MODELYEARINDEX

Which Jeep Gladiator years to avoid

Across 2 scored model years, the 2021 model year carries the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Jeep Gladiator Full report
D
Grade 2020–2021
2021 vs model median 1.0×
Model median3× median
Steering 77
Drivetrain 55
Engine 52
Avoid

2021

Best

2020 · 2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2020
0.98× 378 C
2021
1.02× 387 D
2022 P
0.59× 172 C
2023 P
0.22× 77 B
2024 P
0.11× 30 A
2025 P
0.08× 26 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2020 C 378 reports · median 3,000 mi

  1. Steering 164

    I have owned this truck 3 weeks now and about 1,000 miles. The issue I have US with the steering at highway speeds especially. I have never driven a modern day vehicle with this much steering play. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 42

    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. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Suspension 30

    My 2020 jeep gladiator wanders off the road I have to keep trying to stay in lane. When I came to the red light stop the other driver asked me if I was OK basically thinking I was drunk driving. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

12 crash · 12 fire · 10 injuries

2021 D 387 reports · median 20,500 mi

  1. Steering 77

    Steering is loose and is difficult to stay in lane when driving. The problem amplifies with speed and requires constant dangerous over correction especially in adverse conditions like snow or ice. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 55

    Vehicle has irregular downshifts in lower gears. While braking the downshifts can be heard as well as felt. The sounds and shake from downshifts vary in loudness and strength. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Engine 52

    The vehicle operates in direction violation of the code of federal regulations (cfr): 49 cfr 571 standard no. 124 outlining the federal motor vehicle safety standards governing the operation of the accelerator control… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

15 crash · 1 fire · 16 injuries

The best year for the Gladiator

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring Gladiator model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 57.3 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.98× 378 C
2021 1.02× 387 D

Recalls

16 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
26V363000 Park it STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP 2021–2025 1,076,999
20V191000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2020 319,610
23V116000 POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY 2020–2023 69,201
22V767000 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2021, 2022 60,413
23V263000 FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP 2021–2023 45,832
21V028000 POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY 2020, 2021 42,887
24V199000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER CLOCKSPRING/SPIRAL CASSETTE 2023 38,164
20V124000 POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY 2020 33,237
24V652000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2020–2024 32,863
22V638000 BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION 2021 7,895
23V641000 POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION 2022, 2023 6,298
19V636000 POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT 2020 3,733

+ 4 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 20,500 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Jeep Gladiator years should you avoid?
2021 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Jeep Gladiator model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Jeep Gladiator?
2020 is the best-scoring Jeep Gladiator model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 57.3 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Jeep Gladiator have?
16 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Jeep Gladiator model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Gladiator
Complaints in window
387
Severity-weighted
507
Model median (weighted)
495
vs model median
1.02×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
10
Open investigations
2
Score 52.7 D