RoadVitals

2021 Jeep Gladiator

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

NHTSA has issued a “park outside” advisory affecting this model year.

Campaign 26V363000. Confirm whether your specific vehicle is covered using its VIN before acting on this.

Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov
Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
290
+1 complaint in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
8
Latest Jun 4, 2026
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
2
1 currently open
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
10
7 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 290 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Jeep Gladiator, most frequently naming the steering, powertrain (other) and engine categories. 8 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 697 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

8 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
26V363000NHTSA advisory: park outside

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

Jun 4, 2026
1,076,999 units potentially affected
The defect: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Jeep Wrangler, Wrangler 4XE, and Jeep Gladiator vehicles. The electric hydraulic power steering pump wiring may overheat and cause a vehicle fire, even when the vehicle is parked with the ignition in the "Off" position.
The risk: A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures, until their vehicle is repaired. Dealers will inspect and replace the wiring and electric hydraulic power steering pump, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 9, 2026. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is 21D. The Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 11, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)Manufacturer number 21DView on NHTSA.gov

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

Sep 5, 2024
32,863 units potentially affected
The defect: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Jeep Gladiator and 2018-2024 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. The instrument panel cluster may experience an internal short circuit and fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Controls and Displays."
The risk: An instrument panel that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will replace the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between October 3, 2024, and January 23, 2025. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 30B.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)Manufacturer number 30BView on NHTSA.gov

POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

Aug 1, 2024
94 units potentially affected
The defect: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator vehicles that were previously remedied under NHTSA recall number 23V-116. The software for the powertrain control module may cause an engine stall, which can result in a loss of drive power.
The risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 15, 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is 92B. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 23V-116 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)Manufacturer number 92BView on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA23001OpenEngineering Analysis

High pressure fuel pump failure

Opened Mar 17, 2023

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, ODI sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled population. After review of information request response materials from both FCA and BMW, NHTSA determined that sufficient information to identify a comprehensive recall population could not be produced by FCA and BMW.During the investigation FCA filed recalls 22V406, 22E048, 22V767, and 22E087 which include vehicles not identified in the initial subject population by ODI. ODI also received recall 21V586, involving loss of motive power due to failed CP4 fuel pumps on certain BMW manufactured vehicles. An information request letter response received from BMW indicated that failed pumps on their vehicles were caused by an interaction between pump internal components and US market diesel fuel, leading to increased slip and eventual particle-generating wear surface. Additional work will be done to identify whether a similar root cause is associated with the FCA recalled population and if similar wear dynamics occur on pumps supplied to vehicle manufacturers other than those included in the recalled population.ODI has upgraded this investigation to an EA in order to 1) determine engineering specifications of internal pump components that are correlated with pump failure leading to loss of motive power or other safety related hazards, 2) identify vehicle populations equipped with alleged defective pump variants, 3) assess if vehicles equipped with alleged defective pump variants result in an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety and 4) gather and review any other relevant information related to high pressure fuel pump failure associated with the subject populations of recalls 21V586, 21V880, 21E094, 22V406, 22E048, 22V767, and 22E087.Review of the above information will allow NHTSA to confirm root cause and recall remedy viability, and identify and evaluate vehicle populations equipped with pump components that may pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 11257550, 11351441, 11361603, 11361616, 11365300, 11365426, 11365858, 11366401, 11372337, 11373793, 11374797, 11376793, 11377871, 11378173, 11384377, 11386063, 11387018, 11399710, 11402550, 11415339, 11418868, 11418870, 11427075, 11434276, 11436807, 11437226, 11437249, 11437273, 11437292, 11437294, 11437394, 11437399, 11437403, 11437405, 11437423, 11437528, 11437565, 11437579, 11437580, 11437590, 11437679, 11437744, 11437781, 11437842, 11437993, 11438006, 11438008, 11438121, 11438138, 11438155, 11438392, 11438629, 11439359, 11439879, 11440397, 11443030, 11446542, 11448163, 11453556, 11458918, 11460558, 11469337

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPLed to recall 24V957
PE24024ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

Underhood fires

Opened Sep 6, 2024
Closed Sep 24, 2026

On September 6, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE24024 to investigate allegations of engine compartment fires in model year 2021-2023 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles. Most reports described fires starting on the front passenger side of the engine compartment while the vehicle was turned off, with several originating specifically at the electrohydraulic power steering pump's electrical connector. Following the opening of the investigation, ODI sent an information request letter to the vehicle manufacturer to assess the cause, scope, and frequency of the alleged defect. Additionally, ODI continued to receive reports of vehicle fires with a likely origin at or near the power steering pump. Throughout this investigation, ODI continued to discuss these new reports and the information request letter response with the manufacturer. On June 4, 2026, FCA issued recall 26V363 to address power steering fires caused by high electrical resistance at the pump's connector. Recall 26V363 includes the 781,459 vehicles identified in the opening resume of this investigation and expands the population to include all 2021-2025 Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles produced between June 24, 2020, and December 2, 2024.This recall directly covers the vehicles and issues examined in this investigation. Accordingly, ODI is closing this investigation and is not requiring FCA to provide any additional information about this issue at this time. The Agency will continue to monitor field performance and reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMPLed to recall 26V363

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 9, 2026

My Transmission is skipping on 3rd gear ratio code and reverse is getting stuck with only 70,000 2021 and i was the only owner.

NHTSA ID
11763209
Incident
Jun 10, 2026
Powertrain (other)
Filed Aug 24, 2026

Component Affected: Power Train / Automatic Transmission (850RE 8-Speed)Description of Safety Hazard:While driving my 2022 Jeep Gladiator (53,940 miles), the transmission experienced a severe internal component failure, specifically throwing error code P0733-00 (Gear 3 Shift Incorrect Ratio). This causes the transmission to violently slip, shift harshly, or completely fail to engage 3rd gear while accelerating.This creates an immediate and severe safety hazard on public roads. When the transmission fails to engage the gear, the vehicle experiences a sudden, uncommanded loss of motive power while in traffic. This leaves the vehicle coasting without acceleration, exposing myself and my passengers to an extremely high risk of being rear-ended by oncoming traffic.This issue is a known manufacturing defect involving the internal transmission "D" Clutch assembly, as documented in manufacturer Technical Service Bulletin TSB 21-009-25. The dealership refused to properly pull the historical codes or address the issue, leaving a dangerous, defect-plagued vehicle on the road. Stellantis / Jeep needs to issue a mandatory safety recall for this 850RE transmission D-clutch defect before this sudden loss of acceleration causes a fatal accident

NHTSA ID
11759160
Incident
Aug 24, 2026
Suspension
Filed Aug 14, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH on uneven road surfaces, the vehicle experienced violent shaking in the front end and the steering wheel. The contact stated that the vibration reoccurred while depressing the brake pedal and ceased after the vehicle had decelerated. The failure was associated with the death wobble. A diagnostic test was performed at a dealer, and an estimate for the repair was provided; however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ID
11757024
Incident
Jul 1, 2026
Mileage
38,000 mi
Driver assistanceFuel system
Filed Aug 11, 2026

Truck failed to find gear shuddered lost speed in traffic while going up a hill. Limp mode was initiated. This is a known manufacturers defect with a tsb applied against the known issue. Issue is widespread when researched but not made known by the manufacturer of the truck. Dealership refusing repair under goodwill due to truck being out of mileage by 5000miles. Symptoms started prior to exiting warranty but due to no communication by dealership or manufacturer unit was not brought in for repair prior. Repeat this is a known defect that is being ignored by manufacturer.

NHTSA ID
11756306
Incident
Aug 4, 2026
SteeringSuspension
Filed Jul 29, 2026

I am experiencing the "Jeep Death Wobble" which occurs intermittently after hitting any road imperfections i.e. uneven road surface connections, potholes, or rumble strips, causing a violent and sudden shaking of the steering wheel at highway speeds. I feel like the wheels are going to fall off it shakes so bad!!! I either have to slow down to under 45 mph or less, or come to a complete stop in order for it to stop wobbling. This does not happen on smooth road surfaces. I have a stock 2021 Jeep Gladiator which I bought brand new the end of 2020. Whenever this happens, I need to get off the road if there are people behind me as I need to slow my speed and or exit the roadway. This puts me at risk especially when traveling interstate highways with tractor trailers and other large vehicles behind me. I advised the dealership in the past that I was experiencing this problem and they were supposed to order a stabilizer for my jeep but have never heard back about it. My Jeep is available for inspection as it has not been fixed. My Jeep was just in for bad calipers/brakes/rotors and had a multi-point inspection on 7/11/26 and 7/22/26. However, the wobble still happens. I am listing below the most recent date that this wobble occurred which was 7/26/26

NHTSA ID
11753502
Incident
Jul 26, 2026
Brakes
Filed Jul 29, 2026

Front brake caliper(s) was seizing up causing smoking and a burning smell. Vehicle was also pulling to the right when braking. Brake fluid or something like it coated the front drivers side wheel. Took vehicle back to dealership where vehicle was purchased new. Vehicle is still under warranty/extended warranties. The dealer did inspect and found front calipers to be seizing up causing excessive wear on brake pads and rotors. They did replace both front calipers but not the brake hoses. They also replaced and charged me for new brake pads and rotors. Not even a week later, I called the dealer to report the same problem, the brakes were again seizing up and there was a smoking/burning smell. The dealer ordered the new brake hoses, found that the brake hoses they attempted to re-use had collapsed causing all the above mentioned problems. The dealer had them installed and so far so good.

NHTSA ID
11753476
Incident
Jul 10, 2026
Steering
Filed Jul 22, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V363000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the vehicle was inspected, and the contact was informed that the vehicle had passed the inspection. The contact was advised to continue to park the vehicle away from the residence. The contact was confused. The contact asked the dealer why the vehicle was still considered a fire risk. No explanation was provided. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID
11752079
Incident
Jul 22, 2026
Steering
Filed Jul 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V363000 (Steering); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle could be taken to the dealer to be inspected; however, the vehicle would remain with the dealer until parts became available. The dealer informed the contact that parts for the recall repair were expected in September 2026. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID
11751758
Incident
Jun 4, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

9100900

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; STRUCTURE:BODY

Passive Entry O/S Dr Handle Prior to replacing an inoperative passive entry door handle, perform Star Online S2623000040.

114044

STRUCTURE:BODY

D-25-15 Rev. C Aluminum Filiform Corrosion Warranty Policy and Vehicle Digital Imaging (VDI) Pre-Approval Process - ALL Vehicles

114045

STRUCTURE:BODY

ID-25-11 Rev. C Aluminum Filiform Corrosion Warranty Policy and Vehicle Digital Imaging (VDI) Pre-Approval Process - ALL Vehicles

16C Combo Rev3

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

113270

ENGINE

CORE – HEATER

113271

ENGINE

CORE – HEATER

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Jeep Gladiator by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027000—
2026320—
2025151053.7
2024232165.7
2023566160.0
20221208270.5
2021Viewing2908261.5
20204837161.0
2019000—
1970010—
1969020—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.