New JT Gladiator Steering Issue TSB 08-074-20 (for "Improved Steering Feel")

[Bobh62000]

just quick update, I sent a message To @JeepCares two weeks ago and they responded with in hours. They asked me for some information the next day Jeep corporate called, we talked and he agreed to send the parts to the dealer of my choice and in less then a week the jeep was repaired. After the work, I could tell a big difference and after a week, it is still much better thanks @JeepCares.

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[Shifu]

shout out to Leith Jeep in Wendell, N.C. for fixing up my gladiator. It now drives normal! Part numbers above for anyone that needs it. They also updated the powertrain module.

 

[DanHillAK]

Got her back this afternoon and I didn't realize that I was having problems until after it's fixed. If you can shake your steering wheel back and forth at highway speeds without any vehicle feedback, this TSB eliminated that slop.

Gonna have to say thanks to Lander's Jeep in Norman,OK, they hadn't heard of this TSB, I was the first one to go, it came out great and I couldn't be happier!

 

[Shootist]

I am really happy to hear that you guys are getting great handling Gladiators after the TSB.

 

[DMaria]

Had the TSB done on Aug 26. It was a good and bad experience.

The good:
After the replacement, It was everything I had hoped for. No more pull to the right and no more "sloppy steering" and wandering down the road.

The bad:
I had an 8:30am appointment and dropped it off at 8:20am. Lucky for me, my son had the day off and was able to pick me up. At about 4pm I hadn't heard from the service department, so I called them. They told me the tech was still under my vehicle and didn't know when he would be done. I pressed him to look into it a little deeper. At this point he talked to the tech and got back on the phone to tell he would put it on the alignment machine shortly. My son taxied me back to the dealer and much to my surprise, I could see thru the window that the tech was still under it. When I inquired about why an 8:30 appointment to do a 2 hour wasn't done by 4:30, I was informed that I didn't actually have an "appointment". The time is only given so they know that you arrived and they can start the paperwork. They actually start the job whenever they can get to it.

We had a long discussion about what an appointment means to me and how I thought their version was wrong on so many levels. His defense was that Chrysler does not allow them to make actual appointments (even though they call them that).

Long story short - they had to talk the the tech into staying an hour late to finish the install. Then they informed me that they didn't have their software updated on their alignment machine for the Gladiator (are you kidding? They have been out for a year!), so I had to drive home with steering wheel off center by about 40-45 degrees because the tech didn't want to stay any longer. I was promised by the person at the service desk that he would call me the next day and get me into someplace in town that could do the alignment.

It was yesterday when he called. Eight days later. I have an appointment (his words - not mine) at 9:30am next Tuesday for the alignment. They ended up paying to update their software.

Yes, I did crawl under the Gladiator and re-center the wheel the next day myself. Overall - happy it drives like a real truck now, but aggravated by the whole experience.

 

[oldhp3]

I think of myself as both thanks

Pictures or you ain't either.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Around here appointments are the time they will accept the vehicle, not when they will start working on it.
They can't possibly predict how long something will take - even this steering gear thing could run into trouble and take longer if they found other underlying issues, say, codes like the TSB says to look for.

I've worked in a shop - for years. You can't make a promise to anyone that you'll start working on a vehicle when it's dropped off. It's just not possible.

You can't predict exactly how long the prior job will take. What if when my wife's Grand Cherokee was dropped off at 7am it had taken them 6 hours instead of 4? Then what? They stop working on it to take the next "Appointment"?
Unless a shop allows down-time for a tech, allows them to have space between jobs..........
There's really no such thing as a set appointment time in a shop.

Think of the guys with the engine misfire - could be the PCM update takes care of it - maybe not. What if that was the thing being worked on before you got there? Do they drop it? Maybe they get into a simple service appointment and they find a bad belt - the customer says fix it - there goes another 30 minutes.

Swapping the steering gear won't change the steering wheel centering. If it was off after the steering gear was replaced, it was off before it was replaced.

We made appointments based on days, not time. About the closest we ever tried to nail down times was morning or afternoon, then we could not possibly make a promise.
Sorry, having worked in the industry for decades, I know how it works and IMO, it's unreasonable to expect them to start at that time and be finished when you want.

I know how doctors do it - they limit themselves to a specific amount of time spent with each patient. I was told by two doctors how that worked. One told me she was told to see 16 people per day - or else. She did it by skipping lunch and doing her paperwork after all patients had been seen, often working until 6:30 or 7:00. Pretty unfair, IMO.

 

[akneppers]

Anyone else feel the steering is notchy at low speeds after the TSB?

 

[oldhp3]

I was the same way in the fact I really didn't notice the steering at first. My last Jeep was a 1983 CJ-5 with 33x12.50r15s, so the steering didn't seem much different and thought "its just the way a solid front axle vehicle drives" or "its a Jeep thing". My girl friend and a good buddy of mine both made comments about how much I was moving the steering wheel at highway speeds in my Gladiator. A quick look at this forum and I realized that the JL/JT actually steer worse than the JKs, so this wasn't "just a solid axle/Jeep thing".

Long story short, the fix works and driving my Jeep is much more enjoyable...

Yep, I've had 1 CJ5 and 2 CJ7's and while both had that kinda loose steering, both were predictable and easy to drive. P.S. I forgot my wife's 2017 4 door Sahara. It drove straight as a arrow with very little steering input.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Anyone else feel the steering is notchy at low speeds after the TSB?

Check the PS fluid level - more than one person has noted it was low and that can cause some "sticking" feeling in the steering.
Mine was a little below the cold minimum mark. Not enough to cause any problems, but will bring it up to them at next service.
Others have said there wasn't fluid in the reservoir so I am wondering if they aren't fully purging air, running the wheel stop to stop a few times, etc.

 

[Geekjeep]

Anyone else feel the steering is notchy at low speeds after the TSB?

Yes. I’ve had to refill the power steering fluid three times. But still feels notchy

 

[DubaiMarauder]

Is this in any way related to steering drift Ive noticed in my JT? Ive noticed that while driving in a straight line, the vehicle seems to wander to the right with no input from the steering wheel. It has also occured mildly in curves as well. Scared the crap out of me the first time it happened, I thought I did something wrong. And I was doing about 65-70mph when it happened.

 

[DubaiMarauder]

I'm hoping my vehicle gets fixed under warranty. Mine follows the curve of the road, even if it is slight. On the right lane of the highway, it veers right, ALOT. In the left lane, it veers left, but not as bad.

Glad I'm not the only one that picked up on this. I've got 1000mi on mine and noticed it.

 

[Rayzzz]

What type of power steering fluid is needed for topping off the fluid?

 

[MrZappo]

What type of power steering fluid is needed for topping off the fluid?

MOPAR part # 68088485AB (Mopar Electric Power Steering Fluid)

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