2018 Jeep Wrangler Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
I took my JEEP to the dealer because it was making a rubbing sound. They told me the rear end and differential where out and needed replaced. Originally the parts were on a 45 day backorder. 3 months later the parts on still on back order. I notified Jeep customer service, my case manager said the parts may be available Dec. 19th. There is a high demand for these parts and that there are not enough available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JK. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift out of first gear and failed to exceed 8 MPH. The RPM was elevated almost to the red line. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times, and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact later purchased a portable diagnostic tester. The contact retrieved DTC: U414 (Transmission Control Module Failure). The dealer was contacted and advised the contact to take the vehicle in for a diagnostic test. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were on backorder. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Rear axle and differential began to make a whirring noise indicating bad bearings. After taking it to a shop who replaced the axle shaft, the noise continued. They noticed excessive wear in the differential components and said that it requires a rebuild. Another shop looked at it and agreed on the excessive wear, advising that the vehicle is undriveable until it can be repaired. The second shop has said this is becoming a common failure on this line of Jeep Wranglers and it ends up requiring a full replacement of the entire axle housing and assembly. The vehicle is undriveable because if the rear axle fails it would no longer be able to move. As it has not been repaired as of the date of this report, the components are available for inspection.
VIN [XXX] Hi everyone, I’m new to the group and hoping for some guidance and support. I tried to message Jeep Cares but the message button does not appear on their profile name. I bought my 2018 Jeep wrangler JKU Rubicon December 2021 with 29k miles on it and by May 2022 my clutch blew out with only 32k miles on it! They said it was the worst they’ve seen (doubt it) and would not cover it. In fact, they wanted $4k to replace it with a mopar one. I told them where to go and bought a centerforce dual friction and had it installed at a local shop for $3,700. I chose centerforce to avoid having issues again with the mopar one. Everything was fine till the rear main seal went out and had to be replaced under warranty. When I got it back there was a ticking noise at the top of the clutch pedal and they didn’t even put the heat shield back in so the cab was hot as hell. I ended up paying a local shop to put the heat shield back in since the dealer said they were behind and would take months. Now here I am a year later. The dealer just installed a new engine under warranty after only 47k miles on the original. They just called to tell me the work is done but btw…the clutch is blown. I told them there’s no way in hell that’s possible since I just put on in on May 2022. I reminded them I reported the noise back when I got it back from the rear main seal being done. I was then told she was going to “talk to her manager “. The next call was to tell me “sorry, we can’t do anything and it’s dangerous to drive it the way it is. I had no other choice but to authorize another clutch. I can’t afford to spend another $3,700. I’ve driven a clutch since I was 12 on my grandpas farm. This is absurd. Every vehicle I’ve had has been clutch and never had a problem till I bought this one. Where do I start? Not only should they put a new one in now but they should also reimburse me for the last one! Why is this happening and how do I prevent it again? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that immediately after the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) the "Service Transmission" and "Clutch Overheating" warning lights intermittently illuminated while operating the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who performed additional services on the vehicle, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure had not occurred prior to the recall repair. The failure mileage was 65,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware of a failure with the transmission while attempting to shift into reverse(R). The contact state that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where a diagnostic test was undetermined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service transmission warning light illuminated, and the vehicle was unable to exceed 45 MPH. The contact stated that the failure occurred after the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) was performed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined because the dealer could not retrieve a DTC code. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and several cases were opened. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while at a complete stop, she noticed an abnormal overheating odor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the recall repair of NHTSA Campaign Number: [XXX] (Power Train) was performed. The contact stated that after the repair, the message "Service Transmission" was displayed. Additionally, the vehicle failed to exceed 10 MPH while driving and depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was driven back to the dealer, who informed the contact that the failure could be caused by a computer malfunction or a pre-existing issue. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to another dealer for repair. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Phillips Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram (3440 S Pine Ave, Ocala, FL 34471), who informed the contact that the manufacturer had advised them to replace the clutch for a second time; however, the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 113,010. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
See attached document for complaint
Car shuts off while driving
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train). The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that upon retrieval of the vehicle, the service transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a software failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 11,600.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
I was stopped at a traffic light, when the light turned green, I started to move forward and in approximately 6-7 feet the vehicle come to a complete stop. The engine was still running, the engine light came on and the letter on the shifter started to blink. The rear tires/drive train locked up. This through me forward and I was wearing my safety belt. The vehicle was towed to a jeep dealer ship; the car had to be dragged onto the flat bed. The tow truck driver needed to use a soup product to slide the car on the street and on to the bed. I will not hear back from the dealer ship till next week on exactly what happened. I was coming out of the mall parking lot to get onto the Garden State Parkway. If I had been on the Parkway doing 65 mph, I firmly believe I would have been severely injured. I have been told by the dealer ship they have seen this throughout the brands. The dealer ship sells and services Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. This is not the dealer I purchase the wrangler from. I purchased this vehicle as a certified used. I find this incident very disturbing and I am seriously concerned about someone getting severely hurt or worse a fatality. I would like to further discuss this with someone, this needs to be addressed.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, he noticed an abnormal melted metal odor. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that he inspected the hood and underneath the vehicle, but no issues were found. The contact stated that the odor persisted as he was driving back to his residence. The contact also stated that while changing gears, the clutch went down to the floorboard and failed to rise. Additionally, the gear shifter was loose, and the transmission seemed to be on neutral (N). The contact stated that another driver then alerted him that there was fire in the front of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled to the side of the road. The contact then saw fire coming from the cowl. The contact and his partner immediately exited the vehicle. The contact then remove his belongings from the rear seats. The contact stated that he opened the hood and noticed that there was fire in the engine compartment. The contact stated that the fire extended from underneath the engine compartment to underneath the front driver's and passenger's seats. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with two cases of water bottles. The fire department later arrived at the scene and filed a report. The contact was unsure whether a police report was filed. The contact stated that he sustained minor burns on the left wrist and on the right hand. The contact did not seek medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The insurance company then towed the vehicle to a tow lot to be investigated. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number:Â 23V116000 (Â Power Train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- There was a recall issued in Feb'23 related to the clutch on manual transmissions, however a remedy has yet to be announced as of 9/28/2023 - Started experiencing issues with clutch in May'23. Clutch would slip while switching gears, gears would grind while shifting, engine would rev while maintaining gear, as the clutch/gears would slip in & out. No warning lamps or messages alerted related to this issue. - Took vehicle to dealer for inspection in May'23, dealer confirmed the clutch disc and release bearings were worn and the pressure plate and flywheel had hotspots and potential cracks, which is what was called out in the recall - dealer replaced flywheel clutch assembly, pressure plate and release bearing in Jun'23 - submitted expenses per recall guidance for reimbursement, but told by company that reimbursements will not be processed until remedy has been determined. 7 months and no remedy announced, and to hold reimbursements on fixes directly related to the recall are unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving approximately 65–70 MPH, shifting from fifth to sixth gear, an abnormal burning odor was detected. The Auto START warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch plate was burned. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from underneath the floorboard. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and smoke was coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated he was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed and determined that the transmission case was cracked open and severely damaged, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. VIN tool confirms parts not yet available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and determined that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the transmission was slipping. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
clutch smoking and burning smells also audible chatter going into gears and slipping in some gears open safety recall for clutch and no one wants to help me???? since jeep hasnt put out a fix???? the fix is to replace the clutch and pressure plate asy with an aftermarket asy. but i can get anyone to step up and make it happen
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and determined that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while shifting gear. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The first recall was issued almost 3 years ago and the "repair" was to add to a software update to solve with a mechanical issue. A warning light would be set to go on if the temperature of the clutch/transmission got above a certain temperature. This doesn't resolve the actual problem of a poorly designed clutch assembly. The second recall is for the same issue and has had a status of "remedy not available" for too long. The clutch assembly can overheat but the clutch also regularly slips creating acceleration issues. There have been countless occurrences of pulling into traffic and the clutch slipping and almost being hit by other vehicles. In addition, the potential for the transmission bell house to fracture and the vehicle to catch on fire is a major concern. There are many posts in online Jeep JL forums. There is a "jeep clutch recall" facebook group with man examples of these issues and the lack of concern from the manufacturer to offer a solution. Stellantis seems to know there is an issue but has been in no rush to rectify the situation. There has been very little communication about this issue and local Jeep dealerships never have any more information that consumers do. We need to have new clutch assemblies installed or be given a simple and quick way to be reimbursed for having an aftermarket clutch assembly installed.
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The 2018 Jeep Wrangler has 97 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.