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2020 Jeep Gladiator

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Gladiator years

Owner complaints for the 2020 Jeep Gladiator are substantially higher than the model-year median of 23.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

212 reports with mileage · 271 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 183 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 181 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 54 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

11 crash reports7 fire reports5 injury reports

Engine complaints

45 reports
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Mileage unknown · Mar 7, 2024
Engine

The oil pump failed at 23,000 miles, then while traveling on [XXX] in New York, the engine failed at 48,000 miles. Fortunately we exited the freeway before a catastrophic failure could occur. The dealer was contacted and I was informed not to drive the vehicle, but to have it towed to the dealership. At the dealership they fo…

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The oil pump failed at 23,000 miles, then while traveling on [XXX] in New York, the engine failed at 48,000 miles. Fortunately we exited the freeway before a catastrophic failure could occur. The dealer was contacted and I was informed not to drive the vehicle, but to have it towed to the dealership. At the dealership they found the engine had a severe knock and informed me a complete new engine was needed. The engine was never taken apart for inspection, as they mentioned it would be at my expense, that of an additional $1800.00. The cost for engine replacement was $11916.16. If the engine seized on the freeway, a disaster could have occurred. Dealership stating the oil changes were over their recommendations. Four dealerships were contacted and all had different oil change intervals. Dealership stated the North East is a "severe service" area. The other three Chrysler dealerships never heard of this. Also the oil I ran was Amsoil full synthetic with the oil manufacturer recommending up to 12,000 miles oil change intervals, this dealer states 4,500 miles. Other dealers state "go by the book" of 7,500 to 10,000 miles, one states 6,000 miles, another states 6,500 mile intervals. A little long winded story, point being an engine failure traveling at highway speed could have caused severe, possibly life threatening results. My complaint is on the oil pump failure causing this problem, I base my case revolving around the oil pump failure causing engine oil starvation. The dealer states the engine was still getting oil. The oil pump is a two stage pump, low stage-40 PSI, high stage 80PSI. The high stage of the pump failed, not supplying enough oil to the top of the engine. If 40PSI was sufficient to maintain this engine, Chrysler would not have spent millions of dollars to develop a high pressure stage in this pump. Thank you for your consideration in this case. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11575946

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineExterior Lighting

My entire Electrical system failed, the engine wouldnt start , the warning flashers would not work, the vehicle wouldnt go into neutral to be pushed. So I was blocking an intersection for about 2 hrs waiting on a tow truck to tow it to the nearest dealership. The dealership was unable to reproduce the problem just wants to repla…

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My entire Electrical system failed, the engine wouldnt start , the warning flashers would not work, the vehicle wouldnt go into neutral to be pushed. So I was blocking an intersection for about 2 hrs waiting on a tow truck to tow it to the nearest dealership. The dealership was unable to reproduce the problem just wants to replace the end result of a 150 amp fuse block blown at $400 for a $50 part. I attached what was actually going on with the vehicle in PDF format I researched on Gladiator forum and Jeep Garage forums and found this is a problem for many jeep models with the dual battery system but nobody had an answer as to why it happens other than something shorted out.

NHTSA ODI #11537144

Mileage unknown · Jan 12, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

While driving on a main road, in a rural area, the "Electronic Stability Control Maintenance" alert was enabled. It was a cold January morning and approximately 35 degrees at 9am. My tire pressure alerts were also activated and I presumed that the Stability Control alert was due to a potential flat tire, not just a cold morning…

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While driving on a main road, in a rural area, the "Electronic Stability Control Maintenance" alert was enabled. It was a cold January morning and approximately 35 degrees at 9am. My tire pressure alerts were also activated and I presumed that the Stability Control alert was due to a potential flat tire, not just a cold morning pressure imbalance, which happens frequently when there are drastic swings in temperature. Less than a minute later, the "Electronic Throttle Control Maintenance Required" alert flashed and I lost the ability to accelerate. I was in an area that was going uphill and no shoulder. Due to my momentum, I was able to get halfway up the hill and pull over into a residential driveway. I shut the car off, waited a minute and turned it back on. I attempted to pull back onto the road and noticed that a) I could still not accelerate and b) There was a large oil truck barreling up the hill and I would be a potential hazard and accident if I pulled in front of it. I then began to notice that smoke was billowing from under the hood. I turned back into the residential driveway and immediately shut off the vehicle and called for roadside assistance. The vehicle was taken by flatbed to the nearest dealership to be diagnosed. They ended up determining that there was moisture in the oil and claimed that it was common in this model year. They flushed the systems and gave me an oil change, which was was due for anyhow. The dealership kept the vehicle overnight and said they wanted to assess how it would perform in cold temperatures before returning my vehicle. I am very concerned that this is happening so soon. It is the first new vehicle I have ever purchased for myself and I do not take it off-road and live 10 miles from work, travelling on rural roads and recreational highway travel three-four times a year.

NHTSA ODI #11501403

Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

The ESS/Auto Start/Stop system is unavailable rendering the remote start for cold weather unavailable. This issue also effects the reliability of the battery and electrical supply as a whole potentially leading to unexpected engine stoppages and stranding due to a no start scenario. The issue is widespread and well documented a…

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The ESS/Auto Start/Stop system is unavailable rendering the remote start for cold weather unavailable. This issue also effects the reliability of the battery and electrical supply as a whole potentially leading to unexpected engine stoppages and stranding due to a no start scenario. The issue is widespread and well documented among 2018-Current Jeep Rangler models as well as 2020-Current Jeep Gladiator models. Causes are reported by dealers ranging from premature failure of the start/stop auxiliary battery to TPM/distribution box failures. My vehicle has experienced this issue twice with the first occurrence shortly after purchase. With many of the effected vehicles reaching the end of their warranty period, the number of vehicles circulating on highways will increase creating a safety hazard. Further, the failure of this system may create an EPA compliance issue as the ESS/Auto Start/Stop system is required equipment to meet EPA fuel economy standards for the fleet.

NHTSA ODI #11501012

Mileage unknown · Dec 6, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineExterior Lighting

I recently purchased this vehicle used, while driving the lights go off and the vehicle shuts off while moving. Not displaying any warning indicators at the time. Luckily vehicle is a manual, so I have been able to coast to a stop safely. Situation could be very dangerous. Once off the vehicle will go dead and won't restart. …

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I recently purchased this vehicle used, while driving the lights go off and the vehicle shuts off while moving. Not displaying any warning indicators at the time. Luckily vehicle is a manual, so I have been able to coast to a stop safely. Situation could be very dangerous. Once off the vehicle will go dead and won't restart. After a few moments vehicle will restart until the problem occurs again without warning. Jeep/chrysler has obvious issues with this vehicle and has not done any recalls. Even though they have documented occurrences with similar vehicles.

NHTSA ODI #11496191

Mileage unknown · Oct 17, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

Jeep turns off/power off/ dies when driving any speed. I was driving in freeway 60+mph and it just died. I took to dealer on january 2022 and took 2 weeks to figure out a electrical  wiring  hardness was bad. It was good until now October 2022. It died again like the first time. Only way to power it up is getting a battery jump.…

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Jeep turns off/power off/ dies when driving any speed. I was driving in freeway 60+mph and it just died. I took to dealer on january 2022 and took 2 weeks to figure out a electrical  wiring  hardness was bad. It was good until now October 2022. It died again like the first time. Only way to power it up is getting a battery jump. This is same issue as the first time. It was not cheap and I seen online that alot of other gladiators are having same issue.im about to take it again to dealer this week

NHTSA ODI #11489583

Mileage unknown · Oct 4, 2022
Engine

Inside the engine the rocker arm is making a ticking noise all the time and is rubbing against the shaft. My safety is at risk because the engine could fail at any moment while driving. This is an ongoing problem with these engines; 3.6 liter pentastar engines. There were no warning lamps prior to this failure.

NHTSA ODI #11487861

Mileage unknown · Sep 26, 2022
Engine

Error Codes P0300, 301,305, 420. Driving on the interstate I got the CEL light. One point during driving when the 420 code came in vehicle went into limp mode and speed was greatly reduced in 70 mph traffic. Luckily I was able to get to the side of the road so no accident happened. Researched the issue and changed ignition coil …

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Error Codes P0300, 301,305, 420. Driving on the interstate I got the CEL light. One point during driving when the 420 code came in vehicle went into limp mode and speed was greatly reduced in 70 mph traffic. Luckily I was able to get to the side of the road so no accident happened. Researched the issue and changed ignition coil packs and plugs. Upon restarting vehicle got the P0300 coda again. More research done and found the bulletin from FCA for the repair. Took to dealership and they refreshed. Picked up from dealership and threw the code instantly. Took to another dealership and now they are saying it is because of aftermarket coil packs and plugs. This is a big issue with JEEP and they are not trying to fix anything.

NHTSA ODI #11486533

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineSteering

I have been having problems with my steering 17 thousand miles after I bought this 56k dollar jeep. sometimes the steering wheel locks to the left or to the right when pulling out of parking lots.than it also pulls to the left in the high way. My motor mounts also are not good any more because they make noise and my motor rocks …

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I have been having problems with my steering 17 thousand miles after I bought this 56k dollar jeep. sometimes the steering wheel locks to the left or to the right when pulling out of parking lots.than it also pulls to the left in the high way. My motor mounts also are not good any more because they make noise and my motor rocks back and forth.The shock absorbers all 4 also need replacement. This jeep is steering and handling is very unstable and I don’t feel safe driving it. My starter needs replacement for the 3rd time. my gas consumption is 10 miles to the gallon!!!!my day running lights don’t turn on and this issue with lights and electrical problems been with this jeep since 7k miles after I bought! If you leave this jeep on you can take the keys with you it some one can just drive off no keys necessary. my speakers are sounding scratchy for a long time and no repairs to this yet. 35k miles driven, my jeep has been at the dealership for several times getting all kinds of repairs.

NHTSA ODI #11483416

Mileage unknown · Jul 20, 2022
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemVisibility/wiper

I have had this vehicle in the shop more times than it has been on the road. It originally started with the auto start stop sensor. They told me to turn that off. They did an update. And it kept happening over and over again where it would cut itself off and I couldn’t get it restarted. The fix worked for maybe a month and it st…

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I have had this vehicle in the shop more times than it has been on the road. It originally started with the auto start stop sensor. They told me to turn that off. They did an update. And it kept happening over and over again where it would cut itself off and I couldn’t get it restarted. The fix worked for maybe a month and it started all over again. Now the engine light is on I can be doing 30 miles an hour down the middle of town and it dies even with the auto start stop turned off. The steering is so loose that you have to fight it all the time to keep it in the road. The engine light is on and stays on. And it sounds like a scraping when the vehicle is in motion but the tires have clearance and no issues with their clearance. Checked under the vehicle nothing is under the vehicle. This vehicle has never been off road. I believe it qualifies as a lemon.

NHTSA ODI #11475023

Official recalls

7

24V652000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Sep 5, 2024

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Jeep Gladiator and 2018-2024 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. The instrument panel cluster may experience an internal short circuit and fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An instrument panel that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between October 3, 2024, and January 23, 2025. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 30B.

23V116000 · Power Train:clutch Assembly

Feb 23, 2023

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Jeep Wrangler, and 2020-2023 Jeep Gladiator vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. The clutch pressure plate may overheat and fracture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Overheated clutch components may increase the risk of a fire. Additionally, damage to other nearby components can result in debris falling onto the road or a loss of drive, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the clutch assembly and update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed from November 16, 2023 through July 25, 2024. Owners may contact (FCA US, LLC) customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is 19A. This recall expands and replaces previous recall 21V-028. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 21V-028 will need to have the new remedy completed.

21V028000 · Power Train:clutch Assembly

Jan 28, 2021

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Jeep Wrangler and 2020-2021 Jeep Gladiator vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. The clutch pressure plate may overheat and fracture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Overheated clutch components may increase the risk of a fire. Additionally, damage to other nearby components can result in debris falling onto the road or a loss of drive, increasing the risk of a crash.

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, free of charge." FCA has ordered a stop sale for the affected vehicles as of February 25, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 4, 2021.

20V580000 · Seat Belts; Seat Belts:front:retractor

Sep 24, 2020

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Wrangler and Ram 2500, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 and 2020 Jeep Gladiator vehicles. In the event of a crash, a front seat belt retractor may not properly slow the occupant's forward movement after locking.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the front seat belts fail to lock, there is an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seat belt retractors, free of charge. The recall began November 12, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W67.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seat Belts:front:retractor

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Wrangler and Ram 2500, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 and 2020 Jeep Gladiator vehicles. In the event of a crash, a front seat belt retractor may not properly slow the occupant's forward movement after locking.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the front seat belts fail to lock, there is an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seat belt retractors, free of charge. The recall began November 12, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W67.

Seat Belts

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Wrangler and Ram 2500, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 and 2020 Jeep Gladiator vehicles. In the event of a crash, a front seat belt retractor may not properly slow the occupant's forward movement after locking.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the front seat belts fail to lock, there is an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front seat belt retractors, free of charge. The recall began November 12, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W67.

20V191000 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Sep 10, 2020

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2020 Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Cherokee, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Renegade and 2019 Dodge Challenger vehicles equipped with 8.4" or 12" radio displays. A software error can cause the rearview camera image to remain displayed after the vehicle has been shifted out of reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The lingering rearview image can distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will update the radio display software, free of charge. Optionally, owners can choose to remotely update their software via an Over-The-Air (OTA) update available as of May 1, 2020. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W30-W37.

20V124000 · Power Train:clutch Assembly

Mar 3, 2020

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Jeep Wrangler and 2020 Gladiator vehicles equipped with manual transmissions. The clutch pressure plate may overheat and fracture.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The overheated clutch components may increase the risk of a fire. Additionally, damage to other nearby components can result in debris falling onto the road or a loss of drive, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reroute a wire harness and inspect the clutch system, and replace components as needed. The recall began April 30, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W12.

19V636000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Aug 29, 2019

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2020 Jeep Gladiator vehicles. The rear driveshafts may have been incorrectly assembled without grease in the monoblock joint.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A joint without grease may overheat and seize, possibly causing the driveshaft to fracture, resulting in a sudden loss of drive power. If the driveshaft completely separates from the vehicle it may become a road hazard. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began October 10, 2019. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US number for this recall is V95.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

PE25014 · Instrument Panel Cluster (ipc) Failure

Opened Oct 23, 2025 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

The Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) is opening a Preliminary Evaluation on 2020 Model Year Jeep Gladiators and Wranglers involving a malfunctioning Instrument Panel Clusters (IPC) resulting in the loss of important vehicle metrics and other status information.  ODI has received 89 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging a complete or partial loss of the IPC display while driving.  The subject vehicles' IPC display includes the speedometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, turn signal indicators, warning light, and other gauges that are normally illuminated while the vehicle is in operation.  Loss of the fuel gauge while driving may lead to an inability to determine the fuel level and result in a loss of motive power, and the loss of other safety-related information may impede a driver’s ability to take action to prevent a safety risk.  Furthermore, an IPC that is suddenly not visible to the driver may divert the driver’s attention from the driving task, potentially causing a vehicle crash. ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation to evaluate the scope, severity and frequency of the alleged IPC malfunctions and to assess potential safety-related consequences. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov