Jeep Gladiator
Midsize pickup · 1963–1988, 2020–present. 42,123 units sold in the US in 2024
How it began
The original Gladiator was a Kaiser Jeep product: Jim Angers and his Jeep styling team drew its boxy shape, and Brooks Stevens contributed the grille. Today's Gladiator comes from FCA US (now Stellantis). Sergio Marchionne, then FCA's chief executive, announced the project in January 2017; Tim Kuniskis was head of the Jeep brand at the reveal; Mark Allen was head of Jeep design and John Mrozowski was the vehicle line executive.
Today's Gladiator was developed by FCA US, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, starting from the Wrangler. It is built at the Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio, which Jeep calls its historic home: the North plant builds the Wrangler and the South plant has built the Gladiator since 2019. In February 2024, Jeep cited more than 5,400 UAW-represented employees at the full Toledo Assembly Complex.
The first Gladiator arrived in fall 1962 as a 1963 model, alongside the Wagoneer. The current one was revealed on November 28, 2018, at the Los Angeles Auto Show as a 2020 model, and shipments to U.S. dealers began on April 12, 2019.
Gladiator comes from the Latin gladius, meaning sword: it was the fighter of ancient Rome. Jeep first used the name on its 1963 pickup, dropped it in 1971, revived it on a 2005 concept, and brought it back to production with the 2020 model.
Jeep has built pickups since 1947, but after the Comanche ended in 1992 it went more than 25 years without one. In 2017 FCA said buyers were shifting toward trucks and SUVs, and Tim Kuniskis spoke of 'tremendous demand' from loyal Jeep customers and pickup buyers. The idea was simple: take the Wrangler, with its removable top and doors, and give it a cargo bed and real pickup towing ability. It was also FCA's first midsize pickup since Ram ended the Dakota in 2011.
Generation by generation
- Gen. 11963–1988 · SJ (serie J)
The full-size pickup that started the name
Photo: Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA · CC BY 2.0 What changed. It was a full-size pickup that shared its chassis, front end and mechanicals with the Wagoneer, on 120- and 126-inch wheelbases (J-200 and J-300). It was the first Jeep truck with a slab-sided cargo box and came as a Townside or Thriftside pickup, chassis-cab, wrecker or stake bed. A V8 arrived in 1965 and the models became the J-2000 and J-3000; AMC bought Kaiser Jeep in 1970, dropped the Gladiator name in 1971 and kept selling it as the J-Series through the 1988 model year.
The innovation. Its 140 hp Tornado six used an overhead camshaft. It was an early U.S. production overhead-cam six, but earlier Crosley four-cylinder OHC engines prevent calling it the first U.S.-designed mass-produced OHC engine. The Gladiator and Wagoneer shared Jeep’s pioneering automatic-transmission offering in a 4x4.
If you buy one usedThis is a classic: identify the exact installed engine and inspect it for leaks with a qualified specialist. Old Cars Weekly documents the Tornado's oil-leak reputation. Jeep's own history says optional independent front suspension on half-ton trucks was available until 1965. Selected NHTSA records include 80V023 (certain 1979–1980 J10 rear-wheel bearings damaged during assembly, risking axle/wheel separation) and 85V140 (contaminated brake fluid in certain 1986 J10/J20 trucks). Request repair records and check the vehicle's condition. - Gen. 22020–present · JT
The Wrangler that learned to haul
Photo: Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0 What changed. After 27 years without a Jeep pickup, the JT took the Wrangler, stretched its wheelbase by 19.4 inches and added a 5-foot steel bed: it is 31 inches longer than a Wrangler Unlimited. It launched with a 285 hp 3.6-liter V6, a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic, and up to 7,650 pounds of towing. The Mojave, the first model with the Desert Rated badge, debuted for 2020. For 2021 it added the 260 hp, 442 lb-ft 3.0 EcoDiesel, offered through 2023. The refresh that entered production in February 2024 brought a new seven-slot grille, a 12.3-inch screen and side-curtain airbags; since 2025 it comes only with the automatic.
The innovation. It is an open-air pickup: the top comes off, the doors come off, and the windshield folds down with a four-bolt frame design, just like the Wrangler. The Rubicon added a segment-exclusive electronic sway-bar disconnect, letting the wheels travel further over rough ground.
If you buy one usedVerify the exact version and VIN. Manual-transmission campaigns 20V124 (certain 2020 Gladiators), 21V028 (2020–2021) and 23V116 (2020–2023) concern clutch pressure plates that may overheat and fracture; 23V116 replaces the earlier campaign and requires a new remedy even after the previous repair. Campaign 24V572 covers certain 2021 trucks previously repaired under 23V116 that need PCM software correction. For certain 3.0-liter diesels, 22V767 covers 2021–2022 and 23V263 covers 2021–2023 high-pressure fuel pumps. Other selected campaigns include 24V652 (2020–2024 instrument-cluster shorts), 26V363 (2021–2025 steering-pump wiring/fire risk even parked), 19V636 (2020 rear driveshaft joint without grease) and 22V639 (2022 transmission Park mechanism and rollaway risk). For vehicles affected by 26V363, follow the manufacturer's instruction to park outside away from structures until repaired. Ask the dealer for current eligibility and repair status.
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