Loose Steering?

[jrf]

@JeepCares I got a voicemail telling me my case was being closed for this issue. The issue is NOT solved. I specifically asked that it NOT be closed. Starting to feel like Jeep does not care about my problem. I'd like my case re-opened or another case opened please and thank you.

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[rigger 17]

As i have been watching this tread , i see history repeats itself , I too have had two trips to two different dealers for my steering concerns only to be told "DRIVES AS DESIGNED ". Then i too get an e mail saying my case with jeep care is closed .I responded back questioning why closed , Nothing has been fixed yet .I wish FCA would really care ! Mine did seen to improve with the cold weather .

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This is an open offer to anyone living around central Iowa who has a Gladiator with a steering issue (preferably a stock vehicle, not modified with more than a small lift. etc so we can prove something to FCA) - my offer is this - come to my shop, we'll look things over, we'll compare yours with not so great steering to mine with good steering. You can drive mine and we'll take yours out and compare. We'll see if we can see any differences in frame, steering sector, any of the parts that could be related.
Since mine is a known good or well-handling Gladiator - it might be ok to compare a not so great one.
There is no reason a Jeep can't handle well - this "well, its a solid axle" stuff is BS. I've worked on and driven solid axle vehicles - Fords, CJ7, you name it - and they don't have to handle like a worn out left-over from the Korean wars.
Best way IMHO - is to compare to a known good one.
Other idea - if a dealer argues - make them let you take at least one from their lot on a test drive up to speed to see how THAT one handles.

 

[BeeYoBe]

This is an open offer to anyone living around central Iowa who has a Gladiator with a steering issue (preferably a stock vehicle, not modified with more than a small lift. etc so we can prove something to FCA) - my offer is this - come to my shop, we'll look things over, we'll compare yours with not so great steering to mine with good steering. You can drive mine and we'll take yours out and compare. We'll see if we can see any differences in frame, steering sector, any of the parts that could be related.
Since mine is a known good or well-handling Gladiator - it might be ok to compare a not so great one.
There is no reason a Jeep can't handle well - this "well, its a solid axle" stuff is BS. I've worked on and driven solid axle vehicles - Fords, CJ7, you name it - and they don't have to handle like a worn out left-over from the Korean wars.
Best way IMHO - is to compare to a known good one.
Other idea - if a dealer argues - make them let you take at least one from their lot on a test drive up to speed to see how THAT one handles.

I wish I lived closer, but im in Charlotte, NC. Anyone with a good steering Gladiator near Charlotte? I'd be willing to meet up to do the same thing.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I wish I lived closer, but im in Charlotte, NC. Anyone with a good steering Gladiator near Charlotte? I'd be willing to meet up to do the same thing.

That sure is a beautiful truck in your profile pic. Darned nice looking truck.
Yeah, winter, I don't have any road trips planned - if this was a year my wife wanted to go to Florida.........

I honestly think that us/Jeep owners, getting together to compare notes in person, I think that would validate the problems people are reporting and those with troubles would be even more determined as they'd see just how nice they things really can be.
Gotta stick together!

 

[BeeYoBe]

That sure is a beautiful truck in your profile pic. Darned nice looking truck.
Yeah, winter, I don't have any road trips planned - if this was a year my wife wanted to go to Florida.........

I honestly think that us/Jeep owners, getting together to compare notes in person, I think that would validate the problems people are reporting and those with troubles would be even more determined as they'd see just how nice they things really can be.
Gotta stick together!

Thanks! I love everything about the truck except the steering!

 

[Stickyteflon]

I have a stock suspension JT rubicon with MTs and under 55-60 mph steering is total acceptable. At 70-75 it’s just ok. I was oversteering it for the first couple hundred miles. I now have 3100 miles on it and it drives straight on a flat road. No jutter or shake. Handles bumps fine. If there is a crown in the road it takes about 5 to 8 degrees of input to keep it straight. It seems at highway speeds there is too much of a dead zone in the middle. I’ve learned to handle it fine. The big difference is when I drive the wife’s car then get in the JT it’s like trying to drive a layzyboy recliner. Like I said it’s not fighting me or doing anything unsafe but there is about 8ish degrees of dead zone at highway speeds. We recently had a day with crosswind gusts of 50-60mph. That was not the funnest time I’ve ever had driving. Although all the trucks and other flat sided vehicles were having trouble keeping it on the road too.

 

[4esop]

I had a lot more dead zone issues prior to getting new tires.

I recently put new tires on my Overland: 265/70R18 which makes the tires slightly bigger and wider. The driving is considerably better on the new tires. The shop that put the tires on said there was an uneven wear pattern on my front right tire. I went to a dealer and had the alignment checked and discovered that there aren't really official specs on the Gladiator's alignment. My alignment was within whatever spec they were using. I am wondering if the tire wasn't balanced properly. To do the alignment the dealers use a similar vehicle and refer to a supplement, but the printout showed they were using a different vechicle as the reference. I asked about this and got a weird answer about how it takes a year to fully develop the alignment specs for a brand new vehicle... no idea if that's true or not. I also heard from a tech at the dealer that he felt some welding issues being investigated on some 2018-2019 Wranglers could be the same issue on Gladiators.

With my new tires, I would now characterize the problem exactly as Stickyteflon did above. Except I would say that on uneven surfaces when going over 65, I do feel there are some unsafe characteristics and I have some seriously stressful moments. I do not like to be in heavy traffic with narrow lanes when the road is uneven, there is very little time to correct for the dead zone that isn't normally there but now seems to reappear occasionally with variations in the road surface.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Not true - BUT, with time the spec may change. I have run into this many times, specifically and most recently with my SX4. AMC changed the specs mid-model year because of the reality of how people were driving, the road conditions and what happened as parts wore. Not a drastic change, but it was enough to impact handling and tire wear. To be honest and fair to AMC of the times, the SX4 was the very first short wheel-base SLA or independent front suspension 4x4 in the USA so it was a learning process. It was a hatchback 4x4 car, very short -should have been a 2-seater in all honesty as the back seat was pretty worthless.
Without specs - how would the factory know where to put things?
The Wrangler is a shorter vehicle so maybe for a REALLY REALLY rough estimate it would be used, but the JT is longer and with different wider axles in the case of the max tow. That means that certain angles should be different. Wider stance means toe out on turns needs to be greater by a little bit, longer factors in too as it changes the circle.

Anyway, your comments make me wonder what the heck other dealers are doing when they claim to have checked and say everything is fine - if there's no official spec.
What does the factory use? Make sure the wheels point straight ahead and ship it out? LOL - yeah, sounds about like what that dealer is saying.

 

[Stickyteflon]

Also. From the dealer my tires were inflated to 45psi on the MTs!! I didn’t notice it until I got home. It was a 1.5 hr drive and it was not great! I deflated to 38 and it got better. I’m now at 34 cold and it has made a HUGE difference

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I won't under-inflate my tires to compensate for an actual issue. I maintain mine at the recommended psi. To go much under is inviting hot sidewalls, blowouts and other fun stuff while towing.
Just me - but if it's not good when the tires are at specified inflation - there's no way I'll cut tire life or risk blowouts while towing or with a heavy payload to compensate for their boo-boos.
No offense intended to anyone who underinflates tires - I know it can be a "Jeep thing" to do your own thing - but that's something I won't do unless the tire maker says that 34 is ok. Unless Jeep wants to buy me tires when they get hot and blow. I will only go as low as the tire maker says for a given load.
Luckily I don't have the steering issue - but if I did.......

 

[jrf]

I’m now at 34 cold and it has made a HUGE difference

34 cold will probably end up about 36 hot. I've also noticed a trend with FCA has been to increase PSI a bit...hmmmm anyone else think it's to maximize fuel economy and not tire life....??

 

[ShadowsPapa]

34 cold will probably end up about 36 hot. I've also noticed a trend with FCA has been to increase PSI a bit...hmmmm anyone else think it's to maximize fuel economy and not tire life....??

Could it be the TIRE makers specifying the higher inflation?? Anyone thought of that?

Yes, there's also CAFE numbers - thus the trend to xxw20 oils - it's about CAFE numbers.
It's possible they (Jeep) runs at the top of the recommended range - but to go over - that could lead to other issues they'd rather avoid, safety and tire life, etc.

I'd have to look - but I wonder if the tire inflation numbers are due to the tire makers - or if it's just FCA - because over-inflation is bad, too - wears the centers and causes other wear issues aside from other safety issues.
That's why I stick with what the tire makers say............
Vehicles are shipped with tires inflated high and the shops that PREP the vehicle are supposed to lower them into the TIRE MAKERS range.
So if you have a JT with tires inflated to 44 but the TIRE MAKER says run 39 then that shop did NOT PREP that truck correctly.
THAT could be why people are getting JTs with tires inflated so high - their dealers are not correctly prepping these things.
Just playing devil's advocate - tossing things out there..........

 

[RH 67]

Not sure of the alignment specs for the Jeep but on ford F series they have a cross caster split a little more caster on the passenger side to make up for the crown of the road, having equal caster on a Ford F series WILL cause the truck to wander some alignment shops not knowing what they should will set the trucks wrong. Just thinking out loud as this being a possible cause.

 

[Stickyteflon]

The spec on the door says 37psi. Tpms light still not on with cold psi at 34. Btw it ends up being 35-36 when warm.
I also didn’t say that it was a fix for the deficiency.. I said it made a big difference. There is no way they should have been at 45psi from the dealer either. I know some manufactures over inflate for transport I think my dealer didn’t check it on prep... and I do believe it increased mpgs

When the wife and I bought a MX5 early this year they had the tires over inflated by 10 or more psi according to the door sill chart and the owners manual

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