NHTSA Complaint #11447494 — 2021 JEEP GLADIATOR

The vehicle’s throttle surges sporadically when shifting gears without driver input to the accelerator / controls. The issue impacts the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle safely in heavy traffic or dynamic situations. The throttle surges while shifting introduce delays to driver reaction times, and they create a safety hazard in heavy traffic where fractions of a second can make the difference in a major accident. The throttle surge while shifting 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.” The throttle surge while shifting was recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. An FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle was “operating as designed“ both when he could not recreate the issue and when he could recreate the issue. Both of these statements cannot be correct and factual as they directly contradict each other. Additionally, the FCA TA claimed that the vehicle is equipped with Rev Matching; however, the vehicle’s owner’s manual and available technical documentation do not mention Rev Matching. And, the issue occurs while braking when a vehicle would not intend to Rev Match. The randomness of this throttle surge issue also causes the driver to briefly take their eyes off the road between every shift to check the tachometer for the throttle surge malfunction. Distractions like this which divert the driver’s attention during what should be routine driving tasks, creating a safety hazard. To account for the unexpected throttle spike, the driver must deviate from a normal driving routine by taking extra steps and inducing significant delays in response times. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.