2021 JEEP GLADIATOR Steering Problems

Two of the same faults occurred within the same month of each other. The first: while driving home from work on the highway, while heavily raining, without warning every alarm light possible engaged, windshield wipers went full speed, vehicle would not shift, and my steering locked up (not to be confused with lost power steering). After about a mile I was able to encourage the Jeep off the side of the highway. While waiting for my tow, with the E Brake set and in Park, the Jeep kept trying to crawl forward on its own. I was unable to turn the vehicle off as it would not respond, in addition to an alarm warning saying not to turn off the Jeep. The second occurrence was in the parking garage at work; I pulled through the parking stall, put the Jeep in reverse to back up and the same fault took...

While angling into a turn lane, I was forced to go back into lane of traffic first signaling into the turn lane (left) then out (right) turn signal seemed to get stuck on, Steering wheel became locked and would only move a fraction of an inch either left or right. Once I was around the obstruction in the turn lane I angled back into it and was able to come to a stop. Once stopped the turn signal very loudly clicked off and the wheel was once again able to be actually turned. The ESS was disabled the whole time and at no point did the vehicle cease to be on and engine running.

This afternoon I was driving on a 35mph 4 lane road when my power steering suddenly went out. Because it was unusually light traffic and there are no turns or curves, I was able to safely maintain my lane until the power steering resumed just as quickly as it went out. Most women struggle with manually steering a normal sized car- a truck this heavy is nearly impossible. Had I been going any faster or if I were on a curve, I would have absolutely wrecked. There were no alarms, no signals no messages, nothing. Because this Judy happened, I have not yet had it looked at my a mechanic.

My name is [XXX] , and I am writing to formally submit a complaint regarding the loss of my vehicle due to engine fire. The vehicle was a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon, VIN [XXX] , with approximately 26,666 miles at the time of loss. I purchased the vehicle on May 13, 2021. The fire occurred on July 10, 2025. I was driving on the freeway, and my vehicle lost power and dashboard warning lights illuminated. When I pulled over, the engine was on fire. The fire department came and doused the flames but my entire engine was destroyed. After the fire, I retained legal counsel and initiated an independent investigation through Fire Cause Analysis in Berkeley, California. Their findings identified the origin of the fire as being linked to the power steering pump electrical connector. I later discovered that NHTSA has an open investigation identified as PE24024 concerning Jeep Gladiator...

While driving on the highway on 1/19/2026, the electric power steering system abruptly stopped working. It took all my strength to steer the vehicle to take the first available exit. The failure made controlling the vehicle very difficult, putting my safety, my family's safety and the safety of others around me at risk. As soon as the vehicle slowed to approximately 20mph, the power steering started working normally again. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. There were no warning lamps, messages or notifications during the power steering failure. There were no warning lamps, messages or notifications after the power steering started working normally again. I did a complete system scan using a scan tool that can detect Diagnostic Trouble Codes from all vehicle systems, and no DTCs were detected. See attachment.

My vehicles rear locker went out on me while driving on the road and completely destroyed itself. I have video evidence on how that looks at the shop where it cost me over 3k to get a new one because I could t drive it or I had to get a whole new rear differential. My steering is already been going loose at 70k miless

While driving yesterday vehicle lost power steering and almost cause a crash. Upon talking to multiple shops and online researching we all came to a conclusion it was the can bus board (controller area network) shops stated this is a very know problem with jeeps. I feel as this is a safety factor for this. Now I am at the point in fixing it and trading in the vehicle due to my family and trying to be safe. Codes are saying lost of communication with can bus basically all the computers are not talking to each other.

The heating steering wheel had an electrical short in the heating element where it began to melt the rubber of the steering wheel and start smoking. This became very hot where it could burn my hand. I was forced to pull over immediately to diagnose the problem before anything else could burn. The smoking stopped when I tuned off the heated steering wheel.

Approximately two months ago while driving about 65 mph on the interstate the power steering failed, and reverted to manual steering. The vehicle became extremely difficult to turn. I was near an exit, and as I slowed to leave the interstate, at 30-35 mph the steering began to work normally. I did not have the issue investigated. Two days ago while going to work, and descending a mountain which had numerous sharp curves the power steering failed again. I was traveling around 40 mph, and the vehicle was extremely difficult to steer. As I reduced speed to about 25mph the steering resumed normal operation. I was making a 90 degree downhill turn when this event occurred. I almost departed the road on a steep drop off. Had my wife been driving I do not think she would have possessed enough strength to keep from going off the road. I had...

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that there were several unknown warnings illuminated, and the instrument cluster had started flashing on and off. The contact stated that the vehicle slowed down while depressing the accelerator pedal and continued to lose motive power. The contact stated that a warning flashed on the instrument cluster to "Pull Over" and that "Vehicle Was Going to Shutdown". The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to turn to the left or the right and that the brake pedal was difficult to depress, requiring the activation of the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed back to the residence. The contact stated that her husband determined that the 12-Volt battery needed to be replaced. The contact stated that a new...

After about 27000 miles, I was driving down I476 at approximately 55-65 mph. It was on a stretch of road with occasional ridges and on hitting one of them, the steering began to vibrate more and more. It eventually resolved itself as I slowed down to around 40 mph. This happened on a number of occasions under much the same conditions and I took the vehicle into Videon, a local Jeep dealer. They immediately replaced the steering damper as they claimed it was worn. I do not have the old damper, it was retained by Videon. I feel that had the road conditions been any less than dry and offering good grip, the vehicle may well have become uncontrollable as the shimmy was very violent. The steering on this vehicle has always been vague but I put that down to the relatively antiquated design of the Jeep and the fact...

Driving approximately 40 mph, power steering went out almost wrecked dash said service shifter.

Death wobble, while traveling down any road that has a bump or is not smooth as glass I get the front end wobble, the only way to stop it is to slow down, have had a couple near miss accidents because of this. This jeep is all original, second time in shop was told all original parts are fine no wear no loose parts. They are putting a steering damper on it. Was told by the dealership where it was purchased “it’s a jeep thing”. Because of the wobble had to replace tires because of uneven wear, had tires rebalanced multiple times trying to fix issue, now another fix to see if it works.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving on the interstate highway at 70 MPH, the vehicle wobbled abnormally with unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was also informed that the steering dampener might have been the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 17,000.

See attached document for complaint.

We were heading out on a vacation trip on a cold(20+ degree day). We had just reached a road that we were merging on to and started accelerating to get up to speed. I went to change lanes, doing about 50mph, to pass a slower moving vehicle. I noticed the power steering quit functioning and had to muscle the steering to keep from going off the road. I continued down the road without power steering. When we slowed down to about 30mph to make the next turn, power steering started to function again. No more occurrances for the rest of the trip. I have not had it checked due to there is nothing failing now. I have read many Jeep forum posts of the same happening to other Jeep Gladiator owners with the electronic Power Steering pumps, and being cold days, while accelerating and no power steering, then regaining when...

This vehicle has a death wobble above 50 mph when hitting a slight bump in the road causing loss of control. It has been repaired multiple times with no resolution. We tried arbitration but because we continued to drive it, they ruled in the manufacture's favor not understanding we had no choice but to continue driving it to take my wife's father to cancer treatments. It now has 56000 miles on it and is dangerous to drive. I did file a complaint here two years ago and wonder why a recall hasn't happened since I am not the only one with this issue. Every Jeep owner I talk to said they had the death wobble but after upgrading the suspension, it went away. A vehicle owner shouldn't have to spend thousands to fix a 50+ thousand dollar vehicle to make it safe to drive.

On [XXX] at approximately [XXX] I was travelling West on [XXX] , between Hamlin and Kimballton, Iowa. I had been driving with my cruise control set at 60MPH, until I caught up to an 18 wheel livestock semi truck. The semi was travelling near 40MPH due to curves in the road in this area. With no traffic coming from the West and an acceptable stretch of passing zone, I decided to pass the semi. As I entered the Eastbound lane to begin my pass, I pressed the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor and accelerated past the semi. As I was completing the pass, the road began to curve to the left, which naturally caused the Jeep to re-enter the Westbound lane, which is what was expected and is what I wanted to do, as I was well clear of the semi. What startled me, actually scared me...

My 2021 Jeep Gladiator Mojave began experiencing "Death Wobble" in early December, 2024, at highway speeds after hitting a bump in the road. I purchased this vehicle new from the dealer in 2021. I put new tires on the vehicle at 60,000 miles in September, 2024. The wobble is violent and sustained resonant shaking of the front end that continues until the vehicle speed decreases below 30 MPH. I had the front end inspected and the wheels re-balanced and rotated by Big-O, but the problem persists. Big-O indicated that the bushings, stabilizers, tie-rods, ball joints and bearings appeared tight, but the steering damper may need to be replaced. I've attempted numerous times to schedule investigation and repair with the Stoneridge Dodge Chrysler dealer in Pleasanton, CA, but so far have been unsuccessful. The dealer does not appear to take this issue seriously, and said I may need to leave the...

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding a serious safety issue with my 2021 Jeep Gladiator (VIN: [XXX] ). On Sunday, [XXX], while my wife was driving the vehicle on the highway near our home in southeast Boston, she experienced intense and violent shaking that did not subside until she slowed down and pulled over. She was alone at the time, and the event was frightening and could have led to a severe accident. Upon researching the issue, she discovered it is commonly referred to as the "Death Wobble," a phenomenon widely reported online and even acknowledged by Jeep dealers, including Chrysler Dodge Jeep of Columbia. Following the incident, I contacted our local Jeep dealer, Best Jeep in Plymouth, MA, to have the vehicle inspected. Their service team identified the issue and replaced the following parts: •Damper Steering •Bolt Shoulder Square Neck •Nut Hex Flange Lock •Bolt Hex...

I purchased my Gladiator in May of 2021 and the "Death Wobble" started in December of the same year. I took it to the dealership that I purchased my Jeep from and they told me that "it was due to the overly aggressive tires that were on the jeep". I told them that I purchased the jeep from them with those tires on it! Since then I have had out of pocket repairs totaling in excess of $3000.00. The "wobble" has been reproduced for them but that was the answer I got. The wobble happens every month or so but definitely happens when I hit a bump in the road or when I hit 60 mph and there is a deviation in the road (i.e. a divit, curve or sometimes even if I change lanes). The wobble is so bad that I have to immediately brake and drop my speed...

Just purchased this vehicle from Anderson Nissan of Lake Havasu City, AZ with 4759 miles. After leaving the city and driving on [XXX] heading [XXX], I immediately encountered fairly serious speed wobbles at 70 mph after driving over the bridges for drainage under the highway. Immediately slowed to 60 mph to stop wobble. This occurred approximately 8 times on [XXX] after driving over these bridges or irregular pavement. Nearly home, I was involved in an extremely serious speed wobble at 70 - 75 mph in an area of [XXX] in [XXX]. A slight vibration occurred then an extremely violent speed wobble ensued. Cars in this area drive at very high speeds. Fortunately, I was able to get the car to the side of the road without getting hit or wrecking. I barely kept control of it and very surprised I did not wreck with the other cars. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT...

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle started to wobble. The contact's husband researched the failure and determined that the vehicle was experiencing the death wobble. The vehicle was uncontrollable while driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, where it was determined that the steering damper needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that there was no recall for the failure. The contact called the recall center and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

My 2021 Jeep Gladiator received the 19A Clutch Recall in late June 2024. The recall was issued due to clutch pressure plates disintegrating, blowing a hole in the transmission housing, and causing vehicle fires. Upon return, my vehicle was unable to drive smoothly. After further investigation, I determined that if the clutch and throttle were operated concurrently, the engine would shut off. The engine would shut off anywhere between 1 MPH and highway speed causing issues with operating hydraulically assisted systems (power brakes and power steering). In practice, this led to the engine shutting off between most gear shifts causing a jerky driving condition due to the engine needing to clutch start itself. I did not test how well the steering or brakes worked while the engine was shut off due to safety concerns. While pulling into my driveway, I momentarily lost control of the vehicle when the engine died...

Several times a day when I drive over un-even pavement the front end, wheels, & steering wheel start violently shaking and become uncontrollable to the point other vehicles move out of the way. It will only stop when speed is lowered low 5 mph. This has happened between 25-40 mph. Too afraid to drive at highway speeds. This vehicle is a 2021 with only 12,800 miles on it. Very scary situation to be in, especially for a vehicle I bought new and have never taken off road.

At speeds of 45-70mph the Jeep randomly begins a violent shaking of the steering wheel/tires/suspension components. The Jeep is completely stock and the tires have been rotated and rebalanced which did not assist in resolving the issue.

Driving on the freeway at freeway speed. Hit a bridge transition point and the front end started to shake uncontrollably. I braked and was able to pull to the side. Got out and checked. No visible damage. Took the truck to the dealer. They replaced my steering damper and track bar. The truck only had 6K miles. Again at 20,000 miles the same parts needed to be replaced as the same thing was happening. There has been a class action lawsuit settled on this same model. My vehicle is completely stock. This is a huge safety concern.

When driving on the interstate at interstate speeds, the steering randomly locked up. The steering wheel could not be turned.

While driving on a highway around 70 MPH upon traveling on a bumpy portion of roadway or a transition from an overpass back to roadway the steering starts to Shimmy extremely bad. The only way to get this to stop is pull over and bring the vehicle to a complete stop. I was almost killed when there was no shoulder available In a construction zone on [XXX] in Florida and I had to stop in the lane of traffic and was almost rear ended by a semi tractor trailer. I’ve made a complaint about this before. The dealer previously changed the steering damper but unfortunately the new damper is not the fix to this safety issue. Luckily I’m an experienced driver and a retired law enforcement officer and have calmness to work through this issue. If it was a young driver with little experience the outcome would be sadly different....

This vehicle has around 8000 miles on it. While driving at highways speeds, several times the steering would start to wobble violently. Normally after hitting a small bump in the road. After researching this was called a death wobble. The vehicle is stock and has not been modified. Has jeep issued a remedy?

At highway speed and encountering a small bump the front-end will jump violently side to side. This can only be stopped by braking to below 50 MPH. Nearly got rear-ended numerous times.

Each time I drive my 2021 Jeep Gladiator Diesel over 55-60mph, I experience the 'death wobble' and i have to brake /slow down to under 50mph before it will stop. This is really dangerous on the Atlanta highways where people are driving far in excess of 60mph and tend to tailgate & change lanes quickly. When I first bought the truck, I didn't experience this but in the past year, it has been happening pretty much every time I drive on the highway (which I avoid now). The most recent time was the WORST, which is prompting this complaint.

Experiencing the well known Jeep "death wobble" at highway speeds above 65MPH when riding over a minor surface bump. Very violent shaking of entire vehicle. I have to immediately reduce speed to below 45mph to stop shacking. Reducing this speed at highway speeds is very dangerous, especially if occurring in the passing lane.

Truck has death wobble. Truck steering motor gets stuck at times. Truck has electrical problems and computer problems. The steering is bad and the suspension is loose. I feel unsafe driving this truck.

Multiple attempts to correct “death wobble “. Problem began in March 2023. Available for inspection upon request. Steering issues caused safety concerns for the driver and passengers, as well as other drivers and passengers on the road. Problem confirmed and multiple attempts to repair were made by Jeep dealership. No inspection by anyone besides the dealership service department. No warning lights activated.

Uncontrollable wobble in the front end that starts after 50mph. I have seen many other online comments about this, and they are saying Jeep cannot fix it. This is absolute fatality waiting to happen. This needs to be addressed immediately before someone dies, if it hasn't already happened. This issue goes back quite a number of years. There has not been a recall on this and I cannot believe that. I have seen that there has been a class action law suit filed by Jeep owners, and I am astounded that nothing has been done. I am hoping NHTSA can help us before something happens. Thank You.

While driving at highway speeds and the vehicle goes over a bump, bridge connection, etc the vehicle goes into an uncontrollable “death wobble”. This began with less than 10,000 miles on the vehicle, and the vehicle has not had any alterations from factory (factory wheels, tires, suspension, etc.). I brought the vehicle to the dealer in Oct 2022, and a part was on national backorder, after 2 months it arrived and was installed Dec 2022, and the problem persists and now the dealership says a different part is needed, also on nation back order. When you are driving the vehicle and the “death wobble” starts it is extreme shaking of the vehicle front end, and steering wheel. The only way to fix is to slow the vehicle down to 25-30 mph, which can be very dangerous on the highway, especially when in the fast lane on a busy highway with...

In the last two months my truck has developed an issue at high speeds when a bump is gone over that causes the front end to shake violently. The only way to stop the vibration is to slow down which can be hard to do on the highway at 70mph without causing an accident. The problem occurs without notice or warning and the bump does not have to be large. Have taken in to dealer and the front stabilizer bar is loose and allowing play in steering system. Have been told at least 2 months before parts arrive. The shaking has happened twice in just the last week. It appears to be getting worse with each mile driven. I do not feel safe driving this truck but have to keep driving it.

Death wobble when hitting bumps on highway after 55mph.feels like front end wants to come of the jeep very scary situation. 2-Clutch noise when pressing and realeasing

While Driving at highway speed on I75. As the vehicle hit a pot hole/ bumpy portion of roadway, the steering was uncontrollable. I checked the internet and it’s referred to as the “Death Wobble”. This has happed twice to me. The dealer changed the steering damper. It’s a serious safety issue. I’m surprised there hasn’t been a recall yet. This needs to be addressed before someone is seriously injured or forbid killed.

October 2022 at 19000 miles the vehicle started getting steering wheel wobble after crossing bridge seams at 70mph. It gradually got worse until we'd almost loose control so in November I contacted the dealer and FCA. They have had it back in the shop, replaced the steering dampener, track bar, and are now waiting on more parts to replace because they are unable to find the root cause of this steering issue. I see a lot of people reporting the same issue and having the same experience. Since the vehicle randomly causes loss of control, I am looking at arbitration to get it replaced via the lemon law. Jeep needs to be forced to recall these vehicles and either fix or remove ALL of them from the road.

My 2021 Gladiator frequently experiences the Death Wobble at Highway speeds when I hit bumps in the road. We received a postcard in the mail references the problem with 2018 - 2020 Jeep Wranglers and Jeep Gladiators but not 2021 and this same problem is happening. It is very scary when you hit a bump and the steering wheel just starts shaking like crazy or as referenced above a Death Wobble.

My Gladiator frequently experiences the Death Wobble at Highway speeds when I hit bumps in the road.

12-30-2022 When driving truck on interstate going over a bridge the bump caused a death wobble and wouldn't stop until brake pushed. Did this twice in about 2 miles while driving 65 miles an hour. Took it to the shop and was told replacing front end parts after they experienced it also. Shop called said Chrysler said to turn steering wheel to left and right 25 times, then they test drove it again and said it quit. We picked it up and still doing it.

While driving on the highway at accelerated high speed, the steering has completely locked up on two different occasions and unable to steer at all. The truck has to come to a complete stop for the steering to unlock.

Steering wheel shaking wile driving around 65 MPH, specially on cold weather around 30 to 40 degrees. Death wobble is the term I found been coming on jeep wranglers and gladiators. But not understand how this issue is not a recall from the FCA company. I bring my vehicle one time to the dealership the entire front suspension was replaced and the issue was ok for 11 months, now is happening again.

My 2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport is very unsafe to drive specially at Highway speeds or speeds above 45 mph and multiple dealerships service departments are refusing to fix or even acknowledge the issue after not being able to fix the problem already due to no major recalls being offered by Jeep only a bulletin. Steering is very loose, and I cant drive my Jeep Gladiator Sport straight specially on a windy day. I have to constantly adjust my Jeep Gladiator Sport from side to side to keep it in my lane specially if being passed by a semitruck. My Jeep Gladiator Sport sways at speeds as low as 45 mph, but the problem increases at higher speeds. Most of the pulls on highway speeds or windy days are to the left and I have to hang on to the steering wheel for dear life or constantly correcting the wheel.

On Monday, 28 November 2022 I was driving on I-40 in downtown Knoxville, TN. After hitting a bump in the rode the steering wheel began to shake violently and the front-end shake and wobble. I was traveling approximately 65 mph. When I slowed down to 35 mph it stopped. This occurred on a busy interstate at approximately 0900 hrs. I was lucky to be in the outside lane. There were no warning lights before or after. This happened three (3) more times in the same fashion today. When I got back home I scheduled an appointment with my local Jeep dealer. The earliest appointment is 20 December 2022. There was no crash and no police report.

1) Frequent spontaneous windshield cracks. 2) violent, out of control steering wheel vibrations at highway speeds nearly causing severe collisions. Reoccurring incidents. I’m ready to file a lawsuit.

Vehicle is 2 years old, with only 21,000 miles. Driving on the freeway, above 65mph, the vehicle wobbles violently if you hit a pot hole or a small bump. It jerks the steering wheel very hard from side to side, making it very difficult to stay within your lane. The only way to make the extreme wobble go away is to slow down significantly (<40mph) or sometimes come to a complete stop. A simple internet search and you will find MANY complaints about this with Jeeps, and it is commonly referred to as the "Death Wobble". PLEASE help us consumers put an end to this terrifying issue. I was on my way from Austin to San Antonio (1.5-hour drive) and was almost involved in two accidents because of this. Very few drivers expect for the vehicle they are following behind of to slam on their brakes, which is exactly what...