Why do people think Jeeps are unreliable?

I agree. People modify Jeeps more than any other vehicle brand, they abuse them more than any other vehicle brand, neglect maintenance, and then they turn around and call them unreliable when a U-joint breaks or when a 35 Dana axle cannot handle a 40" tire.
That is a lot of it. I've put 110k miles on mine, built it well and keep it maintained, and am using it harder than most ever will. It has never left me stranded to where I couldn't drive home. Mine has been very reliable and very dependable. But I'm also willing to put the effort into it.
 
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People like to talk shit.

My Grandma always said,

“Believe none of what you hear, and only half of what you see”

There's a reason I'm no fun at parties. Guys see mine and often like to complain brag about all the annoying stuff that breaks on theirs. I haven't had their experiences. Then when I describe what has broken on mine, where it happened, and how I dealt with it to get home, the conversation kind of ends.
 
My least reliable most problematic cars were all German. BMWs, Mercedes, and a VW (diesel). Volvo too. All stranded me on the road multiple times.

My TJ has stranded me just once where a tow truck was required... when its transmission crapped out 175 miles from home. Not bad considering I've owned a TJ 25 years, five times longer than any other I've owned.
 
I only hear this from my Toyota friends and ignorants. Toyota thinks there’s some rivalry I don’t care about and the ignorants just giggle about it saying unintelligible things or realizing they shouldn’t have said anything.

Anyway, I’ve had a ton of issues with mine until I found the issue (PCM)... but never once could I not get home. Now I baby the maintenance to hopefully keep that streak going.
 
Consumer Reports gives very low scores to Wranglers.
Consumer Reports has strange and unfathomable criteria. I've subscribed to them twice over the years, ended up canceling both times. I remember them going on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and ON about various vehicles not having a shut off timer on the rear window defogger. Mark the whole car down over an insignificant feature. Other categories were similarly confusing to me...
 
I've only been stranded once when my CPS died. Tried for at least an hour to get it started again before I finally called a tow truck, this was at 2am trying to get home from a 2 week long work trip. I was too exhausted to do anything else.

Maintenance is key. I always get a kick out of people when they say "this engine is bulletproof if you take care of it". Well duh, so is any other engine.
 
I've only been stranded once when my CPS died. Tried for at least an hour to get it started again before I finally called a tow truck, this was at 2am trying to get home from a 2 week long work trip. I was too exhausted to do anything else.

Maintenance is key. I always get a kick out of people when they say "this engine is bulletproof if you take care of it". Well duh, so is any other engine.
True. My 2008 Liberty with the 3.7 engine is supposedly junk. I have 280,000 original miles on the odo. Smooth idle, smooth gear changes. My secret... maintenance.
 
I tapped my o2 sensors with a screwdriver handle and the codes went away!
When I used to park a Triumph, I used a very small hammer in the same way. If I couldn't get something to work, a light slap with the hammer had a good chance to solve the issue.

I would have typed "used to drive a Triumph" but I learned painfully and quickly that this just isn't the case. Nearly everything else is reliable after you have owned a Triumph and you have learned just how the word "unreliable" is really defined and meant to be applied.
 
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When I think unreliable, I think "broken down" as in not usable. My Jeep always has something "broken" like the A/C is right now, but it has never left me stranded. I don't consider that unreliable. High maintenance maybee, but not unreliable. I can rely on it to get me home every time.
 
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When I think unreliable, I think "broken down" as in not usable. My Jeep always has something "broken" like the A/C is right now, but it has never left me stranded. I don't consider that unreliable. High maintenance maybee, but not unreliable. I can rely on it to get me home every time.
That’s the thing with consumer reports, mentioned above. A lot of times they just factor in complaints like this as a “reliability” issue. My criteria is can it drive me home safely - and in the case it can’t, did I cause that?
 
People will buy something that was beat off-road and not taken care of, then it breaks down on them and they blame the vehicle, not the PO.
 
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That’s the thing with consumer reports, mentioned above. A lot of times they just factor in complaints like this as a “reliability” issue. My criteria is can it drive me home safely - and in the case it can’t, did I cause that?

Yep, I am surely my Jeeps worst enemy.
 
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Most people that say they have a very reliable car take it in to the dealer for maintenance on the schedule until the warranty expires. Spending hundreds or thousands to make it reliable.

Materials and manufacturing have gotten better, but there are also more things to break down now. The car might be "reliable", but the automatic sliding door doesn't work, the GPS is out of date, the power window switch acts goofy, .....

I've had issues with Toyota, Honda, Jeep, Hyundai, Mini, Mazda. The biggest issue was a bad motor in a Chevy Lumina at 100,000 miles.

My Honda minivan is "reliable" but needs new or turned rotors every 15-20,000 miles. It cost $700 to fix the door issue. The GPS is out of date and they want $250 for new maps. And they've had a handful off recalls that required dealer stays. So reliable must mean something different to other people.
 
My least reliable most problematic cars were all German. BMWs, Mercedes, and a VW (diesel). Volvo too. All stranded me on the road multiple times.
Most reliable vehicle ever made in my book is an older Mercedes diesel with the OM-61x engine series. They went downhill after that. VW "Never again", wouldn't own a BMW on a bet.
 
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