Experienced mechanic explains why he would stay far away from a Jeep Gladiator
In 2020, the Jeep Gladiator JT started hitting streets in the US, combining the popular four-door Wrangler JL with the utility of a mid-size pickup truck. Now the Gladiator is in its sixth model year, with no indication that it’s going away anytime soon. However, this experienced mechanic maintains that a Gladiator is a nightmare waiting to happen. And its biggest issue is stuffed under its hood.
A certified mechanic in St. Marys, Georgia, says a Jeep Gladiator is ‘always in the shop’ in need of work
Sherwood sees just about every conceivable kind of popular make and model come through his Georgia shop. However, sometimes he sees a disproportionate number of the same model pass through his doors. As for this usual suspect, it’s the Jeep Gladiator, the truck version of the four-door Wrangler.
“We always have one in the shop in one way or another,” the mechanic joked to his son. “At least this engine!” his son added from behind the camera. “Yeah, this engine,” Sherwood agreed. “That’s the problem with them. The engine. They’re just not good, reliable engines.”
The engine he’s referring to is the common 3.6L Pentastar V6. It’s the same engine you’ll find under the hood of most JK and JL Jeep Wranglers. That’s not all, though. It’s something of an FCA and Stellantis staple. You’ll find a 3.6L Pentastar under the hood of the now-discontinued Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Dodge Challenger six-cylinder trims. You’ll also find it in the current Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Durango, and RAM 1500, to name a few.
However, its failure rate isn’t anything remarkable. FCA and Stellantis produced over 10 million Pentastar engines in their various configurations. Given the sheer volume of the engine’s production history, catastrophic failures are rare.
Still, Sherwood has seen his share of valvetrain issues, camshaft faults, and piston failures in Pentastar engines. As for this particular Jeep Gladiator, the truck had a mere 44,675 miles on it. In that time, the owner replaced major components of the Jeep’s valvetrain, only to have another issue. Now, after those fixes, one of the Gladiator’s six pistons “is binding up.” Worse yet, the Georgia mechanic says the failing piston has already caused cylinder damage.
Sherwood’s experience with the engine isn’t confidence-inspiring. “It’s almost getting to the Kia level of failures.” He clearly has a history with Kia vehicles. “They could be a good vehicle if they fixed the motors in them.”
