2021 Jeep Gladiator

The vehicle auto stops when the driver’s seat is not occupied, in direct conflict with owner’s manual. The owner’s manual specifically states that if the “Driver’s seat is not occupied” that the “engine will not stop.” Note that this system safety check is separate and distinct from the “Driver’s seat belt is not buckled” check. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a “STOP/START READY” message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. The vehicle fails to properly check for the empty driver’s seat safety condition before auto stop. This auto stop violates Jeep’s published safety check condition and poses a serious safety hazard. This issue poses additionally serious safety hazards as the vehicle will shut off with the driver outside the vehicle, leaving the driver with an incorrect understanding that the vehicle is properly locked out from an auto start condition. Therefore, if the driver is operating on or under the vehicle with it auto stopped, the passenger can unintendedly auto start the vehicle resulting in a serious injury or the loss of a finger. Additionally, in thinking that the vehicle is off the driver may leave the vehicle unattended in their garage and after 5 minutes the vehicle will auto start filling the garage / house with toxic fumes and presenting a serious life-threatening fire hazard. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.