Problems with 2018 Jeep Wrangler STRUCTURE

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.

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.

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 .

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. the contact discovered several cracks in the undercarriage of the vehicle. the contact also stated that the frame was poorly welded and the metal is contaminated. the contact spoke with stoneridge chrysler jeep dodge (2700 stoneridge dr, pleasanton, ca 94588, 925-479-9090) and pleaded with the dealer to either cancel his contract with the vehicle or allow him to trade in the vehicle for another one. the dealer refused his request and offered no further assistance. the contact reached out to the manufacturer and was informed that a representative would call him back. the contact had yet to hear back from the manufacturer. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure mileage was 4,000. *dt *dt*jb

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 dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 15,000.

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.

Heavy amount of rust throughout the bottom of the vehicle. rust is located on frame welds, suspension connection brackets, and axel components. photos were taken 10 days after purchasing from the dealership. i took the jeep back and asked them to make sure everything was safe. the dealership looked at me like i was crazy and said yep that is normal to have rust. i asked it is normal to have this much rust on a brand new car. that is crazy. the steering jerks to the right and left constantly and you are always having to fight it to stay in a straight line. i have read from other report that this has become a common problem for this model year. i hope this issue will be resolved. i bought my car on 06/29/2019. the photos that are attached for your review were taken on 07/11/2019 thanks [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The redesign of the 2018 jeep wrangler (jl) includes an unsafe design of the freedom top. when the front freedom panels are removed, the edges of the back panel extend across the front of the sound bar and are not finished with any trim, which leaves a sharp exposed fiberglass edge to drivers and passengers inside the vehicle. my husband was driving the vehicle on the highway with the front freedom panels removed in the manner instructed by the dealership and by mopar via their youtube tutorials. when he extended his hand upward to reach for his hat, the exposed edge of the back panel of the freedom top cut his hand deeply enough to sever a nerve and an artery, requiring emergency care and surgery. this occurred within 24 hours of purchasing the vehicle. the newer 2019 model appears to have added plastic trim to correct this issue, however this unreasonably unsafe condition should be addressed for all of the 2018 jl models as well. *dt *dt*jb *dt *tr *dt *dt *tr

The frame welds on some of the wranglers are outside of the acceptable quality. there are a plethora of pores, cracks, incomplete welds, and slag. i have attached multiple images of my jeeps weld issues. notice how severe the welds are. there is one specific one with a ton of pores and cracks on the frame rail just behind the front wheel. if i were to fully articulate, the frame would like fail catastrophically. these jeeps should be bought back and replaced in order to prevent catastrophic failures.

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. upon researching the nhtsa.gov website, the contact noticed nhtsa action number: dp18004. the contact stated that the frame weld had porosity spots and discoloration and was experiencing the same failures listed in the action number. the contact called premier chrysler dodge jeep ram of buena park (located at 7301 artesia blvd, buena park, ca 90621) and notified them of the failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 20,000.

The frames welds have porosity, lack of penetration, splatter, too much silica. also the paint around the welds are chipping, exposing the metal. there is rust starting to form inside the frame rails. i want to point out that this vehicle has never driven near salt and only has less than 8000 miles. also. rarely, the radio turns on by itself while the car is off.

I have a jeep wrangler unlimited jl sport purchased in june of 2018. just recently every time i get above 60-65 mph i get a massive amount of vibration also known as 'death wobble' this is happening at highway speeds and can start even if i dont hit a bump or pothole. the only way to get out of it is to brake hard to slow the vehicle down to stop it. has possed a safety hazard to me because it makes me loose control of the vehicle as i cant turn out to move my vehicle to the side of the road. the death wobble is caused by a combination of items and this should be investigated to see wether a safety notice is needed.

Traveling about 60 mph on a rural two lane road a truck approaching from opposite direction pushed wind into front of the jeep causing hood to flutter up approx one inch. startling me driving.

1. the steering wheel is loose and vehicle wanders off of the road at >45 mph speed. unable to keep vehicle on traffic lane. 2. the vehicle stopped on city street while traveling at 22 mph speed. check engine light on and the transmission locked. 3. low battery voltage (12.7v) reading while running and at stationary. *dt*jb *dt*jb

Frame welds have porosity, lack of penetration and rust.

Brand new 2018 jeep wrangler jlu, only 400 mile, due to the recent recall on the track bard weld issue, i went over the vehicle and inspected the welds on other areas of my vehicle and notice that the welding on the rear lower control arm bracket was not properly welded. the weld was mostly on the frame rather than on the seam between the frame and the control arm bracket, by comparing the driver side rear lower control arm bracket, it was clearly apparent that there was a welding error. additionally, (refer to attached pdf document) the robotic welder not only missed the seam but stopped welding after about 1.5" (up to the white line marked by qc) the a person welded from right to left (up to the white line where the robot stopped) but also missed the seam and welded mostly on the frame. chrysler had to have known about the issue because a person did weld where the robot stopped. however, the improper welding was performed and this issue can potentially cause a fatal accident being that this vehicle is a off-road capable vehicle and unlike regular vehicle, this vehicle will more likely be used in extreme conditions further placing stress on the improperlly welded components.

2018 jeep jl (all white) has paint turning yellow from excess heat in the engine area. jeep has less than 300 miles on it. areas affected include front grill, right front fender. primarily on driver's side. not an isolated incident - see https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/bright-white-grille-turning-yellow.6394/ .

On 9-26-18 i purchased a new 2018 jeep wrangler rubicon. a friend of mine told me to do a data search for an upcoming recall concerning the front track bar bracket. i see that 18v-675 dated 9-28-18 was issued. fca recall #ua5. mine is one of the recalled jeeps. however, i proceeded to inspect the track bar welding and identify what the problem is and check for separated welds no welds, etc. while under the jeep i discovered other issues that will cause future significant safety issues with the vehicle. such as frame failure or other components attached to the frame failing due to poor welding techniques as well as premature corrosion. these potential failures may result in significant injuries to the occupant(s) of the vehicle. on the frame, many welds appear to be inferior, such as perforated welds, missing welds, welds that are not complete leaving gaps between the edges of the frame. additionally, in many areas of the frame, the paint has flaked off of the welds and is now starting to rust. i have had this vehicle for 3 weeks with 500 miles on it. it has been street driven only. with the current recall for the track bar, the dealer advised not to take it off road. on 10-17-18 i emailed pictures to the dealer as well as paid them a visit. i have supplied the dealer with pictures and have an appointment on 11-6-18 for them to look at it. i am extremely concerned that the dealer may attempt to weld these areas. and that if attempted, would only blister off any paint on the inside of the frame that could not be seen or primed and repainted properly. as this is a box frame and i believe it has to be dipped to be primed and painted on the inner side of the frame. any other method that may be utilized would not be the same nor would it offer the same amount of corrosion protection as what the factory methodology utilizes.

Vehicle driven fo approximately 30 minutes with no apparent issues. average speed about 40 to 50 mph. driver smelled a concerning odor, pulled into a parking, got out of vehicle and noticed a flame. she called 911and vehicle became fully engulfed. vehicle is a total loss. after some research, it appears this is an issue with jeep.

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. shortly after owning the vehicle, it experienced the "death wobble". hemet chrysler dodge jeep ram (240 carriage cir, hemet, ca 92545, (951) 225-4217)indicated that this was a normal condition and test drove the vehicle more than once. the vehicle was supposed to be repaired per nhtsa campaign number: 18v675000 (structure), but the dealer could not locate a failure and declined the repair. the contact later received another notice for the same recall campaign. the dealer indicated that they were waiting for the manufacturer's guidelines to service the vehicle. the contact had been waiting for the repair for weeks. the contact was provided a loaner vehicle. the manufacturer was contacted. the failure mileage was not available. parts distribution disconnect.

Frame weld discontinuities with porosity spots, incomplete fusion spots and rust. the consumer stated the investigation of the 2018 jeep wrangler jl 2 and 4 door models needed to be accelerated.*js*dt*jb

The welds on the frame of my jl wrangler are not of acceptable quality for welding standards. weld splatter, slag, porosity, showing signs of corrosion, insufficient penetration. i notice these deficiencies when looking at my track bar bracket weld. this weld which is on a recall has an x on it like it was noticed but not changed. manufactured 6-18

Jeep has bad welds throughout the frame posing significant safety risk not only while driving the vehicle but even more so in the event of a crash. a large majority of bad welds are in structural areas. some are off seam, porose welds, welds that appear to have little to no penetration, weld joints with little to no weld material in the joint and off seam. also many of the welds show sines of heavy contamination in the weld material.*dt*jb

Got a recall notice (ua5) for a brand new 2018 jeep wrangler jl regarding possible bad frame welds. dealerships do not have instructions about how to inspect the welds or what to do if an issue is found. no clear way to determine if the vehicle is safe to drive without an inspection that the dealerships don't seem capable of performing.

Hello.this is regarding my 2018 jeep wrangler jl rubicon. i have been reading extensively about the frame welding recall (issued 10/5/18) that unfortunately does include my vehicle. we spent over fifty five thousand dollars on this jeep, and are extremely disappointed in the build quality. just to make sure that the welds are bad, i looked under the jeep and several extremely important welds (some involving the steering bracket) were not done properly, and will fail. also, some of the welds have several pocks in them and will develop rust. if a weld isn't done properly (or repaired) properly, it will fail and that for fca to release a vehicle, in this condition to the general public is disgusting. i have a wife and a baby on the way' my wife no longer feels safe in our new jeep. i am writing you to voice my concern and warn others about this unsafe vehicle. we no longer drive the jeep and it sits in our driveway. i cannot drive a vehicle that may fail structurally and injure or kill us.

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. the contact stated that the subframe welding was rusted, corroded, misaligned, and did not meet the manufacturer's specifications related to spacing. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer (bennett jeep, 149 hwy 40 east, kingsland, ga) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failures could not be determined. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified, but no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 5,000.

Brand new 2018 jl wrangler rubicon 2 dr owned for 2 weeks frame appears to be spray painted all welds are rusted. never been in the rain or even washed. jeep has 16 miles on it. this is absolutely ridiculous for any new vehicle. jeep should have addressed this issue instead of trying to cover it up with spray paint that isn't sticking anymore.

Recently fca started a recall campaign (ua5) to inspect and repair the front track bar bracket welds but at the moment it is incomplete with no solution. this is pretty alarming to me since this can cause the vehicle to loose steering response. now i am afraid to take long rides on the vehicle and i am scare to let my wife drive the vehicle. i talk to fca and they said it is still safe to drive, but after reading some of the experience of wrangler owners that had their track bar welds broken i don't think is safe. also, i would like to know if a repair can be done on this kind of defects? and if the welds will be long lasting and not have a problem in the future.

Very serious safety issue with the majority of all welds that connect parts/frame/body. they are extremely porous which will cause the welds to fail over time due to rusting from the inside out, some are very very thin which will cause failure just from every day use, and some are not even connecting the part to the frame/body which will cause deadly failure when the part comes off from shearing. i do not feel safe in this vehicle, and this is the only mode of transportation i have. i have a 3 year old daughter who also has to ride in this vehicle. it is not okay that our lives are being put at risk any time we have to drive this vehicle with knowing these welds could fail at any time. i have contacted several fca reps, and the dealership and have been told there is nothing they can do. i have multiple, multiple pictures of these welds, however i will attach a few to this so you can get an idea. this is unacceptable, and it should not require someone dying before anything gets done about this. *bf..... updated 10/30/18*jb

Missing and failed welds on front chassis where track bar and everything else meet. *dt *tr

My jeep rubicon jl floats or drifts as i am driving it. it makes for a hard drive on long drives and i must look like i am driving drunk to others on the road. it is even worse in wind and it's windy a lot where i live. it was very scary to drive at first. i do not like it or feel it is safe at all. having never owned a jeep i thought it was just me or that the tires needed to be worn down a bit. the problem remains. while listening to fm/am stations the volume is wacky going low and high making for lousy listening. when the ac comes on on the higher setting my jeep sounds like i am getting ready for lift off. very loud. one lever on my seat near the headrest that controls the ability for a passenger to get in my two door almost immediately became detached and i don't even have my back seat in a lot so it doesn't get used a lot. i have an automatic and it does not shift smoothly. today i pulled out of a parking spot and my jeep surged forward faster than it should have and it often shifts poorly from park into drive and reverse. the sensor or heater electric wire on the inside of the tailgate window detached.

Poor frame welds at critical points. i have welds that you can stick your finger nails behind. have poor weld at track bar and shock mounts. slag and poor penetration. have spots where burn through occurs and rusts. vehicle clicks and pops during turns. structural integrity is compromised..

Unacceptable welds on frame. many with porosity and spatter.*dt the consumer no longer owns the vehicle. the vehicle was sold as a buyback for unresolved steering failures. *js

Welds on track bar mount not lined up correctly. throughout the rest of the frame, lots of slag, misaligned welds, bad penetration, malformed weld caps, spatter, and porosity. *dt *tr

Many welds on the frame to include the track bar are extremely porous. if/when the track bar weld gives the vehicle will result in a total loss of steering. making it a high risk for accident and injury. *dt *tr

There is an open investigation to the quality and safety of the welds on the 2018 jeep wrangler jl. i have a 2018 jeep wrangler which is an example of this poor welding to add to your investigation. see attached example as one of the examples of the welding on my jeep frame.

I looked under my brand new wrangler jl after hearing people complain about bad welds. sure enough, my welds are awful. a jeep service technician told me there is no way this should have been able to leave the factory. as of right now, jeep has not done anything for me. feel very unsafe in this vehicle. i hope jeep has a recall soon. i'm not the only one with this issue.

Steering wheel bracket now welded on to frame properly. it has fallen off car causing steering to be floating and dangerous

Vehicle has very unsafe welds at numerous locations on frame. most all welding points show slag, porosity, splatter with some actually not even complete. i do not feel safe driving this jeep and refuse to let anyone other than myself ride in or drive it. while fca (jeep) has issued a recall addressing poor welds at the track bar mounting bracket location on a limited number of 2018-2019 jeep wrangler's (mine was not involved, even though the welds are insufficient), they need to further address the all of the welding deficiencies located throughout this vehicles frame. i pray the nhtsa takes my (as well as others i'm sure) complaint(s) regarding this issue in all seriousness and investigates further before people start getting hurt or even killed. thank you.

Jeep wrangler jl has poor welds on the frame around major components that will appear to fail. 2 welds appear to have been poorly repaired during manufacture and are rusting at major connection points to suspension components. this will lead to catastrophic failure while driving under normal driving conditions. recommend investigation by nhtsa and recall. i am currently pursuing lemon law in north carolina. 'poor track bar bracket welds that have broken and will cause complete loss of steering. 'porous welds exceeding safety standards that could lead to catastrophic failure. 'slag on nearly every weld on the frame which paint will not adhere to. this will eventually cause rusting of the frame at the welds leading to potential catastrophic failure. 'lack of penetration on some welds that could lead to catastrophic failure 'over penetration on some welds that could lead to catastrophic failure 'overweld or weld drip on several welds 'weld splash on various part of the frame that will result in lack of long term paint adherence and increased likelihood of rusting of the frame.

Track bar bracket and other welds are very poorly done, which can lead to serious malfunction or injury. welds have poor porosity with pinholes, slag inclusions, lack of fusion, underfill, etc. the welds on my new 2018 jeep rubicon jlu that cost $52,000 are all malformed. i don't see how there could have been an inspection pass on these welds, as they are dangerous. i've had them inspected by two professional welders with a combined 45 years of experience and they both immediately agreed. one user on the jl wrangler forums with very similar welds had a complete failure of the track bar bracket at a higher rate of speed (highway posted speeds) and was somehow able to get the vehicle to the side of the road without killing himself or anyone else. this post can be found on jl wrangler forums dot com, search for "track bar sheared off at the weld" the track bar bracket weld on my jeep doesn't cover the top of the bracket but instead the weld sits almost on top of the bracket edge as you can see from the added pictures. the side welds are simply weld blobs and do not follow any weld standards. this is simply dangerous and shows that the vehicle was not inspected when leaving this stage of the build from fca. just to note, most all other welds that were visually inspected are just as poorly done. *tr

I notice when driving on 2 lane highways and meeting bigger vehicles the hood comes up and it appears as if the rubber latches are going to snap. it will absolutely startle you and i could see it causing an accident. there is no way a hood should lift up as much as it does. this occurs at any speed over 50mph when meeting other vehicles and is worse the bigger the other vehicle is.

Frame welds does not pass your safety standards and jeep admitted that it was bad and they was going to switch jeeps but all the new jls are bad and starting to rust they have porosity real bad all over. *dt *tr

Bad and incomplete rusting welds.

Unpainted and exposed weld slags on entire frame. weld slags will flake off and expose raw metal then rust threw and weaken frame. weakness of frame will be catastrophic in an accident and fca should inspect, replace all vehicles with this life threatening defect immediately.

Frame has welds that are substandard on the passenger side. especially around the control arm bracket. large areas of porosity, and slag all over the frame. took to dealership, and service advisor immediately identified which welds were not up to specs. after 4 days, dealership turned back vehicle, siting i would need to go to another dealership since they do not have proper facilities to repair frame welds. went to dealership #2 which was referred by dealership #1. after 4 days, i received a call that engineers had mechanic look at other welds, and said if they are the same, they are good welds. how can a mechanic who is untrained in welding identify over the phone what a substandard weld is or is not ? i have had my vehicle inspected by 2 professional welders, and both have identified welds that are not up to specifications, and need attention. other vehicles of this same make model and year have had issues with control arm brackets failing due to insufficient welds in the same location, why is fca not doing anything, and why has the nhtsa not forced a recall ? this is highly unsafe, and needs immediate attention.

While driving in high winds, hood flutters.....rises up about 1/2-1 inch due to stretching of hood clamps. while it hasn't broke, i have read of it breaking on jeep forums. i would think over time with solar exposure, temperature changes and repeated stress, the possibility of failure would be great. i was in new mexico in high wind conditions and two lane highways with trucks coming by at high speeds so admittedly the worst conditions, but it does not seem like a safe system. the single metal central latch does not seem likely to hold if the side plastic/rubber clamps fail. at highway speeds, this could be catastrophic. regardless, it is distracting to the driver.

Frame weld deficiencies on 2018 jl jeep wrangler rubicon 4dr built 01/31/18 summary a defect petition was received by the office of defects investigation (odi) requesting a formal investigation of model year 2018jl jeep wrangler vehicles for the existence of weld related safety defects located on the vehicle frame. the petitioner alleges widespread weld defects across "nearly all" 2018 jeep wrangler (specifically jl family code) vehicle frames. the petition describes a broad list of frame weld deficiencies, including porous welds, excessive slag, lack of weld penetration, over penetration of welds, overweld or weld drip, and weld splash. the weld defects are allegedly located at a variety of locations on the frame assembly including the track bar bracket welds that have broken and resulted in steering concerns (see nhtsa safety recall 18v-675). the petitioner alleges that the existence of the described weld defects could result in "catastrophic failure." this defect petition has been opened to evaluate the issue and determine whether to grant or deny the petitioner's request. the complaints (voq reports) cited above can be reviewed at nhtsa.gov under the following reference (odi) numbers: 11140057, 11076098. note: we have the same issue! we opened 2 fca cases # 35210825 09/25/18) and # 7245792 on 10/22/18 (all are with the fca premium premier team case manager. the dealership has not followed up - we escalated and they are to schedule a fca rep to come to the dealership. no response from dealership since 11/27/18 after mutiple phone calls or e-mails. will have to show up in person again. unbelievable in 2018 - there is no quality control on the most important part of the vehicle - the frame. no other reputable manufacturer would allow this - jeep needs to correct, refund (buy back the vehicles) , or replace with new ones correctly manufactured.

On 2/9/18, flew from boston to pick up purchase of new 2018 all-purple, 2-door 40k jeep at canandaigua ny jeep dealership. (none available in mass.) upon delivery on lot, driver door would not close completely. salesman roberts stated to us that all jeeps are quirky; doors must be slammed to close. during 400-mile highway drive home, door ajar light came on and had to re-close door repeatedly during drive. reported problem to (absentee) owners harry/scott kesel, chrysler corporate steve stander, and 1-800-jeep rep d. pittman; also brought car to kelly jeep service (lynnfield, ma). all jeep reps told me that jeep cabins are airtight when closed, causing door problem. this doesn't happen if you skip the driver side and enter on the passenger side. jeep reps told me to live with problem - no repair necessary, and instructed me to: enter car driver's side, turn on ignition; power down window; re-open door; slam again. due to impending danger, this car hasn't been driven since purchase and is at service dept. for 35 days, mileage: 400. i do not want my daughters driving this jeep for obvious safety reasons and to prevent them from being targeted in a dark parking lot because of this noticeable diversion to attempt to close the door. no factory or zone area manager has inspected, nor has canandaigua dealer owner, who practiced other false and deceptive sales tactics on me. dealership owner scott kesel will not take back the car or compensate loss of $6,000 for a trade-in. he blames jeep factory; jeep blames dealership. both claim that the other party is responsible. chrysler corporate rep said corporate doesn't speak to or influence dealer owner's response to customers -- hands off. dealer said he'll do what ever chrysler directs him to do. i am paying for a car that i don't have and can't use.