NHTSA Complaint #11375463 — 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR

EXCESSIVE STEERING WHEEL PLAY OF APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 8 DEGREES BEFORE VEHICLE RESPONDS TO INPUTS. THIS CAN BE NOTICED DRIVING ON FLAT LEVEL STREET AND MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL FROM LEFT TO RIGHT UNTIL VEHICLE JUST STARTS TO RESPOND. STEERING PLAY SEEMS TO VARY A BIT BETWEEN VERY HOT AND VERY COLD OUTDOOR TEMPS. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE REQUIRES CONSTANT FOCUSED ATTENTION TO MAINTAIN POSITION WITHIN LINES. IN HIGH WIND SITUATIONS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DRIVING FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR BECOMES STRESSFUL DUE TO TRYING TO KEEP VEHICLE ON ROAD. SO FAR THIS HAS NOT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BUT DOES MAKE HIGHWAY DRIVING VERY ANNOYING AND STRESSFUL. IN CITY DRIVING THE STEERING IS NOT TOO BAD UNLESS DRIVING 40 OR FASTER. TURNING AND CORNERING STEERING RESPONSE SEEMS NORMAL WITHOUT THE PLAY, ONCE PRESSURE IS INITIATED IN THAT DIRECTION. PLAY SEEMS TO BE LOCALIZED IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION OF THE STEERING BOX. THIS IS A CONTINUING ISSUE WITH NO PART RECALL, THERE HAS BEEN A FCA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-0807420 GROUP 08 ELECTRICAL DATED AUGUST 10, 2020 BUT MANUFACTURE PARTS AND RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN UNACCEPTABLE.