The changeover year and by far the loudest in our data — the old JK and the all-new JL were both sold as 2018s, so buy carefully and confirm which one you're looking at.

The heaviest engine cluster in the 2018 file. Owners report warped cylinder heads and failed head gaskets on the 3.6L Pentastar, with one posting a $5,778.87 invoice for the repair on a JL Sport S at about 66,000 miles, and others describing oil-cooler failure around 90,000 miles from a plastic housing and 3.6L ticking and misfires. Owners and mechanics tie the pattern to both the JK and the JL 3.6L — the engine is the common denominator. On any 2018 3.6L, a top-end tick, a stored misfire code, or coolant loss / a milky dipstick is a serious bargaining point or a walk-away at high mileage.

The solid-front-axle shake shows up more in the 2018 complaints than any other year — owners describe the steering 'shaking violently' over bumps above 55 mph, some noting they'd had recalls done and it continued, and some frustrated that their truck was 'not on the recall list for death wobble.' That's the key point: there is no safety recall for the wobble itself. Chrysler did issue a steering-damper warranty extension for 2018-2020 (program XF1 — a warranty extension for a steering shimmy 'more prevalent in cold temperatures') and a damper Customer Satisfaction Notification (program V41), but a mechanic calls the damper 'a band-aid.' The root cause per the same mechanic is worn ball joints and track-bar wear, worse with lifts and big tires. Test for it on a rough road and a highway ramp.

The new JL arrived with build-quality recalls. The front track-bar bracket welds may separate from the frame and reduce steering (18V-675, code UA5); the intermediate steering-shaft weld may split and cause a loss of steering (18V-343, code U48); and the rear underbody ladder rail can corrode, loosening the rear-seat mount (18V-231, code U27). A mechanic's teardown video on a 2018 JL shows exactly this — porosity and, in one spot, 'obviously no weld at all' on a bracket. Four-door trucks also have a right-rear door-latch recall (18V-786). Confirm the frame and steering recalls by VIN on any JL; they go to the heart of steering safety.

Several more free recalls: on manual-transmission trucks, the clutch pressure plate can overheat and fracture — a fire and loss-of-drive risk, recalled repeatedly (21V-028, then 23V-116 / code 19A, which replaces the clutch and supersedes the earlier remedy). Plus an incorrect transmission park-lock rod that may not hold Park (18V-280), a cruise-control-may-not-disengage recall (18V-332), and the PCM stall recall (18V-524). Later FMVSS recalls for the instrument-panel cluster (24V-652) and the rearview-camera/brake-light wiring (24V-676) also reach 2018. Verify each by VIN — the clutch one in particular needs the newest remedy (19A) even if an older one was done.