Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Are there still a lot of gremlins in the jk? Opinions wanted

3K views 47 replies 34 participants last post by  michiganadam 
#1 ·
I was dead set on picking up a 2014 copperhead unltd when they become available but it seems there are a lot of gremlins left in these jk's still, am I being too cautious or is this the reality of the wrangler? I know that for every complaint, there are hundreds of non complaints, just looking for some open thoughts...
KlinK
 
#2 ·
Not sure what sort of gremlins you're worried about. Any piece of machinery may have problems, it's the nature of the beast. I've got a 2011 JK Rubicon, albeit, I've got low mileage on it, but it hasn't been into the shop for anything other than scheduled maintenance.

My son has a '12 JK Sport S. That vehicle has been driven back and forth from Annapolis, Md twice and is getting ready to make the Great Eastward Migration to Charleston, so far, no issues at all. Again, never been into the dealer for anything but routine checks and maintenance. The only thing I've got him looking out for is the "ticking Pentastar." His is an early model year '12.

Your odds of getting a vehicle that has few if any issues is much better than getting one that has issues.
 
#7 ·
Gremlins meaning things like death wobble, electrical issues, horn honking, wont start intermittently, sand in castings, bad water pump, bad heads. I've leased vehicles for the last 10 years and have gotten used to not being worried about any problems since I won't be responsible for them but I'd like to own this. Just want to make an informed decision.
 
#8 ·
"Death wobble" is a 90% preventable issue in all Jeeps. Properly aligning your rig, keeping up with bolts being tightened properly, and a maintenance schedule in accordance with your driving style will solve almost everything that causes it.

As for the horn honking/electrical gremlins...Most times that's a clock spring issue in the steering wheel getting wet and fried, and that's something you'll only have to live with if you spend a lot of time with the top and doors off in an overly rainy area or spend a lot of time in the mud under the same conditions. Sometimes it gets wet just right and causes an issue. Sometimes it doesn't. It can be prevented most of the time by remembering that a Jeep is about as waterproof with the doors and top off as any other electronic device you wouldn't want to take swimming with you.

As for the engine, the casting sand and ticking head issue seems to be a thing of the early 2012's when the Pentastar was introduced to the Wrangler and hasn't really popped it's ugly head up since (at least, not with the even remotely the same frequency on later builds).

As for the water pump, it's still an issue and always has been. The upside is it's under warranty for as long as the warranty you buy runs for, so what difference does it make? If it concerns you that much, buy the lifetime warranty and put some piece of mind back into your wallet. The odds of you needing to use it are slim already, but it's there should anything happen.

I gotta ask though...Coming from a lease, are you going to be happy owning a vehicle for more than 3 years? I'm not trying to start a flame war or anything, but most people who have been leasing for a while have gotten used to the idea of having something new every few years. Have you considered leasing a Jeep and then buying it out at the end? I know it's not ideal, but if you're truly serious about owning one, maybe a trial run first will let you know exactly what you want out of it. If you find that you like it all that much, you can buy it. If not, you can either buy the model you do want, or get something different...Just a thought.
 
#10 ·
If you go to ANY forum you will see most of the posts are complaints from common issues, many even have stickies on the top relating to them. These cars are getting more and more complicated with electronics and all it takes is one 50 cent connector, loose ground or a surface mount resistor in one of the many modules to be bad and the whole mess doesnt work. Not to mention a 50 cent clip in a lifter or transmission can stop the whole thing from moving as well.

On a 1-10 scale of price vs quality I'd give this '13 sport a 7, no doubt if you need/want a super reliable economical family car something like a Civic is the way to go - but I'm sure you realize that. I have had no problems at all out of mine in 3000 miles and I'm sure thats the norm. I recently traded off a 51K MSRP pickup that was nothing but problems, I hated even looking at it, if you read the stickies about common issues on the top of the forums mine had every one and the dealer just made them worse trying to fix it. I really kick myself for falling for the advertising hype and huge discounts and not doing more research before I bought it, it cost me about 6 grand to get out of that truck after 5 months :(

All you can do is read the forums and decide for yourself if any of the common problems would be bad enough to make you hate it during your lease term. Most likely most of those problems wont happen, and buying a '14 should be good for the head/casting sand/water pump problems - those are really the only ones that would concern me.
 
#11 ·
On the contrary, leasing means I'm stuck with whatever I'm in for 2-3 years vs. buying, with jeeps anyways I should be able to get out after a year or so if needed with minimal loss. My thoughts are basically to keep it 4-6 years until they get the bugs out of the 2015-16 redesign and depending on how I like the new one, buy new. At this point my jeep will also be a substantial down payment.
One other issue that comes to mind is the rusting of the front end on brand new vehicles and jeeps ho- hum attitude towards any of their defects.
 
#15 ·
One other issue that comes to mind is the rusting of the front end on brand new vehicles and jeeps ho- hum attitude towards any of their defects.
These are off-road vehicles. They are gonna rust if you don't properly take care of them. Does that mean they should come off the truck at the dealership with rust on them, hell no. But that's something you should have addressed before you take delivery. I went over mine with a fine tooth comb before I took delivery. The sales guy wasn't happy about having to have certain things addressed before I signed over a portion of my paycheck for the next 5 years, but that's the only way he was gonna make me happy enough to do just that.

Over the years I've bought vehicles from Ford, Chevy, Kia, Dodge, VW, and Jeep. I can unequivocally say that not ONE of them cared about the quality of their vehicle after I took possession and drove it off the lot. Getting anything fixed under warranty that wasn't an obvious issue or a factory recall was like pulling teeth.

Do your due diligence before you sign on the dotted line and you won't have an issue with the common things that people complain about here or elsewhere.

As much as I hate the phrase "It's a Wrangler, what'd you expect" it fits 90% of the time when people who buy these vehicles have no intention of using them for what they were designed to be used for, and feel as though because they spent 40k on a vehicle they should be getting some luxury ride instead of the most capable factory equipped off road machine in the country.

Take it off road. Get it dirty. Have more fun than should be allowed. That's a Jeep thing. Most folks won't understand and will find anything to nit-pick when their lofty aspirations for what a Wrangler is NOT, and hasn't ever been, aren't met.

Sorry for the rant/thread hijack. Back to your regularly scheduled programming. :wavey:
 
#12 ·
OP- few things to note:

- first, good for you for wanting to make an informed decision before jumping in. A Jeep is unlike anything else on the road today, and you'll really need to love it (as most of us do!) so to the guy who recommended a lease first, that may not be a bad idea for you, since that's what you are used to, not to mention you don't have a lot of cash for the down payment right now.

- if you do decide to take the plunge and go all in to buy one, now would be a good time, as the dealers are clearing out their 13 inventory to make way for 14s soon. You can probably get a great deal on something off the lot! I bought mine in July (an 11) and saved a ton!

- any time you go to a vehicle forum, you are bound to see more negatives than positives about what's wrong with the car/truck an what's right with it. That's just human nature... To complain about issues more. At said, I have 16k miles (not my daily driver) on my Jeep and it's been flawless, save for a minor factory recall to adjust the sunrider top to prevent holes from forming at pinch areas. I also did the bolt upgrade to prevent death wobble (searchable on the forum). Also, I have the last model year with the 3.8L so the ticking 3.6 is not an issue for me.

- rust can be a potential problem down the line with Jeeps, but as long as you stay on top of it you'll be good to go. Plenty of threads here to discuss spraying with Rustoleum, wire brush off at the first sign of rust, etc. Some guys do undercoat too but that may be an issue to itself because if water gets behind it, you won't see the rust.

- it's a truck. All cars and trucks will have their own problems down the line...I plan on holding on to mine for as long as I can, hopefully until my son can drive it, and that's 10 years from now!

Good luck with your decision! One last thing... We have no idea what the redesign will finally look like, so once that's made public and you're still thinking about getting a Jeep, that may be the deciding factor as to which one you like better... The JK or the next generation. I've seen some artist renderings and prototypes and I hope to God they don't go with too much of a futuristic (more car/crossover looking) vehicle. With all the attention on fuel economy, I fear they may be slimming the Wrangler down a lot in it's next iteration. Makes me love my JK that much more!
 
#13 ·
I have a 2010 Sport Unlt. I bought it new then and it has worked like a champ for me. Although I am no mechanic, I have found that with a little research online and the help of a friend, I can do anything on this thing. I have about 40K on it. It has wheeled in California from bakersfield to san diego and then a journey to lower louisiana where I now live. I have done all normal maintenance and my online issue is that I got a hard top but will soon be converting to a soft top.( It sure sucks removing a hard top alone or bugging my neighbor to help) At one point, I had a problem with the steering wheel wobbling at highway speed but after looking under the chassis, I found that a nut was loose.(probably forgot to torque it right after installing the 2.5 inch lift.) Anyways, i torqued it down and problem was gone. I would consider myself a moderate wheeler. I do some decent trails when I find them at least twice a month. Ultimately, It's gonna come down to how you drive and what you are willing to try. If you take high risks often, you can probably expect that hole in your pocket to grow quickly. There's my two cents.
 
#14 ·
Oh yeah, I forgot. One more thing, rocks hitting the windshield. Just can't avoid it. But if you notice it soon enough, $10-15 windshield repair kit at autozone or advanced auto and you're good to go. :)
 
#17 ·
What i like about the jeep is plain and simple - it sits high, feels like you're driving a tank a little, sunshine and open breeze. I'm smiles all the way driving it. I've had trucks before and had to get rid of the last one because I was driving 20k year when has prices went up, now my commute is only 7800, otherwise I might have bought that truck at the end of my lease (08 Sierra ext cab). I don't mind the rough ride - for that matter I think the wrangler I test drive was actually smoother than my malipoo. Just don't want to buy something that is going to require constant upkeep and dealer visits. I know that for every complaint there are 100 happy customers - just trying to get some open opinions as well.
 
#22 ·
I was dead set on picking up a 2014 copperhead unltd when they become available but it seems there are a lot of gremlins left in these jk's still, am I being too cautious or is this the reality of the wrangler?I know that for every complaint, there are hundreds of non complaints, just looking for some open thoughts...
KlinK
Theres your answer.
 
#23 ·
I would say regarding the rust issue. I think the people who are concerned with this were people who drove Jeep off lot with the thin layer of rust on suspension parts and were upset their brand new jeep had rust. Just peak under Jeep before buying it. If it's all black you have nothing to worry about. Mine has some minor rust after a year, but the salt water from beach driving probably didn't help much.
 
#24 ·
Purchased my 2013 first week of January. Replaced water pump within one week. If you get a manual transmission you may get the dreaded 3-4 gear marbles in a can rattle/grind. Some have reported no issues others, like myself, have the grinding/rattling and Jeep has no solution really. Some poeple have had their complete transmission replaced to no affect...others have had repairs work. I htink it's just shoddy manufacturing in Germany so not all tolerances are correct.
 
#26 ·
I bought a 2008 JKU Sahara new. Replaced the driver's side window under warranty and the blower "fuse". No other issues in 53,000 miles. Had a 2013 JKU Sahara for 4600 miles and no issues. Currently have a 2013 10A with 5,000 miles and the only issue is a clunk when hitting potholes and the dealer doesn't like a rattle it makes, they are replacing the catalytic converter because they think the weld is causing the rattle because of how it was done. I never noticed that particular sound and it was not an issue. No complaints with my Wrangler(s)!
 
#28 ·
it seems there are a lot of gremlins left in these jk's
Gremlins meaning things like death wobble, electrical issues, horn honking, wont start intermittently, sand in castings, bad water pump, bad heads.
You initially said that the JK still has a lot of gremlins although the ones you listed have not been a widespread problem with the 2013 models.

Like others have said, when you read things on a forum you're looking at posts from owners who are trying to get something fixed and thus they are more motivated to write about a problem that they're having. Happy Jeepers are less likely to join a forum and post that they are not having any troubles with their Wrangler.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top