never slowed down or stopped because after traveling 200-300 feet and striking two signal light poles and a communications box, the vehicle came to a stop. This was the third incidence of Sudden Unintended Acceleration (SUA). Tshe vehicle is available for inspection and under the supervision of Safeco Insurance. In this case, injuries were limited to a passenger broken toe and the driver being bruised. Similar accidents involving striking stationary poles resulted in death but we were spared that outcome. The first instance of SUA occurred on a street near my home and while applying constant pressure on the brake pedal, the vehicle finally skidded to a stop after traveling approximately 200 feet. The second instance of SUA occurred while pulling into a parking lot, and again, after applying constant pressure on the brake pedal, the vehicle came to a stop after traveling approximately 300 feet. After the first and second instances, I took the vehicle into the dealership, but they could not find anything wrong. The police report blamed an electrical/mechanical failure. No warning lights or messages were noted.

While driving down the highway, the vehicle went over uneven area and sent the vehicle in a violent jumping motion. We had to slow down in the middle of the highwayand then pull off to the side. This was all in high traffic times. This had also happened in slow travel and the vehicle jumped across the lane into oncoming traffic. Apparently, this is not a new issue but one that I would consider very dangerous. We also have another 2021 Jeep Wrangler and is now having the same issue. So both vehicle will be back at the dealership again for the same issue. Something needs to be done about this.

The vehicle suddenly accelerates. The rpm’s shoot up real high, the Jeep accelerates and the brakes do NOT work. This has occurred while driving at 55-60 mph and twice driving in city traffic going approx. 30-35. The acceleration increases and is stuck. I press the brakes and they do not work until whatever is sticking releases.

Vehicle will give you a warning to not shut off vehicle or you may not be able to put it back in drive, it automatically puts itself in park when coming to a stop at a stop light (without any door being opened). Automatically gives itself throttle when in Four Low. This vehicle has been in the shop more than I have had it since purchasing on 3/27/2021 for all of these electrical problems and whatever other problem it is that it has (I am unsure). It has never been fixed and is currently sitting at Freemont Motors in Cody WY waiting another attempt at repair.

On 3 different occasions the acceleration got stuck and increased speed. I pressed the brake over and over and the Jeep would NOT reduce speed or slow down for what ranged between 30 - 45 seconds. Had there been a vehicle directly in front of me I would have slammed into the vehicle. If I had been trying to stop at an intersection I would not have been able to stop. I had my child in the car two out of the three times this has occurred. The dealership states that they have not had any complaints of this occurring and could not replicate it during the few minutes they drove it and do not seem to be concerned that this issue could seriously injure or kill me, my child, or others. This is a SERIOUS issue that should be addressed immediately.

While slowing to a stop and fully depressing only the brake with my right foot my vehicle rapidly accelerated into the back of another truck. It felt like the front brakes engaged, but the rear wheels continued to accelerate as the vehicle transmission worked to downshift. Serious safety issue-I am 100% confident that I was standing on the brake and not the accelerator. The road was dry with no gravel and I was gradually slowing to a stop when this occurred.

Windshield cracked in center - replaced - 3rd windshield installed today(8/22/2022) 1st 2 cracked in same place. If broke could enter driver/passenger compartment. Windshield repair shop and now again by Kunes CDJR Oregon (Chrysler dealer/place first purchased/new), Oregon, Illinois. Inspected by service department at dealership -

Traveling speeds excess of 60 mph, any bump or flaw in the road will cause the vehicle to enter into severe vibration and shaking of front end/ axle. The steering wheel violently shakes from side to side and the vehicle will stay shaking until you reduce your speed to under 50 mph. Ball joints and other steering components are put under severe stress. The issue has been reported to the dealer who is unable to correct the issue even with replacing steering stabilizer as they suggest. A formal case was opened with the Chrysler group.

Accelerating while driving three times last time almost most cause accident I took it to Koons dealership in Tyson corner on 12/26/2021 advisor was greg Jackson it wasn’t happening while I was there so nothing was done….

8000 miles on new purchase, never off road, this Jeep goes into a violent shimmy/wobble 60-70 when in an ever so slight off of center steering angle on the freeway after crossing an expansion joint or other sharp road irregularity. Coasting down is the only way it goes away. Full Throttle acceleration out doesn't help, nor hard braking. It's NOT consistent, but it's happened to me three times in recent weeks as the summer temperatures subsided from the 80's F into the fall 40-60 F. Again, purchased brand new May 2021, tire pressures are proper, only driver, no other passengers or cargo. The onset is unexpected and frightening. The local Dodge / Jeep dealer where I have had one oil change seems to be unaware of a fleet issue or problem. It seems to be widely reported on various automotive blogs. Please help. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

This is the second occurrence I’ve had with this vehicle. While driving on a rural two lane highway, traveling approximately 60 miles per hour, my instrument cluster began to flash a “Service Shifter” warning. This warning was simultaneously joined by a check engine light, random readings of speed, rpm fluctuations, activation of the un-commanded activation windshield wipers, and intermittent loss of power steering. Video of this incident is available from when it occurred in May 2021 at 9000 miles, and again in October 2021 at roughly 18000 miles. It is unknown what system or components are causing this error. The first occurrence was cleared by reseating of fuses, however this second occurrence cannot be resolved so far. The vehicle has been in the shop for 12 days so far with no end in sight. The repair problem has been elevated to FCA by the dealership. My primary safety concern with this incident is the sudden loss of power steering. Should this had occurred to a less experienced driver, roads in poor condition due to weather, or higher speeds, this incident certainly could result in a loss of vehicle control.