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Steering wheel will not return to centre.

bgenlvtex

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Tell them to put it in the alignment machine and give you a print out.

No lift, bone stock?
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bgenlvtex

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I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
has anyone looked at caster? not returning to the center is a telltale sign of not enough. I know it is a factory setup BUT that doesn't mean it was welded on correctly or if the factory control arms had a run of too short arms.
Yep, add in some toe out and it will never return to center
 
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KennyKustom

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I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
has anyone looked at caster? not returning to the center is a telltale sign of not enough. I know it is a factory setup BUT that doesn't mean it was welded on correctly or if the factory control arms had a run of too short arms.
Correct.. Caster is within spec... Although " spec " may not be enough.
 

MarineHawk

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I'm going out on a limb here, but I think the main problem is that you are trying to "centre," rather than "center," the steering wheel. Given that it's a U.S.-manufactured vehicle, it's likely rebelling against the English influence. If you try to center it, it may oblige. But if you try to "centre" it, it may rebel like 1776, thinking that you are trying to take away its free speech, guns, and quarter your troops in its garage. Its all about sensibilities. I hope that helps.
 

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ShadowsPapa

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I'm gonna go out on a limb here.
has anyone looked at caster? not returning to the center is a telltale sign of not enough. I know it is a factory setup BUT that doesn't mean it was welded on correctly or if the factory control arms had a run of too short arms.
Yes - first thing to check for sure.
I've seen alignment sheets in the past where the caster was iffy - I wondered if the owner had this sort of trouble when I saw the numbers.

Not nearly as likely - but if anyone messed with the clearance on that steering sector - meaning trying to take out play, or whatever, it can cause a wheel to not come back to center.

Caster is the same reason I could ride a bike or motorcycle across town with my hands off the bars.......... when you turn the wheels it tends to lift the vehicle so the weight of the vehicle helps to bring it back to center. But if the steering sector has a problem, it can't do so.

The post I quoted here is spot-on, IMO. COULD be other things, but it's absolutely the first thing and easiest to check.

I see toe mentioned as well - toe-out on these I have seen as an issue on the sheets I reviewed. Toe-out can result in wander, even shimmy. But if they did a check, you have the toe numbers already in hand - if they gave you the results like they should have furnished to you.
 

ShadowsPapa

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I'm going out on a limb here, but I think the main problem is that you are trying to "centre," rather than "center," the steering wheel. Given that it's a U.S.-manufactured vehicle, it's likely rebelling against the English influence. If you try to center it, it may oblige. But if you try to "centre" it, it may rebel like 1776, thinking that you are trying to take away its free speech, guns, and quarter your troops in its garage. Its all about sensibilities. I hope that helps.

So don't ask him what colour his JT is? Or how large his tyres are?
 
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KennyKustom

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UPDATE:

FCA has been in contact with myself and the dealer.

They state: This is a characteristic of the vehicle and have noted my concerns. If i had noticed an issue during the test drive, i shouldn't have proceeded with the purchase. They have no further actions.
 

AmpleDecay

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Wow! I am considering purchase of a Gladiator, this make me nervous. Sorry to hear you are having issues.
 

bgenlvtex

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UPDATE:

FCA has been in contact with myself and the dealer.

They state: This is a characteristic of the vehicle and have noted my concerns. If i had noticed an issue during the test drive, i shouldn't have proceeded with the purchase. They have no further actions.
You should post up copies of that correspondence with your name /address redacted.
 

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ShadowsPapa

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The nature of the beast is for the wheel to not return to center? Well mine ain't perfect that way but had it been appreciably different from my other vehicles, I'd have noticed it. I test drove another before buying this one and I never noticed anything "off" about it.
 

Hootbro

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Not really new news that either the JL or JT steering wheel does not centers automatically like most traditional steering in the past most are used to. I knew that going in when I bought my JL and now JT but I can see how the fog of excitement can make someone overlook it on a test drive.
 

5chema

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Or the aluminium wheels?
You mean the grey metal?

And what about the 3.6 litres engine?

But, if I remember well, our 2011 Wrangler was returning more to the centre than the Gladiator...
 

jrf

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FCA has been in contact with myself and the dealer.

They state: This is a characteristic of the vehicle and have noted my concerns. If i had noticed an issue during the test drive, i shouldn't have proceeded with the purchase. They have no further actions.
Wow, assuming this was verbal...because I doubt FCA would put that in writing to a customer. I'd ask for a formal statement if they didn't....
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