2021 JEEP GLADIATOR — Complaint #2141348
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about EXTERIOR LIGHTING filed October 20, 2025
NHTSA complaint #2141348 (ODI reference 11694453) concerns a 2021 JEEP GLADIATOR and was filed on October 20, 2025. The owner reports the failure occurred on October 18, 2025. The report was geocoded to Connecticut based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as exterior lighting, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same JEEP GLADIATOR cohort independently describe similar exterior lighting failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2021 JEEP GLADIATOR shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The third brake light, located on the tailgate of the 2021 Jeep Gladiator, has ceased to function due to a failure within the printed circuit board (PCB) inside the light housing. This issue has been confirmed by a third-party repair shop, which has noted that the PCB appears to be broken or damaged, rendering the brake light inoperable. Notably, the vehicle's instrument panel does not provide any notification or alert regarding the malfunction of the third brake light, which could lead to a significant safety risk. This failure impacts the vehicle's ability to properly signal braking and deceleration to other motorists, particularly from the rear. Given that the third brake light is a critical component for road safety, this issue poses a significant risk of rear-end collisions, especially under conditions where visibility is compromised. When the third brake light fails to illuminate this reduces the overall visibility of the vehicleâs braking signals, particularly in situations
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2141348 |
| ODI Number | 11694453 |
| Date Filed | October 20, 2025 |
| Failure Date | October 18, 2025 |
| VIN | 1C6HJTAG8ML |
Similar EXTERIOR LIGHTING Complaints for 2021 JEEP GLADIATOR
The 3rd brake light in the tailgate malfunctioned This is required to pass New York State safety inspection A Jeep dealer replaced the part No warning on the dashboard of this light failing
The center high mounted tail light (CHMTL) has failed. It makes it a little harder to see the vehicle is braking. The fuses are fine. It is a very common failure on Jeep Gladiators. Many times peo
The center brake light went out on my Jeep around 30000 miles. I donât know when it went out, but itâs an obvious safety concern and common problem with Jeep Gladiatorâs. My vehicle is outside
While driving at night during snow storm snow builds in the headlights blocking ability to see. LED HEADLIGHTS do not melt the snow and the headlights are recessed and snow builds up. Drove approximat
The third brake light on the Gladiator is a known issue. When it goes out, there is no warning on the dash or error code. The entire light has to be replaced (LED) vs just a bulb. This is a hazard
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
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