2021 JEEP GLADIATOR Steering Problems

Driving down the road approximately 60 MPH and the vehicle front end starts to wobble and the steering wheel starts turning violently back and forth. Very hard to keep control. Slowed down drastically and vehicle returned to normal. This happened twice on two trips 20 minutes apart. This could have easily caused a crash, and created a hazard requiring my vehicle to slow dramatically from highway speeds to regain control.

“Death Wobble” at Highway Speeds > 45 MPH. The steering wheel begins to “Wobble” after hitting a pot hole or uneven surface such as a bridge joint. I have taken it in and was told everything is to factory specs. This is not the case and I have video. The latest incident occurred Saturday Nov 5th.

Four times within 8 months of the vehicle being new and now being the fifth time I have experienced what is termed "death wobble" where loss of control due to violent pounding/shaking of the front end occurs where most times it is necessary to slow down or stop drastically from highway speeds to get vehicle back in control.

Traveling speeds excess of 60 mph, any bump or flaw in the road will cause the vehicle to enter into severe vibration and shaking of front end/ axle. The steering wheel violently shakes from side to side and the vehicle will stay shaking until you reduce your speed to under 50 mph. Ball joints and other steering components are put under severe stress. The issue has been reported to the dealer who is unable to correct the issue even with replacing steering stabilizer as they suggest. A formal case was opened with the Chrysler group.

SUSPENSION: 2021 Jeep Gladiator - 12,000 Miles: On several occasions at freeway speeds vehicle hits uneven road / bumps and vehicle looses steering control like it jumps off the pavement / shutters over road way with no control: At one point I thought I blew a front tire and did loose some control of vehicle and pulled over to shoulder to scope it out: No tire blew: This is a major concern: My safety and the safety of passengers are at risks: I would not put my family members in this vehicle other than city driving!! Tried contacting MOPAR but was unable to do so - 12 March 2022 - A Joke

Steering is very loose. Vehicle constantly drifts and requires constant steering correction. Approximately 3” of slack in steering response.

At highway speeds a uncontrollable wobble of the front wheels occurs when hitting a tar strip or bump that is only brought under control by stepping on the brakes very hard to slow the truck to 60MPH or less. I think that sudden slowing while in traffic puts not only my life in danger, but also those drivers around me. At this point, the dealer is replacing the steering damper. But I suspect this is a band aid to cover a larger issue. Current mileage is 13,XXX miles. The wheels, tires and suspension are factory stock.

1. Major electrical system intermittent failures, each incident progressively longer lasting and various malfunction warning lights/messages displayed in dash. 2. Loss of power steering while driving on three separate occasions within a 40 day period. First incident was loss of steering for only a few seconds. Second incident vehicle had to beame shut off and on multiple times before the computer reset and the vehicle drove fine. Third incident was catstrophic loss of electrical the system while driving, vehicle was pulled into middle turn lane where the engine died and would not start. Vehicle unable to start, shift, display hazard warning indicators etc. Vehicle displayed many errors and stated due to safety it would not be allowed to start without servicing. 3. Jeep has been at dealer three times. First incident, electrical malfunctioning was blamed on power step installation. Second incident was blamed on loose ground wire in engine bay....

I was exiting the freeway with a speed limit of 75 mph. On the off-ramp I lost control of the Gladiator. The front end wobble was so bad that I could not hold onto the steering wheel for fear of breaking my wrist. Instead I had to wrap my arms about the wheel in an attempt to stop the wobble. I was unable to keep the vehicle in my lane, and finally ended up in a large ditch next to the off ramp. What happened appears to be a problem with the Mopar 1.5" lift kit installed by the dealer. The kit was installed 8/17/2021. This incident occurred in Jan 2022, about 4,000 miles later. I had the kit installed and then inspected about a month later specifically to check for any loose bolts, and to double check the torque for the bolts. The CV bar in the front lost...

Driving at approx. 70 mph the vehicle steering became very difficult to control. I was unable to turn the steering wheel ( it felt like a vehicle without power steering at low speed). I slowed the vehicle down, I could feel the steering get easy as I neared a stop. After stopping at a stoplight and resuming the vehicle drove normally. The vehicle was never shut off.

Transmission is very clunky and jerky especially at low speed or when little input is applied to the gas and or if you are switching between brakes and gas in traffic. Transmission feels very hesitant. The steering isn’t terrible at low speeds but at highway speeds the vehicle wanders left and right at random. I have to put it a lot of micro movements with the steering wheel in order to keep it straight.

The "death wobble." When driving over 55mph even the slightest bump will set off a violent chain reaction of vibrations. This causes unsafe driving conditions and loss of control. The only way to regain control is to quickly slow down to less than 55mph and at highway speeds this is extremely dangerous. Jeep has failed to fix this and wont even acknowledge that it is an issue.

In January 2021, my 2021 Jeep Gladiator Overland became unstable at normal freeway speeds (60-75 mph) on many occasions. The slightest bump or surface irregularity stimulates a violent and sustaining side-to-side vehicle shudder/vibration from the front suspension that was very extreme that lasted for over 2 minutes or until the vehicle slowed to around 60 mph; where stable vehicle behavior restored. This extreme instability and needed hard braking creates a serious driving hazard. I have taken it to 2 separate dealers who cannot find any issue and are unwilling to investigate unless it happens in their presence even with video proof. I have also taken to a tire shop and had the tires re-balanced and put on a road force machine. The tire shop found no issues with the tires or balancing. This started at about 23,000 miles and occurs more as the temperatures drop. This failure mode is severe,...

The vehicle auto stops when the steering wheel is turned, in direct conflict with owner’s manual. The owner’s manual specifies that “Steering angle beyond threshold” will prevent an auto stop, but preventing the auto stop is the opposite of initiating the event. Furthermore, the instrument cluster never presents a “STOP/START READY” message which is the first necessary condition for an auto stop. This issue creates a serious safety hazard, as the vehicle presents incorrect information to the driver and the vehicle unexpectedly stops in traffic which confuses and distracts the driver. The unexpected / wanted stop in heavy traffic could cause a rear-end collision leading to serious injury or death. The malfunction was reproduced and confirmed by multiple service personnel, who expressed safety concerns. The malfunction was also recreated by 4 independent mechanic shops and documented as a safety concern. However, an FCA Technical Advisor (TA) claimed that the vehicle...

When at highway speeds, hit a bump in the road and it causes a "death wobble".

At highway speeds this vehicle wanders constantly. Keeping it in lane is more than a full time job. Windy conditions and or vehicle passing is a white knuckle experience . Looking at any of the jeep gladiator forums, this condition is a continuing condition / concern.

Multiple incidences of death wobble at higher speeds... Primarily on interstate after going over minor defects in road... overpass, etc... Getting more frequent.. requires slowing way down to 40 mph to correct.

From when I picked up the new vehicle from the dealership there's been excessive "play" in the steering wheel. The vehicle drifts in its lane, requiring constant corrections. Issue is more pronounced on a highway versus city driving.

Multiple incidents of violent death wobble at higher rates of speed between 60 and 75 mph. Vehicle must be rapidly brought to below 35 mph before it settles down. Seems to happen most often on the highway when going over and overpass where the seam between the road and the bridge is. Especially happens when the transition strip is diagonal to the path of travel. Vehicle has been at the dealership twice, first for sloppy and loose steering which they said they were unable to verify, that everything seemed fine. And most recently for the incidents of death wobble. Again the dealership claims they cannot replicate the issue. We feel the vehicle is unsafe to drive and will not pick it up until Chrysler has resolved the issue

Rear Axle Assembly leaking fluid onto rear brake drum and wheel hub assembly, potentially rendering brakes non-functional in rear of vehicle. Excessive drift/play in steering at moderate speeds (40mph+) "Death Wobble" experienced at speeds ~70mph. Front wheels/suspension near total loss of control. Steering column violently shuddering, and required excessive force to control. Vehicle is dealer stock, completely unmodified, with only 9500 miles on it. Dealer currently has vehicle. Replaced rear axle assembly. Currently test driving to try and reproduce shaking in steering and front drivetrain.

8000 miles on new purchase, never off road, this Jeep goes into a violent shimmy/wobble 60-70 when in an ever so slight off of center steering angle on the freeway after crossing an expansion joint or other sharp road irregularity. Coasting down is the only way it goes away. Full Throttle acceleration out doesn't help, nor hard braking. It's NOT consistent, but it's happened to me three times in recent weeks as the summer temperatures subsided from the 80's F into the fall 40-60 F. Again, purchased brand new May 2021, tire pressures are proper, only driver, no other passengers or cargo. The onset is unexpected and frightening. The local Dodge / Jeep dealer where I have had one oil change seems to be unaware of a fleet issue or problem. It seems to be widely reported on various automotive blogs. Please help. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM...

The steering seems like it has a lot of play and when driving you have to do a lot of corrections to keep vehicle in its lane

This is the second occurrence I’ve had with this vehicle. While driving on a rural two lane highway, traveling approximately 60 miles per hour, my instrument cluster began to flash a “Service Shifter” warning. This warning was simultaneously joined by a check engine light, random readings of speed, rpm fluctuations, activation of the un-commanded activation windshield wipers, and intermittent loss of power steering. Video of this incident is available from when it occurred in May 2021 at 9000 miles, and again in October 2021 at roughly 18000 miles. It is unknown what system or components are causing this error. The first occurrence was cleared by reseating of fuses, however this second occurrence cannot be resolved so far. The vehicle has been in the shop for 12 days so far with no end in sight. The repair problem has been elevated to FCA by the dealership. My primary safety concern with...

I purchased a new 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. The steering wanders at all speeds causing continuous correction of the steering wheel. The vehicle drifts and is potentially a safety hazard. The dealership does not acknowledge there is a problem with the 2021 model.

Leaking axle , transmission fluid leaking onto wheel and brakes. Was deemed unsafe to drive, parts on back order. Car swerves hard to right doesn’t steer straight

The vehicle has a lot of wandering movement while driving. The undercarriage of the vehicle and the driveshaft/steering feels like it is loose. The vehicle is difficult to keep on a center point in the lane Inez; it drives like bumper bowling balls on a bowling lane. I have felt a few times that the vehicle was going to pull into the shoulder of the road or over the center line into oncoming traffic and have to maintain movement in the steering wheel almost constantly to keep it in the lane. I will be taking it in to the dealer for inspection but it only has a few hundred miles on it and I felt it move like that from the first full day I owned it. I brought it home with 27 miles on it. No warning lamps, messages or alarms. Windshield fogs up considerably in the rain and...

No single incident to report. Vehicle needs constant re-steering while at highway speeds. Vehicle drifts constantly and needs constant adjustment to stay on road. Have had the vehicle back to the Dealer two times for repairs. Dealer says no fault found. But does agree that there is a defect. Says best case is to wait for a recall on situation. Am an unhappy customer.

I have a 2021 Jeep Gladiator Sport S 3.6L with an automatic transmission. I have been the only owner of the vehicle and bought it new in February 2021. The vehicle currently has just over 9700 miles. The only modification done to the vehicle are new wheels and tires. Today while out for a drive the Jeep suddenly experienced a malfunction. All lights and indicators on the dash began to flash various lights, alarms and warnings. The check engine light, ABS light, and airbag lights came on, along with the ECM warning, steering and traction control lights. The fuel level showed zero, then full, the warning screen flashed messages including: Speed Control, Messaging Unavailable, Service Required- No Bus, then switching to Service Electronic Stability Control, and a BRAKE warning appeared. Next, and most alarming, the vehicle showed the error AUTO PARK DISABLED which resulted in a loss of power steering...

The steering is very loose and I have to correct the steering constantly. This is a new truck and is scary to drive. I can't go over 40 mph because it starts to wander and correcting its course causes it to wobble. When I come to a stop it pulls to one side and I have almost had a couple of accidents trying to keep the truck on course. The dealership will not fix it because there isn't an official memo from the manufacturer.

THIS JEEP GLADIATOR HAS AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF DRIFT/WANDER IN THE STEERING AT JUST ABOUT ALL SPEEDS.

2021 GLADIATOR STEERING PROBLEM. BE DRIVING STEERING GETS LOOSE.. ABLE TO MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL ABOUT 2 INCHES EITHER WAY WITHOUT THE WHEELS MOVING THEN TIGHTEN BACK UP FOR AWHILE THEN HAPPEN AGAIN. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SAY IT'S"NORMAL PLAY FOR A JEEP" COULD SEE OR PRODUCE THE PROBLEM. HAD THE JEEP IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR ALMOST ONE MONTH SINCE MARCH UNTIL TODAY I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE GEAR BOX OR POWER STEERING POWER THEY SAID NO BUT COULDN'T GIVE A REASON WHY IT WAS DOING IT

THE VEHICLE AT HIGHER SPEEDS IS HARD TO CONTROL AND KEEP STRAIGHT. THE STEERING SEEMS TO BE LOOSE AND HAVE TOO MUCH PLAY. THIS MAKES IT HARD TO STAY IN THE LANE WITHOUT CONSTANTLY MOVING THE STEERING BY WHEEL LEFT AND RIGHT AS IF YOU WERE PLAYING A VIDEO GAME.

ON THE HIGHWAY INCREASING SPEEDS THE VEHICLE BECAME HARD TO STEER AND STAY IN LANE AS GETTING UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT OF 70 MPH IT BECAME WORSE WITH THE VEHICLE GOING BACK AND FORTH MAKING IT DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

STEERING IS LOOSE AND IS DIFFICULT TO STAY IN LANE WHEN DRIVING. THE PROBLEM AMPLIFIES WITH SPEED AND REQUIRES CONSTANT DANGEROUS OVER CORRECTION ESPECIALLY IN ADVERSE CONDITIONS LIKE SNOW OR ICE.