2020 Jeep Gladiator Steering
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Death Wobble at highway speeds between 72-75. Shaking hard at these speeds.
I am submitting a complaint regarding my 2020 Jeep Gladiator, which has exhibited persistent and dangerous steering issues since shortly after I purchased it. The issue is commonly referred to as the "death wobble." Despite 5 separate repair attempts performed by an authorized Jeep/Stellantis dealership, the safety defect continues to occur. This issue is very commonly know to Jeep. I have even been told my the Service Agent I worked with at the dealership that the steering damper is known to be inadequate, but still continually put on the Jeep. The issue started at approximately 25,000 miles, and upon the 5th time bringing it in for the same safety defect, the car is at 92,000 miles. At highway speeds, if the vehicle hits any uneven pavement, the car will begin to shack violently and the vehicle becomes difficult to control. On multiple occasions, the vehicle felt uncontrollable. This creates an extremely unsafe driving condition for me, my family, and other drivers on the road. I have to be hyper focused to avoid any pothole or other change in pavement in order to try and prevent the steering defect to happen. Even when the steering damper has been replaced, the new one can break at any point again, creating a danger every time this vehicle is driven on the highway. I have opened a formal complaint with Jeep as I can no longer use the vehicle in good conscious with my 4-month old daughter. The defect-steering damper breaking can happen anytime, as the exact same part is replaced each time with no successful remedy. I am asking the NHTSA to investigate the steering defect, determine whether a broader safety recall is necessary, assist in compelling Stellantis to provide an appropriate remedy for a vehicle that has undergone multiple unsuccessful repair attempts for a safety-critical defect. I have included all service documents and my communication with Jeep/Stellantis.
Death wobble. Play in steering box.
this 2020 Jeep Gladiator has repeatedly experienced the infamous Jeep Gladiator "Death Wobble" related to front steering component defects/failures/poor design. It creates a very hazardous driving condition. The local dealer, Hilltop Jeep in Richmond, and Stellantis declined to make repairs and instead left us on our own to get the needed repairs done at a local Jeep 4x4 specialist shop and the repairs cost ~3000+ dollars. Stellantis has refused to pay for the needed repairs.
Steering dampner. Causes steering to suddenly make the vehicle jerk to the left or the right when at speeds around 45 mph or higher making it a hazardious risk and safety concern for yourself and also other people.
Driving at 40-65mph vehicle begins to shake violently, known as the death wobble. Extremely unsafe to be on the road. Transmission gets stuck in 3rd gear, hard shifts and does not respond when shifting to reverse. Mileage is 69110 but has been an issue since about 27000. Unfortunately I have no money to take to a mechanic. Very disappointed in Jeep will not be purchasing Jeeps in the near future.
In early January 2024 I was driving on the interstate at the posted speed limit of 70 mph and upon hitting what I would call a moderate bump on the roadway my steering wheel felt as though it was wobbling. Later in the month while driving at the same speed of at least 70 mph I would hit a bump and experience the steering wheel wobble, only it was getting worse. The steering wheel wobble could cause a safety issue in that the driver could lose control of proper steering thereby causing a vehicle crash with injury to myself, my wife, or even others on the roadway. I took my 2020 Jeep Gladiator Overland to the nearest Jeep Dealership to me and when I made inquiry to the technician that worked on my vehicle, he stated that he had taken my Jeep on the interstate and tried to recreate the wobble issue. In his words, the steering wheel "wobbled [XXX]. The remedy for the issue according to the technician was to replace the steering stabilizer/damper, which evidently is a known issue I found out and was covered under an extended 8 year warranty due to it being a known problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
hit bump in road started violent wobble
Steering is very loose in the vehicle, I have experienced "death wobble" twice while driving the vehicle. It was taken in for service, and the dealership replaced the steering stabilizer as they said it had failed. Since getting the vehicle back, the issue has not been fixed, in fact...the steering is even more loose now, it feels unsafe to drive.
I recently purchased my Jeep Gladiator and the steering is extremely loose and if feels out of control while driving. I contacted my local dealership and they refused to help and told me to call Chrysler corporate. I contacted Chrysler and they rejected my claim and refused to help. The dealership told me there was [XXX] that states the steering gear box was aluminum and was recommended to be replaced with a different style. This vehicle I just purchased has not be changed and is a safety issue due to loose steering and at high speeds the vehicle feels out of control and dangerous. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
When driving on the roadway at speeds of approximately 50-60 mph, and after hitting a bumpy patch in the road, the car wheels and steering system begins to shake violently. I explain it this way..... imagine driving along with no issues and suddenly without notice, the round wheels become square wheels. It can be a very traumatic experience and is certainly dangerous. I then need to immediately carefully slow down and/or pull to the side of the road and come to a stop. Then, I can proceed back onto the road and the Jeeps seems to be ok. I have 51K miles on the Jeep, which has all the original factory components, with no alterations. This began a few months ago his has happened 3-4 times in the last few weeks. I have an appointment with the Jeep dealership in a week.
The steering wanders. I constantly have to correct steering. It is a constant battle to keep it in its lane on the highway. It is very exhausting driving any distance on the highway. Luckily there has not been any crashes. Vehicle is almost 3 years old and only has 6462 miles on it because I don’t feel safe driving it. It has been to two different dealers and they say it’s fine.
The steering wheel begins to vibrate uncontrollably at highway speeds to the point where other drivers notice the shaking in the front end. to correct this problem i have to slow down well below highway speeds to get the steering under control. No the problem has not been reproduced by a dealer and now the vehicle is out of warranty. No indicators lights or warning signs appear when this issue arises.
There are no warning signals and its been an issue since purchase. The steering has a lot of play and the truck will pull one way or the other. This causes extreme episodes of swerving even at speeds of 30. The front and rear were replaced with initial recall or TSB.
While going 65-70 mph my gladiator shakes violently if I hit nearly a crack in the road. My jeep is stocked. No special tires or rims. No lift kit. Today I was going 55-60 mph on the highway and I don’t recall even hitting a bump and my car started to shake the worse it has ever shaken before. This definitely should classify as a recall and they should do something about this. This a serious safety concern. I have 36k miles on it. This issue started 16 months ago, while my vehicle had 20k miles.
The car is wandering and there is no control over the steering. It feels as if the car is all over the place meaning I have to correct the steering constantly.
Steering wheel violently shakes if driving at highway speed and you hit a small bump
Front end violently shakes between 30 and 75 mph when hitting a bump in the road and is better known as a "Death Wobble". The issue based on experts can be the steering damper, tie rods ends and/or tie rod, drag link, track bar, steering box or all of the above. The problem is that there is no factory parts to fix this issue so I've had to go to after market parts to get this resolved. First time it happed on the hwy it almost threw me off the hwy.
Steering is very loose, wanders all over the road and is especially noticeable at higher speeds. It’s very exhausting constantly correcting the steering to keep straight on the road. There is a lot of play in the steering box. I’ve taken my jeep to be fixed by the dealership more times than I can count. I’ve had the steering box replaced 3 times with no improvement. This has been a day 1 issue that hasn’t been fixed. It’s especially dangerous in the snow, I had a perfect driving record till I went off the road during my first winter. Dealer confirmed there was a lot of play in the steering but hasn’t fixed it, they’ve just basically throw their hands up in the air. This isn’t what I expected when I bought a new Jeep, it’s been a nightmare.
WHEN DRIVING 35MPH TO 65 MPH HITING ANY BUMP IN ROAD WILL CAUSE STEERING WHEEL TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY BACK AN FORTH UNCONTROLLABLE.
At highway speeds when hitting a slight bump (i.e. expansion joint on a bridge or road way) the vehicle shakes violently. This can easily make the driver lose control of the vehicle. The Dealership reproduced and confirmed the issue and a Jeep Star Ticket was opened.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that on three occasions while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle drove over a patch in the roadway, and the front end began shaking uncontrollably. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the vehicle remained until the vehicle stopped shaking. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering damper needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,500.
While driving there is a lot of steering play, which makes it hard to control at time. The steering wheel shakes while driving over 45.
The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact stated that the steering and brakes still functioned as needed and was able to safely exit the highway. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with a severe oscillation event and advised that the tie bar and steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,633.
The vehicle wants to wander from side to side when you go over 30mph. You arfe constantly having to correct for it.
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Quick Summary
The 2020 Jeep Gladiator has 136 Steering complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.