2021 Gladiator (no mods) highway steering instability

[cshilale]

I have a 2021 Gladiator Sport with @2500 miles and zero mods. Highway driving in windy conditions is a white knuckle experience. The vehicle seems to get easily pushed around and it requires constant correction and "hands on" to keep the vehicle in the lane. I have owned 3 other Wranglers and I never had this unsettled feeling while highway driving in windy conditions. Is this common?

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[Josh00333]

Don't sound normal, if as bad as described I would have it back to the dealer. I think there is a couple of steering recalls/upgrades out there pending the rig.

 

[AZCooWhip]

Damn, these types of comments makes me scratch my head On why this might be happening. Heading back from Moab yesterday we hit the AZ line and bam ...40 mph winds all the way to Phoenix. Gladis managed like a champ. 1 handed the whole way with other arm out window. 37s and 3” lift no less.

Curious to know why this happens to some And hate to hear it. As said, may be worth a question to dealership.

Good luck.

 

[cleatus]

sme here-- wind just makes it worse. mine has the tsb done (box replaced)
still wanders---so am following this thread...

 

[cleatus]

on that same steering thought...think a steering dampener would help? or are those just for offroad?
--to be honest, i havent looked to see if it even has one...(overland stock mall crawler)

 

[cshilale]

sme here-- wind just makes it worse. mine has the tsb done (box replaced)
still wanders---so am following this thread...

I just sent a message to the dealership expressing my "safety" concern and I am waiting for a reply. I decided to write them vs calling them to document the communication. Stay tuned

 

[Punisher1-1]

I replaced my track bar with the Steer Smarts Yeti and no more being pushed around by the wind.

 

[cshilale]

I replaced my track bar with the Steer Smarts Yeti and no more being pushed around by the wind.

I would prefer the dealer make any mods/replacements at their expense vs mine but I will keep this in mind. Thank you!

 

[Jaydebe]

I just reported it to Jeep myself.
Honestly, this Gladi is my first Jeep and I purposely test drove it on the highway for about 30 minutes before buying to avoid the issue with the Jeep I chose.

I've had only a handful of incidence where the Jeep pretty much felt like the opposing front and rear brakes would trade off engaging. That's the best way to describe the "major" issue I was having, on the highway at least.

It happened stock, stock with a trailer (which I though the U-haul trailer caused it) and with 37s (no suspension mods.

It randomly happens a as I approach speed and nothing I do stops it until I get below 30-ish mph, but it you accelerate again, there is goes.

It'll stop almost as fast as it comes on an not happen again for awhile.

I've checked wheels, all suspension and steering, all good, all tight.

I recently saw a video about the new steering box made of steel using all equal length steel bolts (instead of the alum. body box with 2 pair of matching alum. bolts.) and though, hmmm...

Now, it makes a little more sense. If something just so slightly upsets (causes flex) in the original steering box, I see how the alum. might not be able to not flex.

I hope to have this fixed in 2021 sometime, but seeing how I'm going on 6 months of waiting for a back-glass and 6 months on the locker-light issue, I don't have too much hope right now.

 

[OLAF 4X4]

I have a 2021 Gladiator Sport with @2500 miles and zero mods. Highway driving in windy conditions is a white knuckle experience. The vehicle seems to get easily pushed around and it requires constant correction and "hands on" to keep the vehicle in the lane. I have owned 3 other Wranglers and I never had this unsettled feeling while highway driving in windy conditions. Is this common?

I own a 2021 JTRD I've had the same issue since I pulled out of the dealership. I have 3000 miles now and it hasn't gotten any better. let me know if your dealership makes any mods and if it helps the situation please. Some on here like to say tire pressure but this is definitely not the case with mine. Thanks!

 

[cshilale]

I own a 2021 JTRD I've had the same issue since I pulled out of the dealership. I have 3000 miles now and it hasn't gotten any better. let me know if your dealership makes any mods and if it helps the situation please. Some on here like to say tire pressure but this is definitely not the case with mine. Thanks!

The dealership just called me and asked to bring it in to look it over. He asked me if I have ever driven/owned other Jeeps before and I told him YES, and NEVER had any experience like this before with any of them. My appt is for Thursday this week so I will update the post with the response.

 

[DailyMoparGuy]

You’ve probably already tried this, but check the tire pressure. The dealerships/shipping companies over inflate the tires by 5-10 psi. My stock Bridgestone “AT” tire says max (or maybe optimal) cold pressure 36psi. The dealer gave the truck to me at 41 psi cold. That’s way too high for driving and it will affect your stability on the highway.

For normal day to day, I run 34-35 cold tire pressure. Softer ride and one handed highway steering. Like others have mentioned though, it probably is something else causing your issue. I’m just pitching the tire thing as a Hail Mary lol.

 

[cshilale]

You’ve probably already tried this, but check the tire pressure. The dealerships/shipping companies over inflate the tires by 5-10 psi. My stock Bridgestone “AT” tire says max (or maybe optimal) cold pressure 36psi. The dealer gave the truck to me at 41 psi cold. That’s way too high for driving and it will affect your stability on the highway.

For normal day to day, I run 34-35 cold tire pressure. Softer ride and one handed highway steering. Like others have mentioned though, it probably is something else causing your issue. I’m just pitching the tire thing as a Hail Mary lol.

Thanks! I will check my pressure. I do know my BLOOD PRESSURE was extremely elevated while driving under these conditions : )

 

[syreeves]

I think the issue is the wind. I'm ins 1 2021 JTR with MOPAR 2 inch and 35s. In low/no cross wind situations tracking is pretty good at high speeds (70-75mph) for a vehicle with a live front axle. Just drove about 600mils round trip from Minneapolis MN to Waterloo IA and then to Spirit Lake IA and then back home. We had typical upper Midwest March weather. Some flakes, a lot of rain, periods of calm too. I can tell you that in a strong cross wind or when passing an 18 wheeler that is too close to the centerline there is a marked affect on the vehicle. I compare this to SUV's I've driven (shorter wheel bases like Volvo XC90 and my 03 Land Rover Discovery) and I would say that the JT is not as confidence inspiring at speed in the wind. In contrast the F350 diesel crew cab short box (6ft) tracks like a train...

At the end of the day I think it comes down to the fact that it is a pretty light vehicle for its size - its not dense the way an SUV or a heavy 1 ton pickup is dense. And its longer, with more lateral "sail" leverage than a wrangler - which is really where it is based. And that means, in my opinion, the instability is simply a part of the JT experience. You get an XL wrangler with pretty close to Wrangler weight. Strong cross winds are going to affect us more. Thats OK because I can haul more diverse loads in more diverse situations than a wrangler, and I can get them to places a stock Taco, Coloranyon or any full size pickup (except the PW 2500).

I think if you want it all there are other compromises you have to make e.g. less ground clearance, heavier weight (e.g. lower fuel mileage) etc.

JT's aren't for everyone - but once you get used to them they are a better fit than whatever was our second choice before getting our JTs...

 

[Zilla]

I'm also thinking that your tire pressure may be the culprit here. I run 39 psi, and it does wander a bit, but I think it's gonna give better tire life and gas mileage.

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