2020 JEEP GLADIATOR Steering Problems
179 NHTSA complaints on file
Steering Issues in the 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR
179 steering complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR. Of these, 2 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 0 resulted in injury.
179
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Steering Complaints
Death Wobble at highway speeds between 72-75. Shaking hard at these speeds.
Death wobble. Play in steering box.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the messages "Gear Shift Reset", and "Loss of Stability Control" were displayed, and the check engine warning light, the brake system warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the power steering feature suddenly failed to operate as designed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired by the dealer; however, the contact completed the repair himself. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
I am submitting a complaint regarding my 2020 Jeep Gladiator, which has exhibited persistent and dangerous steering issues since shortly after I purchased it. The issue is commonly referred to as the "death wobble." Despite 5 separate repair attempts performed by an authorized Jeep/Stellantis dealership, the safety defect continues to occur. This issue is very commonly know to Jeep. I have even been told my the Service Agent I worked with at the dealership that the steering damper is known to be inadequate, but still continually put on the Jeep. The issue started at approximately 25,000 miles, and upon the 5th time bringing it in for the same safety defect, the car is at 92,000 miles. At highway speeds, if the vehicle hits any uneven pavement, the car will begin to shack violently and the vehicle becomes difficult to control. On multiple occasions, the vehicle felt uncontrollable. This creates an...
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle had suddenly started to vibrate and shake. The contact stated that the vehicle was maintaining its lane but was lurching from left to right. No warnings illuminated. The contact stated that she pulled off to the side of the road; however, when she turned the vehicle on, it would start shaking again. The contact stated that she would keep driving while the vehicle was shaking, and the shaking would eventually stop. The contact stated that the shaking was occurring at any speed and was also triggered when she would drive over any small bumps or dips in the road. The contact stated recently, while she was driving in traffic at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle started to shake again, however, this time violently. The contact stated that at the time, it...
During normal driving, dash would display multiple warning lights. There would be traction control, ABS inactive, and transmission errors displayed on the screen. Twice, there was a loss of power steering while driving. All signs pointed to a CAN buss issue, but dealer could not/ would not find it. Doing research, I found that the CAN buss connector located behind the glove compartment was known in the Jeep community to fail and cause these symptoms. The only replacement is offered by Mopar/Stellantis. Multiple models and makes under Stellantis company use this same connector that has bad solder connections inside. It causes increased resistance inside the connector, and causes CAN buss communication errors, and setting any one of hundreds of possible DTC. In every occasion, there was a loss of stability control, ABS, and multiple occasions of vehicle being locked in Park. In two occasions, the electric assist power steering was...
this 2020 Jeep Gladiator has repeatedly experienced the infamous Jeep Gladiator "Death Wobble" related to front steering component defects/failures/poor design. It creates a very hazardous driving condition. The local dealer, Hilltop Jeep in Richmond, and Stellantis declined to make repairs and instead left us on our own to get the needed repairs done at a local Jeep 4x4 specialist shop and the repairs cost ~3000+ dollars. Stellantis has refused to pay for the needed repairs.
Driving at 40-65mph vehicle begins to shake violently, known as the death wobble. Extremely unsafe to be on the road. Transmission gets stuck in 3rd gear, hard shifts and does not respond when shifting to reverse. Mileage is 69110 but has been an issue since about 27000. Unfortunately I have no money to take to a mechanic. Very disappointed in Jeep will not be purchasing Jeeps in the near future.
almost had an accident do you to the Jeep 2020 gladiator going haywire steering wheel got hard like you had no power steering luckily I was going 45 miles an hour wipers went crazy the shifter went into parking luckily my wife my son and myself we're OK no accident had towed to my house replaced both batteries auxiliary and main battery still nothing replaced can bus it says it does not have connection with ECM
While driving in rush hour traffic, stop and go driving, a service shifter message started to intermittently appear, then the forward collision warning message started to frequently chime in and off, then I lost power steering, check engine light illuminated, other messages auto start stop service, service sway bar disconnect, transmission was stuck in 3rd gear then after a stop it would not shift out of 1st even switching to manual shift mode, was able to pull over to side of road. Turned off the vehicle, used my code reader to clear the codes, started the vehicle back on and everything was clear and vehicle drove as normal. Sure glad it didn’t happen at speed! I have read of other people having the same issue so I wanted it to add my concern as well.
Steering damper is affected by a recall and i have not received the recall. Causes truck to abruptly jerk left or right causing a lif e threatening matter to everyone one the road
Steering dampner. Causes steering to suddenly make the vehicle jerk to the left or the right when at speeds around 45 mph or higher making it a hazardious risk and safety concern for yourself and also other people.
Vehicle shut off spontaneously. All dash lights lit up. No steering, Could not turn .was able to drift to side of highway and avoid being hit from traffic. Would not start for 10 min. After manny attempts finally started but could not shift into gear. Errors on the dash. Had to turn off and on a few times to get going again.
Cruise control suddenly turns off. Clock spring issue with steering wheel. Buttons on steering wheel occasionally don’t work
When driving over 50 mph and hit a small bump the jeep goes to shacking "death wobble". I have taken it to the dealership where I had purchased it, and they looked and stated it was a recall. This was back in March 2024. Here it is end of October 2024 and still waiting on the part to be shipped to the dealer ship so it can be fixed. It is unsafe to drive as it is. And is my only vehicle. What is taking so long on the parts
hit bump in road started violent wobble
2020 Jeep Gladiator purchased new experienced violent shaking of the steering wheel and partial loss of control at highway speed on March 10, 2024 with the odometer at 27,500 miles. The shaking is commonly referred to as a "death wobble" incident. While driving at approximately 60mph on the interstate the vehicle became unstable on uneven pavement and began to shake so violently it nearly resulted in an accident and we had to immediately pull off the highway into the median. After a quick inspection no damage was found, the death wobble incident happened again the same day to a lesser degree and vehicle seems to be more unstable each use. Vehicle is available for inspection. The death wobble is so severe enough to cause an accident due to loss of steering control and suspension instability as well as injure the drivers hands and arms due to violent movement of the...
While driving the 2020 Jeep Gladiator on highway I experienced extreme vibrations and shaking of the steering wheel (Commonly referred to as the "Death Wobble" in other online complaints/videos). This occurred on at least 8 occasions when traveling at highway speed (65mph to 70mph) after hitting a bump (ex. overpass bridge joint) or rough patch of road (ex. pothole). The steering wheel and whole front end of the vehicle wobble violently and it can only be corrected by reducing speed rapidly. This creates a safety issue as rapidly decelerating to get the vehicle under control on a highway puts my vehicle and the vehicles following me in danger. After reading other complaints, this appears to be an issue with Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator models going back several years.
Steering is very loose in the vehicle, I have experienced "death wobble" twice while driving the vehicle. It was taken in for service, and the dealership replaced the steering stabilizer as they said it had failed. Since getting the vehicle back, the issue has not been fixed, in fact...the steering is even more loose now, it feels unsafe to drive.
In early January 2024 I was driving on the interstate at the posted speed limit of 70 mph and upon hitting what I would call a moderate bump on the roadway my steering wheel felt as though it was wobbling. Later in the month while driving at the same speed of at least 70 mph I would hit a bump and experience the steering wheel wobble, only it was getting worse. The steering wheel wobble could cause a safety issue in that the driver could lose control of proper steering thereby causing a vehicle crash with injury to myself, my wife, or even others on the roadway. I took my 2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland to the nearest Jeep Dealership to me and when I made inquiry to the technician that worked on my vehicle, he stated that he had taken my Jeep on the interstate and tried to recreate the...
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, The front end of the vehicle was wobbling violently. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the Death Wobble. The contact stated that he decelerated below 50 MPH and the vehicle operated as needed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving above 55 MPH and when hitting a bump. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that unknown tires, the socket drag link outer, the steering damper, the front bar, the power steering gear and the arm Pitman needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond when shifting into reverse (R). The...
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that on three occasions while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle drove over a patch in the roadway, and the front end began shaking uncontrollably. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the vehicle remained until the vehicle stopped shaking. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering damper needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,500.
I recently purchased my Jeep Gladiator and the steering is extremely loose and if feels out of control while driving. I contacted my local dealership and they refused to help and told me to call Chrysler corporate. I contacted Chrysler and they rejected my claim and refused to help. The dealership told me there was [XXX] that states the steering gear box was aluminum and was recommended to be replaced with a different style. This vehicle I just purchased has not be changed and is a safety issue due to loose steering and at high speeds the vehicle feels out of control and dangerous. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My Jeep Gladiator has had the "death wobbles" three different times now. It has been "repaired" by Jeep only to have the issue return a month or two later. The 2nd repair was done more extensively than just a dampener replacement. There is a class action lawsuit on this issue. But the new repair does not solve the problem! My truck has never been modified. It is original.
While driving several warnings lights illuminate: traction control, ABS, air bad, service 4 wd, and brake. When this happens power steering is lost making it extremely hard to steer the car. The brakes are automatically engaged and occasionally the windshield wiper turns on. This causes a risk not only to myself and passengers but anyone driving near me as I can no longer steer with ease and the brakes lock up. My Gladiator has been at the Jeep dealer for 10 weeks while they try to solve the problem. They replaced the ABS module but that didn't solve the issue. I'm told that its electrical and whatever it is will harm several systems. My wife's 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL has the exact same issues. She has a very hard time controlling it due to no power steering.
The steering wanders. I constantly have to correct steering. It is a constant battle to keep it in its lane on the highway. It is very exhausting driving any distance on the highway. Luckily there has not been any crashes. Vehicle is almost 3 years old and only has 6462 miles on it because I don’t feel safe driving it. It has been to two different dealers and they say it’s fine.
The steering wheel begins to vibrate uncontrollably at highway speeds to the point where other drivers notice the shaking in the front end. to correct this problem i have to slow down well below highway speeds to get the steering under control. No the problem has not been reproduced by a dealer and now the vehicle is out of warranty. No indicators lights or warning signs appear when this issue arises.
There are no warning signals and its been an issue since purchase. The steering has a lot of play and the truck will pull one way or the other. This causes extreme episodes of swerving even at speeds of 30. The front and rear were replaced with initial recall or TSB.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle drove over a pothole and the steering wheel started to shake violently and vehicle swayed from side to side before regaining control. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the front dampers. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. Upon further diagnosis, the dealer replaced the power steering gearbox. The failure reoccurred a third time, and the dealer replaced the front dampers and advised the contact that the failure had caused abnormal wear on tire tread and advised the contact that the tires be replaced. The failure reoccurred a fourth time however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened, pending an inspection by a Jeep specialist. The failure mileage was...
Lost Power Steering, 5/22/2023. 4 Orange Check lights came on. 1)Tried to start the car remotely, with secondary key. No start. 2)Tried again standing next to it. No start. 3)Got in and pushed brake and started car. All the same check lights came on that did 4/19. Engine, ABS and 4WD. Maybe another Shifter warning. 4)Pulled out of driveway with ½ the error lights on. Lost power steering 100 yards in the neighborhood. 5)U Turn with no PS, back to house, let it sit all day till 3PM while waiting for towing. Did not scan, Did not disconnect battery. 3PM, Came home from work, started the car with remote. Only 1 check engine light and now power steering is back. Delivered to Jeep Dealer, Hetrick Jeep Dodge, Elton, MD. by tow truck.
4/21. Check Engine Light Shifter locked in place. Lost Power Steering. Started out as CHECK ENGINE Light then added ABS light. I Cleared it. Week later, Friday, 4/21. Check Engine Light 4/22 - Saturday AM, Drive to Goodwill and landfill While in 18 truck line at landfill, I put in PARK, Trans locked itself in PARK. Radio and Speedo Blipped. Then Orange Check Engine light, Orange ABS light, two Orange Traction Control lights. Orange Service 4WD light. Service Shifter Message, RED Brake light n dash. There was another ABS Message, but I failed to get it. Turned off engine, I restarted and was able to get in gear, NO POWEER STEERING. Got through line. Drove home with all check lights and no power steering. Engine and Trans Temps were good, oil pressure was good, Battery showing 14.1 while driving. At home, scanned for codes. In this order U0121 U1110 U1120...
While going 65-70 mph my gladiator shakes violently if I hit nearly a crack in the road. My jeep is stocked. No special tires or rims. No lift kit. Today I was going 55-60 mph on the highway and I don’t recall even hitting a bump and my car started to shake the worse it has ever shaken before. This definitely should classify as a recall and they should do something about this. This a serious safety concern. I have 36k miles on it. This issue started 16 months ago, while my vehicle had 20k miles.
The car is wandering and there is no control over the steering. It feels as if the car is all over the place meaning I have to correct the steering constantly.
Front end violently shakes between 30 and 75 mph when hitting a bump in the road and is better known as a "Death Wobble". The issue based on experts can be the steering damper, tie rods ends and/or tie rod, drag link, track bar, steering box or all of the above. The problem is that there is no factory parts to fix this issue so I've had to go to after market parts to get this resolved. First time it happed on the hwy it almost threw me off the hwy.
When driving on the roadway at speeds of approximately 50-60 mph, and after hitting a bumpy patch in the road, the car wheels and steering system begins to shake violently. I explain it this way..... imagine driving along with no issues and suddenly without notice, the round wheels become square wheels. It can be a very traumatic experience and is certainly dangerous. I then need to immediately carefully slow down and/or pull to the side of the road and come to a stop. Then, I can proceed back onto the road and the Jeeps seems to be ok. I have 51K miles on the Jeep, which has all the original factory components, with no alterations. This began a few months ago his has happened 3-4 times in the last few weeks. I have an appointment with the Jeep dealership in a week.
Shaking of front suspension - steering wheel and front tires
While I was driving on the freeway, suddenly all of my warning lights came on and my windshield wipers and the power steering went out. It was very difficult to pull over with the power steering out and stop. This is the second time this has occurred in 6 months. The first time this happened I had it towed to the dealer, they found nothing wrong but when I went to pick it up it happened again before I left the dealer. The service manager kept it and they ran more codes and thought they resolved the problem, but the same thing happened again when I went to pick it up. Finally, they gave me a loaner vehicle and after a month the Gladiator was finally fixed. The dealer said it was a defective wiring harness. Now the same problem is back. This is a serious safety issue due to...
Steering wheel violently shakes if driving at highway speed and you hit a small bump
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the vehicle experienced the death wobble after driving over a bump on the roadway. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,460.
Steering is very loose, wanders all over the road and is especially noticeable at higher speeds. It’s very exhausting constantly correcting the steering to keep straight on the road. There is a lot of play in the steering box. I’ve taken my jeep to be fixed by the dealership more times than I can count. I’ve had the steering box replaced 3 times with no improvement. This has been a day 1 issue that hasn’t been fixed. It’s especially dangerous in the snow, I had a perfect driving record till I went off the road during my first winter. Dealer confirmed there was a lot of play in the steering but hasn’t fixed it, they’ve just basically throw their hands up in the air. This isn’t what I expected when I bought a new Jeep, it’s been a nightmare.
Driving down the road the steering gear box will randomly quit, could be doing 70 mph down the expressway and not be able to swerve, turn or avoid an accident. Has happened to me three times. Also the steering free play on these vehicles is absolutely insane and very difficult to keep the vehicle in its lane going down the road. I have been pulled over by police three times for “swerving” and it’s all due to the steering wheel having too much free play. This needs to be recalled because it’s unsafe to drive
WHEN DRIVING 35MPH TO 65 MPH HITING ANY BUMP IN ROAD WILL CAUSE STEERING WHEEL TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY BACK AN FORTH UNCONTROLLABLE.
WHEN DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE HIGHWAY (70MPH) we experienced some rough road. The steering wheel and the whole vehicle began to shake. This has happened several times and the shaking stopped when we slowed down significantly. Thankfully there were no cars in our immediate vicinity or this could have caused and accident. WE are reporting this to the dealership today. A search on social media reported many other people having this same problem.
At highway speeds when hitting a slight bump (i.e. expansion joint on a bridge or road way) the vehicle shakes violently. This can easily make the driver lose control of the vehicle. The Dealership reproduced and confirmed the issue and a Jeep Star Ticket was opened.
While driving there is a lot of steering play, which makes it hard to control at time. The steering wheel shakes while driving over 45.
my wife and I were driving on a freeway each time this happened. After driving over a bump in the road, the front end vibrated violently to the point we had to slow down drastically and pull over. It controlled okay after slowing down to a very slow speed. This has happened approximately 5 times. We are scared to drive this vehicle. It causes the steering wheel to vibrate. We called the dealership today (Sat.) noone called back but we will call them Mon. This vehicle is too dangerous to drive.It has between 27 and 28 thousand miles. It has never been off road.We bought it new off the lot and will pursue this with the dealer. We wanted to report it before someone is in an accident. It is available for inspection.
I have been having problems with my steering 17 thousand miles after I bought this 56k dollar jeep. sometimes the steering wheel locks to the left or to the right when pulling out of parking lots.than it also pulls to the left in the high way. My motor mounts also are not good any more because they make noise and my motor rocks back and forth.The shock absorbers all 4 also need replacement. This jeep is steering and handling is very unstable and I don’t feel safe driving it. My starter needs replacement for the 3rd time. my gas consumption is 10 miles to the gallon!!!!my day running lights don’t turn on and this issue with lights and electrical problems been with this jeep since 7k miles after I bought! If you leave this jeep on you can take the keys with you it some one can just drive off...
I need help with the service shifter message , the truck get un drivable after this message blinks three times , is so annoying bc you loose power steering control and the truck don’t go up to 3000 rpm , please fix these Issues
at 70 mph after hitting expansion joint, the steering wheel and front end will violently shake until speed is below 50 mph. Dealership acknowledged this a known problem with jeeps-aka the death wobble. They think it is the tires but cannot replace them with fiat-chrysler approval. this is an absolutely unsafe scary to operate vehicle.
The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact stated that the steering and brakes still functioned as needed and was able to safely exit the highway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with a severe oscillation event and advised that the tie bar and steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,633.
Other 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR Problem Areas
Electrical System
151 complaints
Power Train
50 complaints
Engine
42 complaints
Suspension
32 complaints
Unknown Or Other
32 complaints
Visibilitywiper
23 complaints
Service Brakes
16 complaints
Electrical System Instrument Clusterpanel
11 complaints
Exterior Lighting
10 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
10 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
9 complaints
Structurebody
9 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings
5 complaints
Air Bags
3 complaints
Back Over Prevention
2 complaints
Electrical Systeminstrument Panelspeedometerodometer
2 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
2 complaints
Seat Belts
2 complaints
Structureinterior Panelssun Visor
2 complaints
Wheels
2 complaints
Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking
1 complaint
Back Over Prevention Warnings
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust System
1 complaint
Exterior Lightinghazard Flashing Warning Lights
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
1 complaint
Power Trainaxle Assembly
1 complaint
Power Traindrivelinedifferential Unit
1 complaint
Service Brakes Airdisccaliper
1 complaint