Pre-purchase inspection · 2020 Jeep Gladiator
Early JT Gladiators had throttle position sensor failures causing sudden power loss, addressed by TSB. (Note: there is no TPS recall — 20V-191 is the rearview-camera software campaign.)
Test for sudden power loss on the drive; run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls for open campaigns.
Est. cost: TSB / $300–$600 if out-of-warranty
Source: JT Gladiator early-build TSB pattern
Same BSG concerns as Ram 1500 eTorque. Verify all open recalls by VIN.
Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and confirm every campaign is closed on eTorque VINs.
Est. cost: $1,200–$3,500 BSG if failed
Source: NHTSA recall database
JT Gladiator inherits the JL Wrangler platform's Death Wobble risk from worn track bar, drag link, or worn front end components.
Test at 55–75 mph — any shimmy or oscillation after a bump = Death Wobble. Inspect track bar mounting bolts and bushings.
Est. cost: $300–$1,500 front end repair depending on components
Source: Wrangler/Gladiator Death Wobble pattern
Inspect bed for damage, tailgate operation, and bed liner condition.
Operate tailgate, inspect bed floor.
Est. cost: $0–$500 depending on damage
Source: Standard truck inspection
UConnect is generally good. Test all functions.
Test all infotainment.
Est. cost: $0 update
Source: Jeep campaigns
Rearview-camera software recall (20V-191) and the Death Wobble check are both mandatory.
Run nhtsa.gov/recalls. 70 mph test drive is required.
Est. cost: Walk away from Death Wobble without front-end repair quote
Source: NHTSA
20V-191
Rearview Camera Image (VP4 Radio Software)
FMVSS 111: rearview image can remain on display after reverse; FCA software reflash. Verify completion by VIN.
Multiple
Open recalls — VIN check
Campaigns vary by build date. Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and require every open recall closed before purchase.
On the JT Gladiator the 8th VIN digit is the engine character, and what it cannot tell you matters more than what it can. Measured by holding a constructed 2020 Gladiator VIN constant and varying one position at a time through NHTSA vPIC: ‘G’ returns the 3.6L Pentastar V6, gasoline, six cylinders — and on a 2020 truck that is the only engine Jeep built. Two controls were run to show position 8 is doing the work: changing position 9 left the engine at 3.6L (it is the check digit, not powertrain data), and changing position 7 moved the reported trim from Sport to Rubicon while the engine held at 3.6L, so trim and engine are encoded separately. Now the caution. vPIC will also answer for characters Jeep never built into a 2020 Gladiator: off the same 2020 VIN, ‘M’ returns a 3.0L diesel V6 and ‘J’ returns a 6.4L gasoline V8. The 3.0L EcoDiesel did not reach the Gladiator until the 2021 model year, and no Gladiator was sold with the 6.4L at all. The decoder is reading Chrysler’s shared engine table rather than validating the combination, so a decode that returns an engine is not proof that engine was offered — and if a 2020 Gladiator is advertised as a diesel, the listing has the model year wrong, which is a price question and not a trim question. Everything else on this page applies either way: the Pentastar is the proven engine, and the front-end wear behind Death Wobble is where the inspection money goes. Run the full VIN at nhtsa.gov to confirm every open campaign is closed.