10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,566 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2020 Jeep Wrangler engine problems

engine problem

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2020 Jeep Wrangler Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #22

Feb 152024

Wrangler

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

An internal defect in the 2014-2020 Jeep Wranglers with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine affects its rocker arms, lifters, and related valvetrain components, including the engine control module (ECM) software that controls the precise timing and function of the lifters. Specifically, the rollers of a Pentastar engine-??s rocker arms prematurely wear down, become loose, and then drop, which shifts the rocker arm out of alignment. The rocker arms then come into contact with the cam, scraping both components and creating metal debris. This Pentastar V6 engine defect creates an audible ticking sound that stems from metal particles and debris from the failed rocker arms and other components, contaminating the engine oil and circulating throughout the engine. This defect also causes engine misfires, resulting in bucking and surging, decreased engine performance, hesitation, loss of power, premature wear on internal components, and eventually catastrophic engine failure. The check engine light came on in my 2020 Jeep Wrangler with 69,000 miles. After having it read by a dealer, it showed the P219A code, Bank 1 air/fuel imbalance. The dealership told me that if the Jeep was running fine, I did not have to worry about it, as it was likely an O2 sensor. The code was cleared, and the P219A code returned the following day. It was driven approximately 500 miles before noticing that it began idling roughly and had an engine tick, which the dealership confirmed to be a valvetrain issue. The rocker arms, lifters, valves, and camshaft components of the Pentastar V6 engine in my 2020 Jeep Wrangler with 70,000 miles have failed. Three Jeep dealerships in my area and MANY online forums stated that this is a common occurrence with this engine, which has escalated my concern about this problem.

- North Branch, MI, USA

problem #21

Feb 102024

Wrangler

  • miles
Power steering failed and lost engine power. Very dangerous and potentially life threatening event. Unit would not start again for at least 15 minutes. This is the second time this has happened since the dealership was supposed to have fixed by changing out the battery. I reiterate THESE ARE VERY DANGEROUS EVENTS AND COULD CAUSE A FATAL TRAFFIC ACCIDENT.

- Apache Junction, AZ, USA

problem #20

Jan 112024

Wrangler

  • miles
Premature failure of the Particulate Matter Sensor - Mopar (68297518AA)

- Talking Rock, GA, USA

problem #19

Sep 042023

Wrangler

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle started to get extreme smell of gas fumes, interior and exterior, to the point it would make you nauseous. My vehicle was taken to a dealer where the tech noticed that a fuel pump was leaking and a fuel line behind the engine had a small hole in it and was leaking on the top and was unlikely debris hit it, to get at the line the whole motor has to get dropped. After reading the description of the fuel line/pump issues with the 2020 2.0 L, this seems that it would be related and part of the effected parts.

- South Amboy, NJ, USA

problem #18

Sep 252022

Wrangler

  • miles
Got stuck in an isolated place due to Engine Overheat. Found a Water coolant leaked due to loose bolt/screw on water pump inlet. I just learned that it is common to 2018-2020 Jeep Wrangler JLU with 2.0 Engine

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #17

Jul 012022

Wrangler

  • miles
The contact's partner owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #16

May 242023

Wrangler

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do 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 dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Big Rock, IL, USA

problem #15

Feb 232023

Wrangler

  • miles
Engine revved at 5000RPM would not switch from 1st gear. Now engine is showing a cylinder misfire which is moving from Cyln. 4 to Cyln 3 and so on.

- Lackawaxen , PA, USA

problem #14

Jan 092023

Wrangler

  • 47,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the stuck throttle body warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the computer to be re-flashed. The dealer replaced the brake controller and battery; however, the failure recurred, with the vehicle stalling and failing to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Altamonte Springs, FL, USA

problem #13

Dec 012022

Wrangler

  • miles
2020 Jeep Wrangler jl 3.6 cylinder is loosing engine coolant causing engine to potentially overheat. Many forums are reporting this as a problem.

- Sneads Ferry, NC, USA

problem #12

Sep 272022

Wrangler

  • 45,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle stalled. While using the Stop/Start feature, the vehicle stalled while in drive. The vehicle was restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed her that the battery would have potentially exploded if she had continued to drive the vehicle. The mechanic noticed that the battery was smoking. The vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that the batteries needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

- Southfield, MI, USA

problem #11

Aug 142020

Wrangler

  • miles
Engine surges forward when coming to a stop (brakes applied) or when at a complete stop and the engine is in drive.this happened in Aug 2020 with 5000 miles on Odometer, and again in June 2022 with 26000 miles.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #10

Aug 052021

Wrangler

  • miles
After one year of owning the Jeep Wrangler 2020 the steering wheel would lock up while driving. This not only puts me at risk but others also. After multiple times of this happening I have dodged multiple accidents and collisions with other cars and thankfully avoiding death. When the steering wheel locks & this happens I am not able to turn the wheel at all. We have attempted to get this car repaired by our dealership over 5 times, we are now in the process of the lemon law and FCA completely does not care. they are continuously brushing us off and dragging this whole process out. I have explained how dangerous this problem is and no one contacts us back. we have sent multiple emails and called and left voicemails and no one responds. FCA keeps asking for paperwork we have sent multiple times. This jeep wrangler is a death trap and I refuse to drive it. We are making payments every month and cannot enjoy the car. we have not even missed one payment and this is how we get treated. I will not recommend jeeps products to anyone. I don't think I will ever buy a jeep product again. I am putting this out there so no one else will be put in this miserable position or put their life In danger dealing with jeeps awful products. this needs to be addressed before someone dies.

- Augusta , GA, USA

problem #9

May 022022

Wrangler

  • miles
I am getting an error message to "service shifter", and "service stability". The cars goes into a limp mode. The dash board alarms every error possible. Driving the car is unsafe, as it is unpredictable. When the car is off and the keys are not in it, the car will run in some way because the windshield wipers will start working. The vehicle has been brought to the dealership 4 times now with the same problem. They have not yet been able to permanently correct the issue. At most, I have gone 50 mile until the issue comes back. The warning messages will "ding" and appear on screen and the steering wheel will prevent driving any other way than straight forward. There were no other symptoms in the car, the car has been serviced regularly and on schedule by the dealership, and has approx 32K miles at this time. I have been researching the issue in different forums, and it appears that this has been reported as an issue since 2018. Unfortunately, I have yet to see a solution posted on the matter.

- Chesterton, IN, USA

problem #8

Apr 102022

Wrangler

  • miles
When you try to accelerate on to highway or try to accelerate to change lanes the engine losses power or the power shuts down. Trying to pass and losing power I had to return to my previous lane and forced several vehicles to slam on their brakes in my previous lane so I could return. Loosing power trying to enter the passing lane forced the vehicle to slam on their brakes that I had just merged into. On another 2 other occasions vehicle looses power when trying to merge onto freeway. First occasion I was able to pull off to shoulder to avoid flowing traffic. Second incident there was no shoulder when merging onto freeway. Semi truck changed lanes to avoid my vehicle because I could not accelerate to speed. These incidents seem to happen with altitude and freeway driving speeds. There are no engine codes showing. This recent incident happened in the Shasta pass area.

- Vancouver , WA, USA

problem #7

Feb 202022

Wrangler

  • 30,791 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 75-80 MPH, the temperature gauge indicated -??HOT-?? indicating that the engine was overheating. The contact pulled over to the emergency lane and looked up possible causes for the failure in the Owner-??s Manual. The Owners Manuel instructed the contact to turn off the vehicle and wind the windows down which she performed. The Owner-??s manual also suggested waiting for 15 minutes before restarting the vehicle. The contact performed the functions as instructed and started the vehicle and proceeded to drive however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the engine and the vehicle lost all of the electronic functions. The brake and steering were the only functions that the contact was able to control. The contact engaged the hazard light and pulled over. The contact lifted the hood, rolled the windows down, and waited for the vehicle to cool down. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and informed about a refund on towing. The approximate failure mileage was 30,791.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #6

Mar 312021

Wrangler

  • 14,900 miles
The neutral automatic start/off switch was activated as I was stopped at a red light. Vehicle suddenly turned off and jerked as I was proceeding to go on a green light and vehicle did not want to turn back on until 20 min later.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #5

Oct 142020

Wrangler

  • 480 miles
Had it for less than 2 weeks (was brand new, purchased with only 43 miles) and decided to take it on a fall road trip. Halfway through our road trip (about 100 miles in) engine started 'jumping' and 'heaving' while in cruise control on the highway at 65 mp; then woudn't accelerate at all, and speed started to decline. Was very near an exit, so was able to coast in to a gas station. Electronic throttle control error code + service engine lights were lit. Attempted to turn off an on several times, hoping this was just some kind of glitch, but after multiple attempts it woudn't even stay started. While in park, after pressing "start" engine just kept jumping then automatically would shut itself off. Our whole family stranded hours away from home. Under 500 miles and it had to be towed in to the nearest dealership where it's been sitting for almost a week now and they still have absolutely no idea how to fix it. Was told that it lit up with so many error codes they have to get a special engineer from mopar to come out' just in shock that we're having this issue with a $65K vehicle. Very unsafe.

- Waxhaw, NC, USA

problem #4

Jun 282020

Wrangler

  • 524 miles
Was driving on the highway then it started making a weird sound. Pulled over to park and brand new car started over heating. With only 500 miles, I had to get it towed. I have not heard an update and have no eta. I have not had it for over a month.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #3

Jun 292020

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 346 miles
With less than 400 miles on the vehicle, a tapping sound could be heard from the engine bay. When it was brought into the dealership for service, it was determined that there was an issue with the engine. The service technician stated there was a camshaft issue for a tappet that had failed and was delivered from the factory with the defect. This has resulted in a replacement of the rockers, tappets, and intake and exhaust camshafts.

- Keansburg, NJ, USA

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