The steering wheel needs constant adjustment and input as the wheels of the car do not track straight, and are not in sync with the steering wheel. It's even more stressful when driving at highway speeds, it doesn't matter if you are driving straight, on curves, through construction zones, and alongside semi-trucks, the steering wheel needs constant attention, and the vehicle wanders at all times. The steering wheel is loose and moves about three inches from center in either direction without the front wheels moving. The drive is mentally exhausting. The steering wheel is so loose, that when you place your hands at 10 o'clock and 3 o'clock, the steering wheel does not stay firm, it moves - we have to prop our elbows on the armrests to stabilize the steering wheel. We did test drive other gladiators and the problem did not occur in those vehicles. We like the jeep brand, have owned several jeeps, and would like to keep the gladiator, but we are afraid to drive this vehicle, it's unsafe.
2020 Jeep Gladiator steering complaints
Page 5 of 7: complaints 101 to 130 of 182, newest first, as owners wrote them.
There is a steering problem with my gladiator. I had the new steering box changed out along with the new update which helped some but you have to constantly keep control or it will wander off the road or into other lane of traffic. This is a safety issue. There is too much play in the steering and it is exhausting when you are driving. Dealership stated that "it is a jeep". I have owned 5 other jeeps and never had an issue as bad as this is. Jeep has to recognize the issue and issue a safety warning before someone's life is involved. I have spent money on a front end alignment in hopes this would eliminate the problem and had to add an alignment caster/ pinion angle bolt kit and still wandering.
Symptom/condition while driving. ' steering wander. ' vehicle has a lead/pull to the right or left. ' steering feels like it has excess play. Must replace the steering gear and updating the electric hydraulic power steering (ehps) software.
The steering is very loose and the vehicle pulls to the right and feels like it's bouncing all over the place. It feels like I am driving in a wind storm with constant corrections and over corrections make it feel unsafe. Reproduce issue: drive at 50mph release steering wheel, vehicle immediately sways to the right. Drive at 60mph vehicle constantly needs corrections.
Pulls/drifts to the right at high speeds forcing you to make constant adjustments. The loose steering and center 'dead spot' make it easy to over correct and put you in a dangerous situation in traffic.
Steering loose and the car can not be straight,the steering have to much play and the car move from side to side to try to keep it in the lane,also a bad vibration after pass a no level surface....very dangerous on the freeway,also I turn on the car and move the steering wheel from side to side without driving it and the steering box move from the chassis and have a gap like 1millimeter from the chassis...this is not normal
The dead zone in the steering wheel is far greater than what jeep claims it is. The steering wanders or pulls. The dealerships refuse to do anything because 'its a jeep thing'. No its not. Its a death wish thing. The problem is either in the steering box or the trac bar. But jeep wont fix it because it would be too expensive.
At hi-way speeds vehicle pulls or sways. When you move the steering wheel to correct. It's easy to over correct as the steering wheel seems to have a dead spot.
Vehicle wanders during normal driving on highways, requiring frequent correction to make it track straight. There is also excessive play (deadspot) in the steering, which requires approximately an inch of steering wheel movement before any movement or feedback in physical steering is felt. Vehicle also has a tendency to drift/pull to the right, requiring constant (but slight) steer to the left. Have scheduled diagnosis with the dealership.
On the highway steering is horrendous. So much wandering and pulling to the right. The steering feels like it has excess play in general. I feel unsafe driving in my brand new jeep gladiator.
Steering is loose when driving and vehicle 'wanders' what I feel is more than a modern day vehicle should. Can certainly be dangerous if not paying close attention. Some days are worse than others. Strange in comparison to any other vehicle I've owned.
It is very hard to keep the jeep going strait down the road at speeds over 30 MPH. Very unsafe. I have even been pulled over by police.
Vehicle wanders during normal driving on highways, requiring frequent correction to make it track straight. There is also excessive play (deadspot) in the steering, which requires approximately an inch of steering wheel movement before any movement or feedback in physical steering is felt. Vehicle also has a tendency to drift/pull to the right, requiring constant (but slight) steer to the left. Vehicle, at the time of this report, has 1456 miles. It is with the dealer to diagnose. I have referenced fca's tsb 08-074-20 to the service advisor. Vehicle has factory suspension, tires/wheels, and steering components.
Tl* the contact owns a 2020 jeep gladiator. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle would go side to side, which caused the vehicle to be difficult to maintain straight. The failure occurred on several occasions. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two local dealers (fox chrysler dodge jeep ram located at 346 grant avenue rd, auburn, ny 13021 and the second dealer unknown) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was performing as designed. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a case. The failure mileage was approximately 130.
Vehicle wanders on road at speeds over 30 MPH. Slack in steering wheel. Usually veers to right. Constant steering adjustment while driving is mandatory. Once it starts it's a back and forth correction in between lane markers. Sometimes leaving lane into on coming traffic or soft shoulder. At highway speeds and while in city.
As I was driving my 2020 jeep gladiator with only 460 miles down I-95 between new smyrna beach and titusville. The truck kept wandering into passing lane as I was on cruise control and had to keep correcting to keep from intruding into other lane. I have driven many jeeps before and even older wranglers never felt so loose. This is dangerous !
Purchased a 2020 jeep gladiator rubicon. I noticed the steering is very difficult to keep the vehicle within the lane. The response is unpredictable, as I assumed I would get used to the steering over several weeks of driving. Now with several months of driving, I still have difficulty driving within the lane. Problem is worsened at highway speeds. Reverse steering is required when exiting a turn on the freeway. While driving straight, the vehicle will drift out of the lane regularly. Taken to the dealership with no effective solutions yet. Steering damper has been replaced, but did nothing to improve the situation.
My jeep gladiator overland model has always had an issue wandering on the road and pulling to the right, even after an alignment. Jeep has issued a tsb 08-074-20 and I have called rockie williams jeep in mt juliet, tn. They have said this doesn't apply to my jeep even though I definitely have the steering box part #68418449ae that should be replaced with part #68507576aa per the tsb.
2020 jeep gladiator - rubicon has significant 'wandering' issues. I've driven wranglers for year and have never had steering issues this apparent. This happens while above 25 MPH and continues through 60+MPH. Significantly having to adjust steering that throws you all over the road. I cannot take my hands off the wheel without feeling like I am going to crash the vehicle. I noted the issues the day after purchase, sent an email to the dealership saying I didn't feel safe driving with my 6 month old in the vehicle. My wife also commented after her first day driving it and asked me 'what is wrong with the steering'. She also felt extremely unsafe driving it. Jeeps reply was ' we are sorry you regret your purchase, but that's how jeeps drive'... And did not offer me a solution. I asked to buy my truck back that I traded and they said no. Vehicle is all over the road, consistently having to overcorrect steering. Went to jeep forums to see if others were having the same issue and apparently this is a very apparent problem and jeep does not offer a fix, telling people to replace stock parts with steering stabilizers and brackets to help stabilize the ride. I am not spending $1000 on after market parts after spending $60,000 on a vehicle. Jeep refused there is an issue with the vehicle, which are complaints that others have had as well. I currently have a case open with fca and hopefully will have a remediation soon...
Bought a beautiful hydro blue gladiator on 7/31/20, took it on a short test drive at lower speeds and felt normal to drive. 8/1/20 I noticed at freeway speeds that steering required constant correction and literally looked like I was driving drunk. This is not acceptable behavior for any vehicle and it seems as many other people have this same issue. I'm writing this for documentation purposes. Vehicle currently has 180 miles.
Leased brand new gladiator. Noticed at speeds above ~40mph, vehicle wanders. The steering feels very loose, resulting in needing to actively steer the vehicle just to keep it going straight (not an issue with alignment). When another vehicles passes me, it pulls me towards their lane (like when a semi passes). Took it in to dealer 3 times within a month of owning it, who said it's supposed to be like this due to the new electrical steering. This problem is all over the internet and needs to be fixed. It is not safe.
Steering loose. Several degrees of 'play' in steering wheel. Vehicle wanders on the roadway. Condition increases at highway speed. Vehicle was taken to dealership, was confirmed everything was within spec, and condition still persists.
Picked up a new sport s gladiator just before xmas 2019. During initial test drives, I was expecting some degree of slop in the steering, but during such a limited time, it was not evident exactly how bad it is. Between 35-55 MPH, this vehicle is almost undriveable. The sway from side to side (needing constant correction) is beyond belief. At higher speeds, it gets less uncontrollable, but I usually drive it locally, and it's truly terrifying. On further investigation, it appears this is a common feature on almost every gladiator, to the point that a company has developed and sells a $250 part to reduce this death-sway. The issue is the steering box being bolted to the frame (which flexes under normal use) along with a sub-par anti-sway dampener and factory-callibrated steering box, which hs way to much play (but can be adjusted). In my opinion, this issue is grounds for a recall immediately before people get killed. It's that dangerous that I refuse to drive the vehicle over any distances other than to my local store. It is now back at the dealership, and they have stated they cannot make any adjustments to remedy the situation or add the synergy adapter which resolves the issue because fiat-chrysler have not admitted there is a problem and the federal safety agency hasn't forced them to resolve this. My hope is that someone doesnt get killed before this gets resolved - but we all know how that's going to go....
Jeep wanders all over the road with very little steering play in the wheel. It does not matter if you are going 40 or 80mph, it wanders. My wife drove it the other day and said she felt like everyone would think she was drunk. I took this into the dealer to have it checked and they said it was withing manufacturers spec. All steering and suspension components were tight according to their diagnosis. They did not see an issue and this wandering was normal. It is almost impossible to keep it on the road with gusty winds at 60mph. We also have experienced an AC related issue where the AC will be blowing cold, then start to smell a warm musty smell and heat will billow out from under the dash on both drivers and passenger feet. Opening up the glovebox seems to allow the heat to pour out and then the jeep will return to normal comfort cooling. Does not matter if the vehicle is on AC, auto AC or reciculation. Very noticeable when driving long trips for several hours. Speed does not matter, but appears to happen more when driven for several hours.
Vehicle wanders in lane from right to left. Hard to maintain a straight line. If the wind is blowing or gusty, the vehicle will dart from one side of lane to the other. Dangerous to drive. I think there is something wrong with the steering box. You can move the steering wheel from about 10:00 to 1:00 and the steering tires will not move.
I have had jeeps since 1974 and I am a chrysler retiree and this new gladiator is nearly impossible to hold straight on the road..the steering is so loose it wander side to side..on a narrow 4 lane it is white knuckle driving..it scares me to go far in it..
Truck wanders on highway. Steering has play in it that is basically a dead spot roughly 2 inches each way from center. Returned to dealer who stated it was out of alignment. Issue persisted and returned again the following week. This time it was reported that tie rod ends were bad and tech said it was not recommended to be driven. After tie rod replacement it was driven with service manager and issue persists. Service manager unsure what the issue is but admitted to me that there is play in the steering. We drove a comparative new from the lot and the issue was slightly worse on it. Still waiting, now six calendar days, for response from service manager about next steps. The vehicle is not able to be safely driven above 45-50mph. Truck was purchased with roughly 400 miles on it. Now has 1400, 400 of which have been accumulated from the 100 mile round trips to the dealership.
Wandering steering at highway & freeway speeds is unsettling and unsafe. I drove home from the dealership 40 miles and thought the wind must be causing the truck to dart all over the freeway. I drove on the street the next week, not nearly as noticeable and with the crown on the surface streets it's harder to feel. The next week, a 70 mile trip south was exhausting. I thought something might be broken. Bumping the rumble strip on the fog line and the botts dots in the lane line was the norm the whole trip on the freeway. The amount of take-up in the steering is an arc of 10 degrees or more when parked and engine off - that's steering box slop. An urgent turn isn't possible, and turning while braking is sketchy at best. The dealership I bought my truck from forgot my name as soon as we drove off the lot - fine, I get it. Don't lie to me and tell me that scary steering is normal, drive a ram 1500 and you won't see anything like this. Getting pushed off by the service manager on a safety issue is wrong. I took our truck to an independent suspension specialty shop and they said there is not enough caster in the factory geometry, which the factory tries to mask with too much toe in. They measured everything, said it was in factory spec. The dead spot in the steering box is exacerbating the poorly engineered front axle problem (lack of caster). I have a 93 wrangler that has more purposeful steering, that's just not right. When steering engineering fixes are already available in the after market, and fca has already improved the 2020 jl wrangler steering from the factory (see media/press articles), they know they have a problem. Please make fca fix this safety issue.
I purchased a new jeep gladiator rubicon and took it for a hundred mile trip on the highway to visit a relative. At highway speeds around 70 miles per hour, the truck needs constant attention and adjustment to stay in the lane. When you correct to the center of the lane, it wanders to the side, then you correct again, and it wanders to the other side. The next day I drove the a hundred miles on the highway back home and it repeated. I could not drive the truck one handed as it constantly needed correction. I've had previous jeeps, broncos, land cruisers, and 4 wheel drive vehicles. This is not normal and is a safety problem. It is scary to drive when a semi truck is next to you as the jeep is difficult to keep in a straight line. Driving the vehicle wears you out, from constantly steering back and forth to correct. I've researched the issue on-line and this issue is well known in the jeep community. There is a jeep gladiator forum where there are numerous complaints. At least three aftermarket companies are making products to correct the problem. It appears that the steering box flexes where it connects to the frame. There are multiple videos on line showing the steering box flex when the steering wheel is turned. When you turn the steering wheel with the tire on the ground, the steering box twists a little causing the wandering vehicle at speed. People that purchase the aftermarket bracket/brace for the steering box say it corrects the problem. My truck is currently at the dealer with 300 miles on it, and they say they can not see a problem with the vehicle. Since this is a new model, I suspect that the manufacturer will not correct the problem until there are wrecks or recalls due to the steering. Please ask the manufacturer to correct this dangerous problem.
The steering on my jeep jtr (gladiator rubicon) is sloppy. When driving at highway speeds the truck wants to wander and requires lots of correction to maintain a given path. On windy days or when semi tucks pass both hands are required at all times just to maintain a given path. Researching online revels lots of complaints exist with this issue. There are videos (and I have included pictures of my jtr) showing the steering box moving off the frame when the steering is actuated. Syngery manufacturing has developed a brace for the track bar and the sector shaft that eliminates this play and almost all people who have paid to install this aftermarket brace report much improved steering. The combination of complaints, videos, pictures and an already developed "fix" - not to mention personal experience driving my vehicle - all points to a problem with the design of this steering setup. Jeep needs to rectify this immediately.
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