Why not get a Jeep?

I gave my 2000 Tundra trd offroad to my sister and purchased a new 2013 4 door Rubicon. It was AWESOME. I had bumpers, lights and a 2.5" coil lift. It's a jeep so the ride I was happy with even on a 2,500 mile round trip to the west coast. I wheeled it heavy about 2-4 times a month at least. Why have a rubi if you don't use it is my philosophy. Then the computer seemed to always need to be flashed over and over and over again. A few minor recalls but not really that big of a deal. I had it go into a limp mode a few times shifting from 4 low to 4 high. I had to shut off the jeep then restart to correct. Computer controlled. Then one day I was getting on the freeway and it would not shift into the next gear not even with the auto shifter. I discovered that it would shift if I only gave it about 10% throttle only. The dealer said there was no codes and after another flash said it was fixed. That was BS so I took it back. The tech said it was due to oversized tires which I pointed out that no those were the stock 32's since bigger tires were next on my list. They then had the nerve to tell me "well it a a jeep you can't drive it that hard" ?!?! My response was WTF! I was never ever told that with my last 3 Toyota's! Whenever I drove my Toyota's hard I was always told that's why Toyota's are so great. They just keep going.

Well my Budy had just started selling jeeps at that dealership and they happened to have a 13 dc sport Taco with the same miles on it and navigation with the sound package. Took it for a ride and traded keys.
But before the trade we went on a vacation we had planned in our 07 sequoia that we bought new in 07. It has 125,000 miles with zero issues and still runs great. All I could think of was just how often my jeep was in the shop for the Damn computer and what happens when the warranty is up.

It was either another Toyota which they had or an LJ Rubicon which is the longer earlier TJ. It's before all the computer controlled bs. A friend had a jk as well and went back to a tj and after tradding all I heard was similar story after story.

That just my experience and I will never own another newer Chrysler ever again. I wouldn't mind having an older jeep but now I would really love an old school FJ 40.

 

I've never owned a Jeep but my son and a few of my buds have owned them. Plenty of issues, mostly with the transmission and electrical gremlins. On the other hand some love them, but they are mechanically inclined and love working on their Jeeps. If you're into tearing things down and rebuilding things than a Jeep isn't a bad choice.

 

Truth. Got rid of my jeep to get the Tacoma. Mine was a 98 grand Cherokee. I hated to drive it because of what was going to break next. 2 transmissions, 4 rear ends, multiple radiators. When I called the shop, they would try to guess what was broken.

 

Because Chrysler.

 

A good condition stock LJ will cost you almost as much as a new JK. They are the unicorn of wranglers.

 

I have owned over a dozen Wrangler - all built up pretty nicely.

Most recently I owned a 2013 JKUR and a 2014 JKUR.

The 2013 spent over 200 days in service and the 2014 spent 238 days in service.

Both went through two engines. Both, separately from the engines had one or the other head replaced twice. Both had multiple heater core failures (this is always nice when you're hunting, you get back to your vehicles, it's neg out, and all you get is cold cold air) Both had multiple radio failures. Both had swaybar failures. One went through at least 4 rear ends. The other went through at least 6 rear ends. Both had multiple front end failures. Both had transfer case failures. Both would pop out of 4H and 4L while the axels were articulating. Both had multiple oil pressure switch failures. Both had multiple traction control failures. The 2014 had multiple remote start failures. Both had multiple heated seat failures. Concerning the front and rear end - when they fail they fail locked. Which makes a nice trip home. Great for your mud tires too (this is the short list). Depending on the road conditions and terrain, 9 - 12 mpg was not uncommon and what I expected.

Both were $52k pieces of junk that spent more time breaking from being used and sitting in the shop than time in my driveway.

Both were bought back by Chrysler. The 2013 was bought back at around 20k miles and the 2014 was bought back at around 25k miles. I spent more time in loaners (Grand Cherokee Overlands and RAMS; worked great) than time spent in the vehicles I was paying for.

Chrysler offered me an outstanding deal on a 2015 JKUR as a replacement with compensation for all of my parts and accessories.

I purchased a 2015 Toyota.

 

I have the unicorn! Its a good toy, tacoma drives nice but when it comes to 4x4 trails the jeeps pretty sweet!

 

And settled

 

Sounds like you have pretty bad luck. That would be enough to scare me away from the brand for good.

 

Off topic... So roast me.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays tacotaco since you're overseas serving our country and away from your family but still find the time to manage a thread full of heated debate and discussion. I hope you are well and safe. Looking forward to when you can come home and wheel in the states again. We appreciate your sacrifices. Keep up the good work!

 

Once you start to modify vehicles and add different suspension bits and large tires, you can't really blame the manufacturer for failures related to drivetrains.

Expecting Dana 35s to hold up to repeated heavy wheeling with larger tires is a bit much. It's not like Toyota has the strongest R&P's out there and the front diff isn't exactly the poster child of beefiness either. Work OK with standard size tires sure, start going up in size and things start breaking.

 

Agreed. I assumed when he said the dealer replaced the parts and Chrysler ended up buying the vehicles back, he didn't do many modifications.

If a dealer offered to replace parts after I threw 35s on and broke shit off road, I would be over-the-moon happy.

 

JK Rubicons come from the factory with Dana 44's front and rear.

Chrysler would not have bought both back had I done anything to damage the vehicle. Period.

Further more, Mopar Underground builds what the vehicles are, "capable" of.

A manufacturer must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that what you did is what caused the particular component to fail, by statute.

So yes, you can absolutely blame the manufacturer for creating a sub par performer and/or a manufacturer claiming their product is for example reliable when they have known engine issues. Many of the Pentastar 3.6's have grenaded.

Additionally, Chrysler had recalled an absurd number of JK's and offered to buy them back.

Both my 2013 and 2014 were purchased new. My 2013 made it a week before its first transmission problem was documented and my 2014 made it less than 48 hours before its first transmission problem was documented.

I purchased my 2015 Tacoma TRD Pro in about late July or early August. I now have just shy of 15k miles on it. It's has been in service for tire rotations and oil changes. In the interest of full disclosure, it also has had some cosmetic adjustments concerns the grill, which was done during a rotation/oil change.

I forgot to add, my 2014 JKUR had the steering wheel replaced twice. After the first week, the leather on the steering wheel delaminates and was sagging at about 9 - 11 o' clock; sagging line a shitzsu. That was the first replacement. The about a month or so after that the steering wheel controls stopped functioning completely. That was the second replacement. Then...menu controls on the steering wheel stopped function; those were replaced - I think twice from what I recall. After that the cruise control cluster stopped functioning and that was replaced.

I was nearly offered a free 2015 JKUR and I still chose to replace my Jeep with a Toyota.

Companies such as AEV, who are former Chrysler engineers have full factory support and their different build levels are can be factory installed - they retain full factory warranty with 38's and Dana 44's. So there is no excuse for the constant failures.

35's on a JK aren't much. You can stuff 35's with a simple leveling kit if you just want a big tire and don't care about the suspension so much.

I still like Jeeps. They just sent that great. My friends who also have Rubicons and use them as they were intended to be used also have a long list of problems.

I'll probably consider another Wrangler after the next generation which I believe will be the the JL.

Let's not forget the Wranglers constantly being stuck in limp mode running at 50% power with a top speed of about 45 mph. That's real nice when it decides to do that when you are in an 80 mph zone and you have a 2 hour drive ahead of you...2 hours if you are driving at 80 mph...

Limp mode was caused by the dual circuit oil pressure switch, which constantly failed.

The Baja and Pro have modified Tacoma suspension - these trucks are able to drive around, without, falling apart.

 

My cruise control cluster was starting to go too. That was at 45k but still awful. I had the manual, which worked, but it was very quirky from day one.

 

Yeah. That's a bummer and not acceptable.

 

For sure. But they're peakier about it at low RPMs. The 3.8 and 3.6 have a pretty steep curve between idle and 2000-2500 RPM's. The old 4.0 had a much flatter curve. It made over 200 ft/lbs at just over an idle, and it was a pretty flat line until you hit max torque at 3000RPM's.

The 3.8 and 3.6 are fine motors, but it's tough to beat the old AMC-designed straight sixes for grunt at low RPM's

 

I've owned just about all the engines that were put in Wranglers. I put a HEMI in a Willy's which we called the wheeler since it would do wheelies - when you stood on the go it would stand up. That was a lot of fun.

I like 3.6 Pentastar. It's a good engine, when it works. Both my 2013 and 2014 constantly had leaky and failing water pumps. Even after both had received factory engine replacements, they had leaky water pumps. Both had leaky crank seals as well. Both had recall notices from Chrysler concerning the crank seals. They also had the transmission front sealed replaced - leaky...I know, what a shock.

Just before both engines expired (remember the low mileage) both had a stutter and vibration around about 2000 - 3000 rpm when accelerating gently and they would hang onto 1st gear; from a Stop sign for example. Chrysler of course told me this was completely normal and I was, "not accelerating correctly." I told hem that even though I've only ever driven once and it was in the dark, this is not normal vehicle behavior.

The next day the service manager called me to ask if my vehicle sitting infront of their roller doors was a joke because not only was it in the day before for another repair but I left a note saying that it blew it on the highway. I told him to open the hood and see - he did, then had some colorful things to say and told me he'd call me back with my rental information.

The 3.6 is a good engine when and if it's working how it's suppose to.

 

This thread reinforces why not to buy a JK for sure. Yikes. Not like I ever considered it, but if I were in the market and found this convo I'd run in the complete opposite direction. The vehicle sounds like a total nightmare, and even the people with positive reviews are being polite or in denial of how lousy it is. It's too bad the brand has entirely deteriorated.

 

If those results were typical, Jeep would be out of business. I agree that the older models were more reliable, but I think that's a pretty universal theme among automakers.

 

I know a lot of people with JKs and have never heard anything like what I've seen in this thread.

We have 6 Chrysler products sitting in the driveway right now and have never had a major issue with any of them. *Knock on wood*

I know it happens though, but it happens to every manufacturer. Look at the new Tacomas shutting completely down driving down the highway.

I know people are proud of their $30k+ purchases and it's easy to talk crap about others to justify your purchase, but there is not an "elite" vehicle where you will have no problems guaranteed.