Jeep Gladiator: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Jeep Gladiator: 5 model years scored from 497 NHTSA owner complaints and 25 recall campaigns. Worst year 2021, best year 2023.
Jeep Gladiator: which years to avoid
Across 5 scored model years the Jeep Gladiator ranges from 31/100 in 2021 to 84/100 in 2024 — a 53-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Gladiator at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Steering (94 of them).
Avoid: 2021 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2023, 2024, 2025 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2023 (score 71). Worst: 2021 (score 31, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 84 | BUY | $4,065 | 15 | 1 |
| 2024 | 84 | BUY | $4,138 | 23 | 2 |
| 2023 | 71 | BUY | $4,408 | 55 | 6 |
| 2022 | 54 | CAUTION | $4,746 | 115 | 8 |
| 2021 | 31 | AVOID | $5,438 | 289 | 8 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Gladiator, through the years →
Gladiator sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Gladiator on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Jeep Gladiator
Across every Gladiator model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Steering145 complaints across all Gladiator years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Electrical System103 complaints across all Gladiator years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train100 complaints across all Gladiator years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Engine83 complaints across all Gladiator years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Suspension73 complaints across all Gladiator years · typical job: Struts, springs and control-arm bushings, one axle$780–$1,580
- Unknown Or Other45 complaints across all Gladiator years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Jeep Gladiator years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2021 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2021 is the weakest at 31/100, with its complaints concentrated in Steering.
What are the best Jeep Gladiator years to buy?
2023, 2024, 2025 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2024 at 84/100, on 23 complaints and 2 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Jeep Gladiator problem?
145 of the complaints filed against the Gladiator across all its model years sit in the Steering group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04