Scrubb84
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Adam
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2019
- Threads
- 6
- Messages
- 308
- Reaction score
- 279
- Location
- Saranac Lake, NY
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 JTR
Funny
Funny how the 4 inches of dead zone went away with a good steering box replacement.The electric steering wheel is Programmed for play. Better article below.
Jeep Gladiator Steering Problems
Written by Jade C. in Jeep
Since the inception of the Jeep Gladiator, the “interweb” has been abuzz with Jeep fans wanting to get some intel on the first Jeep truck ever produced. I must say, I fell in love immediately when I first laid eyes on it and couldn’t wait to see custom gladiators and YouTube videos of these beasts performing off-road. The Gladiator was released with a V6 Pentastar Engine which incorporated Stop-Start technology, 285 horsepower, 260 lb-ft torque and a 6-speed manual or 8-speed auto transmission. What made this vehicle unique is that it is the ONLY convertible pickup truck on the market with a removable hardtop, soft top or both options available. UNBELIEVABLE!!!
However, just like any new model vehicle that leaves the production floor, it comes with a few niggles. Many owners have been complaining about the steering of the Gladiator, saying it feels loose, unresponsive and causes the Gladiator to wander slightly. Many of these complaints or should I say observations are from seasoned Jeep drivers who are familiar with the driving dynamics of the Wranglers and are familiar with solid front axle driving dynamics.
So are there claims valid? Are they perhaps just being a bit paranoid after the JL Wrangler steering disaster? Is there really a problem with the Jeep Gladiators steering or is it just a perception with new Gladiator owners perhaps asking a bit too much from a solid front axle vehicle?
Let’s look a bit closer at this steering complaints.
Table of Contents
Jeep Gladiator Steering Issues
Since the release of the Gladiator, a few owners have reported the steering phenomenon to their dealerships, only to t be told it’s perfectly normal for the Gladiator steering to behave that way and that the vehicle is completely within spec. I can’t help but add that the Wranglers and the Gladiator are solid front and rear axle vehicles designed for hardcore off-road use, not a street bias vehicle with crisp handling. It will never drive like a car and should never be expected to perform like an IFS (Independent Front Suspension) Monocoque type chassis vehicle. The Wrangler is designed to excel when driving off-road yet also have acceptable on-road manners.
But, let’s not jump to any conclusion before we have all the facts. To understand if their complaints are valid, let’s first have a closer look at some of the symptoms owners have reported to see if it’s reasonable and worthy of further investigation.
Customer Complaints
One guy walked into a dealership and went so far as to post a video which appears to highlight the amount of play in the steering. He adds there is about 1/8 to 1/4 of complete no resistance in the steering wheel. Now, this was an observation made without actually driving the truck, which I feel is a bit unfair since, firstly, the engine is off, meaning the steering pump/motor is inactive. Secondly, most vehicles even IFS types have a small degree of play in the steering.
This is by design, which allows a measure of tolerance in the steering box to compensate and absorb minor irregularities in road surfaces. Without this tolerance, your steering box gears would wear out faster and the driving experience would be very uncomfortable due to all the feedback resonating on the steering wheel. You would literally feel every single bump in the road on the steering wheel, making the drive extremely uncomfortable.
One driver relates the following:
Another customer posted a video report on his Gladiator steering, have a look at this video.
He notes his Gladiator is running on a set of 37” tires with the tire pressure set to 30psi for highway driving. On 35” tires, he ran it at 28psi.
Another owner gave some feedback on his Gladiator and noted the following:
Could they all be exaggerating?
Possible causes of the loose steering
It’s very important to note that incorrect tire pressures could also cause a vehicle to wander all over the road if the tires are over-inflated. Over-inflated tires result in the tires “ballooning” causing the outer parts of the tire to not make full contact with the road surface. This results in the contact point of the tire only being in the center of the tread pattern. The truck will have a very fidgety, sensitive steering effect which can lead to the vehicle wandering a lot easier. So, check your tire pressures first and consult your owner’s manual for the recommended tire pressures when driving empty vs loaded.
Possible solutions to tighten things up
The following are possible solutions to tighten up a wandering or loose steering feel.
Jeep Wrangler JL vs Gladiator JT’s Steering feel
- Ensure correct tire pressure
- Ensure correct caster alignment angle
- Check for worn track bar bushings and loose bolts
- Check for loose steering linkage joints and geometry out of wack
- Worn ball joints
- Damaged/Worn Steering Box
- Worn steering stabilizer
Now as far as the Wrangler JL goes, we are well aware of a whole bunch of issues, including the infamous “death wobble” You can read more about that here.
The death wobble was chalked down to be caused by a worn or lose track bar. Jeep apparently was upgrading the track bars as well as the ball-joints to eliminate this phenomenon on the wrangler. There were multiple complaints about how loose and uncomfortable the steering was on the JL Rubicon. Hopefully, this phenomenon didn’t carry over to the Gladiator.
The fact that many of the complaints were emanating from owners with aftermarket suspension upgrades, combined with the fact that a batch of JL front axles was released with loose lower ball joints, all contributed to the vague steering feel, didn’t help the cause either.
This didn’t take anything away from the fact that there was actually a serious problem on the JL Wranglers. Many owners with brand new, factory stock JL Jeeps were complaining about wandering and the vague steering. There was eventually a Technical Service Bulletin released, which you can read about here. This TSB explains there were issues with the ball joints, end joints, and track bar bushings.
Conclusion
We are all aware of the Death Wobble phenomenon and the wandering steering on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL with approximately 18000 vehicles being affected. There has been literally hundreds of complaints about the JL steering and now a few owners are complaining about the Gladiator suffering from the same phenomenon. Many potential Gladiator owners have gone and test drove the new Gladiator to compare the steering feel to the Wrangler and reported it to be much more responsive and stable. Perhaps it’s the longer wheelbase and increased weight that improved the handling or maybe Jeep incorporated some improved steering components. For now, it seems the Gladiator tracks just fine… for a Jeep!
Sponsored
