2020 JEEP GLADIATOR Complaints

BOTH LATCHES ON MY 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR SOFT TOP INADVERTENTLY UNLATCHED WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, CAUSING THE TOP TO START OPENING. DRIVER AND PASSENGER GRABBED TOP AND CONDUCTED EMERGENCY STOP ON SHOULDER OF INTERSTATE TO KEEP THE SOFT TOP FROM FULLY OPENING. THE INADVERTENT OPENING OCCURRED THREE TIMES IN SPAN OF 15 MINUTES AT INCREASINGLY SLOWER SPEEDS. TO CONTINUE OUR TRIP, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE THE SOFT TOP TO WINDOW FRAME WITH BUNGEE STRAPS INSTALLED OVER THE LATCHES TO KEEP LATCHES IN PLACE. CONCERNED THAT AN INADVERTENT OPENING OF THE SOFT TOP AT INTERSTATE SPEED MIGHT CAUSE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL OF VEHICLE WHILE DEALING WITH GRABBING THE SOFT TOP AT HIGH SPEED, STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO TOP, AND/OR POTENTIAL FOR SOFT TOP TO DEPART THE JEEP AND DAMAGE VEHICLES DRIVING BEHIND. THE STRUCTURAL ISSUES APPEARS TO BE WITH THE DESIGN OF THE TWO LATCHES THAT SECURE THE SOFT TOP TO WINDOW FRAME. LATCHES SEEM TOO WEAK/LOOSE TO PROVIDE SECURE CLOSURE OF THE SOFT TOP. I TOOK THE JEEP GLADIATOR TO A CHRYSLER/DODGE/JEEP DEALER AND THE DEALER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THERE WAS A TECHNICAL BULLETIN FOR ADJUSTING THE LATCHES. THE DEALER MECHANIC ADJUSTED MY JEEP'S LATCHES ACCORDING TO TSB SPECIFICATIONS. IN MY OPINION, THE LATCHES ARE STILL LOOSE AND UNSTABLE. WILL NOT DRIVE MY JEEP AT HIGHWAY SPEED UNTIL THE ISSUE IS FIXED. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER AND WAS ASSIGNED A CASE MANAGER TO HOPEFULLY RESOLVE THE ISSUE.

THE DEFROSTER DOES IS NOT DESIGNED TO BLOW HOT AIR ACROSS THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD RESULTING IN A SERIOUS VISIBILITY ISSUE DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. IN ADDITION TO THE ICE BUILDUP ON THE WINDSHIELD THE WIPERS BECOME DISABLED BECAUSE THE AREA THAT THEY REST ON DOES NOT RECEIVE DEFROSTER HEAT. A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE REVEALS SEVERAL FORUMS AND VIDEOS OF OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES. IN ADDITION THE LED HEADLIGHT DESIGN COLLECTS SNOW AND ICE AND BECOMES COMPLETELY BLOCKED AND RESULTS IN ZERO VISIBILITY DURING SNOWY CONDITIONS. THE DEALER AND JEEP HAVE SAID THAT THERE IS NO FIX FOR EITHER PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT 15 MPH WHEN THE ICING BEGAN AND DID NOT GET BETTER REGARDLESS OF SPEED,. THE JEEP GLADIATOR WINDSHIELD DEFROST AND LED HEADLIGHT DESIGNS ARE A HAZARD. BELOW IS A LINK TO THE EXACT ISSUE. HTTPS://WWW.JEEPGLADIATORFORUM.COM/FORUM/THREADS/DEFROSTER-ISSUES.36391/

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYED ERRONEOUS INFORMATION INDICATING AN INACCURATE SPEED. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER READING WAS 83 MPH. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT YET DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER ELK GROOVE JEEP LOCATED AT 8575 LAGUNA GROVE DR, ELK GROVE, CA 95757 AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,200.

THE VEHICLE STARTS WITH THE FRONT SUSPENSION MOVING UNCONTROLLABLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND YANKS YOUR STEERING OUT OF CONTROL ( DEATH WOBBLE) DID IT 6 TIMES TO THE POINT THAT I CAN NOT TRUST THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT GOES OUT OF STEERING CONTROL BOTH FRONT TIRES MOVE UNCONTROLLABLY SIDE TO SIDE LIKE IF BOTH WHERE FLAT AND YANKS YOU SIDE TO SIDE TAKES YOU OUT OF ROAD

MY TRUCK FAILS TO DEFROST ABOUT 1/2 TO 1/3 OF MY WINDSHIELD ON THE PASSENGER-SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. I NOTICED THIS BEHAVIOR IN MY TRUCK THE DAY I PICKED IT UP. FOR ME, IT DOESN'T DEFROST THE 1/3 OF THE WINDSHIELD IN FRONT OF THE PASSENGER SEAT, INHAVE HEARD FROM OTHER JEEP GLADIATOR AND JEEP WRANGLER OWNERS THAT THE DEFROSTING ISSUE CAN BE MORE SEVERE, OR CAUSE MORE OF THE WINDSHIELD TO BE COVERED IN FROST. I ACTUALLY HAD TO CARRY A PIECE OF CARDBOARD ON MY DASHBOARD TO HOLD OVER THE VENTS TO DISTRIBUTE THE AIR TO THE PASSENGER SIDE. WHEN I SPOKE WITH JEEP OVER THE PHONE, THEY JUST SAID 'WE HAVEN'T HEARD OF THIS/THERE IS NO TSB, ETC.' I HAVE MADE IT CLEAR MANY TIMES THAT I CONSIDER IT A SAFETY ISSUE WITH BOTH JEEP DIRECTLY AND WITH TWO SEPARATE DEALERS'NONE OF WHICH SEEM TO EVEN WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR TEST FOR THE ISSUE'EVEN THOUGH VISIBILITY (ESPECIALLY IN WINTER CONDITIONS) IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN IN MY OPINION (IF NOT JEEP/FCA'S).

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, WENT OVER A ROUGH SURFACE ON THE ROAD AND THE GLADIATOR STARTER SHAKING AS IF I HAD HAD A BLOW-OUT. ONCE I SLOWED DOWN IT STABILIZED. HOWEVER, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED TWICE IN A HIGH TRAFFIC AREA. UPON RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET, I'VE COME TO LEARN THAT IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM CALLED "DEATH WOBBLE" THAT HAPPENS ON JEEP OFF-ROAD VEHICLES, WHICH MAKES IT ALL THE MORE CRITICAL THAT NHTSA REQUIRE CHRYSLER-FIAT TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. THANK YOU.

THE STEERING FEEL IS VERY LOSE. THE TRUCK HAS THE FEELING LIKE IT WANDERS IN THE LANE AND ALWAYS NEEDS STEERING CORRECTION TO KEEP IT GOING STRAIGHT. NONE OF MY OTHER CARS HAVE EVER DRIVEN LIKE THIS INCLUDING MY PAST JEEPS. THIS MAINLY HAPPENS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45MPH ON A 2 LANE ROAD, MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME STUCK OR FROZEN IN ITS POSITION. I WAS UNABLE TO COURSE CORRECT, AND ENDED UP BRAKING INTO THE MEDIAN. I NEVER LOST ENGINE POWER, OR POWER STEERING. THE WHEEL WAS SIMPLY LOCKED, STUCK, OR FROZEN. ONCE STOPPED, I TRIED THE WHEEL AGAIN, AND IT WORKED. I'VE SINCE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO JEEP, AND THEY ARE ATTEMPTING REPAIR.

EXCESSIVE STEERING WANDER/ROAD WALKING. THIS IS BEING REPORTED IN LARGE NUMBERS OF JEEP GLADIATOR VEHICLES IN ALL JEEP FORUMS. ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND WITH INCREASED WINDS, OR TOWING. JEEP CURRENTLY HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 08-074-20 ACTIVATED, BUT DEALERSHIPS DON'T HAVE AVAILABLE STOCK OF THE REPLACEMENT STEERING BOX CALLED FOR, AND SEEM DISINTERESTED IN REPLACING BECAUSE IT IS NOT A RECALL. THIS CONDITION AND PROBLEM HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE BUYING THE VEHICLE, AND THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH REPORTS BY OTHER BUYERS ACROSS ALL FORUMS. PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A RECALL, AS THE PROBLEM IS DANGEROUS, AND AFFECTS MOST VEHICLES, SO AS TO FACILITATE REPLACEMENT.

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 THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING. SERVICE MANAGER TOLD MY WIFE AND I THAT JEEP DOES NOT HAVE A FIX FOR THE PROBLEM AND QUOTE "YOU CAN EITHER DRIVE IT THE WAY IT IS OR LET IS SIT IN DRIVEWAY". 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. I SEE THAT THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT AND WOULD LIKE TO COMPANY TO ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE