When purchasing a new car, one of the main questions that will likely cross your mind is whether or not the car that you are looking at is reliable. Reliability is debatably one of the most important factors when you are searching for your new ride. Your car reliability is essentially the probability of repairs and or problems and the overall longevity of the car, which explains why it is such an important factor to consider when choosing a car. But, not every car does well in this area, even some well-renowned and fan favorite cars have reliability issues. Unfortunately, the Jeep Wrangler is one of the fan favorite cars that does not do well in the reliability sector, but how bad is it really?
The Jeep Wranglers Questionable History
The Jeep Wrangler has a long history of being unreliable, with recalls and pricey repairs, but does that still apply for the recent Jeep Wranglers? So far, for the 2021 Jeep Wrangler, J.D Power has a predicted reliability score of 81/100, which falls into the lower rating of their “Great” category.
The J.D Power rating categories are: 91-100 for Best, 81-90 for Great, 70-80 for Average, and 0-69 for Fair. With this being said, the predicted reliability rating looks somewhat promising being slightly above average, however, there is no way to be sure until J.D Power releases the final reliability rating.
Prediction Looks Well, But This May Deter You…
Although the prediction does look well for the 2021 Jeep Wrangler, what does not look great is that there is already a notable recall for the car. This recall by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, is actually fairly significant due to the potential number of units affected being over 40,000.
Jeep recently mentioned that the recall will be remedied through a software update.
The recall is for 2018-2021 Jeep Wranglers and 2020-2021 Jeep Gladiators that are equipped with manual transmissions. The recall is for the clutch pressure plate, which may overheat and or fracture. An overheated clutch increases the risk of a fire and may even cause damage to other things which may result in debris falling onto the road or impairment of the drive, which can increase the rate of a crash.
Another recall, although not affecting nearly as many vehicles as the previous, is for the 2020 Jeep Wrangler, which affected over 3,000 vehicles. This recall was for a poor weld between the axle and the control arm, which means that these parts may separate. Although recalls are not great, they do not always affect every vehicle, so if you plan on getting one, yours may not be affected.
A Couple Important Factors To Note:
As we progress further into technology, cars become more embodied with electronics, which is great for the neat tech features, but also not great for the potential problems that may arise. Something that the Jeep Wrangler does not do seemingly well is with technology. Although this may not seem like a big deal to you, electronic and or technological issues can lead to some pretty pricey repairs.
Being able to hold its own in a crash is also incredibly important for a car, but this is something that the 2020 Jeep Wrangler did not do well with at all. It received a low-reliability score for the body of the car, which is said to potentially crumble on impact. This is a major negative for the car and may scare people away from purchasing one altogether.
The Conclusion:
While the new Jeep Wranglers do not seem to have stellar reviews regarding their reliability, they do seem to be somewhat of a step up from older Jeep Wranglers. The Consumer Report gave the 2020 Jeep Wrangler a four out of five for their overall reliability score, which is significantly higher than a one out of five or a two out of five, which is what Jeep Wranglers used to score from the Consumer Report on reliability. However, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler did not do very well with the Consumer Report and seems to be back on track with a score of two out of five. If you are still considering a 2021 Jeep Wrangler, it does have a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty as well.
You may be a little puzzled by why this car’s popularity is so high even with the numerous reliability issues and low scores, but this is something that Jeep fans are able to look past with their Jeep Wrangler. It is a good car for off-roading and many people love it despite the issues that it may have.
