Heavy amount of rust throughout the bottom of the vehicle. Rust is located on frame welds, suspension connection brackets, and axel components. Photos were taken 10 days after purchasing from the dealership. I took the jeep back and asked them to make sure everything was safe. The dealership looked at me like I was crazy and said yep that is normal to have rust. I asked it is normal to have this much rust on a brand new car. That is crazy. The steering jerks to the right and left constantly and you are always having to fight it to stay in a straight line. I have read from other report that this has become a common problem for this model year. I hope this issue will be resolved. I bought my car on 06/29/2019. The photos that are attached for your review were taken on 07/11/2019 thanks [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
2018 Jeep Wrangler body complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 97, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Back in october 2019, I rented a new jeep wrangler from enterprise for a trip to chicago for work. While both traveling to and from chicago, I had two instances while traveling on route 80 in ohio, where I went over small bumps, and this caused the vehicle to shake violently. On the return trip home, I actually had to pull off the side of the highway and slow down to approximately 25 miles per hour to get the shaking to stop. When returning the vehicle to enterprise, I informed them of what happened. They then stated they get a lot of complaints about the wrnagler and would take some money off of my bill. I told them they don't understand, and that there is something seriously wrong with this vehicle and that my wife has the same vehicle and if this happened in her car, I would not allow her to drive it. Fast forward to the night of 12/6/2019. While traveling to my wife's christmas party (in her 2018 jeep wrangler) on route 680 northbound at 60 MPH, I hit a small bump in the road. The steering wheel along with the rest of the vehicle started to shake violently. We then had to slow down in order to get this shaking to stop. I looked over at her and said that this can in no way be normal. She then informed me that this has happened to her a few times as well. There is no way this cannot be a safety issue, and I definitely do not want my wife driving this car.
Vehicle frame has several locations with poor welds. Specifically, excessive weld splash and porous welds similar in appearance to other owners of 2018 model year jeep wrangler vehicles.
While driving above 60mph if I run over a pot hole or a bridge expansion joint I lose my steering .if I don't slow down to 30mph quickly I will not have control. The part that concerns me is that I already was serviced for the steering recall .
There is an open investigation to the quality and safety of the welds on the 2018 jeep wrangler jl. I have a 2018 jeep wrangler which is an example of this poor welding to add to your investigation. See attached example as one of the examples of the welding on my jeep frame.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. The contact discovered several cracks in the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the frame was poorly welded and the metal is contaminated. The contact spoke with stoneridge chrysler jeep dodge (2700 stoneridge dr, pleasanton, ca 94588, 925‑479‑9090) and pleaded with the dealer to either cancel his contract with the vehicle or allow him to trade in the vehicle for another one. The dealer refused his request and offered no further assistance. The contact reached out to the manufacturer and was informed that a representative would call him back. The contact had yet to hear back from the manufacturer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 4,000. *dt *dt
Steering wonders and is unresponsive at highway speeds requiring constant correction. This problem has nothing to do with the damper or track bar, as I have had these replaced, yet the problem persists (9/29/2019). I also, had the bcm body control module fail (7/11/2019) while in motion which caused the steering to lockup and the jeep not respond (thankfully this was a low speed incident).
Bought a 2018 jeep jlu new. Had it for only 5 months and all of the welds on the frame and axles and other components have rusted. Has only been driven on the road and never seen its first winter
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. The contact stated that the welding on the front passenger floor was corroded, fractured, and emitted a noise from underneath. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.
Excessively loose steering/excessive play in steering/dead spot in steering. 1.5 to 2 inches from center in either direction in which steering wheel does not engage tires. Steering jerks and hyper corrects when it does engage. Becomes worse at highway speed. Dangerous at highway speed. Excessive wandering, does not track straight, at slow speed steering pulls in either direction as though it needs alignment. Bad welds, various locations. Purchased vehicle in april 2019. Issue has been present since purchase. Have had it at dealership 5 times. We have a 2019 jl rubicon that does not do it. I have also driven other 2 door 2018's that do not have the issue and other 2018's that do have the issue. Chrysler currently involved. I have video and dealership/chrysler records.
Multiple sub frame welds are incomplete or not done properly. See photos.
My five week old manual jeep wrangler jl with approximately 1500 miles on it was in motion travelling westbound on a 55 MPH road when the incident occurred. The jeep had been in motion for approximately 1/4 of a mile when it was shifted into third gear and part of the transmission fell off of the vehicle. When shifted into 4th gear, again more parts fell from beneath the jeep. Immediately following the gear change the lights on the dash all lit up and black smoke and flames were seen simultaneously on the front passenger side of the vehicle. The jeep was immediately pulled over and stopped on the side of the road where 911 was called. The firefighters found pieces of the transmission hundreds of yards from where the vehicle became engulfed in flames.
Filed complaint with fca regarding poor frame welds. I am a certified welding inspector and registered professional engineer, and the welds were atrocious. Many welds with porosity, linear porosity, and cluster porosity. Also welds misaligned and with poor placement. After months of delays (original complaint in february) they sent a welding inspector (stated from the frame manufacturer) to inspect and weld on the frame. Didn't grind out old welds. Just welded over the top of old welds. Looked even worse. Poor weld profiles. Was told there is nothing else they could do, and was told I was stuck with it or I could go to arbitration. Then fca decided to would offer me a trade certificate of $4000. I felt like this was to shut me up, but it was the only compensation I would receive. I tried to get them to lemon it, but they told me it didn't qualify and just gave me the runaround. Saw an article about reporting to the federal safety agency. Didn't even know this was an option. I wish someone could make them own up to the fact that they produced an improperly manufactured vehicle, potentially very unsafe long term. Marked over 40 spots on my frame (what I could easily see). They welded over 4 spots. I'm afraid if I don't take their trade offer I will get nothing.
While exiting a drive thru, I needed to make a left hand turn. As I was in motion to make that left hand turn, the steering locked up & it sent me crashing straight into a metal pole, which just happened to be for the pedestrian crossing. Thankfully there were no pedestrians around that were put in harms way. However, my 2018 jeep wrangler jl was not so lucky. Currently we are being estimated around $8,000 - $15,000 in damage but that is not final yet.
Rust bubbling up under paint around for hinges. The rust is only evident on the top hinges of both doors (vehicle only has two doors). The dealership refused to fix it and called it a paint imperfection. However the rust spot is increasing in size and new spots are developing. There is no damage to the paint (I.e. Chips, scratches) that would explain the rust. It seems to have come from the factory/ manufacturer.
My jeep rubicon jl floats or drifts as I am driving it. It makes for a hard drive on long drives and I must look like I am driving drunk to others on the road. It is even worse in wind and it's windy a lot where I live. It was very scary to drive at first. I do not like it or feel it is safe at all. Having never owned a jeep I thought it was just me or that the tires needed to be worn down a bit. The problem remains. While listening to fm/am stations the volume is wacky going low and high making for lousy listening. When the AC comes on on the higher setting my jeep sounds like I am getting ready for lift off. Very loud. One lever on my seat near the headrest that controls the ability for a passenger to get in my two door almost immediately became detached and I don't even have my back seat in a lot so it doesn't get used a lot. I have an automatic and it does not shift smoothly. Today I pulled out of a parking spot and my jeep surged forward faster than it should have and it often shifts poorly from park into drive and reverse. The sensor or heater electric wire on the inside of the tailgate window detached.
The redesign of the 2018 jeep wrangler (jl) includes an unsafe design of the freedom top. When the front freedom panels are removed, the edges of the back panel extend across the front of the sound bar and are not finished with any trim, which leaves a sharp exposed fiberglass edge to drivers and passengers inside the vehicle. My husband was driving the vehicle on the highway with the front freedom panels removed in the manner instructed by the dealership and by mopar via their youtube tutorials. When he extended his hand upward to reach for his hat, the exposed edge of the back panel of the freedom top cut his hand deeply enough to sever a nerve and an artery, requiring emergency care and surgery. This occurred within 24 hours of purchasing the vehicle. The newer 2019 model appears to have added plastic trim to correct this issue, however this unreasonably unsafe condition should be addressed for all of the 2018 jl models as well. *dt *dt*jb *dt *tr *dt *dt
The frames welds have porosity, lack of penetration, splatter, too much silica. Also the paint around the welds are chipping, exposing the metal. There is rust starting to form inside the frame rails. I want to point out that this vehicle has never driven near salt and only has less than 8000 miles. Also. Rarely, the radio turns on by itself while the car is off.
Violent hood flutter, thought it was going to break latches/ swing up into windshield june 2018 less than a month after buying the jeep (willy's w package) I took it from south florida on my way to nashville for a new job. Hood flutter all the way at 60-70mph on a highway. A week later I replaced the hood latches with after market ones and haven't had a problem since.
Frame welds have porosity, lack of penetration and rust.
The frame welds on some of the wranglers are outside of the acceptable quality. There are a plethora of pores, cracks, incomplete welds, and slag. I have attached multiple images of my jeeps weld issues. Notice how severe the welds are. There is one specific one with a ton of pores and cracks on the frame rail just behind the front wheel. If I were to fully articulate, the frame would like fail catastrophically. These jeeps should be bought back and replaced in order to prevent catastrophic failures.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. Upon researching the website, the contact noticed the federal safety agency action number: dp18004. The contact stated that the frame weld had porosity spots and discoloration and was experiencing the same failures listed in the action number. The contact called premier chrysler dodge jeep ram of buena park (located at 7301 artesia blvd, buena park, ca 90621) and notified them of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 20,000.
I have a jeep wrangler unlimited jl sport purchased in june of 2018. Just recently every time I get above 60-65 MPH I get a massive amount of vibration also known as 'death wobble' this is happening at highway speeds and can start even if I dont hit a bump or pothole. The only way to get out of it is to brake hard to slow the vehicle down to stop it. Has possed a safety hazard to me because it makes me loose control of the vehicle as I cant turn out to move my vehicle to the side of the road. The death wobble is caused by a combination of items and this should be investigated to see wether a safety notice is needed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. Shortly after owning the vehicle, it experienced the "death wobble". Hemet chrysler dodge jeep ram (240 carriage cir, hemet, ca 92545, (951) 225-4217)indicated that this was a normal condition and test drove the vehicle more than once. The vehicle was supposed to be repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v675000 (structure), but the dealer could not locate a failure and declined the repair. The contact later received another notice for the same recall campaign. The dealer indicated that they were waiting for the manufacturer's guidelines to service the vehicle. The contact had been waiting for the repair for weeks. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.
Frame weld deficiencies on 2018 jl jeep wrangler rubicon 4dr built 01/31/18 summary a defect petition was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation of model year 2018jl jeep wrangler vehicles for the existence of weld related safety defects located on the vehicle frame. The petitioner alleges widespread weld defects across "nearly all" 2018 jeep wrangler (specifically jl family code) vehicle frames. The petition describes a broad list of frame weld deficiencies, including porous welds, excessive slag, lack of weld penetration, over penetration of welds, overweld or weld drip, and weld splash. The weld defects are allegedly located at a variety of locations on the frame assembly including the track bar bracket welds that have broken and resulted in steering concerns (see the federal safety agency safety recall 18v‑675). The petitioner alleges that the existence of the described weld defects could result in "catastrophic failure." this defect petition has been opened to evaluate the issue and determine whether to grant or deny the petitioner's request. The complaints (voq reports) cited above can be reviewed at under the following reference (odi) numbers: 11140057, 11076098. Note: we have the same issue! We opened 2 fca cases # 35210825 09/25/18) and # 7245792 on 10/22/18 (all are with the fca premium premier team case manager. The dealership has not followed up - we escalated and they are to schedule a fca rep to come to the dealership. No response from dealership since 11/27/18 after mutiple phone calls or e-mails. Will have to show up in person again. Unbelievable in 2018 - there is no quality control on the most important part of the vehicle - the frame. No other reputable manufacturer would allow this - jeep needs to correct, refund (buy back the vehicles) , or replace with new ones correctly manufactured.
Traveling about 60 MPH on a rural two lane road a truck approaching from opposite direction pushed wind into front of the jeep causing hood to flutter up approx one inch. Startling me driving.
Vehicle has very unsafe welds at numerous locations on frame. Most all welding points show slag, porosity, splatter with some actually not even complete. I do not feel safe driving this jeep and refuse to let anyone other than myself ride in or drive it. While fca (jeep) has issued a recall addressing poor welds at the track bar mounting bracket location on a limited number of 2018-2019 jeep wrangler's (mine was not involved, even though the welds are insufficient), they need to further address the all of the welding deficiencies located throughout this vehicles frame. I pray the federal safety agency takes my (as well as others I'm sure) complaint(s) regarding this issue in all seriousness and investigates further before people start getting hurt or even killed. Thank you.
1. The steering wheel is loose and vehicle wanders off of the road at >45 MPH speed. Unable to keep vehicle on traffic lane. 2. The vehicle stopped on city street while traveling at 22 MPH speed. Check engine light on and the transmission locked. 3. Low battery voltage (12.7v) reading while running and at stationary. *dt*jb *dt
Brand new 2018 jeep wrangler jlu, only 400 mile, due to the recent recall on the track bard weld issue, I went over the vehicle and inspected the welds on other areas of my vehicle and notice that the welding on the rear lower control arm bracket was not properly welded. The weld was mostly on the frame rather than on the seam between the frame and the control arm bracket, by comparing the driver side rear lower control arm bracket, it was clearly apparent that there was a welding error. Additionally, (refer to attached pdf document) the robotic welder not only missed the seam but stopped welding after about 1.5" (up to the white line marked by qc) the a person welded from right to left (up to the white line where the robot stopped) but also missed the seam and welded mostly on the frame. Chrysler had to have known about the issue because a person did weld where the robot stopped. However, the improper welding was performed and this issue can potentially cause a fatal accident being that this vehicle is a off-road capable vehicle and unlike regular vehicle, this vehicle will more likely be used in extreme conditions further placing stress on the improperlly welded components.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. The contact stated that the subframe welding was rusted, corroded, misaligned, and did not meet the manufacturer's specifications related to spacing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (bennett jeep, 149 hwy 40 east, kingsland, ga) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failures could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 5,000.
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