So, back in March, life lined up a number of weird coincidences and I was suddenly in the market for a new daily. I convinced SWMBO that we needed a truck, and that I needed it to be a manual transmission specimen (because automatic transmissions are where dreams go to die). The need for a 3rd pedal limited my options. Luckily, I have loved the new Jeep Gladiator since it was just a concept, and was able to find a new example nearby that was a 6 speed gas offering, with a suitable number of niceties that the missus could be persuaded to occupy said vehicle for an extended period of time. The upside is that the one I found was a '22 and the dealership was willing to play ball since the pool of shoppers for manuals shrinks by the minute. After a test drive, and some back and forth with the salesperson, I was able to make her mine for a great price.
I ended up with my personal dream truck - a 2022 Jeep Gladiator Overland - this trim included heated leather seats, runningboards and nice 18" alloys. Options were a bigger media center screen, upgraded alpine speaker package, tow package, and limited slip diff. I negotiated a hardtop to accompany the factory soft top, and a spray in bedliner (though a tonneau cover would be on the short list for aftermarket purchases).
I love this truck! I never wanted a full size pickup - I dont do full size pickup things. Hauling isnt on my to do list very often, but a small trailer for the occasional oversize item isnt too far out of the ordinary. I do want to be able to purchase a good deal of mulch or gravel on demand, I want to be able to haul more than 5 rolls of insulation at a time, and the option to toss some bikes or camping gear and find my way to a light offroad camping/hiking spot is a real possibility. This truck covers all the boxes, plus fits in my garage.
The big issue is I only had my truck for about 5 days before they called me back and said they needed my truck due to a recall. Upon further investigation, just a few weeks before I signed on the dotted line, Stellantis/FCA/Mopar/Jeep/whatevertheirfkngnameis issued a recall with the NHTSA on nearly 80k Wranglers and Gladiators equipped with a manual transmission, going back to 2018. There have been multiple reports of overheated clutch pressure plates exploding under centrifugal force, and igniting fuel lines and other combustibles under the hood. There are news stories of trucks literally burning to the ground with no notice, at highway speeds, in traffic. According the NHTSA: "The clutch pressure plate may become overheated through friction, which may lead the pressure plate to rapidly fracture. When a pressure plate fractures, it may result in cracks or holes in the transmission case, allowing heated debris to be expelled from the transmission case. Heated debris expelled from the transmission bellhousing may come in contact with an ignition source in the vehicle or surrounding area, potentially leading to a fire. A fire can result in increased risk of occupant injury and injury to persons outside the vehicle." More info can be found in these NHTSA bulletins - recall doc one and recall doc 2
TL;DR, this issue has been on Jeep's radar for years, and there currently is no fix for a problem that turns their vehicles into murder bombs.
The dealer has been very accommodating since then - Ive been issued 2023 Gladiator Rubicons with 8spd autos as loaners. I used the plural tense there on purpose , as Im now on my third loaner. Every time I get over 4k miles on the thing, they swap it out. On the one hand, Im pretty happy to have a 2022 gladdy with only 280 miles on it. We havent put many miles on the missus vehicle either. I just put gas in her SUV last weekend for the first time since we bought the Gladiator. On the other hand, Ive been very hesitant to do any actual truck things with these loaners - I dont want to scratch the bed with gravel or risk the paint when leaving pavement.
And this is where Im getting aggravated. I like the loaner Rubicon's lifted stance and all, but aside from the cool looking lift and tires, theres not a whole lot that differentiates it from my Overland (ok, Rubicons do have a bit more than just a lifted stance, but given im not taking it offroad, none of the differences are doing anything for me). I want to do truck stuff in my truck that I bought because I needed a truck and this truck I bought would do the truck stuff that I needed a truck to do. But since I dont have my truck, I cant do the truck stuff that I bought a truck to do.
The dealership I think is as frustrated as I am - for one, i told them that My truck would live inside my garage. When they couldnt give me an ETA on the recall completion, I explained that I expect my truck to live indoors there too. They agreed and its literally in their showroom, where the sales manager has to look at it every day. Also, I did some research, and technically, they could be on the hook for a $21k fine to Uncle Sam- there are federal laws that prohibit a dealer from delivering a vehicle to a purchaser while its under uncompleted recalls. I believe this is why theyve been providing me with a loaner all summer as I put miles on their brand new trucks (like, only 27 total miles new)- this has to be killing them.
And Jeep Inc isnt helping the dealers - the dealership managers (both sales and service) Ive been dealing with are telling me their corporate rep isnt giving them any updates of substance. Back in July, the word they were getting was the correction would be published "in the 3rd quarter" of 2023. Well, now theyre saying the UAW strike (which didnt begin until the end of September) is delaying the correction. What I cant understand is, if its just excessive friction, either a revised clutch assembly or some adjustment should make the problem go away. What am I missing? I asked if they couldnt just put their Mopar upgraded clutch in and call it a day, but supposedly Mopar isnt accepting that as a correction and wont provide the hardware or authorize the dealers to do the install (putting me on the hook for the costs and still not correcting the recall). Ive heard that owners who arent as fortunate as I am to have a loaner are isntalling upgrades like ACT or Centerforce units, but theres no guarantee that theyre not going to be subject to the same issue.
So what do I do? I really want that truck. I love that truck. My dream truck. But im getting pretty tired of this dance. Should I shut up and be grateful for this level of accomodation? Should I contact a lawyer and pursue lemon law options to get out from under this truck? I mean, outside of poorer fuel economy, im not losing anything financially yet - im putting zero miles on my truck. But if things go on too long, am I going to just end up with a lemon anyway, and will have lost out on a whole summer of home improvement? Im very conflicted. What says the hive?
