Radiator Problems of Jeep Wrangler - part 1

When the heat was turned on a burning smell was detected. Vehicle was taking to the dealer for an oil change and an analyze for the burning odor, this vehicle is at 52000 miles. Result: major leak to the oil filter housing and the front drive shaft is also leaking grease. This vehicle is not being using for off-roading or 4wd dealer stated that the oil filter housing was fixed and the vehicle can be driven while waiting on the other parts. I continue to detect the burning odor. The vehicle continues to leak oil. On further inspection the coolant and the radiator is empty. Dealer mechanic stated that the radiator is leaking and this is a common issue. I am not the only customer that is having this issue; when inquired about a recall, I was told that currently the manufacture does not have one in place. I was told that the manufacture is aware of the issue but will not acknowledge it and once the vehicle reaches 50,000 miles and out of warranty, it is now the customer problem.

See all problems of the 2017 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

We were parked, with motor running and got a slight whiff of the sweet anti freeze scent. Took it to a shop who said we had a very small hole near the top of the radiator. After research, we see this is a highly reported problem. On a 3 year old vehicle? we have a 15 year old vw bug convertible and a 20 year old Ford f150 an have never had issues with the radiators. So disappointed in this!.

Began smelling coolant (sweet smell), although could not find leak. At 15,600 miles (may 2020), vehicle was brought to Jeep dlr for service. Found small cracks in the plastic portion of the radiator. Now, at 18,600, the sweet smell is back. Will need to take it back in to Jeep dlr again.

See all problems of the 2018 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

Transmission full of antifreeze. Internal transmission cooler (in radiator) failed. Caused transmission to fail.

See all problems of the 2012 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

Faulty radiator had to be replaced. The vehicle has always maintained regular maintenance and never had accidents or issues. The temp started overheating and upon inspection the mechanic stated the radiator was causing it. My research online shows many others have experienced this issue. This should not happen on a car that is only 3 years old!.

Oil cooler/oil filter housing and gaskets have a known defect that causes oil to leak onto and into engine components, such as the radiator, causing thousands of dollars in damage to the vehicle. Jeep/Chrysler/Dodge/ram techs know that this is a common defect, and the leaking oil can and does burn, which can lead to a total engine fire!!! I first noticed the issue when I smelled burning oil. Thinking it was just a minor issue that could be fixed whenever I had the free time, I continued driving for another week or two until smoke started coming out of the engine! I finally took it in because there was way too much smoke to be safe (fire?). The tech that worked on my Jeep, mike pollard, says he sees this issue all the time, advised me to pay for the repairs and then file for reimbursement with their corporate office since it is a known issue and my Jeep only had 43,500 miles on it (well under the 100,000 mile powertrain warranty). Well, I did as he asked, but corporate customer care is useless, will not reach out to the tech as asked, and are doing their best to not pay because vehicle is out of warranty and there is not a recall. Either way, this issue can start a fire if left unfixed. Jeep knows that this is a common issue, yet will not do a recall unless forced (money over safety). Look online at the hundreds of others complaining about this common issue. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2014 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

Radiator leak (failure). Jeep dealer confirmed and repair is in process.

Twice, end of may 2019 and February of 2020 I had scheduled oil changes done at same dealer. By the end of those days, Jeep would not run, check engine light blinking and would barely start, not run. Both times towed back to dealership, both times under warranty. First time I was told a broken valve spring and valve cover had leaked oil into ignition system. Valve spring/cover work covered, tune up and redoing ignition system not. . . ? was told to contact manufacturer, they told me to contact dealer. This time(2/2020) towed in, took six days to be told broken valve spring/valve cover but also a defective cylinder head. Also told cylinder head on back order, could be months. Vehicle is maintained according to manufacturers schedules, don't do tractor pulling with it, this appears to be a known defective, just like the bad radiators or heating system gooped up with sand. Thank you.

See all problems of the 2015 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

2016 Jeep Wrangler jku with 60119 miles at discovery of issues by dealership. Chrysler was to cover maintenance on blown head engine head gaskets following inspection. On 23feb20 I noticed excessive vapor coming out of my exhaust on my way home, I checked my coolant and oil to see if there were any problems finding low coolant levels however it was still within normal range. It was determined my head gasket was damaged and a repair was necessary. The dealership recommended the additional replacement of the radiator which Chrysler was informed of given terms for covering the repair of the vehicle as the failure occurred right at warranty. I found the engine was still having a problem with air in the radiator/coolant line and immediately took my vehicle back to the dealership for a coolant purge. During inspection the Chrysler master mechanic noticed the main coolant fan was not operating as expected. The main coolant fan operation was intermittent which would have caused a long term overheating as the root cause failure of the head gasket which was to determined by the Chrysler facility to have been failing over the last 10,000 miles. Chrysler was contacted and approved maintenance as with the other failed items. I contacted world Jeep again and was able to start my vehicle and drive it to the dealership for maintenance inspection. Dealership found gasket installed was defective, the heater core was clogged unable to provide heat in the cab and the engine had a knocking noise. Chrysler was contacted to recommend course of action which is the replacement of the engine. Chrysler has changed case managers 4 times and has been difficult to receive a response back by myself or the Jeep dealership. Chrysler is now refusing to cover any of the work they had previously agreed to help cover and are only willing to assist with 50% of the repair costs of the engine replacement.

See all problems of the 2016 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

Radiator leak, with less than 70k miles the hoses were replaced but still leaking with smell of antifreeze.

After driving for about 20 mins the radiator fan would run at full speed to cool the engine. Took it to the shop 12/31/2019 and the diagnosis was that the radiator was leaking with no warning. The service advisor claimed that running the heat too high inside the vehicle probably caused the radiator to crack and leak. . . The vehicle only had 40k miles on it when the radiator was replaced and was not covered under factory warranty.

My Jeep has a 38375 miles on it and I took it the dealer cause I kept smelling coolant and I thought I had a leak in the plastic anti freeze holder they put the truck on the lift and said I have two leaks on the seals why is that the car shouldn't have a leak in the radiator this soon the car is not old the car now smokes so I have now stop driving the truck this should also be covered under the warranty.

Repeated failure of radiator and thermostat housing. Annual replacement plus the heater core deterioration due to ph levels. Bad design. Safety issue as a failed radiator blows up steam and blocks view in motion in unsafe.

See all problems of the 2011 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

I have taken my Wrangler in for the 2nd time now with a black sludge in the overflow and radiator. The last dealership replaced the radiator, trans cooler, all hoses and and flushed. Now one year later I am having the same issue and the vehicle only has 50,000 miles. The dealership is now telling me they have no idea what the issue is, and is wanting to charge me for a flush. This coolant is rated to 150,000 miles I should not need a flush. I believe I may be apart of an ongoing issue with sand in the heater core as they want to replace this but saying it may not be covered under my warranty. There is always an odor of anti-freeze with this vehicle. I have noticed when around other Wrangler jk's I smell the antifreeze with them too.

Tl the contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the radiator was leaking without warning. The vehicle was taken to fort collins Dodge Chrysler Jeep (3835 s college Ave, fort collins, CO 80525, (970) 372-0621) where it was diagnosed that a new radiator needed to be installed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA. The failure mileage was 36,600. The VIN was unknown.

Radiator leaking coolant on driver side tank. I've smelled coolant since new but never seen a leak until warranty was expired. I currently have less than 30,000mi contacted dealer and was told simply no warranty. Reading about this problem online seems to be a common issue.

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Jeep Wrangler. While driving various speeds, the contact smelled fumes inside the vehicle. Johnson Dodge Chrysler Jeep ram (481 us-46, budd lake, NJ 07828, (908) 850-8700) informed the contact that the radiator needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 10,890.

My 2015 Jeep Wrangler with less than 36,000 miles (current mileage is 31,000) developed a hole in the upper right (facing the vehicle) on the radiator. Only factory authorized antifreeze was in the cooling system. In fact, the coolant had never been touched since purchasing it new April 17th, 2015. This past fall I knew I had a leak and took it to the dealer. They said it was leaking oil around my oil filter and ended up charging me $46. 00 for an oil change; however, the mechanic (pete) could not explain the leak. I felt the fluid on my garage floor with my fingers and honestly thought is was part oil and antifreeze. Now, on Wednesday December 26, 2018 they are going to replace the radiator and the dealer's estimate was approximately $800. 00 dollars. In short, no radiator should blow a hole in the sidewall of the radiator with so few miles and time.

Noticed smell of coolant when vehicle was parked. I was not able to locate the leak. There were no puddles of coolant or detectable drips. Took vehicle to the dealer. I was told radiator needed to be replaced and would not be covered under warranty. Vehicle has @ 26,000 miles. 3 year warranty expiered 5 months ago. Vehicle has been dealer maintained since purchased new. Contacted Jeep customer service to request assistance. I was told sorry can't help warranty has expired. There are no indications of abuse or outside damage to radiator. Radiator failure is an obvious manufacturing defect.

Heater core clogged. Radiator sludge leftover from casting sand in cylinder heads circulated thru heating and cooling systems cause sand to settle in radiator and clog heater core.

See all problems of the 2013 Jeep Wrangler 🔎.

Casting sand from the heads has contaminated the engine cooling system leading to my radiator and heater core becoming clogged with sediment.

The heater on my Jeep, which only has 41,000 miles on it, slowly stopped working. I took it to the dealer to have them check it out. The called later that day and said I need a new heater core which costs $1200. The next day the called back and said that I actually need a new heater core, radiator, thermostat, etc. Basically the whole heating/cooling system for the engine and the estimate is up to $2200. I looked online and found that this is not a new problem which is frustrating. It seems like it is a radiator problem that sends particles through the system and clogs the heater core. I'm hoping that there will be a recall so that I can recoup some of this $2200 that I'm about to have to pay to fix my Jeep. Especially since this is a manufacturing defect apparently!.

Radiator reservoir was found to be low at around 9,000 miles during first oil change. Along, with a slight smell of antifreeze when the vehicle was warm. The reservoir was top off with no signs of leaks from reservoir and smell was thought to be coming from reservoir. Both issues continued with no signs of visible leaks upon inspection of coolant system. So issues was thought to taken till reservoir was found low again at around 36,000 miles still no signs of leaks, and reservoir was top off. Continued to monitor with no signs of leaks until the smell of antifreeze began to get stronger and more frequent when vehicle was warm. After internet search, reading about people with similar issues the problem was found. On, engine side of radiator behind fan along the end cap there was noticable signs of leak. Radiator was replaced. Fca informed.

My Jeep Wrangler jku has the same engine as the Chrysler 200, the 3. 6 pentastar. The heat doesn't work. It doesn't matter if it reaches operating temp. The fluids are at optimum level, new thermostat. Performed a radiator flush and other heat trouble shooting checked out. I have about 88,000 miles. The dealer ship did some work on a cylinder head and discounted. At first I thought it was a favor but after I looked into the fix, I found others with same fixes.

Oil running down the back of my engine 3. 6 with 68000 miles on it running and sitting in drive way also engine coolent over heats changed thermostat drained radiator put new coolent in still run hot pay a lot of money to buy my Jeep for this ?.

Corner of radiator was leaking coolant, found by dealership on inspection. Noted by the dealer as a common defect for radiators in this model range and they see it a lot.

My coolant started leaking and my three year old Jeep needed a new radiator. The garbage limited warranty from Chrysler products of course would not cover.

The vehicle has stopped blowing hot air on the drivers side and feet but will blow hot air on passengers side. This leads to issues with defrosting and visibility as well as the driver being safe and able to feel their fingers and feet while driving. I took it to the dealer who says there is a star report on this issue and it is a well known issue. Jeep however says I am out of warranty so they will not fix it. My extended warranty bought through the dealership says they will not fix it. The radiator, heater core over flow tank and all other related components are the recommended repair.

Coolant leak from radiator, passenger side top corner under shroud. I have two 2014 Jeeps with the same leak. Seems to be a manufacturing defect as there are many threads on the internet with the same issue. My warranty is expired but these are only 2 years old and should not be failing like this.

My son came home from school to get his wallet to go fill up his Jeep when he came out back outside the front of his Jeep was smoking, when he opened the hood he found the radiator fan on fire. He quickly ran and got the hose and put out the fire but it continued to smoke for about 5 mins. The Jeep was running parked in the driveway the Jeep only has about 4000 miles on it the air-conditioning was on. He only drove it from school about 1 mile away. We have not taken it to the dealer yet. The fans currently are not working the rest of the vehicle seems to be fine. I have picture and a video I can try to up load.

For months I smelled antifreeze from the front of the Jeep but there were no leaks . After a month I found dried antifreeze on the bottom of the radiator passenger side . The Jeep was under warranty and was repaired by dealer . My friend also with a new 2014 Wrangler also had same problem . Thank you joey.

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Wrangler. While observing the engine, the contact noticed that the coolant in the radiator was severely low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the radiator was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,571.

The cooling system had sand in it from the factory causing the radiator to burst, the transmission cooler and heater system to plug up and not work. There is a factory service bulletin acknowledging the problem and as I was stranded when radiator blew out could be a safety issue to be stranded in nowhere.

The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the cooling system stopped working and the check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that there was casting sand in the cooling system, which clogged up the radiator, the water pump, oil cooler, heater core, and the cooling part of the engine. The dealer stated that all the clogged parts needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and stated that the parts were not covered by the warranty and that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 62,000.

August 14 2014 I buy the Jeep in Nov 11 I toke the Jeep for over heed they test and told me nothing was found on set 5 the Jeep over heed again I take to the dealer again they tell me nothing was found I know something is wrong because for no reasoned my radiator become empty please help. I want a new 2014 Jeep with out any problem check your record for recall on the engine.