There are 3 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2021 Jeep Gladiatorin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
BRAKE PEDEL TO CLOSE TO GAS PEDEL.. WHEN THE DRIVER PUSHES ON BRAKE PEDEL HE CAN PUSH ON THE GAS PEDEL.. THE TRUCK WENT FORWARD VERY FAST./. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK USED
This vehicle has a repeating electronic problem involving the warning lights and function of abs, traction control, four-wheel drive system, forward collision warning, and both adaptive and normal cruise control. When the steering wheel is turned slightly right, like when navigating a highway curve, those warnings illuminate and the vehicle disables cruise control. It also has a lack of power due to what seems to be the traction control system activating. Also, the brake system has a shutter in the pedal and has reduced effectiveness for a few moments until the ABS and traction control systems stop function. I have taken the vehicle into a dealer, Larry H Miller CDJR in West Bountiful, Utah when it started to show this problem as I was leaving Portland. They replaced the front left ABS wheel speed sensor. This did not rectify the problem. I then took it to Gene's Chrysler in Fairbanks, Alaska upon my return home. That shop failed to warranty the repair, and charged additional diagnosis fees on top of correcting the Z96 high pressure fuel pump recall. They advised replacing the clock spring in the steering wheel that provides electrical connection to the buttons and is integrated in all of those safety systems. Prior Jeep models have had a consistent problem with the clock spring failing and a recall was issued due to affecting airbag deployment from the steering wheel. I am concerned that this clock spring related issue may lead to reduced braking effectiveness, loss of power at speed to react to traffic, and failure to deploy the airbag in an accident. The dealerships will not warranty this repair.
There is a failure of the vehicle’s Brake Throttle Override (BTO) system which poses a serious safety hazard. When braking the throttle will surge from ~500 to ~1,500 RPMs without driver input (foot completely off the accelerator pedal, clutch pedal pressed in, and applying brake pedal). Despite the driver’s foot firmly engaging the brake pedal, the vehicle sends rogue commands to the throttle to surge in the direction opposition to the driver’s inputs and intentions. The BTO malfunction creates a serious safety hazard as it impacts stopping distance. It also causes driver distraction / confusion causing them to second guess that they accidentally brushed the accelerator, which could lead to a serious accident. There is a significant risk that the vehicle’s BTO system may not prevent an unintended acceleration (UA) event leading to severe injury or death. For driver safety, the BTO system should be fully operational and the throttle should not spike while braking. The BTO malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel at the local dealership. However, the Service Director falsified and backdated the service records to claim that they “couldn’t duplicate concern” and that the “vehicle is driving normal.” An FCA Technical Advisor (TA) inspected the vehicle, and he stated that “the brake pedal should always take precedence over the accelerator”. The FCA TA stated that the vehicle was “operating as designed” when he could not recreate the issue. However, the same FCA TA stated the vehicle was “operating as designed” after he was able to recreate the throttle surge while braking multiple times. Both of these statements cannot be factually correct as they directly contradict. The FCA TA claims that vehicle is “operating as designed” indicating that the Jeep Engineering Team violated the BTO standard governing the safe operation of a motor vehicle when designing the Gladiator. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026