154 of the
1,395 complaints filed about the Jeep Gladiator
are about the transmission —
11% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2021.
154
Complaints
11%
Share of all complaints
2
Crashes
4
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
On July 30, my 2022 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon suffered an extremely dangerous, unexpected complete electrical and engine failure while in operation. The vehicle abruptly shut down without any warning, causing an immediate loss of power steering and power braking. Prior to and during this shutdown, diagnostic codes associated with lost communication were triggered, (Lost Communication with Transmission Control Module). A total loss of vehicle power and primary control systems while driving presents a severe, unacceptable safety hazard that places passengers and surrounding traffic at immediate risk of a high-speed collision or severe injury. Given that this model has low mileage (approximately 23,000 miles) and is under factory warranty, a catastrophic system shutdown like this indicates a critical safety defect within the electrical or powertrain control modules. I strongly urge the NHTSA to formally document and investigate this life-threatening defect to ensure manufacturer accountability and prevent potential accidents.
NHTSA complaint #11754898 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport S equipped with 6 speed manual transmission purchased from Landers Jeep in Little Rock Ar. Vehicle required the A-19 clutch recall. Recall was completed and I took ownership 6/17/2025. I returned the vehicle within the first week of ownership due to the "service transmission" light periodically coming on. Dealership reset the clutch counter and attempted to give me advice on how to drive a vehicle I was more than capable driving before purchasing. After 13 months and 13k miles I have now gotten a "clutch hot fully release clutch pedal and reduce clutch use" warning twice while traveling down the interstate at 65mph. When this light comes on the vehicle enters "limp mode" and dramatically loses power, not to mention the original recall warnings of fire and fragments. Now clutch is slipping and vehicle power is reduced. Today at a scheduled service appointment to readdress this issue, I was informed by the service manager at Landers that they only fix recalls once and will not readdress the issue.
NHTSA complaint #11750672 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine oil light came on. Inspected at Tom Obrien Jeep for low oil pressure. Technician found that one of the oil sprayers was not bolted onto block, screw was there and tight, sprayer was in oil pan. It was incorrectly assembled. Jeep would not warranty due to lack of oil change receipts which is irrelevant.
NHTSA complaint #11748859 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle does not have linerar acceperation. At times from a start, cold or warn engine, the vehicle will abruptly accelerate harder than the gas pedal was pressed. at light throttle, the vehicle will surge, shutter or chug. Erattic acceperation. after the engine replacement for a connecting rod bearing failure, the engine was running rough, poor mileage and stalled on a wet and cold morning (32degrees, raining). The stall happened on the deaccel lane of the interstate 25 (65 mph). THe dealership replaced one injector and said the problem was fixed. But it is not. Vehicle has not stalled, but we have not had the cold/wet weather.
NHTSA complaint #11746289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Engine light came on, vehicle went into limp mode. Transmission would not shift any higher than 3rd gear and kept slipping while on interstate! Was almost hit by several 18 wheelers! Jeep dealership said our vin is not part of the service bulletin but they did get the P0733 code! Make it make sense! I guess we’re supposed to get run over by 18 wheelers before they’ll fix it!
NHTSA complaint #11743537 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The start-stop system reports unavailable, then within a few miles of driving, the check engine light will come on, followed by problems with the transmission shifting gears, sometime causing the vehicle to stay in first or second gear while accelerating and creating a dangerous driving situation. Power cycling the vehicle sometimes helps. Diagnostic trouble codes show low voltage in one or more O2 sensors, "too lean" warnings and cylinders randomly misfiring. Engine runs very rough at idle with the strong smell of gas in the exhaust. Dash information shows battery voltage around 12.3 at start up increasing to low 13 while idling. This occured around 40,000 miles and dealer replaced the aux battery and reset system. It occurred again around 60,000 miles (20 months later) and owner replaced both auxiliary battery (testing showed bad) and main battery. System functioned normally after resetting codes. It occurred again about 8 months later at 72,000 miles. The F42 fuse was pulled, cleared codes and reset computer by removing battery power for 1 hour. System returned to normal.
NHTSA complaint #11743102 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Multiple control modules lost communication due to faulty Can Bus connection behind glove box. Vehicle went into limp mode then forced me to put in park while at red light, essentially disabling vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11743129 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Vehicle has been in the shop at 17,000 miles and had a complete transfer case, front and rear output shafts and rear Danna 44 (Max Tow) replaced in November of 2025. In June of 2025 vehicle has been in another shop for the same issues that occurred before these driveline repairs for three weeks now. Shop can not diagnose issues after three weeks. A star report has been made and Jeep is sending a technician to diagnose.
NHTSA complaint #11742964 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There was a recall for the clutch. I took it to the dealer (Autonation Jeep in Santa Clarita, CA). Ever since then, there is an intermittent, non-reproducible grinding and clicking (sound and feeling through the pedal) in the clutch (like a loose piece/nut is bouncing around and clanking and grinding against the clutch). The clutch pedal is also more spongy, catching only about halfway down, and sometimes feeling like at full depression it is not entirely engaged. I have taken it back to the dealer twice, and both times they will not work on it because they cannot hear or reproduce the feel/sound. The sponginess of the clutch is subjective, they say, and their opinion is that it feels fine.
NHTSA complaint #11741018 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I recently experienced significant transmission issues, specifically hard engage in reverse (cold), and failure to shift higher than 3rd gear. The rear axle is leaking and the front axle is shaking. My jeep has the P0733 code for the D-clutch failure confirmed at a Jeep dealership, along with the steering damper Campaign XF1 and the Dana M220 axle (TSB 03-001-23) and should be included in these TSB’s/CSN’s/Campaigns! It is currently sitting at the Jeep Dealership in Covington, La unable to be driven needing $9790 worth of repairs from all of these and I’ve barely had it a year! I am so disappointed in Jeep
NHTSA complaint #11739847 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Last year I received a message, letter and perhaps an email related to my jeep and recall for the clutch plate assembly. The recall was performed twice because first was incorrect. Transmission had to be replaced a few weeks later. Since then, I've had numerous visits to dealership, and had several incidents this week traveling across country to clear "Service Transmission messages: on the display, and two incidents where the jeep went into "limp mode" at high speeds. Four more stops have not fixed the problem. Now I am at a place who has found that the transmission was not installed properly, the software wasn't properly flashed and things were left hanging (connectors and cables) without being properly secured. The transmission was replaced under warranty, which has run out, but these messages have been appearing since the original recall. Now, I am going to have to pay a large fee (over 3000 dollars) to get Jeep back. Plus paying 100 to another dealership in Kansas to have them look at the jeep without a remedy. (See:Jeep Recall 19A / NHTSA Campaign 23V116, NHTSA Recall 24V-572, NHTSA Recall 21V-028 / Jeep Recall Y01 ) - my Jeep is listed as "0 recalls" but the dealership has not reported any work on my vehicle to CarFax. The repair shop is working with me to collect evidence (Photos, documentation, and data about the Jeep's issues. ALL of this began immediately after the first recall last year, and these problems have not been remedied, and the Jeep has become dangerous when on the highway. (Limp mode multiple times: 17 Feb2026, 13 May 26, 13 May 26 all at highway speeds). This should have been covered under warranty, and I should not be subjected to "No repair" because a dealership "Doesn't see a problem" - the computer doesn't keep any codes for these incidents, thus they will not dig into the problem, and now warranty has expired so they can charge whatever they wish.
NHTSA complaint #11739011 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Premature clutch failure around 20,000 miles. It happened the first time the 4WD was engaged. Vehicle is in limp mode and cannot drive. There were no warnings prior to the issue. Previous year models have had NHTSA recalls issued for clutch failures.
NHTSA complaint #11737564 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This complaint is a follow-up to NHTSA complaint number 11729095. Since submitting the original complaint, the issue has continued and is now occurring while the vehicle is in motion. The vehicle is experiencing intermittent electrical and communication failures affecting multiple systems. The issue began approximately three weeks ago after completing a normal drive and has persisted since that time, occurring randomly and without warning. Both the main battery and auxiliary battery have been replaced; however, the condition remains unresolved. Current symptoms include: •Multiple warning messages and warning lights activating simultaneously while driving (including “Service Antilock Brake System” and “Service Shifter”) •Loss of communication between multiple control modules •Fault codes that temporarily clear but return •Instrument cluster instability and erratic system behavior Power steering assist becomes intermittent during these events, making steering significantly more difficult, particularly when navigating curves or operating in heavy traffic. This creates a serious safety hazard due to reduced vehicle control. Diagnostic trouble codes associated with this condition include multiple communication-related faults (U-codes), indicating loss of communication between critical control modules. The condition may temporarily improve when the auxiliary battery system is bypassed and the battery sensor is disconnected, but the failures consistently return. The issue is ongoing, intermittent, and reproducible. No accidents have occurred to date; however, the condition presents a clear and increasing safety risk. Photographic evidence of warning indicators and system faults occurring during vehicle operation is available. Root cause remains UNKNOWN but is suspected to involve the auxiliary battery system, battery management system, wiring, or vehicle communication network.
NHTSA complaint #11729265 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Check engine light came on and then shifter went into lock out mode while in drive with notice on dash to service shifter. Shifter will not shift out of park state without pulling service release for neutral.
NHTSA complaint #11713272 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My vehicles rear locker went out on me while driving on the road and completely destroyed itself. I have video evidence on how that looks at the shop where it cost me over 3k to get a new one because I could t drive it or I had to get a whole new rear differential. My steering is already been going loose at 70k miless
NHTSA complaint #11711060 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The camshaft went out, along with the rocker arms, cam phasers, there is a box on the passenger side wheel well that goes out and will not allow the truck to shift or go into park. There is now something wrong with the automatic start/stop as the light continues to be on in the dash. Things started to go out as soon as the warranty expired… The truck has 80kmi. We fix one problem only for more to pop up. We purchased the jeep brand new and everything since it has had one problem after another.
NHTSA complaint #11707286 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Without any warning and after about 7 minutes of driving, Jeep turned off while driving at about 40 mph. There were no dash lights or warnings and the Jeep has never had an issue or any other symptom previously. Would not start and had to be towed. 8 hours later it was still in a crank no start condition. Both batteries were fully charged so not a battery issue. I'm a long time Jeep owner, VP of the Middle Peninsula Jeep Association LLC and fairly well versed in Jeep mechanics. I only say that to let you know that I have a lot of experience with Jeeps, was able to exclude certain causes and have not encountered thisnwith any of my previous Jeeps. Jeep is in show condition and meticulously cared for. The day after vehicle shut off, all dash lights and windows also stopped working so issue also caused batteries to fully drain. Dealership says it is needs a new PDC. I strongly suspect this is due to manufacturer defect related to PCM and some of manufacturing defects associated with COVID-era manufacturing issues. Uncertain if it could also be related to other open recall. Vehicle has less than 50K on it. It really doesn't feel right that just a large component would go out on such a new Jeep and definitely isn't in accordance with the quality I've come to know and expect when owning other Jeeps. Would appreciate anything you can do to assist. On another note, about half of the Gladiators I see have the 3rd brake light out (mine included). Any idea what the issue could be with that as I also have to get that replaced, too. Many thanks!
NHTSA complaint #11700771 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.