2020 Jeep Gladiator

The Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) is opening a Preliminary Evaluation on 2020 Model Year Jeep Gladiators and Wranglers involving a malfunctioning Instrument Panel Clusters (IPC) resulting in the loss of important vehicle metrics and other status information.  ODI has received 89 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) alleging a complete or partial loss of the IPC display while driving.  The subject vehicles' IPC display includes the speedometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, turn signal indicators, warning light, and other gauges that are normally illuminated while the vehicle is in operation.  Loss of the fuel gauge while driving may lead to an inability to determine the fuel level and result in a loss of motive power, and the loss of other safety-related information may impede a driver’s ability to take action to prevent a safety risk.  Furthermore, an IPC that is suddenly not visible to the driver may divert the driver’s attention from the driving task, potentially causing a vehicle crash. ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation to evaluate the scope, severity and frequency of the alleged IPC malfunctions and to assess potential safety-related consequences. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the instrument panel failed to display critical safety information as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Midas, where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted, and the vehicle was diagnosed and determined to need a new instrument panel. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA ID

11752435

Incident

May 15, 2026

Mileage

45,000 mi

The instrument Custer went blank during a vacation trip, did not know how much fuel was in it. Took to dealer they tried to put in a new one and it was also faulty, been waiting 3 weeks and still no new part🤬

NHTSA ID

11746011

Incident

May 22, 2026

I was rear ended while stopped and the seat belts didnt lock causing injury to my face from hitting the steering wheel.

NHTSA ID

11744084

Incident

Apr 10, 2026

The digital dash that displays the speed, shows fuel level and if 4x4 is active went blank, when I went to turn my vehicle on

NHTSA ID

11743950

Incident

Nov 28, 2025

The start-stop system reports unavailable, then within a few miles of driving, the check engine light will come on, followed by problems with the transmission shifting gears, sometime causing the vehicle to stay in first or second gear while accelerating and creating a dangerous driving situation. Power cycling the vehicle sometimes helps. Diagnostic trouble codes show low voltage in one or more O2 sensors, "too lean" warnings and cylinders randomly misfiring. Engine runs very rough at idle with the strong smell of gas in the exhaust. Dash information shows battery voltage around 12.3 at start up increasing to low 13 while idling. This occured around 40,000 miles and dealer replaced the aux battery and reset system. It occurred again around 60,000 miles (20 months later) and owner replaced both auxiliary battery (testing showed bad) and main battery. System functioned normally after resetting codes. It occurred again about 8 months later at 72,000 miles. The F42 fuse was pulled, cleared codes and reset computer by removing battery power for 1 hour. System returned to normal.

NHTSA ID

11743102

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

TRUCK WOBBLIES WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE STEERING TAKES TWO TO THREE INCHES TO TURN THE STERRING WHEEL BEFORE THE TRUCK STARTS TO TURN. NOT RESPONSIVE AS IT WAS.

NHTSA ID

11742752

Incident

Jun 19, 2025

On May 27, 2026 at approximately 11:00 PM, my 2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland (VIN: [XXX] ) suffered catastrophic engine failure during normal operation at 78,190 miles. The alternator seized, causing the harmonic balancer (crankshaft damper) to fracture. The broken balancer fell into the engine block, causing extensive internal damage requiring complete engine replacement at significant cost. This failure sequence points to a design and/or manufacturing defect in the OEM alternator and/or its mounting system on the 3.6L Pentastar V6. A properly designed alternator should not seize with enough force to fracture the harmonic balancer and deposit debris into the engine block under normal operating conditions. The vehicle was not involved in any accident or operator abuse. It was being driven normally with no prior warning — no dashboard lights, no unusual sounds, no prior related mechanical issues. I request NHTSA investigate whether this failure pattern is systemic across 2020 Jeep Gladiator vehicles and other 3.6L Pentastar V6 platforms, including the Jeep Wrangler, Ram 1500, and Dodge Durango. Sudden complete engine failure at highway speeds is an immediate crash hazard to the driver and surrounding motorists. I respectfully request a formal defect investigation and, if warranted, a safety recall with full remediation and reimbursement of repair costs to affected owners. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11740885

Incident

May 27, 2026

On Friday, May 22, 2026, at approximately 59,442 miles, the vehicle's instrument panel cluster (IPC) failed suddenly and without warning. The vehicle was driven to a store in [XXX] , with the display functioning normally, but upon restarting the vehicle less than an hour later, the central information screen went completely blank. The screen remains permanently blank and fails to display any driver information. At night, turning the vehicle on causes the screen to emit a faint dark gray backlight, but no text, gauges, or data populate. This failure creates an immediate safety hazard. With a permanently blank cluster, I am forced to drive without access to a speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer, or critical vehicle warning and safety lights, severely impacting my ability to maintain safe speeds and monitor vehicle health on public roads. The vehicle was inspected on May 27, 2026, by an authorized Jeep dealership (Lopp Motors in Dodge City, KS). The technician confirmed the failure and noted: "INFO SCREEN BETWEEN TACH AND SPEEDO IS BLANK. NO CODES IN SYSTEM PERTAINING TO CONCERN. TECH TRIED TO RESET CLUSTER AND PERFORMED PROXI ALIGNMENT – WOULD NOT ALIGN. ATTEMPT A VEHICLE CONFIG RESTORE – STILL NO CLUSTER OPERATION. INSTRUMENT CLUSTER REQUIRES REPLACEMENT." This identical component failure is the subject of NHTSA Campaign 24V-652 (Jeep Recall 30B); however, my 2020 model year VIN is currently excluded due to manufacturer time-in-service parameters. The vehicle and the failed component are available for inspection upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11740331

Incident

May 22, 2026

Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Blank XZ1 Warranty Extension Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● **A blank electronic vehicle information center (EVIC) in the IPC. No information is displayed for the fuel level, temperature gauge, odometer, outside temperature, PRNDL and optional digital speedometer Fig. 1. IMPORTANT! The analog speedometer and tachometer gauges continue to function normally Fig. 1**. This bulletin involves replacing the IPC.

EMISSION RECALL – NORTH AMERICA Check Engine/Malfunction Indicator Lamp 16C The instrument panel cluster on about 32,587 of the above vehicles may have an inoperable check engine/malfunction indicator lamp (CEL/MIL). (JT) vehicles: CEL/MIL and cargo lamp indicator function are swapped. (JL) vehicles: CEL/MIL will not turn on. The CEL/MIL in and of itself will not affect emissions. However, if there was an emission issue that would require illumination of the CEL/MIL, the customer would not be alerted. The vehicle would be non-compliant to the OBD II regulation.

Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Blank XZ1 Warranty Extension Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● A blank IPC display. No information is displayed for the speedometer, fuel level, temperature gauge, odometer, outside temperature and PRNDL. NOTE: The speedometer and tachometer continue to function normally. This bulletin involves replacing the IPC.

D-26-17 (XZ1) Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) - Select 2018 - 2020 Jeep Wrangler (JL) and 2020 Jeep Gladiator (JT)

ID-26-37 (XZ1) Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) - Select 2018 - 2020 Jeep Wrangler (JL) and 2020 Jeep Gladiator (JT)

CORE – HEATER