2021 JEEP GLADIATOR Complaints

The contact owned a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped at a corner, another vehicle was speeding and crashed into the front driver's side quarter panel. The impact pushed the vehicle forward, causing the front driver's wheel to swipe a telephone pole before landing on a residential lawn. The other vehicle then crashed into a telephone pole. The front driver's side air bag deployed, but there was a hole in the side air bag and the driver's air bag failed to fully deploy. Additionally, a burning odor was detected after the air bags deployed. The police and fire departments arrived on the scene, and a police report was filed. The contact was transported to the hospital by ambulance. The contact had surgery on her left arm from wrist to elbow, which required four titanium plates. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,250.

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the contact became aware that the passenger’s side headlamp was not illuminating. After a visual inspection of the headlamp assembly, the contact observed that the wires leading into the headlamp assembly were melted. The contact stated that two weeks later the failure occurred with the driver’s side headlamp. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the headlamp assembly. The contact was informed that the headlamp assemblies need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 42,000.

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 to death, is when I attempted to steer to the left in order to remain centered in the Westbound lane. When I attempted to steer, the steering wheel seemed to be locked in the straight forward position. I grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and it took pretty much all I had to force the steering wheel to turn left at all. I had to have come within inches of dropping off the shoulder on the right (North) side of the road, while still in the left curve. The steering remained very "tight" and very hard to move much outside of the centered position. I continued driving as there was very little traffic. Upon reaching the town of Harlan, IA I had planned to stop and access the situation. However, when the vehicle speed slowed to somewhere around 30MPH, the steering system corrected itself and began to function normally. I continued to my destination in Omaha, NE without further issue. To say that this event scared me is an understatement. It could not have happened at a worse time and I believe I was within inches of exiting the roadway due to the inability to control the vehicle. I am certain that if my wife or kids had been driving, a crash would have INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FO

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 vehicle with them for a week or two until they could get around to looking at it. I've started researching this issue and discovered that there are pages of complaints on NHTSA and the blogs are full of horror stories regarding this issue. There was a class-action lawsuit settled by FCA but it appears to apply only to the 2020 Gladiator and 2018-2020 Wranglers. Service Bulletin 02-004-21 has some instruction for re-torquing the lower ball joints and Mopar Case Number [XXX] has instruction for replacement of the Steering Damper 68251580AF and outboard attachment bolt 06513445AA. Hopefully, FCA will step up and correct this issue before someone is seriously injured or killed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle and turning the ignition, the vehicle displayed signs of electrical power but failed to start as expected. The contact stated that the message "Service transmission - Continue to drive - Do not shift or turn the vehicle off until you reach your desired location as you may not be able to shift again" was displayed and the contact was unable to disengage the Accessory mode. The service transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000.

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 Flange Head •Nut Hex Nut Coned Washer When I inquired with Service Advisor Matthew Preston about warranty coverage, he informed me that the repairs were not covered because the vehicle is outside the warranty period. However, he also mentioned that this problem is common in other Jeeps, further emphasizing its systemic nature. From my research, I learned that Jeep has acknowledged this issue in the past. A proposed settlement in 2022 extended warranty coverage for specific models, including certain Jeep Gladiators, to cover the replacement of front suspension dampers. This settlement highlights the widespread nature of the "Death Wobble" and the manufacturer’s recognition of the problem. Numerous Jeep owners have reported similar issues, and the phenomenon is so concerning that it has been the subject of widespread media. I firmly believe that it should be addressed through a factory recall. A vehicle as recent as our 2021 Jeep Gladiator should not be experiencing such critical safety issues. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The third brake light on the Gladiator is a known issue. When it goes out, there is no warning on the dash or error code. The entire light has to be replaced (LED) vs just a bulb. This is a hazard as the third brake light can go out and no one will know until the vehicle is in an accident. Wasn't the third brake light mandatory equipment since 1985?

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 below 25 mph to eliminate the wobble. This has been a safety hazard where I have had cars behind me almost rear-end me because I had to slow down or I would lose control of the entire car. I don't drive my car for any distances longer than 10 miles from my home.

I was driving my 2021 Jeep Gladiator and stopped at a red light at a busy intersection. When the light changed to green, I removed my foot from the brake and attempted to go through the intersection. Instead of moving forward the truck engine turned off and would not restart. As this was a busy intersection this was an extremely dangerous situation for both myself and other motorists. A local police officer assisted me in pushing the truck out of the intersection. The truck then had to be towed to a Jeep dealership. After an initial diagnosis at the dealership the issue was not readily apparent, and the dealership could not get the truck to start. After multiple diagnosis attempts the dealership believes the issue is a faulty Radio Frequency Hub Module, Fuse, Relay, and Auxiliary Battery. The truck is still at the dealership awaiting the parts so it is not clear if this will correct the truck turning itself off. Also, there were no warning signs or indicator lights on when this occurred. One final note, this model truck is known to have an issue with a leaking rear window. My rear window did leak and was replaced under warranty. I have learned that the Radio Frequency Hub Module is located in the rear wall of this truck below the rear window.