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Here’s How Jeep Tests Gladiator Pickup Truck In Windsor

The Gladiator might roll off the assembly line in Toledo, but durability testing takes place in Windsor, Canada. For the Ohio-built pickup, Fiat Chrysler went to great lengths to ensure the JT can take all the wear and tear you throw at the Wrangler-styled truck.
Here’s How Jeep Tests Gladiator Pickup Truck In Windsor 75 photos
Photo: TFLoffroad via YouTube
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If you were wondering what the Gladiator in the screenshot is doing up there without any wheels attached to the hubs, that’s a contraption designed to test 160,000 miles or 10 years’ worth of abuse for the suspension. The machine needs four to six weeks to simulate that kind of mileage, and at the end of the test cycle, the engineers also inspect the doors, interior panels, and frame to ensure that everything’s fine.

Freeways, potholes, off-road trails, you name it, the simulator knows them all. If FCA were to use a driver and a Gladiator in real-world conditions, the duration of the durability tests would clock in at four to six months according to project manager Dan Pereria.

At the end of the simulation, employees tear down the Gladiator then ship every part to specialized engineers for assessment and a redesign if needed. Even the wiring harnesses are evaluated for issues you wouldn’t want in your Jeep, including rubbing.

Considering that the Wrangler is investigated over frame weld deficiencies and the Gladiator didn’t feature grease in the monoblock joint portion of the rear driveshaft, it makes you wonder if Fiat Chrysler invited the media to Windsor in order to shut up the more skeptical among us. Following the $40 million fine for overestimating U.S. sales for a long period of time, we wouldn’t be surprised at all if that is exactly what FCA is after.

The driver’s seat is also tested for about three weeks, totaling 30,000 in-and-out cycles. Something called “butt forms” are also used, which makes us wonder if the engineers’ sense of humor is on the same level as the build quality of most Fiat Chrysler products.

Headlight performance is also tested in Windsor, but the most exciting piece of technology there appears to be the $10,000,000 driving simulator with the cabin of a Ram 1500 pickup. On an ending note, it should be mentioned that simulating 10 years’ worth of wear in four to six weeks is nothing more than a cost-cutting measure that doesn’t verify if the materials can hold up for 10 years.

The decay of rubber, plastic, and seals are a few examples which Fiat Chrysler ought to pay more attention to, as well as the electrical problems stemming from the Italian part of the group.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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