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Drove a Wrangler today... My Gladiator definitely has much looser steering.

surge101

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Long story short, my jeep had some steering noise, brought it in, they damaged the truck, so now it's getting repaired and I have a Wrangler as a loaner.

So while my initial steering complaint was different to the loose steering issue a lot have had, I have definitely noticed loose steering with my truck, but not to the extent that a lot of others have reported. I read a lot of people saying that's just how jeeps are and stuff like that, and since this is my first jeep, I took their word for it. Today, I got a Wrangler for a rental, and the wrangler 100% has a much more responsive steering wheel. It's night and day better than my Gladiator. The wrangler feels how I thought steering should feel without any big dead zones. So has anyone gotten a repair? I already have a different steering issue that they cant seem to fix, but what about this? Is there a solution?
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LoJac963

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This JT is my first Jeep and I am surprised at the wander in the steering. Mine did come with MTs which I do slightly blame. I have the Fox steering stabilizer on order hoping that will dampen the wander slightly.
 

HorneyBadger

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What JT rental did you get.... A 2dr or a JLU? I dont have loose steering on mine but it definitely responds differently than the wife's 2dr JK. I had a wander but was fixed by front tire rebalance.
 
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surge101

surge101

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What JT rental did you get.... A 2dr or a JLU? I dont have loose steering on mine but it definitely responds differently than the wife's 2dr JK. I had a wander but was fixed by front tire rebalance.
The loaner is a JLU.
 

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I had really loose steering, a dead spot and borderline death wobble. I upgraded to the fox steering stabilizer and installed the Synergy sector shaft brace. The steering stabilizer helped with the loose steering and the sector shaft eliminated the wobble issue. This is my 3rd Jeep and this is most certainly not just a Jeep thing. All of mine have had issues but they've always been related to aftermarket components or worn out steering components that can be attributed to lots of miles and oversized tires. My issues with my Gladiator started pretty much off of the lot. Very disappointing for a vehicle that's this expensive.
 

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It seems to be hit or miss in how loose the steering is. My first Gladiator had a clock spring issue that took over a month in the shop to fix, and it had very loose steering. I had to constantly focus on keeping the truck centered in the lane. The dealer finally swapped my Gladiator for a clone and the second one had tighter steering by far....still worse than any of my old F-150's, but workable. I still plan to add the Fox stabilizer after I lift and go to 35's, but I agree with the statement made that this isn't right.
 

BAT

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I had really loose steering, a dead spot and borderline death wobble. I upgraded to the fox steering stabilizer and installed the Synergy sector shaft brace. The steering stabilizer helped with the loose steering and the sector shaft eliminated the wobble issue. This is my 3rd Jeep and this is most certainly not just a Jeep thing. All of mine have had issues but they've always been related to aftermarket components or worn out steering components that can be attributed to lots of miles and oversized tires. My issues with my Gladiator started pretty much off of the lot. Very disappointing for a vehicle that's this expensive.
Kind of crazy that something which cost as much as it does has such an issue that hasn't been fixed yet it seems
 

futzin'

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The mentality of "It's a Jeep Thing" lets them get away with it. People have come to accept/shrug off issues like this because they love the brand/model.

Hopefully some competition from the Ford Bronco will force Jeep to step up their QA. I've never been a Ford guy but I'm anxious to see what the Bronco has to offer, and at what price point.
 

BAT

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The mentality of "It's a Jeep Thing" lets them get away with it. People have come to accept/shrug off issues like this because they love the brand/model.

Hopefully some competition from the Ford Bronco will force Jeep to step up their QA. I've never been a Ford guy but I'm anxious to see what the Bronco has to offer, and at what price point.
Good Luck I have purchased 1 Ford and my wife has purchased 1 Ford Vehicle both of them were complete pieces of trash so Fords will never be purchased by this family again. Heck my wife pretty much won't by anything but a Honda now and that is just because she has owned two of them and they were pretty much bullet proof and no issues through over 200,000 miles on each one. But she seems to all of a sudden be taking a liking to the Jeep Truck I want to buy and that is not a good thing
 

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The mentality of "It's a Jeep Thing" lets them get away with it. People have come to accept/shrug off issues like this because they love the brand/model.

Hopefully some competition from the Ford Bronco will force Jeep to step up their QA. I've never been a Ford guy but I'm anxious to see what the Bronco has to offer, and at what price point.

Yeah Jeep's not going to do nothing about it. It's only a fraction of the number they sell that has this issue. Mine drives awesome, better on 35's with the lift than my 2010 JKU drove stock. I test drove a few JLUs, before pulling the trigger on the JT and everyone I drove pretty much felt the same stock across the board. I probably in 3 months time drove 12 JLUs and maybe 3 JTs before buying mine.
 

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I have never felt like my Gladiator had a steering issue but it is different than my 2014 Wrangler Unlimited. The Wrangler is tighter than the Gladiator and seems to have less power assist. None of the Jeeps compare to the tight steering on my Miata, Mazda5 or MiniVan. My son's 2011 Ford Fusion is actually pretty soft and probably in the middle of the Wrangle and Gladiator. I suspect a significant number of people have an issue with the steering box but that most people complaining just don't like the feel of the Gladiators soft steering.
 

spazzyfry123

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Would the steering issue fall under lemon law? This is getting out of hand...
 

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Would the steering issue fall under lemon law? This is getting out of hand...
I doubt it. You guys trip me out. Go drive a CJ, YJ, Or TJ and report back how crappy the steering is in your gladiator. I'm sure there's a Cadillac dealer in your area that would love your business.
 

Doolin64

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This JT is my first Jeep and I am surprised at the wander in the steering. Mine did come with MTs which I do slightly blame. I have the Fox steering stabilizer on order hoping that will dampen the wander slightly.

This helped my steering feel a ton. Weather it's a placebo effect or a true benefit, I'm pleased with the results from the Fox stabilizer. I'm not saying it corrects all the steering wrongs, but it's a noticeable benefit.
 

Jeeperjamie

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This helped my steering feel a ton. Weather it's a placebo effect or a true benefit, I'm pleased with the results from the Fox stabilizer. I'm not saying it corrects all the steering wrongs, but it's a noticeable benefit.
A steering stabilizer is just a mask really for steering problems or premature wear of steering components. A good setup will drive good without a steering stabilizer. Maybe try to tighten the bolts on the steering, hit your control arms, sway bars, track bar, tie rod and drag link and make sure everything is good a tight with torque wrench. Torqued to spec. I hit all mine as soon as I got home from the dealership and my track bar frame side was at 45lbs and needed to be at 65lbs. Just saying they can work their way loose.
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