2020 Jeep Gladiator

No clear pattern

21.3% of complaints about the 2020 Jeep Gladiator arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2020 vehicle, but with only 616 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is electrical system (183 complaints), typically at 5.4 yr or about 55,000 miles.

Complaints: 616
Median age at failure: 3.6 yr
Median mileage: 4,000 n=232
Crash / fire / tow: 5% of reports
Safety recalls: 7

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

183 reports · 55,000 mi

5.4 yr

1.1%

Steering

172 reports · 550 mi

1.1 yr

1.2%

Power train

55 reports · 14,000 mi

3.4 yr

10.9%

Engine

43 reports · 1,700 mi

3.3 yr

9.3%

Suspension

31 reports · 6,000 mi

2.4 yr

Other

31 reports · 1,250 mi

3.6 yr

6.5%

Visibility / wipers

22 reports · 2,700 mi

2.8 yr

Service brakes

17 reports · 4,000 mi

2.8 yr

35.3%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

24V652000 2024-09-05

Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel

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."

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

23V116000 2023-02-23

Power train:clutch assembly

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.

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.

21V028000 2021-01-28

Power train:clutch assembly

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.

20V580000 2020-09-24

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.

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

20V191000 2020-09-10

Back over prevention: sensing system: camera

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."

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

20V124000 2020-03-03

Power train:clutch assembly

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.

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.

19V636000 2019-08-29

Power train:driveline:driveshaft

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.

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.

In owners’ own words

Steering 700 mi 1 mo in service

THE STEERING BOX HAS AN UNACCEPTABLE AMOUNT OF PLAY ACCORDING TO 49 CFR 570.60 - STEERING SYSTEM. IT HAS MORE THAN 2 INCHES (1 TO EACH SIDE) OF PLAY AND REQUIRES CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE GOING STRAIGHT. FCA HAS REVISED THE STEERING BOX 5 TIMES SO FAR AND IS ATTEMPTING TO MASK IT WITH A STEERING DAMPER WHICH DOES NOT DO ANYTHING FOR THE LASH BEING OUT OF SPEC FOR THE VEHICLE.

Steering 150 mi 0 mo in service

VEHICLE HAS EXCESSIVE PLAY IN STEERING AND CONSTANTLY WONDERS ON THE ROAD. EXCESSIVE PLAY IS EXHAUSTING WHILE TAKING LONG TRIPS AS IT REQUIRES CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT ON THE ROAD TO CORRECT. CONTACTED DEALER, JIMMY BRITT CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP IN DUBLIN GEORGIA AND WAS TOLD "JEEPS DO THAT YOU HAVE TO GET FAMILIAR WITH IT". I HAVE HAD MANY VEHICLES IN MY LIFETIME AND NONE HAVE BEEN THIS HARD TO KEEP ON THE ROAD. THIS HAPPENS IN THE CITY AS WELL AS THE HIGHWAY..

Steering 300 mi 1 mo in service

THE GLADIATOR IS PULLING TO THE RIGHT MORE THAN IT SHOULD WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. DROVE ANOTHER ONE AND IT DOES THE SAME. THE DEALERSHIP TRIED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE BUT CANNOT FIX IT. CHRYSLER SAID THEY CANNOT FIX IT AT THIS TIME AND IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE.

Power train 7,000 mi 0 mo in service crash / fire / tow

DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 70 WITH APPROX SPEED OF 65. CAUGHT ON FIRE. FLAMES AND LOTS OF SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER JEEP. SMOKE ENTERED CAB. WHAT I THINK IS TRANSMISSION FLUID LEFT TRAIL ON INTERSTATE. I HAVE PHOTO.*DT*JB*DT *JS

Other Gladiator model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.