There’s no easy way to say this. The 2025 Jeep Gladiator will not be available with a manual transmission. It’s a sad development, but one we fear previews something much worse.
This detail came amidst the usual announcements for the new model year. The note spun it as a good thing, or at least a neutral one. “Exclusively equipped with standard eight-speed automatic transmission,” read the press release. Thus, one realizes by implication—the manual must be done for.
This development leaves the US market with just one manual-transmission pickup still on sale—the Toyota Tacoma. Let’s examine why this happened, and what it could mean for the future of the Wrangler, too.
As reported by Motor1, Jeep made a simple statement on why it eliminated the manual transmission. It’s the usual tale, putting the blame on low take rates and the better capabilities of the automatic.
“The 2025 Jeep Gladiator will exclusively feature a high-tech eight-speed automatic transmission to maximize the best-in-class V-6 towing and payload capability demanded by our mid-size truck customers. This configuration is chosen by most Gladiator owners today, and best matches the specific capability and expectations customers tell us they want in an open-air Jeep pickup truck. The iconic, flagship Jeep Wrangler will continue to offer a manual transmission as part of its 80-plus year of heritage and for Jeep brand customers who appreciate the involvement of a manual gearbox.”
-Jeep spokesperson
Jeep hasn’t actually provided any figures on the manual transmission take rate. It’s presumed to be fairly low compared to the eight-speed automatic, but the exact numbers aren’t publicly available. The Autopian has contacted Jeep for comment on this detail, though perhaps with the expectation that Stellantis won’t give us exact figures.
In any case, there’s one more reason we can think of why Jeep might be eliminating the manual in the Gladiator. It’s the simple fact that it was horribly unreliable for a good many customers. In May this year, we reported on the fact that Jeep couldn’t get a basic stick shift right for the Wrangler and Gladiator. Multiple model years had issues with overheating pressure plates, leading to numerous recalls. In the worst cases, the pressure plates would literally fracture and destroy the transmission housing, with hot fragments actually starting fires in some extreme cases.
Jeep’s initial fix was a software modification. This caused further problems for some customers, whose vehicles repeatedly told them their transmission was overheating, cutting engine power in turn. Jeep later admitted a physical fix was necessary, and started rolling out clutch replacements and further updates. OEM replacement parts were scarce at times, and many frustrated owners ended up installing aftermarket clutch kits instead, some of whom were able to get Jeep to foot the bill.
While Jeep has been making progress on the recall, it’s easy to understand why it might want to wash its hands of the whole thing. With thousands of manual Gladiators already put out into the wild and requiring repairs, it makes sense that you might want to stop building more just in case there are further problems down the line.
What Of The Wrangler?
The thing is, the Gladiator and the Wrangler both share the same six-speed manual transmission. That naturally gave us concern that the Wrangler might face a similar fate. As per Jeep’s statement above, that’s not happening right now. The company has said you’ll still be able to get a Wrangler with three pedals and a stick (in fact, it’s the only option on the V6).
Regardless, one still has some misgivings. With the Gladiator dropping the three-pedal option, Jeep will be manufacturing less manuals going forward. That’s going to hurt the economies of scale. As the number of manual-equipped Jeeps trends downwards, it’ll be harder to justify the costs of keeping the manual in production for the Wrangler. Add on the headaches Jeep has had with the manuals, and one wonders how much longer it can continue.
Jeep sold 156,581 Wranglers in the US last year. 67,429 of those were the 4xe hybrid model, which definitely doesn’t have the manual. We don’t have a breakdown for the other 89,152 units regarding which engine and transmission options they shipped with. We do know that figure is split between the 2.0-liter turbo and the 3.6-liter V6, and only a subset of the latter could be had with a manual. Speculating wildly, it’s probably somewhere in the tens of thousands a year. That’s still a good number of manual Jeeps leaving the factory annually. The higher that number is, the more likely the manual is to stick around.
Given the history of the model, perhaps the Wrangler will hang on to the manual for some to come. The take rate is likely quite a bit higher than the Gladiator, and for now, Jeep seems happy for it to continue. Ideally, new production won’t have the same failure rates as recent model years.
Still, it’s never nice to see another manual model fall by the wayside. When it’s a model that’s paired so closely that shares similar parts, it’s all the more concerning. For now, the manual Wrangler rolls on. Long may it reign.
Image credits: Jeep
I think Ferrari started the whole thing by eliminating the manual gearboxes because the company was so tired of paying for the clutch replacements under the warranty. Removing the ability to use the clutch and select the gears manually from the equation translates into money saved…