Okay, this question goes to owners of 2012-13 JK's that would be willing to share their opinion. I've been wanting to get myself a Jeep for about a year now. But the problems with the new engine, and the transmission noise problems that some people are reporting to have with the 2013 manual transmission models, really have me a little worry. In all honesty, I'm a little confused, on one side you read a lot on happy owners that absolutely love their wranglers, but i also read a lot about the problems that many people are having. I guess my question is, how reliable really is the jeep wrangler??? My dad owns a 2009 JKU Rubi, and he has had some issues: burned out sway-bar elec motor, water leaks with the hard top, and he had the steering column shaft replaced three times do to excessive play on the steering wheel. I really like the JKU's, but I'm afraid of spending between 30-40k's fir a vehicle that will give me nothing but headaches. Any thoughts?
Thanks!

 

You will find mixed reviews on this but for the most part it's all good. Jeeps are not for everyone. If you want one get it. It should be under warranty if anything happens. I love my 2012 JKU, it has been very reliable.

 

Well.. If you keep it stock, keep it out of mud, rain, sleet, hail, snow, keep it in the garage under a cover and never go offroading you should be good to go. But above all remember never drive it..

Never heard of a Jeep owner who regrets owning their Jeep.

 

And the one problem about forums is that many people will only go on the Internet and post about a vehicle if they're having problems, so you have to take forum posts with a grain of salt. I'd be willing to wager that there are far more Jeep owners that have little to no problems and never post about their Jeeps other than for mods, etc.

 

I have a 2012 with 9500 miles and haven't had any problems and it's been on 33s all those miles with other various mods. The way I see it is that every vehicle has problems, all vehicles have things that need worked out. Once you realize that jks are most modded and publicly discussed vehicles you can realize there are that many more people reporting problems, not that there are that many more problems with the vehicles than any others. Also take into consideration alot of these jks get the crap beat out of them than most other vehicles.. All in all it's not that they arnt reliable, the word of the possible problems is more well known and discussed.

 

my '12 (early '11 build) has been fine so far, only very small mods and almost 12,000 on the clock. I hope it is in the majority, but I have this little worry spot I carry around on my shoulder wondering if each noise I hear or little stumble will turn into a major issue. Hard to shake that feeling after reading about so many issues and poor experiences at the dealers.

 

I love mine , I almost traded it for an automatic jku but honestly I love gear jamming my six speed 2 door! The 2 doors just seem more like a jeep to me. My transmission makes a little noise but so did all the other standard shift vehicles I've ever driven. I say if your concerned with trans noise get an auto .

 

JK Reliability?

As one of the individuals with more than a fare share of problems on my 2013 JK 2dr (roof leaks, transmission noises), engine power output varies from minute to minute), I can offer you this advice.

Buy it!

The 2012/2013 engine is awesome! Don't base your opinion on the engine/transmission on the few bad ones you here about. Those of us with the lemons will eventually get our problems sorted out. This is my third Jeep and will most likely not be my last. There will always be a few bad apples in a bunch. Just make sure you get a good one.

I recommend a long test drive. When I purchased mine I noticed the engine had a strange uneven sound. I attributed this to the variable valve timing - I WAS WRONG - I should have walked away and tried a different one.

I have since driven a 2012 Auto and a different 2013 manual and they showed no signs of any problems at all.

mtb856 is very accurate with this statement "the one problem about forums is that many people will only go on the Internet and post about a vehicle if they're having problems"

*****I am guilty as charged*****

Buy it! Drive it! Fix it! Mod it!

It's a Jeep thing!

Best of Luck! Choose wisely!

Eric B.

 

X2 on this one.
I have owned a lot of cars. I don't think Jeep is worse than the majority out there.
But Jeep owners ARE using forums to seek solutions for their issues a lot more than other owners.

I know there has been a few bad 2012 "tickers" out there, but I think most of them are sorted out by now (or will be soon, I hope).
I had the choice of buying a 2012 for a slightly lower price, or go with the 2013. I bought my 2013 a couple of months ago, and had only minor issues that has been taken care of.
1. The blower fan needed to be replaced after 2 days.
2. I burped the radiator myself, due to air trapped in the system (the dealer refused to do it, unless I gave them the car for a full day...).

For other new cars I have bought, there has always been little things to get fixed under warranty.

For extended warranty, I did not buy from the dealer, since GEICO has this included in their insurance policy (with a $250 deductible).
I think that is for new cars only, not sure.

WHEN YOU BUY, try to find a dealer that is known to provide good customer service AFTER you purchase your vehicle... It's worth a lot, and really hard to find (I am in SoCal, and I am still looking....)

Good luck with your purchase.

 

get it and dont look back, I love my current 2013 and loved my previous 2013 (2 door). They are both manuals and make some noise in neutral at idle but it seems to be common with the 6spd. No issues with driving or anything, Been on 35s since 9 miles.