2021 Jeep Gladiator

When operating the vehicle under heavier loads (5%+ grades, towing even light trailers, higher highway speeds) vehicle loses power limiting speed to 15-50mph depending on how hot the water or oil temperature is. I have had this issue in ambient temperatures as low as 31°F while towing 4000lb up a steep incline, but will absolutely overheat if ambient temp is over 100°F. Vehicle must be left running during a fuel stop or heat soak caused by the vehicle is not running will prevent me from merging back on the highway at a safe speed....max speed is 50mph until the engine oil cools off. Air conditioner use as expected makes the problem worse. There are many threads going on the Jeep internet forums with many diesel equipped Jeep Wranglers and Gladiators having the same issues, so I know these aren't isolated incidents from my vehicle alone. If you were to search "Ecodiesel power derating as temps rise" on Google, you would see some discussion. Engine fan runs at full speed, coolant is full, and radiator/grill is clean/free of debris. I have owned this vehicle since new and have operated in many types of conditions/loads over the past 14 months 23,000 miles from 9°-126°F. The first time I had the issue was late May of 2021 (At approx 5,000 miles) and it has happened no less than 20 times since then. The only visual alarm is when coolant temp reaches 248° and the vehicle speed drops to 10mph. The gauge does not read linear........Meaning the vehicle is almost already overheated by the gauge shows the temp is rising. I can only assume the is intentionally programmed into the code by the vehicle manufacturer to make the operator feel like the high temps are normal. I have not had the vehicle inspected by the local dealer because in the past they were never able to duplicate the conditions in my opinion due to laziness or incompetence. I own an auto repair shop and know the problem to be an undersized cooling system which Chrysler does not have an approved fix for.

The vehicle auto starts when the AC is turned on with the Auto HAVC set to off. The owner’s manual states that “the engine will start automatically when” the “Actual cabin temperature is significantly different than temperature set on Auto HVAC.” The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner’s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and may begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver’s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“. This portion of the vehicle’s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The vehicle auto starts when the fan is turned on without the AC. The owner’s manual does not list this as one of the “Conditions that will cause the engine to start automatically”. The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner’s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and may begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver’s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“. This portion of the vehicle’s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The vehicle auto starts when the defrost is turned on below the max or full setting. The owner’s manual specifies that “the engine will start automatically when” the “HVAC is set to full defrost mode”. The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner’s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and may begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver’s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“. This portion of the vehicle’s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The vehicle auto starts when the brake pedal is pressed. The owner’s manual does not list this as one of the “Conditions that will cause the engine to start automatically”. The vehicle is operating in direct conflict with owner’s manual. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and begin to roll when the driver is not ready. Additionally, if someone is operating on or under the vehicle, it will result in a serious injury or the loss of a finger when the vehicle auto starts in violation of the driver’s intent. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 Jeep dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“. This portion of the vehicle’s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The vehicle auto starts when opening the driver’s door. This is not listed under “Conditions that will cause the engine to start automatically while in STOP/START AUTO STOP ACTIVE mode” in the owner’s manual. Other Jeep models do not auto start upon opening the driver’s door. This auto start issue poses a serious safety hazard as the vehicle will unexpectedly start and begin to roll when the driver’s door is open and the driver is not properly secure in the driver seat. The unexpected / wanted start could cause a collision with another vehicle or pedestrian leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 Jeep dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“. This portion of the vehicle’s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The vehicle auto stops when the defrost is turned off, in direct conflict with owner’s manual. The owner’s manual specifies that “HVAC is set to full defrost mode” will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of initiating the event. Additionally, this issue occurs when the HVAC is operating at less than full defrost mode. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a “STOP/START READY” message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops in traffic which confuses and distracts the driver. The unexpected / wanted stop in heavy traffic could cause a rear-end collision leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“. This portion of the vehicle’s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The vehicle auto stops when the steering wheel is turned, in direct conflict with owner’s manual. The owner’s manual specifies that “Steering angle beyond threshold” will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of initiating the event. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a “STOP/START READY” message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops in traffic which confuses and distracts the driver. The unexpected / wanted stop in heavy traffic could cause a rear-end collision leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“. This portion of the vehicle’s Auto Start / Stop System is NOT operating as designed and documented in the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

The failure of the vehicle’s safety condition check for an empty driver’s seat for an auto stop indicates that the “Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)” and/or the “Advanced Front Air Bag system” are not receiving proper information. This creates a serious safety hazard as the front air bags may not deploy or may not “adjust the inflation rate of the Advanced Front Air Bags” as specified in the owner’s manual. For driver safety, these systems and their associated sensors should be fully examined and tested. The vehicle auto stops when the driver’s seat is not occupied, in direct conflict with owner’s manual. The owner’s manual specifically states that if the “Driver’s seat is not occupied” that the “engine will not stop.” Note that this system safety check is separate and distinct from the “Driver’s seat belt is not buckled” check. The vehicle fails to properly check for the empty driver’s seat safety condition before initiating an auto stop. The associated auto stop malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at 2 Jeep dealerships, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle is “operating as designed“, despite the vehicle operating in violation of the owner’s manual. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle, as this is one of numerous hardware / software malfunctions plaguing the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.