Rust was once the bugaboo of every car owner in the land. Eventually, technology improved, and now it’s largely a solved problem for those in drier communities, at least. For modern Jeep Wrangler owners, though, corrosion in another form is rearing its ugly head. It’s all about aluminum.
The issue concerns bubbling and flaking paint and corrosion, most commonly seen on the door hinges and door panels of affected vehicles. The blight affects both the JT Jeep Gladiator and the JL Jeep Wrangler, and can seemingly affect any of these vehicles built from 2018 onwards. In turn, this common pain point has become a topic of much discussion on forums and beyond.
Corrosion is one problem, but for many owners, the response from Jeep has only compounded the issue. Scores of customers have reported their issues to dealers, and many have been left frustrated and unsatisfied in turn. So what’s going on?
Corrosion, But How?
The modern Wrangler (and Gladiator in turn) picked up a number of aluminum components in the latest generation. The aim was to cut weight and improve efficiency in turn. The JL model hit the market with an aluminum hood, tailgate, and doors, while the main chassis still relied on steel.
By eliminating the use of steel in these components, there’s no risk of rust, but that doesn’t mean there’s no risk of corrosion. Typically, it naturally forms a hardy aluminum oxide barrier on its surface. Unlike iron oxide, this layer is tough and remains bonded to the base material. However, under the right conditions, aluminum can still suffer deleterious corrosion. Still, if properly painted and prepared, an aluminum panel should hold up to regular environmental conditions with little to no corrosion for many years.
In the case of the Wrangler, though, corrosion is popping up in vehicles just a few years, or even months, after delivery. This corrosion is most typically seen as bubbling on the door hinges, or on the door panel in the surrounding area. Other common areas include the lower part of the door panel itself. In mild cases, small bubbles under the paint aren’t particularly noticeable, but the problem can easily progress to the point where large chunks of paint are flaking off entirely.
One of the prime ways that aluminum can corrode is when it comes into contact with a different type of metal. This is referred to as “galvanic corrosion” or “dissimilar metal corrosion.” This has led to a widespread belief in the Jeep community that the hinges themselves are the problem. Endless videos and forum posts claim that Jeep’s combination of steel hinges with aluminum doors is the root cause of the corrosion issue.
However, a reality check suggests that’s not entirely accurate. The simple fact is that the JL Wrangler’s door hinges are made of aluminum, not steel. Furthermore, if that were the source of the issue, Jeep’s engineers could have solved the issue years ago with a simple part substitution. Some have suggested that the steel door bolts are the cause, but it’s not a likely explanation. Particularly given many owners are seeing corrosion and bubbling occur in areas like the lower door panel, where there are no fasteners or steel parts at all.
And yet, a move from Jeep to rectify the issue has added fuel to this common theory. In February this year, Stellantis issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) regarding the matter. It instructs technicians to replace any corroded hinges with a new part that comes with a zinc shim. Zinc is often used as a “sacrificial anode” on submerged metal parts on ships. Thanks to Zinc’s greater potential for oxidation than metals like steel, it preferentially corrodes while leaving the structure intact. It hints at a galvanic corrosion issue at play here.
Jeep Blames The Aluminum Door And The Manufacturing Process
Here’s what a Stellantis spokesperson told us:
Model-year 2018 migration to an aluminum door design – a weight-saving measure – inadvertently coincided with, initially, occasional variation in the manufacturing process.
The issue described may occur in a fraction of these vehicles. Accordingly, we are providing affected customers with a solution.
It’s true that zinc will typically preferentially corrode over aluminum or steel. However, in this situation, having the shim corrode between the door and door hinge would be undesirable. It would lead to the hinge/door interface becoming loose over time, and there would still be unsightly corrosion byproducts, to boot. It could simply be a method to delay corrosion of the hinge/door area, rather than to stop it entirely.
Stellantis essentially confirmed this, saying: “The shim helps mitigate material properties that may induce corrosion.”
There are many related theories that are floating around various forums, some of which are more believable than others. Some suggest that Jeep’s paint process for its aluminum panels is not up to scratch. They suggest airborne contaminants, perhaps even tiny iron particles, are getting under the paint and causing the corrosion problems. That’s plausible, particularly given that it would fall under an “occasional variation in the manufacturing process” and this problem seems to have started for Jeep with the advent of the aluminum panels used in the JL and JT models. Indeed, Jeep’s own TSB for the repainting procedure states that “When sanding and prep is done you must use clean sanding pads and in a separate room from ferrous metals, as cross-contamination will lead to galvanic corrosion.”
Another theory suggests that the problem stems from the fact that Jeep paints the doors with the hinges already installed. Thus, there’s only a minimal primer coat, if that, between the hinge and the door. Thus, when water or other contaminants get into the hinge grooves, the corrosion problem begins. This could be plausible, though it doesn’t explain corrosion in other areas like the lower areas of the doors. It’s also likely that bolting together a fully-painted hinge and door would damage the paint anyway.
Repair And Despair
Naturally, customers are seeking repairs to their affected vehicles. Jeep offers a 5-year, unlimited-mile warranty for corrosion, so a great many owners have pursued a warranty repair on that basis. Repair involves either sanding down the affected panels and repainting them, or replacing them entirely.
Sadly, many have been frustrated by delays and poor repairs. Talk to owners on the JL Corrosion Information group, and they’ll tell you it’s been an unmitigated boondoggle.
Scott Anderson bought his 2019 Jeep Wrangler used in December 2023, picking it up in Tremonton, Utah. Having discovered corrosion on the vehicle, he headed to a local Jeep dealer to get the problem seen to. “They said I needed to go get a quote first from the body shop, as they did not have an in-house shop there,” says Scott. That would turn out to be a mistake.
“Because I got the quote first, it put me 2 days out of warranty,” Scott explains. He was told to contact the Jeep Cares customer assistance line, and he says he was told twice that the issue would be covered. “I had the appointment, and took it in on a Monday,” he says. “At 10 on that Monday they called and said they will not cover the repairs.” He’s followed up multiple times, to no avail. “Now when we call and give them the VIN, they hang-up,” he says. “First time Jeep owner, and last.”
Toddy Spencer is based down in Illinois, and he’s seen the same problems up close. “Mine is a 2018 so I caught right in time,” says Todd. “My corrosion is just on my hinges for now.” He knows he’s not alone, too. “I work for a dealership, and I see corrosion on almost all of them,” he says. As it stands, it’s looking like he’ll get his Jeep sorted by the factory, but there’s a wait involved. “I made a warranty claim back in February and I’m approved for all new door hinges, but parts are so backordered it will be another 6 weeks before they get to mine,” he says.
Complaints of delays abound, along with customers getting the runaround from Jeep Cares and dealerships. Average wait times seem to hover around 6 months to a year for those wanting a solution. Color match issues for repaired vehicles have also hounded some owners.
In fact, the more I kept digging, the more stories kept coming out of the woodwork. Ashley Dalton shared the photo above, showing a significant color-matching issue. “Many [body shops] do not blend into adjacent panels to achieve a decent paint match and hope the customer doesn’t notice,” Ashley told me. “Notice they didn’t blend into the adjacent panel so you can clearly see the mismatched paint at the edge of the door.”
Meanwhile, Paula Kay suffered warranty woes with her badly degrading white Wrangler. “My biggest issue with this is that I was told by Jeep Cares that they will not give me one cent due to being out of warranty, yet every day on here I see people out of warranty getting cost share assistance,” she says. After having an inspection appointment set up with a dealer, she says Jeep wasted her time by not even looking at the pictures taken by the service manager. “How do they pick and choose who they assist when out of warranty?” she asked.
As it stands, it appears a significant proportion of JL and JT models are affected. Used buyers would do well to carefully inspect any vehicles of this generation, and new buyers would be well advised to pay close attention to any warning signs on the paint.
It may be only a cosmetic issue, but it’s one that has seriously pissed off a great many Jeep owners. It’s not unreasonable for them to expect a five-year-old car to keep its paint intact. Much like the manual transmission issues Jeep has faced of late, it’s another case of Jeep failing at the very basics, and stumbling on repairs to boot.
(Image credits: Todd Spencer, Scott Anderson, Tristan Ray Geddes, Ashley Dalton, Paula Kay, Jeep)
Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.
-
Here’s Why You Might Not Want To Buy A Third-Generation Toyota Prius
-
The Popular BMW B58 Inline-Six Engine Has One Big Achilles Heel
-
Here’s Why Busted Plastic Grille Flaps On A Newer Car Can Cause A Check Engine Light
-
If You Want To Buy A Cheap Jaguar, Here’s An Engine You Should Probably Avoid
-
Honda Pilots Only Just Stopped Featuring This Ancient Engine Technology That Most Cars Abandoned Over 50 Years Ago
Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.
DT used to work at jeep.
Jeeps are corroding.
Not saying there’s a connection ofc
“It’s also likely that bolting together a fully-painted hinge and door would damage the paint anyway.”
I’m just curious about this since I have no idea; I always guessed that most all cars had painted metal parts bolted together(?) I could be completely wrong
Jeep Cares= “Jeepdoesn’tgiveashit”
Priceless!
Painting and prepping aluminum is not a new science. We who have been in the aircraft industry know it all too well. You see airplanes have been pretty much made out of aluminum since the early days of flight. Yep there are issues that pop up. Our painting and prep techniques are not industry secrets. It is also well know to us that certain alloys of aluminum have really poor corrosion resistance. There is aluminum and there is aluminum. In the alloying process and depending on which blend you use to meet a weight/strength/flexibility need, you get alloys that have more or less resistance to corrosion. The use of recycled aluminum makes it cheaper, but then you don’t always know what you started with. You get corrosion cell just from different alloy crystal compositions on a microscopic scale. We would see high strength alloys differ greatly in different batches in their resistance to corrosion and inter granular type corrosion. Then there is the aluminum that the Russians used on their aircraft. It kind of seems to come pre-corroded from the factory and has virtually no resistance to corrosion. Lousy cheap alloy. The absolute end of the heap is the Marine Grade Aluminum used to make boats, it is the king of crap aluminum. You can’t even sell it many places as scrap, it is of such a dubious alloy.
My opinion, they use a cheap alloy of dubious composition, that has corrosion cells internally. The galvanic action will spread to other parts as the corrosion sets in. It will travel under the paint in a process we call filiform corrosion. Kind of like moles under your lawn. I would say the owners are pretty much boned on this, it will never go away.
I was just today opening up the tailgate lock (solenoid apparently got to end of its life) in my Audi A2 (aluminum body car, now 25yrs) and the bolts of the steel latch do look special. There is some coating in them. And nuts are special too, washer is thick and turns on the nut. There must be something special to prevent galvanic corrosion.
Glad I sold my 2020 after about a year.
some of this has to be chalked up to the price increases and the step up from a four by four beater to mall crawler right?
when you’re paying 40 or 50k for something your gonna be a little more nitpicky than someone buying a 20k rig to thrash.
Chrysler paint has been an issue since the steel-hooded Caravans were bubbling their paint back in like 2012. It’s not that surprising it hasn’t really been resolved, particularly when they went to aluminum.
Granted, I’ve seen a lot of this. And it still doesn’t shock me. Nothing about Stellantis does anymore.
Stellantis can pull this because they know their market. Wagoneer or GC owners dropping $70k+ get the service…because the threat of them taking their money to another brand is very real.
Wrangler owners, they’ll just take it because Jeep knows they’ll just roll into another. Buying something else is a largely hollow threat. Less reason to put the effort in when they’ll be back with their checkbook. They’re self-captive customers.
Maybe less captive now that the Bronco is a real alternative?
To rational, informed shopper the Bronco is a viable alternative. To a dyed-in-the-wool Jeep cultist….thats heresy.
Oh wow, my 31-yo Renault 4, a car plagued with corrosion issues for the entirety of its 32 years production run, has some bubbling in a couple of spots around the body, and it doesn’t look anywhere nearly as bad as some of these 5-yo Jeeps. What a shitshow. If Jeep customer support really is hanging up on people after checking VINs they already decided will not be covered, that’s super messed up. It’s the kind of thing who turns people into one-time Jeep owners with a story to tell.
So it’s Chrysler’s traditional expertise with paint and coatings combined with Fiat’s metallurgical traditions?
It’s the ghost of the Volare/Aspen twins.
How sad. At least the owners get to see actual colors bubbling up before flaking off. Got to hand it to Jeep for at least offering colors that aren’t gray scale. I love the colors offered, even if the paint does bubble up. Better than watching another gray corrosion blob popping up. You can see bubbles in teal! Not to mention the other wonderful hues offered! Kudos for offering real colors, Jeep.
Stellantis: “Hey, shuddup! Our Cutting Costs on Things We Don’t Understand Department” promised this wouldn’t be an issue!”
I believe that department is called “Procurement.” Or probably something like “Global Synergistic Sourcing and Purchasing Strategy Solutions Department” or “GSSaPSSD.”
This isn’t an inherent problem with using Aluminum. Porsche has been using aluminum subframes since at least 1999, an underbody and roof of aluminum since 2011, and aluminum side and body panels since 2019. The 992 is only 30% or less of steel.
It sounds like Stellantis has, unsurprisingly, just taken shortcuts.
Replace all the fasteners with titanium ones, problem solved!
I checked out a Wrangler 4xe. I balked at the $72k price and am sooooooo glad I walked away from that pile of issues. I wouldn’t buy one with real money for less then half that price.
Our 4xe has been trouble free since it rolled off the lot. I’m watching for the corrosion issue, but it’s a lease so that may be the next guys problem.
My friend bought a 2022 Rubicon 4xe when it was new. It had so many check engine lights that he gave up and traded it for a Grand Cherokee.
Ours is a 2023 Rubicon, so I figured a few model years into the run would be less problematic. I’m not so naive to think that just because ours is good that they all are, but it’s been a perfect commuter car for my wife using only electricity to and from work every day. We put gas into it about once a month – more often when it goes off road as God intended.
My friend’s Rubicon got caught on a stick while on a trail. This happened 2 times. First time it pried off the battery cooling hose. We managed to get it back on and that was $3500 at the dealer for parts and labor. The second time it ripped out the high voltage and cooling cables to the 4xe battery. Jeep didn’t add additional skid plated to protect the 4xe and he was without his jeep for 5 months and it cost $9k to fix. It’s not covered under warranty. Then came even more problems. I’d recommend a belly pan to protect the added electrics.
Leave it to Jeep to somehow find a way to make aluminum corrode like steel, expert level stuff. “We gotta keep that authentic rust bucket feel!”
David Tracy would approve. Jeep, just Jeepin’ to please it’s future fan base apparently. You wouldn’t understand. “It’s a Jeep thing” LOL