Posted on 01/05/2021 7:54:36 PM PST by Responsibility2nd
In theory, a Jeep is something you buy so you can drive anywhere your heart desires. Over the river and through the woods, across muddy bogs you find. But don't get too excited with your newfound freedom, lest you end up like one Jeep Gladiator owner who voided their truck's warranty by getting too exuberant in the mud—and is now considering legal action against Fiat Chrysler.
As outlined in a late December post on JeepGladiatorForum.com, user Gladiatrix bought a 2020 Gladiator Rubicon in July, and within days took it out for a test in the great outdoors. During said test, they "plowed through mud a bunch of times," splashing mud up onto the alternator, allegedly causing its failure. Gladiatrix took the truck to the nearest dealer, Russell Westbrook Jeep in Van Nuys, California, where a technician quoted at least $3,000 in repairs, encompassing the alternator, battery, radiator, and possibly more. Rather than pay up, Gladiatrix sought a second opinion from the (unspecified) dealer where they purchased the truck, which charged a deductible on the alternator but deemed other maintenance unnecessary.
Serious problems, however, began three months down the road, when the Gladiator's electronics started going haywire. First to fail was the center brake light, and thereafter came issues with the engine's stop-start system. Worst of all, though, was an issue with the rear axle locking on its own, which it sometimes did on onramps or the highway itself.
"I can't unlock them if I try," Gladiatrix wrote. "I ended up fishtailing on two separate occasions while getting onto the freeway on dry California pavement."
Gladiatrix returned to the dealer in November and was informed they needed an entirely new rear axle, plus two new batteries. They could not be replaced under warranty, however, due to a restriction placed on the warranty, suspected to have come from the dealer that quoted $3,000 in July. When called, said dealer denied having the power to enact such a restriction, though FCA allegedly later told Gladiatrix this dealer did in fact apply the restriction, and that the restriction won't be lifted because they were accused of having "submerged" their Jeep in the mud. Gladiatrix recalls their mud bath occurring in "less than a foot" of the stuff. As it can be seen below, they hit puddles hard enough to send mud higher than the Gladiator's roof, and surely into places mud was never meant to go.
Whether or not one foot was the limit of their mud play as claimed, their Jeep's failing electronics clearly show mud went places it wasn't meant to go. Rugged as they may be, Jeep Gladiators aren't invincible, and according to one lawsuit, the model may have sway bar disconnect modules prone to early failure from exposure to water, or hypothetically mud too. Sway bar disconnects aren't among Gladiatrix's problems, but it's no stretch to imagine what can kill an alternator can short-circuit other parts of a Gladiator too.
Whatever the case, this debacle shaping up to be an ugly battle between consumer, corporation, and dealer, none of whom want to swallow the cost of servicing a troublesome Gladiator, and none of whose whole stories we have heard. We've reached out to Fiat Chrysler for clarification on the Gladiator's factory warranty, as well as Gladiatrix for additional details on their side of the story, and we will update when we receive either.
Drove a Land Rover through mud so bad the passenger was holding down the washer button so I would have a tiny space to see out of.
After we got back on the pavement we threw a couple of buckets of water on the windows so we could see.
The cops stopped us because the jeep was so filthy they could not tell what color it was and they were looking for a jeep.
Washed it off after we got home and never had a problem.
If their vehicles are too dainty to deal with a little mud maybe they should drop the Jeep label and just make Fiats. Nobody expected them to stand up to a little mud.
When I dropped off my Ram 2500 for service a few months ago, I walked around the lot. There was a row of about 10 Gladiators, so I walked over and checked them out. Really cool trucks. Every one of them had a “lemon law” sticker on the window, having been bought back by FCA after several failed attempts at repair. I’d say this guy should hire a lawyer.
We have had far more mud than that on pickups just getting home from town.
I would expect a Jeep to be made to deal with mud.
I know a guy who basically did this to a Mercedes G 550. I can’t remember if he limped it to the dealer, or ended up with a tow. In any case, he flew home, they replaced the alternator and some other stuff, he returned and paid a couple weeks later and drove home.
The G Wagon might a more serious off-road vehicle than that jeep.
In any case, alternators don’t like being clogged with mud.
I totally agree. And the gladiator serves no useful purpose. If you want a Jeep Wrangler; buy one. If you want a four-wheel-drive truck, buy something else.
The -ix suffix in the owner’s nickname implies that the owner is a woman.
And I suspect that we’re talking about more than just “some mud”. Vehicle designers are very careful about protecting the electricals on offroad vehicles, and the first mechanic’s diagnosis of needing radiator work makes me think that the owner took the Jeep mud bogging, swamped the vehicle completely in a very deep hole, and is now hoping that the dealership will be unable to repair her truck and will give her a new one.
I’m with the dealership on this one. Jeeps can handle some mud and water, but the owners manual specifies the max fording depth, and beyond that you’re on your own.
In any case, alternators don’t like being clogged with mud.
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Quite true. The more I read of this story, the more I think they need to total this truck. It’s flood damaged. I believe more than just mud got into the electrical system and has fried much if not all of the electrical components that drive this Gladiator. It’s totaled.
The only Chinese ties that Fiat has is a plant in China that produces vehicles solely for the Chinese market. Now, Fiat-Chrysler has merged with PSA Group (the French multinational corporation that owns Citroen and Peugeot).
Fiat-Chrysler has merged with PSA Group.
It just got worse: Fiat-Chrysler-Peugeot-Citroën...”Fix It Again Tony” meets French reliability:
I can remember bringing my CJ5 home and the only somewhat clean spot was where I was sitting.
Then there was that time I got home late and parked it in the yard, put a sprinkler under it and went to bed. The next morning there was 100’s of pounds of mud that had been washed off. That was a real crowd pleaser with mom.
That being said, it sounds to me like he/she ran it thru enough mud that it packed the radiator and enough water to fill the rear diff. That means it was up to the frame rail for some period of time.
I can’t fault the manufacturer on that one.
Yeah, companies involved in the Merger decided to use a simplified name for the new entity: Stellantis. I imagine that is easier to say and write than is “Fiat-Chrysler-PSA Group.”
These vehicles are advertised and glorified as being off road worthy. LOL, hell no.
I’m a very serious off road rider of motorcycles and also own a CanAm Maverick X3 Turbo UTV.
When you buy an off road vehicle, it’s good enough to drive on a gravel road, pick up the mail.
If you actually intend on doing serious off road, you are putting thousands, or tens of thousands into the vehicle to improve the;
Armor
Weak parts
Weak performance
Upgrading radiators
Desmog
Wheels/tires
Suspension
on and on and on....
Gladiatrix? Sure, mkay. Whatever.
The last Chrysler products I owned were some 90s models. Back when Chrysler and Mitsubishi were partners. And we all know how unreliable those cars were. Why does Chrysler always pick the worst manufacturers to ally with? Except for Diamler, Chrysler has always had a history of poor decisions.
Thank God Chevrolet made a conscious decision to make bad butt ugly trucks. Otherwise Ram would still be in last place. Still, I wouldn’t even buy a Ram today.
Ive been doing the things you see in Jeep commercials for over 20 years in my Jeeps. I drive them through muddy fields and wash them off by driving as fast as I can through deep puddles and flooded roads. I cant imagine why a Gladiator shouldnt work exactly the same way.
These stories are generally at least half horse shit.
When we know the full story we could act as a jury.
You are absolutely right. It takes thousands and thousands of dollars of upgrades to do true serious off roading . And as you well know these upgrades will void the warranty.
BINGO !!!
My motorcycles have a 30 day warranty...
But the smartest thing to do is to test the bike on the lot before you buy, cuz if something’s wrong it’s a royal PITA.
What really Pissed me off was the CanAm Maverick. It’s all beefed up and burly looking. But, the armor and tubing for suspension, A arms, Radius arms...they are thick but hollow and very thin. The first hit, bam, bent... I’ve showered my rig with money...
Granted, I drive it like a dirt bike...
If I drove that CanAm like a sissy, it’d be fine. But I didn’t buy it for going to starbucks or going 20 mph on a gravel road.
Lucky for me, my mechanic talked me into buying it. I said I’d buy the parts it’d need if he agreed to do maintenance and repairs for free. He’s losing on this one bigtime!
Here’s the last wreck. Warning, F bomb
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNPLqdmsiOM
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