Jeep Gladiator
Problems & Worst Years
Every reported problem for the Jeep Gladiator, model year by model year — ranked from 393 federal NHTSA complaints across 2020–2022.
Jeep's Gladiator pickup launched with a rough first year. The 2020 model year logged 371 total complaint occurrences, the highest of the three years in the data, led by two closely related instrument cluster complaints — failure and shorting out — totaling 159 occurrences, both tagged as electrical-system problems. Right behind that, power steering failure or malfunction drew 75 occurrences, and two separate steering wander complaints at highway speeds added another 80, one of them safety-severity.
That steering wander theme carries into 2021 under a more familiar name: "Death Wobble at Highway Speeds" and related steering wheel wobble complaints appear repeatedly, alongside an auto start/stop system malfunction tagged safety-severity and a clutch overheating complaint on the transmission side. Total volume fell to 139 that year, but the safety-severity count actually rose to three, the highest of the three model years.
By 2022, complaint volume dropped sharply to just 45 occurrences across five problems, and steering wander (here filed under suspension) remained the top complaint at 16 occurrences, followed by a vehicle-catching-fire report and continued instrument cluster failures. Engine shutdown complaints appear as well, though at low volume.
Recall coverage is heaviest around the steering issue: campaign 24V652 appears in all three model years, joined in 2021 by 22V767, 23V263, and 24V572, and in 2022 by 26V363 as well. That recurrence across every year in the data suggests the steering wander problem, whatever its root cause, took Jeep some time to fully address through service bulletins and recalls alike.
Taken together, the Gladiator's launch year deserves the closest look, especially around the instrument cluster and steering feel, while 2022 reads as comparatively calmer — though with only three model years on record and a newer truck having less time to accumulate reports, a pre-purchase inspection and full recall-completion check remain the more reliable signal than the year alone.
Jeep Gladiator problems by year
Complaint volume by model year (bar = relative to the worst year). Theworst yearsare the most-complained-about, weighted by safety-risk problems.
| Year | Complaint volume | Problems | Safety / High | Most common problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020worst | 247 | 12 | 2/7 | Instrument Cluster Failure Electrical · 80 complaints |
| 2021worst | 101 | 17 | 3/10 | Auto Start/Stop System Malfunction Electrical · 17 complaints |
| 2022worst | 45 | 5 | 0/3 | Death Wobble at Highway Speeds Suspension · 16 complaints |
Data source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaints and recalls, 2020–2022. Problem clustering and year rankings are derived from the complaint record; complaint volume reflects reports filed, not total incidence or fault rate. Vehicle image is illustrative.