2020 JEEP GLADIATOR Complaints

BASE JEEP GLADIATOR RADIO WILL SHORT OUT WITH A LOUD POP WITHOUT WARNING RANDOMLY WHILE IN OPERATION. THE SOUND IS VERY LOUD THAT EMITS FROM THE JEEPS SPEAKERS AND STARTLES YOU ENOUGH YOU COULD MISTAKE IT FOR HITTING SOMETHING OR CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. WHEN IT HAPPENED THE FIRST TIME I NEARLY WENT INTO THE NEXT LANE NOT EXPECTING TO BE BLASTER WITH SOUND. AFTER THE SHORT SOUND THE RADIO DIES, WHEN IT COMES BACK ON IT HAS LOST ALL SETTINGS SUCH AS TIME, STATIONS, PHONE PAIRING. THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD AND LARGELY SEEMS TO BE IGNORED BY JEEP. THEY REPLACED MY RADIO WHEN IT SHORTED AT THE DEALERSHIP ONCE. NEW RADIO DOES THE SAME EXACT THING, WAS TOLD THE FIRMWARE IS MOST LIKELY DEFECTIVE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON IN THE WRANGLER AS WELL SINCE 2018.

VEHICLE IS UNSAFE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. STEERING IS EXTREMELY LOOSE CAUSING VEHICLE TO WANDER LEFT AND RIGHT AND DIFFICULT TO KEEP IN LANE.VERY UNSAFE IN MODERATE TO HARD BRAKING AS WELL. MANUFACTURER HAS ISSUED A TSB BUT DEALERSHIPS ARE NOT FORTHCOMING IN THE REPAIR. THIS NEEDS TO BE A SAFETY RECALL BEFORE PEOPLE MORE PEOPLE ARE HURT/KILLED

THE VEHICLE DEVELOPED SEVERE SHAKING IN THE STEERING WHEEL AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS IS TYPICALLY REFERRED TO AS DEATH WOBBLE. THE VEHICLE STEERING, SUSPENSION, AND TIRES HAVE NOT BEEN MODIFIED FROM THE FACTORY. THE STEERING HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE PURCHASING THE ISSUE BUT HAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED INTO A MUCH MORE UNSAFE CONDITION.

AT A LOW SPEED IN A RIGHT HAND TURN, A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL OCCURRED. STEERING SEAMED TO LOCK UP. HAD TO STOP VEHICLE, USED SOME FORCE TO TURN STEERING WHEEL LEFT AND RIGHT. AFTER ATTEMPTING THIS TASK, WHEN TURNING TH STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT, ABILITY TO STEER RETURNED. VEHICLE WAS THEN MOVED INTO THE GARAGE AND LEFT. THIS OCCURRED2 DAYS AFTER VEHICLE WAS REPORTED BY DEALERSHIP AS BEING REPAIRED. THIS HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES, TURNED OVER TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE OPERATING THIS VEHICLE.

1 INCH OF PLAY IN STEERING WHEEL BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT OF CENTER AT ALL TIMES. VEHICLE WANDERS AND REQUIRES CONSTANT CORRECTION TO HOLD A STRAIGHT LINE AT ALL SPEEDS. DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (55+) IS DANGEROUS AND REQUIRES REPEATED BACK AND FORTH MOTION TO KEEP VEHICLE IN LANE.

THE VEHICLE STEERING IS VERY LOOSE AT HIGHWAY SPEED REQUIRING CONSTANT CORRECTIONS. THE VEHICLE WILL WONDER WITHIN THE LANE. IT ALSO FEELS LIKE THERE IS A DEAD ZONE IN THE STEERING WHEEL THAT'S FAR ABOVE ANY OTHER VEHICLE I HAVE DRIVEN

THE STEERING IS UNSTABLE AT HIGHWAYS SPEED WITH WANDERING AND CONSTANT STEERING CORRECTION NEEDED. AT TIMES, THERE SEEMS TO BE NOTCHY FEELING WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL AT LOW SPEEDS - JUST A BIT OF RESISTANCE THEN IT'S GONE. THE WANDER AND STEERING CORRECTION IS WORSE THE WARMER IT IS. I PICKED THE DATE OF MY LAST LONGER TRIP BUT IT'S BEEN COMMON SINCE SUMMER 2020.

EXCESSIVE STEERING WHEEL PLAY OF APPROXIMATELY 5 TO 8 DEGREES BEFORE VEHICLE RESPONDS TO INPUTS. THIS CAN BE NOTICED DRIVING ON FLAT LEVEL STREET AND MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL FROM LEFT TO RIGHT UNTIL VEHICLE JUST STARTS TO RESPOND. STEERING PLAY SEEMS TO VARY A BIT BETWEEN VERY HOT AND VERY COLD OUTDOOR TEMPS. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE REQUIRES CONSTANT FOCUSED ATTENTION TO MAINTAIN POSITION WITHIN LINES. IN HIGH WIND SITUATIONS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DRIVING FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR BECOMES STRESSFUL DUE TO TRYING TO KEEP VEHICLE ON ROAD. SO FAR THIS HAS NOT CAUSED AN ACCIDENT BUT DOES MAKE HIGHWAY DRIVING VERY ANNOYING AND STRESSFUL. IN CITY DRIVING THE STEERING IS NOT TOO BAD UNLESS DRIVING 40 OR FASTER. TURNING AND CORNERING STEERING RESPONSE SEEMS NORMAL WITHOUT THE PLAY, ONCE PRESSURE IS INITIATED IN THAT DIRECTION. PLAY SEEMS TO BE LOCALIZED IN THE NEUTRAL POSITION OF THE STEERING BOX. THIS IS A CONTINUING ISSUE WITH NO PART RECALL, THERE HAS BEEN A FCA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-0807420 GROUP 08 ELECTRICAL DATED AUGUST 10, 2020 BUT MANUFACTURE PARTS AND RESPONSE TO THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN UNACCEPTABLE.

FCA HAS ADMITTED TO BAD TSB STEERING GEAR AND HAS NOT RECALLED THE VEHICLE FOR THE PART BUT HAS MADE THE PART AVAILABLE FOR FREE FOR THOSE WHO HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH STEERING BEING WOBBLY. THEY NO LONGER STATE PART IS AVAILABLE. THEY HAVE CANCELED ALL PART REQUESTS.

I EXPERIENCE THE EXTREME VIBRATION ON HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN MY STEERING WHEN I HIT SMALL BUMPS. DEATH WOBBLE IT IS COMMONLY CALLED. I ASKED THEM TO FIX IT ONCE AND IT IS STILL THERE.