The Humvee’s days are over. It’s weak, slow and about as sophisticated as a stone tomahawk. The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, on the other hand — it’s a real technical wonder. It’s as strong as an ox, smoother than a Rolls-Royce and takes on the enemy with the processing power of Iron Man’s suit.
That was the pitch, anyway. The Pentagon approved the JLTV as a program of record in 2009, after the Humvee’s limitations came to light in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army and Marine Corps leadership jumped at the chance to upgrade and placed orders, then revised them upward, as quickly as possible.
As with any new purchase, though, the shine wore off and the service members who used the JLTV every day started finding issues. To get a feel for what’s happening in maintenance shops and training areas around the world, we dug into the online war zone that is Reddit.
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What you’re about to read are the candid opinions service members share online, not scripted responses filtered through a public affairs office (you have been warned).
A Crash Course on the JLTV
By the time American forces hit the ground in Afghanistan in 2001, the Humvee had been in service for more than 15 years and the platform was showing its age. Improvised explosive devices and unrelenting desert conditions took their toll on the thin-skinned off-roader, and decision-makers at the Pentagon started looking for a replacement as the number of casualties steadily climbed.
Oshkosh Defense originally built the JLTV to replace the Humvee. It’s more powerful, with more than double the horsepower. It’s better-suited to rough terrain, with an adaptive suspension that leaves the Humvee’s metal coil springs in the dust. Its onboard computing power makes a Blue Force Tracker bolted to the dash look like a flip phone. Most importantly (in the minds of its occupants, anyway), the JLTV was designed to survive IED blasts.
That’s the good news. After years of testing and development, the JLTV fleet took its first casualty in a matter of days when soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Division managed to roll one. A 2019 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office deemed the JLTV “not operationally suitable because of their high maintenance needs, low reliability, training and manual deficiencies and safety shortcomings.” In 2024, it took an industrious Marine Corps corporal to save the branch $140 million in maintenance costs.
In other words, the shine has worn off.
The Complaints Hotline Is Busy
Of course, AM General and Oshkosh Defense (the two companies building JLTVs) and public affairs officers aren’t eager to air dirty laundry on a massive government contract’s controversies. Lucky for the taxpayers footing the bill, service members still have a public forum on which to share their grievances: Reddit.
Reddit user Melon5676060 cuts straight to the point in the post “JLTVs Are Dogs–t.” Complaints include an unnecessarily complicated adaptive suspension system, a 120-pound alternator that’s a nightmare to replace, a glitchy touchscreen and extremely intensive maintenance procedures.
The proprietary touchscreen that only the manufacturer can repair is part of a larger issue: power demands. All the high-tech systems on the JLTV draw a huge amount of electricity, which can strain the vehicle’s alternator and, if not caught in time, kill the battery. A thread titled “Any Reason for a JLTV Battery to Die While Running?” chronicles these challenges.
As commenter Zhasky said, “As a mechanic I pray to god it’s the alternator or battery, otherwise I feel pity for the pv2 that’s going to have to troubleshoot that amalgamation of wire and redundancies.”
Surprisingly, the massive JLTV seems to lack adequate cargo space. Comments in a thread titled “JLTV Cargo Space” suggests that the only way to transport four packs for the JLTV’s occupants without a trailer is to slap them on the exterior with cargo netting, ratchet straps or 550 cord.
Training issues seem to come up in discussions frequently, too. A recurring theme in threads such as “The Army Needs to Investigate the JLTV” is the complexity of the platform and the overwhelming amount of information that’s required to operate, fix and maintain it.
Improvise, Adapt and Overcome Your Own Vehicle
In most cases, I suspect solutions lie in the vehicle’s manual. The JLTV is jam-packed with features, options and settings, so service members shouldn’t expect to hop in and run it without a learning curve (right or wrong, that’s the reality).
In others, a little creativity and elbow grease go a long way. For example, in a Reddit thread titled “I Officially Despise the JLTV Now,” one service member complained about the excessive amount of cabin noise.
“I have a raging headache from listening to that f—–g screaming whine for hours upon hours,” Reddit user Afin12 wrote. “Even with the noise canceling headsets I still hear the ‘weeeeeeeeeeeeee’ non stop. I’m still hearing it this morning.”
A solid playlist is one way to drown out all that racket, and young service members are on the case. In a thread titled “Anyone Figure Out How to Hook Music to a JLTV Yet?” several motivators chime in with ways to cut, splice and patch your way to audio bliss (your results may vary).
If all else fails, you can always retrofit the JLTV with the Humvee’s renown audio system.
Snafu
Service members who have to deal with the JLTV’s idiosyncrasies and patch together workarounds are understandably frustrated. They’re not alone, though. Struggling with your issued gear is a time-honored tradition in the military.
Remember when the JLTV’s predecessor, the Humvee, was expected to survive roadside bombs with aluminum body panels, leading service members to stack sandbags inside for protection?
Or how about the early days of the F-35 program, when the jet’s computer system refused to let it start because it detected rain … in Yuma, Arizona?
Service members of a certain age will remember dressing up like a ninja turtle at the X Games with fogged-up goggles, elbow pads, kneepads and a rigid collar that prevented any movement or situational awareness whatsoever in the name of battlefield safety.
The U.S. military is the greatest fighting force in the world, and it has the best equipment on the planet. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some duds, though, and it doesn’t mean the gear we love had an easy road to the top.
Maybe the JLTV will get killed off by the Pentagon instead of enemy forces. Maybe it will rise to the occasion and become a classic. One way or another, it will leave active duty. When it does, be careful what you wish for, because we already know that whatever comes next is going to have someone at the motor pool hurling a wrench at the wall in a matter of minutes.
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