Body problems of the 2018 Jeep Wrangler - part 1

After several decades of producing the jk model Wrangler, Jeep transitioned to a jl model midyear 2018. There are essentially two distinct 2018 Jeep Wrangler models. Jeep (stellantis) has accepted responsibility for a safety defect for the jl model years 2019 through current. This recognized defect affects heavy corrosion on the hinges for the doors which creates an extreme safety concern. My 2018 jl Wrangler has the same failure, same part, same time frame, but was unjustly excluded by build date. 6 of the 8 door hinges and surrounding body have various levels of corrosion. My dealer just completed a recall for a steering damper which is widely categorized as a concern for 2018 and 2019 jl Wranglers. This is irrefutable proof that 2018 jl Wranglers were built through the same assembly line process as 2019 and later versions. The safety concern I've described above should be included in the open factory recall that Jeep/stellantis has accepted as their responsibility. I have contact customer service for Jeep/stellantis multiple times. They refuse to hear my concerns, were incredibly unprofessional, and have hung up on me numerous times.

My 2018 Jeep Wrangler jl has a known corrosion issue tsb31-001-19 and tsb31-002-20. Corrosion on doors and hinges and spot welds. I have called local dealers and they won’t help. I got with the Jeep help line and they gave me a case number and said they would not be doing anything about it. They never gave me the opportunity to send pictures of corrosion in said areas. There is a goodwill program that I asked about and was refused so I’m reaching out to the NHTSA and bbb to get some help with this issue. This is a well known and documented issue and not owner negligence. The case# given to me was 94287282.

Paint, bubbling and corrosion not declared as a defect by the Jeep dealership. I would have never purchased knowing this information. I am looking for a goodwill repair of the defect of mixed metal causing corrosion on the body. Jeep states I am out of the extended warranty for repair. I am hoping to open a claim to get a repair of this manufacturing defect that was not disclosed in good faith to me.

After filing my first concern with the vehicle and attempting to rack my brain with answers to why a 2018 is falling apart at the seams, I can only come up with either fraud, or the vehicle has been modified in major ways and glued together only to fall apart every bump I go over. After some reading I’m questioning 49 cfr part 565 form that was turned in after I purchased the vehicle means that I possibly have a replica, “remanufactured”, or altered vehicle. I’m not sure of the legality of selling a vehicle built from whatever vehicles I have, I do know that parts are not all the same years upon scanning modules I got some strange replacement identifiers that I will send. I also question if it really passed emissions being that my short term fuel trim sensor passed the catalytic converter on both sides stays over 99% consistently, also one of the “inspection” reports was done 2 minutes apart and the paper states that the vehicle passed at 5:08 then failed at 5:10 pm the same day. Not many vehicles tend to try again after passing and 2 minutes apart. I would have never bought a vehicle that not only has random foreign parts but a 2015 vehicle is also showing up under module information. I’ll never have recall information, and it seems that every system in the vehicle meant to warn or save me and my family when driving is compromised completely, yet somehow someone was allowed to pretend that I was buying a 2018 Jeep sahara unlimited with no record on carfax that what I am paying over 50 grand for with tax doesn’t just get bad gas and jump half the road when I hit a bump “because it’s a Jeep”. I should have been made aware that I was buying something scrapped, and that the odometer could be from any of them. I would like to receive a report of the form filed months after I purchased the vehicle and my entire Jeep changed description and was no longer being monitored for safety. The ipc, bcm, tcm, and ecu aren’t properly communicating, and panels are all shifting.

After purchasing seems the VIN was updated with information I was not disclosed. The bcm has never worked correctly the instrument panel is erratic and even with a code reader showing p codes there’s no check light. The steering makes the entire vehicle jump over half a road. Blind spot monitors don’t know what to do sometimes they are unavailable, odometer has all 9s sometimes. I did all the checks on the vehicle at the time and what I was given showed I had a 2018 4 door sahara and that was what I was led to believe. After having issues and getting my registration I started looking at everything more because the dealer registered me as a commercial passenger truck(still don’t know why) but found a report that says moab/sahara and my seems my vehicles body chasis and motor are all over the place. I’m pretty sure the engine is failing as at one point in one of the reports I found it stated it failed emissions. But the overall worst is that the suspension looks like it came off the titanic compared to the body panels, there’s a lot of welding and rusted or “appearingly tampered” pieces in the chassis and the vehicle seems to be coming apart at every seam. I am currently not driving it because it looks to have sank down to where it could be dangerous I’m pretty sure the suspension, frame, and axles aren’t rated for what’s on it and sounded like something may be coming off at the wheel or axle area last time I did drive it. The vehicle I thought I was purchasing had safety guidelines and there is 2. 0 parts, 3. 6 parts on this along with random other countries parts. It was bought used “as-is” but not under the pretense that they assembled it by hand from leftovers. It wouldn’t pass safety standards or emissions in a foreign country much less in the united states. I am starting here but will be seeking legal counsel. No longer certain I even have a Jeep frame or chassis or just some panels stuck to a rusting timebomb. I’ve only drove like 8,000 miles. Now I’m scared to.

I have a 2018 Jeep Wrangler jl series. I was driving down the highway, and the soft top latches sheared off, causing the top to rip back off the top of the Jeep. These clips fell down inside the car and sharp plastic pieces hit my sunglasses. The place where they sheared off was not at any boat locations or latching sections. This year was at the curve where it boats on to the soft top roof frame. The flat section where the sheer occurred was about 2 1/2 inches to 3 inches by only a quarter inch thick. This thickness was not substantial enough to hold the roof locked down tight. This could have created an accident as I was going down the highway at 60 miles an hour almost losing control of the vehicle. I have visited the dealer and called Jeep. Customer care they offer no support. I feel like this is a substantial safety issue that could cause someone to lose control of the vehicle and endanger themselves and others.

My soft top has never been unzipped, and the back plastic windshield has started to come apart. This causes water to get into my car when it rains. So much water got into my car from the exposed opening in the back window, my car jack actually rusted and cannot be used, so now I have no jack for my car. This opening also causes bugs to get in and lay eyes or make nests, putting me at potential risk to get stung. The water has also caused a build up of dirt on the back windshield, causing extreme difficulty to see out of the back windshield.

My door and hood hinges are severely corroded; this is a known issue that has resulted in a TSB. However, dealers are unwilling/unable to complete the repair work due to the high volume warranty claims they receive related to this issue. My door hinges have corroded to the point that they’ve undoubtedly lost structural integrity.

There is paint bubbling on all 4 doors near the hinges and bottom of the door, as well as the hood of the vehicle.

There is a missing weld on the lower passenger rear control arm bracket that looks like a manufacture defect. I recently started hearing a clanging noise and brought it to the mechanic. I was not put at risk of safety (for the tie being). The problem has been confirmed and looked at only by a mechanic. There were no warning lights. How do I get the welding fixed? the dealer will not help me repair it.

Paint peeling, bubbling. Has been happening for over 2 years. Doors and hinges and hood.

I purchased my 2018 Jeep Wrangler jl sport s 4 door in may of 2021. During the summer, while riding down the road, I had my soft top convertible top back. Upon closing the top when reaching home, the cover had become detached from tent assembly. I am just wondering if this was a apart of the safety recall for 2018 Jeep Wranglers, and if it was, how can I tell if this problem that was addressed with the vehicle I own now and fixed. I have had to buy a replacement top which is being installed on 9-19-2022. The cost is $1764. 22, which I will not have an invoice for until they have completed the install.

Paint bubbling up all over due to aluminum usage for the body.

Frame welds failed, causing the lower control arm to completely detach from vehicle while driving on highway. Yes, it is available for inspection upon request. Yes, my safety was put at risk. Dealer refused to acknowledge problem, did not wish to see photos or video. The repair was completed elsewhere. December 29th - while driving on the highway I hear a loud bang and pull over. Turns out my front lower control arm mount completely breaks off my frame (see attached photos). I call my dealership (zappone cdjr in clifton park NY), they can’t get me in for a few weeks due to their availability. I get a major favor and get an extremely reputable, nationally known, off-road manufacture to fix it for me. While I am there, they tell me - take it in to the dealership, a lot of your welds need to be looked at. Apparently someone attempted to touch up some of the welds by hand, but didn’t do a great job. I purchased this jlur brand new, actually ordered it from factory so no outside work was done on it. Feb 21st - finally get it in to the dealership, explain to them the situation and without even looking at it, I already get hit with the “well hopefully your lift didn’t cause it” by the service advisor (jeff coon). I even reference the TSB out about welds and get told “well tsbs aren’t covered under warranty its an out of pocket expense”. So I call the support center and get told the same thing frame is not covered under my extended warranty, and my standard warranty is out. Ultimately I get told “inspected frame from star cases and damage to frame is not a known issue and is caused by off reading abuse and aftermarket lift kit and would put pressure on welds. Technician found would not be considered factory warranty due to aftermarket lift kit installed.

Rust is forming along the bottom of all of the doors (4 of them) and on or around some of the hinges. The rust seems to be forming inside of the door and what is visible from the outside looks like the paint in bulging slightly.

Within a week with no wear or tear -14000 miles; all hinges on all doors as well as the door panels are corroding from the inside out. Huge safety issue- all Wrangler forums are reporting this as well. A paint and bondo job are not the answer! the safety prospect would be new doors and hinges - which are a must. My doors have never been removed! and my Jeep is garaged.

Corrosion on all aluminum panel and hinges could lead to failure of hinge.

Poor quality welds on the whole frame of my Jeep. Not only that but it is a 2 year vehicle that is rusting away. California vehicle keep in mind so rust should be very minimal. Also the 5� uconnect radio freezes often and shuts on and off.

I purchased the Jeep Wrangler as the first owner in 2018. I immediately felt inconsistencies with the steering. The steering felt loose. At the time I expressed my concern to the dealership that I purchased the Jeep from, I was told that there was a recall on my Jeep for the �death wobble� and that it was likely the result of that. The recall work was completed within the first 12 months of purchase. The recall repair did not resolve the issue. The steering continued to feel loose and as time went on became more evident. When driving on the expressway onto an exit at 40-50mph I followed the slight curve and the steering felt unstable and wandered. The best way to describe what occurred would be that it felt like the frame was falling off the wheels. This continued more frequently and last week became unmanageable. While driving 70mph down the expressway, I was unable to maintain control of the vehicle. It felt like I was driving a boat on water. I felt confident that the frame of the Jeep was leaving the wheels. At this time I noticed that the gears were slipping as well. I made an appointment to have my transmission examined. The earliest available appointment is 6 days out, so I decided to sneak under the Jeep to see if there was a transmission leak. What I observed was shocking to find on a 2018 vehicle and considerably overwhelming. My degree is criminal science, so far from having any automative/engineering experience and knowledge, but contextual clues are evidentiary clear to me. The feeling of the frame being displaced from the body of the vehicle is a probable result. I have a deep concern with the current condition of the welding of the frame and the condition of the underbody.

Was driving on the freeway with my wife and five yr old son when we heard a loud pop underneath our 2018 Jeep Wrangler and instantly saw a trail of smoke behind us. We immediately pulled over to find transmission guild gushing from underneath with tons of smoke as well. We were hoping the smoke was probably just from fluid on the manifold but we small flashes of fire starting at the transmission and clutch area. I quickly grabbed my son sitting in back and we jumped over the concrete barrier on the side and ran away from the Jeep as it quickly became engulfed. It still had the temp tags having only had it three weeks. It was a 2018 with 15k miles.

I was driving on the interstate highway when I heard a loud pop and saw an arc flash and pulled to the side emergency lane. I then saw flames dripping from my Jeep and the entire front end of the Jeep went up in flames and caught fire.

While inspecting the vehicle I noticed several (many) welds on the frame of the vehicle that was very poor. However, in addition to poor weld quality, I noticed several welds that were poorly painted/treated and raw metal and rust are visible to the naked eye. Having contacted the dealerships in the area no one will return my calls. I will be personally treating the areas and repainting to avoid worsening condition.

Nothing happened per say. Saw a news story regarding the investigation into Jeep for poor workmanship on frame welds. Had my Jeep looked at and realized mine has faulty frame welds, as well. See attached photos.

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 .

While my 16-year-old daughter and I were driving on the FL 528/beachline expressway the entire clutch pressure plate assembly exploded off my vehicle. Fluids drained and ignited. The entire vehicle was burned to ashes. The full accident investigation report is included in the upload.

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.

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).

Tl- the contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that upon inspection, he discovered that there are several cracks in the undercarriage of the vehicle. The contact also stated that the vehicle had poor welding on the vehicle main frame. The contact spoke with the dealer(stoneridge Chrysler Jeep Dodge 2700 stoneridge dr, pleasanton, CA 94588 925-479-9090) where he pleaded with the dealer to either cancel his contract with the vehicle or allow him to trade in the vehicle for another. The dealer refused his request and offered him no further assistance. The contact had reached out to the manufacturer but he was informed that a representative would call him back, he had yet to hear from the manufacturer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 4,000.

Multiple sub frame welds are incomplete or not done properly. See photos.

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.

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 contact had not contacted the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of tgh failure. The approximate failure was 15,000. Gl.

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.

Body: water leak from hardtop (right front passenger) and (front center - where hardtop meets windshield pillar). Multiple attempts to correct (replaced all seals) and there is still a leak from front center (where hardtop meets windshield pillar). Suspension: loud 'clunk' or 'thump' coming from rear when accelerating from both a dead stop and while moving at less than (5) mph and accelerating.