Jeep Gladiator problems: recalls, complaints and what they cost
Pick a model year below for the Jeep Gladiator's open safety recalls and the components owners complain about most — then, for each of those, whether it is safe to keep driving and what the repair should cost.
Choose a year to load recalls and complaints.
What goes wrong with the Jeep Gladiator?
Across 2 model years sampled between 2019 and 2021, NHTSA records 8 recall entries — one campaign counts once for each model year it covers, so the number of distinct campaigns is lower — and 292 owner complaints for the Jeep Gladiator. Counts track how many were sold as much as how good the vehicle is, so the useful signal is which components the complaints cluster on and which years stand out against the rest of the run.
Where complaints concentrate
| Component | Owner complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 94 | 32% |
| Power Train | 63 | 22% |
| Electrical System | 31 | 11% |
| Suspension | 16 | 5% |
| Engine | 14 | 5% |
| Unknown or Other | 13 | 4% |
Steering draws the most reports on this nameplate. That is a starting point rather than a verdict — a component can dominate because it genuinely fails or simply because it is the part owners notice. Match it against what your own vehicle is doing before spending anything.
By model year
| Year | Recall entries | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8 | 292 |
| 2019 | 0 | 0 |
Model year 2020 is not in this retrieval, which means no records were returned for it — not that there were none. Use the year selector above to query that year live.
Older years accumulate more complaints simply by being on the road longer, so compare a year against its neighbours rather than against the newest one.
Recent safety recalls
Power Train
The clutch pressure plate may overheat and fracture.
Free remedy: FCA US LLC will notify owners, and dealers will add software to reduce engine torque capability when clutch assembly temperatures rise to a level that may damage the inner pressure plate.
Back Over Prevention
A radio software error may prevent the rearview image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111.
Free remedy: Dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 6, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Fuel System, Gasoline
The high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) may fail, causing an engine stall.
Free remedy: Dealers will replace the HPFP and inspect and replace additional fuel system components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 17, 2023.
Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit. Take the campaign number to any franchised dealer. How recalls work.
Recall text above is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice, affected VIN ranges and dealer instructions.
Source: NHTSA (US Department of Transportation), public domain, retrieved 2026-10-08. Use the year selector above for the current live figures.
How does a full-size pickup typically fail?
Body-on-frame pickups fail differently from the cars around them, and the pattern follows how they are used rather than how they are built. Towing and payload load the drivetrain, brakes and cooling system far harder than a commute does, so transmission heat, brake wear and rear-end components dominate the complaint lists. Trucks also live longer and accumulate more miles, which means the fault you are reading about may belong to a vehicle with twice the mileage of yours.
What should I check first?
For a full-size pickup, the systems worth ruling out before anything else are transmission temperature under load, and brake life if it has towed. Match what the vehicle is actually doing to the guide below — each one opens with a safety verdict, not a parts list.
- Transmission slipping
- Grinding when braking
- Engine overheating
- Clunk over bumps
- Humming rises with speed
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a defect the manufacturer must fix free of charge, forever, with no mileage limit and regardless of how many owners the car has had. A complaint is one owner’s report filed with NHTSA. One complaint is an anecdote; two hundred naming the same component is a pattern, and patterns are what you want before you buy or before you authorise a large repair. Read the complaint list by concentration, never by total — a model that sold three times as many units collects roughly three times as many complaints while being no worse.
What should I check before buying one?
Ask what the truck actually did for a living. A tow vehicle and a commuter with the same odometer reading are not the same purchase. Look for a hitch that has clearly been used, aftermarket transmission cooling, and brake wear that is heavier than the mileage suggests.
Beyond that, the checks that find expensive problems are the same on any vehicle: see it started from stone cold, look under the oil cap, smell the transmission fluid, and scan it for stored and recently-cleared codes. Our used car inspection checklist walks through each one, and why cars fail explains how systemic defects emerge in the first place.
Check one before you buy it
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Does the Jeep Gladiator have any open recalls?
Open safety recalls for the Jeep Gladiator are listed on this page, pulled live from NHTSA's public database. Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit, so an open campaign is money the manufacturer owes you rather than a repair you pay for. Check by VIN for certainty on one specific vehicle.
What are the most common Jeep Gladiator problems?
The complaint list on this page groups owner reports by component, which is the useful view: one component dominating the list is a pattern, while complaints spread evenly across many systems usually just means the model sold in volume. For this class of vehicle, transmission temperature under load, and brake life if it has towed are the areas worth checking first.
Is the Jeep Gladiator expensive to repair?
Cost depends far more on which system fails than on the badge. Each symptom guide linked from this page carries a parts-and-labour range for US independent shops, so you can price the specific fault rather than the car in general.