Buying your dream Jeep is quite a milestone for many. It’s a solidly built, classic 4X4 name and it comes with a history that not many rides can boast of. And they do say, once a Jeeper, always a Jeeper. Unless the Jeep gets stuck, that is. And despite its legacy of being a military vehicle before it was finally adapted for civilian use in various avatars, Jeeps can get stuck—sometimes through driver error and other times, also through driver error.

Come on, one cannot fault a car when the driver doesn’t know what to do with it. Let’s start with why do Jeeps, or 4WD vehicles, get stuck, to begin with? Isn’t 4WD supposed to get you unstuck? Sure, but all 4WD does is provide you with extra traction and engage all the wheels to get the car out of a sticky situation like muddy, slippery, or sandy terrain.

A truck with 4WD or even an AWD car cannot swim or magically climb out of an impossible situation. And remember, 4WD or AWD tends to increase the confidence of the driver to the point of bluster, which is when vehicles manage to get stuck. Like the Jeeps shown here, they seem to be going nowhere, even though both car and driver valiantly tried to get unstuck. A Jeep is a great ride to own, but it is only a four-wheeled car and best driven on roads the driver knows how to navigate. Otherwise, it becomes quite the sticky situation.

19 Swimming In Mud

Via TheseDaysOfMine

Guessing the driver here did not know how deep a mud hole he was about to drive his Wrangler into. And looking at all the splashes on the Jeep, it’s clear that this one did try its best to get out of the mud hole before the owner finally gave up on the gas pedal and hightailed it out of there. According to Jalopnik, the one golden rule about driving through a muddy patch is to make sure and see if there are tire tracks leading out of it—and not just into it. Savvy? It’s not as if the car is still stuck there but no tire tracks on the opposite side mean no car drove out on its own.

18 It Takes Two To Tango

Via Youtube

According to the internet, one Jeep got stuck in squelchy mud so another came in to help. The rescuer also ended up getting stuck. The final rescue of both the Jeeps came by way of a Chevrolet Silverado. Which means never send a Jeep to do a pickup’s job, we guess! Another golden rule about driving through mud is to never drive upon existing tire tracks—the mud is softer where someone has already trodden before. Be heroic and find your own way but wear mud boots and make sure to test the depth of the squelches with a sturdy stick or rod. Better safe than sorry!

17 A Little Salt Is Good

Via Reddit

The pic may look picturesque but the Jeep here is stuck in a saltpan. And yes, cars can get stuck in saltpans. The one thing any driver should not do when they feel the car is stuck is to rev and spin the wheels. That’s akin to digging yourself a deeper hole. Basically, when you spin, that’s what the car is doing—it’s getting deeper into the soft terrain with the tires literally shoveling the terrain out and creating a deeper hole for the car. One very simple trick here is to get out and assess the situation and try scooping some dry soil, salt, or small stones in front of the front wheels to create a little track for the car to climb out.

16 Back To Squelchy Mud

Via Reddit

Basically, jumping into muddy puddles may be great fun, at least according to Peppa Pig and her family. Driving into muddy puddles may also be fun enough. It’s the driving out of the mud that one needs to be careful about. Ideally, it’s best not to drive in mud. But if there is no other way, lowering the air pressure in the tires may also prove to be invaluable. According to Practical Motoring, don’t lower them as much as you do when driving on sand, but 22-28 PSI may be the best to drive on mud since these tires will provide the longest footprint.

15 Soldiering On Through Boulders

Via Reddit

Well, despite trying its level best, this white Jeep doesn’t seem to be going anywhere for now. Its front left wheel is jammed against a boulder and no amount of revving will get this Jeep out. The best bet here would be a High-Lift Jack. Most seasoned off-road enthusiasts would not only know what this is but also have it in their Jeeps. A high-lift jack is one very handy tool that weighs as little as 30 pounds but can lift up to 40,000 pounds. Which means when a Jeep gets stuck like this, a high-lift jack can help it out of jams.

14 The Cold Never Bothered The Jeep

Via Pinterest

So sure, Jeeps can drive through snow and whatnot but sometimes they can also get stuck in the snow. The thing about snow is that while the top layer may look as innocent as a white, fluffy labrador, the inside layers present a different story. Snow melts into water and when this water mixes with the soil below, it creates slush. And slush means soft and squelchy mud that can take an off-roader unaware. Even experienced Jeepers will have a stuck Jeep story to tell. As long as the Jeep can come unstuck minus damage, it just becomes a fun anecdote to narrate at a get-together.

13 A Watery Pit Stop

Via Pinterest

This picture takes the cake when it comes to being stuck in a bad situation. The driver seems to have driven too close to the water’s edge and nearly tipped over when the soft, squelchy banks collapsed. While the owner and Jeep valiantly must have tried to save themselves from a watery fate, the Jeep seems to be stuck and in need of a rescue. The only thing that can save this Jeep is a winch or the hands of a few willing volunteers unafraid to get their hands, and their whole bodies, muddy. Basically, it either has to be pulled out or pushed out.

12 In Deep, Deep Water

Via ToxicCrushJeep

Imagine feeling on top of the world as you drive your spankingly new Jeep Rubicon into the woods and decide to explore the limits of your new ride. Now imagine driving into what seems to be a puddle of water and ending up getting stuck in a pool instead, with the engine flooded. That top-of-the-world feeling goes poof pretty quick. In case you do get stuck in muddy water, don’t rev the engine continuously, but also try not to let the engine go silent. Instead, try twisting the steering left and right a little to loosen the tires while gently revving the engine to get out of the jam.

11 In A Quagmire

Via Reddit

Here we have yet another Wrangler that wrangled with mud and lost. Why do so many Jeeps, and adventure vehicles or off-roading rides, get stuck in the mud? Well, one is because mud is sticky. Another reason is that once the car gets a little stuck, many drivers panic and rev a little too high. And finally, because many first-time off-roaders don’t carry enough tools to get themselves out of muddy situations. Things like sand ladders (think Max Trax) can come in handy if the mud isn’t all that squelchy at times. Also, if all else fails, get a shovel and start digging. Or wait for a rescue.

10 Three’s A Crowd

Via Youtube

What happens when a Jeep gets stuck and can’t get out? You call the family’s pickup truck to get it out. What happens when that pickup truck gets stuck, too? You call for the second pickup truck the family has and get it to pull out the first two stuck vehicles. And what happens when the second pickup truck also gets stuck? You sit back, have a good cry or laugh, and finally call in the professionals to take you out of the logjam. Because sometimes, life really gets better of you, your Jeep and pickup trucks. Just chin up and pay the tow truck bill.

9 The Jeep Mud Bath

Via InterestingImages

Here we have another Jeep valiantly trying to drive itself out of the mud with an equally desperate driver and passenger in it. Getting stuck in the mud isn’t all that good for cars. Mud baths are good only for humans and some animals. Machines and cars, not so much! Now if you do get stuck in the mud with no one around to help you, this is what you can do, according to Motor1. Start with digging around the drive (turning) wheels. Now wedge something under these wheels, like old car mats, planks, or even some small stones. Get back in the car and gently rev to get traction. If the wheels still spin, try all over again.

8 Stuck, And Yours To Discover

Via 680News

This blue jeep looks almost innocently parked at the side of the road, till you notice the wedged front tire. It's just another stuck Jeep quicly going nowhere. Just for information, many believe that the name Jeep comes from “GP”, which is correct. However, GP is not an abbreviation of General Purpose or Government Purpose. When Ford began to make GPs for the government, G stood for Government contract and P was Ford’s term for any car with a wheelbase of 80 inches. This “GP” isn’t going anywhere though and will need a tow truck to help it out of its plight.

7 Just Driving Through A River

Via Everipedia

According to Outback Crossing, “driving over boulders is precisely the time a little self-control and planning needs to be employed. The take-a-run-up and thrash-it-over-the-hill approach just don’t cut it on the rocks. Most likely the car will end up stuck, with at least one flat tire, probably some panel damage and possibly a fair bit of damage to the undercarriage.” So basically, there is a reason why driving on rocks is called rock crawling. Going slow, keeping the road in mind, and mapping out a mental plan is the best way to forge ahead on rocky terrains.

6 Tried So Hard, It Broke

Via Motor1

This Jeep got stuck in the mud though it tried its level best to get out of the sucky mud hole that was dragging it in. In fact, the Jeep and its driver tried so hard that the Jeep literally broke. The body came off the chassis frame. Clearly, this is one Jeep that has seen one too many rough roads and cannot handle anything anymore. Mud can really weaken a vehicle, and despite all the care you take, once mud gets into the vehicle, keeping it strong is a nigh well impossible task. For most stuck vehicles, it’s the salvage yard or plenty of expensive bodywork or an engine rehaul.

5 Just Taking A Dip

Via MadWorkShop

Driving through water is great fun, at least in the movies. But is it really that good in real life? It sure doesn’t seem so, if one looks at this photo of a Jeep stuck in water. The driver hasn’t lost hope yet and help seems to be at hand, as well. There are a few ways this could have gone wrong. One is the obvious culprit: water in the engine. The Jeep doesn’t look that far gone, though, so it could also be that a tire or two got stuck in the stones of the river, or in a gully that the driver could not spot underwater.

4 Rolling Stones Do Gather Jeeps

Via VideoBlocks

One may think that this Jeep owner is posing with his Jeep about to climb a rocky and steep path, and one may be correct, too. Experienced rock crawlers with their properly rigged Jeeps can navigate such tricky terrain with ease. But for an amateur or a newbie, this could be the start of a day going pretty bad. For rock crawling, many experienced drivers recommend focusing on the road beyond just the immediate two meters. This helps in mapping out a route plan mentally and making sure to avoid any rocks that are too high or gullies that are too low.

3 Stuck But Not Down

Via DesertJeepRat

The Rubicon is the best factory-spec Wrangler an off-roader can wish for. The difference is not just cosmetic alone. The Rubicon comes with considerable advancements in technology and in mechanicals that result in major off-road capability, better even than the base Wrangler. This is probably why the occupants of this blue Rubicon seem cheerful and relaxed with a car that seems to have found itself in a tight spot. The banks of a river are always the muddiest and the softest—usually a perfect place for any car to get stuck. The drivers who keep calm are the ones that can manage to get their Jeeps unstuck and the Rubicon will always lend a hand.

2 Neither Here Nor There

Via TheSpokesmanReview

This picture is of an actual Jeep stuck on top of a border crossing fence, in a brazen attempt to steal a car and ferry it across the border. The crew even managed to get it atop the fence by driving it atop a border crossing ramp, but could not calculate the angle of descent right enough – thus managing to get the chassis snagged on the fence for good. Imagine the patrolling officers’ surprise on spotting this see-saw of a Jeep firmly stuck on top of the border fence. Must have taken some ingenious ideas to bring this one down, though the damage to the underside might have been extensive.

1 Honey, I Stuck The Jeep

Via AdvRider

Now here’s what a cheerful face looks like, even if the owner of the face is the culprit behind this firmly stuck and sodden Jeep. Snow, mud, and the resulting slush may look harmless but it can firmly entrench a vehicle for good. The owner doesn’t seem too concerned about his sodden Jeep as he stands atop the hood for a sheepish now-I’ve-done-it picture. The only rescue for this Jeep is a tow truck, a good wash, and some sun—along with an in-depth mechanical inspection for faults and mud damage. The Jeep might have tried to get out, but it seems the owner gave up pretty quick.

Sources: Jalopnik, YouTube, PracticalMotoring, OutbackCrossing, and Motor1.