2020 JEEP GLADIATOR Suspension Problems
32 complaints about Suspension
This Problem Across All Years
All Suspension Complaints (32)
the rear control arm welds have repeatedly broken on this 2020 jeep gladiator which creates a hazardous handling condition that may lead to a tragic accident. the local dealer, Hilltop Jeep in Richmond, CA and Stellantis Customer Service have passed the buck and said it isn't their responsibility and have referred us to a body shop to get the suspension repairs done. this seems like a manufacturing defect.
When driving over 50 mph and hit a small bump the jeep goes to shacking "death wobble". I have taken it to the dealership where I had purchased it, and they looked and stated it was a recall. This was back in March 2024. Here it is end of October 2024 and still waiting on the part to be shipped to the dealer ship so it can be fixed. It is unsafe to drive as it is. And is my only vehicle. What is taking so long on the parts
Multiple issues occuring starting (documented) at 22,719 miles (09/27/2022) - stop/start and remote start had not been functioning properly - vehicle died. Required towing to dealer. Both batteries were dead. Upon leaving dealer they had not reconnected stop/start. Fast forward to 05/04/2024 and vehicle once again unchargeable to start. Took warrantied battery back to dealer and they wanted us to tow it there to check. We spent 350.91 to replace ourselves due to a lack of confidence with Jeep. Then on 05/20/2024 took it to a 4x4 center and discovered multiple issues with vehicle from manufacturing and dealer work. To start -- 1) the rear differential pinion seal is leaking 2) the power stearing box is aluminum and showed signs of flex and contact 3) dealer installed lift was incomplete leaving the front axle off center (visually observed about a 3" offset).
2020 Jeep Gladiator purchased new experienced violent shaking of the steering wheel and partial loss of control at highway speed on March 10, 2024 with the odometer at 27,500 miles. The shaking is commonly referred to as a "death wobble" incident. While driving at approximately 60mph on the interstate the vehicle became unstable on uneven pavement and began to shake so violently it nearly resulted in an accident and we had to immediately pull off the highway into the median. After a quick inspection no damage was found, the death wobble incident happened again the same day to a lesser degree and vehicle seems to be more unstable each use. Vehicle is available for inspection. The death wobble is so severe enough to cause an accident due to loss of steering control and suspension instability as well as injure the drivers hands and arms due to violent movement of the steering wheel. Dealer service is being scheduled, no further inspection has taken place by police or manufacturer. There were no indicators or warning lights prior to the incident.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving at various highway speeds, the front wheels would suddenly violently shake, vibrate, and wobble. The contact stated that during the failure, the vehicle became extremely unstable and difficult to control. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Mileage: 80,000
While driving the 2020 Jeep Gladiator on highway I experienced extreme vibrations and shaking of the steering wheel (Commonly referred to as the "Death Wobble" in other online complaints/videos). This occurred on at least 8 occasions when traveling at highway speed (65mph to 70mph) after hitting a bump (ex. overpass bridge joint) or rough patch of road (ex. pothole). The steering wheel and whole front end of the vehicle wobble violently and it can only be corrected by reducing speed rapidly. This creates a safety issue as rapidly decelerating to get the vehicle under control on a highway puts my vehicle and the vehicles following me in danger. After reading other complaints, this appears to be an issue with Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator models going back several years.
My Jeep Gladiator has had the "death wobbles" three different times now. It has been "repaired" by Jeep only to have the issue return a month or two later. The 2nd repair was done more extensively than just a dampener replacement. There is a class action lawsuit on this issue. But the new repair does not solve the problem! My truck has never been modified. It is original.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle drove over a pothole and the steering wheel started to shake violently and vehicle swayed from side to side before regaining control. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the front dampers. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. Upon further diagnosis, the dealer replaced the power steering gearbox. The failure reoccurred a third time, and the dealer replaced the front dampers and advised the contact that the failure had caused abnormal wear on tire tread and advised the contact that the tires be replaced. The failure reoccurred a fourth time however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened, pending an inspection by a Jeep specialist. The failure mileage was 34,934. The dealership service guy stated it was considered to be a death wobble and that Jeep has known about this issue for quite some time now.
Mileage: 34,934
Shaking of front suspension - steering wheel and front tires
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the vehicle experienced the death wobble after driving over a bump on the roadway. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,460.
Mileage: 28,460
Driving down the road the steering gear box will randomly quit, could be doing 70 mph down the expressway and not be able to swerve, turn or avoid an accident. Has happened to me three times. Also the steering free play on these vehicles is absolutely insane and very difficult to keep the vehicle in its lane going down the road. I have been pulled over by police three times for “swerving” and it’s all due to the steering wheel having too much free play. This needs to be recalled because it’s unsafe to drive
WHEN DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT ON THE HIGHWAY (70MPH) we experienced some rough road. The steering wheel and the whole vehicle began to shake. This has happened several times and the shaking stopped when we slowed down significantly. Thankfully there were no cars in our immediate vicinity or this could have caused and accident. WE are reporting this to the dealership today. A search on social media reported many other people having this same problem.
Death wobble. Excessive wobbling while traveling on the highway. Usually occurs after traveling over variations in the roadway surface. Happened one before when vehicle had approximately 30,000 miles. Dealer replaced the stabilizer. Started again at approximately 60,000 miles. Wobble can get so bad i feel like i’m going to get thrown out of the vehicle.
my wife and I were driving on a freeway each time this happened. After driving over a bump in the road, the front end vibrated violently to the point we had to slow down drastically and pull over. It controlled okay after slowing down to a very slow speed. This has happened approximately 5 times. We are scared to drive this vehicle. It causes the steering wheel to vibrate. We called the dealership today (Sat.) noone called back but we will call them Mon. This vehicle is too dangerous to drive.It has between 27 and 28 thousand miles. It has never been off road.We bought it new off the lot and will pursue this with the dealer. We wanted to report it before someone is in an accident. It is available for inspection.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH over a bump in the roadway, the vehicle experienced a death wobble. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive on the side of the road at 10 MPH until he regained control of the vehicle. The contact stated he had experienced the failure six times. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,550.
Mileage: 47,550
at 70 mph after hitting expansion joint, the steering wheel and front end will violently shake until speed is below 50 mph. Dealership acknowledged this a known problem with jeeps-aka the death wobble. They think it is the tires but cannot replace them with fiat-chrysler approval. this is an absolutely unsafe scary to operate vehicle.
My wife and I took delivery of a brand new 2020 Jeep Gladiator Sport on 4/28/2021. The vehicle is completely stock and has only been serviced by the dealership we purchased it from. In October 2021, we drove over a defect in the highway at approximately 70 miles per hour. The entire vehicle started shaking. It felt like the shaking was coming from the front suspension and steering. We pulled off the highway to the shoulder. As we slowed to about 50 miles per hour, the shaking stopped. There were no warning lights or indicators before, during or after this event. The incident was very frightening and could have led to losing control of the Jeep on a very busy 4 lane highway. We took the vehicle to the selling dealership to have it looked at. The service manager could not duplicate it but a steering damper replacement was ordered. We were able to duplicate the shaking in the same location on 10/21/2021 at 55 miles per hour and again 10/22/2021 in the same location, at 58 miles per hour. It happened several subsequent times. The steering damper was replaced on 12/13/2021. There were 12,887 miles on the Jeep then. The "Death Wobble" still occurred. A new steering gear was ordered by the dealership. The steering gear was replaced 2/14/2022. Mileage now 15,502 miles. As I was driving home from the dealership on 2/14/22, I ran over a transition strip onto the entry ramp to a 4 lane highway. I was going 70 miles per hour. The shaking started and was shaking so hard, my face skin was vibrating as were the numbers on all the gauges. If I were not kind of expecting this, I could have easily lost control. And as I was in a curve, I would have crashed in the very busy highway. The shaking did not stop until I was below 50 miles per hour on the exit ramp. The dealer has not been able to reproduce this. And to this point, the manufacture has not inspected the vehicle. Which they are able to do at anytime.
Driving at 68mph a a very drastic wobble in the steering occured. Have an appointment with jeep dealership. Truck has thirty eight thousand miles with no warning of any kind . Sudden and abundant violent shaking .
First, my secondary battery died 1.5 yrs into ownership and completely disabled my vehicle at a stop light, which left me nearly getting slammed into multiple times from the rear at an extremely busy intersection. There was no warning that the battery was failing — no “idiot light” — and a fire truck had to assist in getting me to safety. I was stranded for 3.5 hrs awaiting a tow to the dealership, who kept it for a week before it was replaced. Secondly, I have had no less than 5 terrifying “death wobble” incidents to date with the truck when traveling on the freeway at high speeds of 65 - 75 mph. My truck is stock from the factory with no modifications to suspension, tires, or anything, so this should NOT be happening. I stopped by a local dealership and was told that I would need the Fox steering dampener to fix this but no one seems to be able to asses my truck to rectify and replace it without forcing me to leave it for days or even a week or more, which I cannot do since I’m in outside sales and this is my work truck. As per your website, I have discovered an existing recall on this same issue for the 2018 - 2019 Jeep Wrangler. Apparently, Jeep has carried forward this issue to their new Gladiators. This is an VERY DANGEROUS defect. This appears to have generated 91 reports as per this article: https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2020/08/jeep-addresses-gladiator-wrangler-steering-issue/ It is also addressed in this article: https://www.motorbiscuit.com/the-2020-jeep-gladiator-has-a-major-steering-problem/ Lastly, I am on my second “head” or “stereo deck” and am still having multiple issues with the interface, which causes a random variety of heat/AC, lighting, stereo, phone, maps and auto start comfort settings (no heated steering or seat) and more. Local Jeep dealerships pretend to not know of any issues with a claim that there are no active recalls. I find this response appalling. I appeal to you for assistance for my safety. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the front end of the vehicle suddenly experienced severe shaking and vibration. The contact indicated that the failure occurred immediately after driving onto a bridge. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.
Mileage: 24,000
ONE OR MORE OF THE SUSPENSION KITS SOLD BY ROCK KRAWLER USED INFERIOR MATERIALS IN THE CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS THAT WILL BREAK DOWN WITH THE USE OF HYDROCARBONS (GREASE) CAUSING SLOP/PLAY IN THEM WHICH COULD CAUSE ERRATIC AND OR LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL PARTICULARLY IN THE FRONT ARMS. THEIR ARMS REQUIRE THAT THEY BE GREASED PERIODICALLY AS ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THEY DID NOT MAIL OUT ANY NOTICES TO THE CUSTOMERS THAT PRUCHASED THE DEFECTIVE ARMS BUT RATHER LEFT IT UP TO THE CONSUMERS TO FIND OUT ON THEIR OWN. THEY HAVE A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE AND A LINK ON THEIR WEBSITE IN REFERENCE TO A TSB #2 BUT UNAWARE CUSTOMERS MAY BE IN JEOPARDY WITH THE SAFETY OF THEIR LIVES OR OTHERS. THE BUSHINGS AS THEY STATE WERE SUPPLIED BY DAYSTAR. HERE IS A LINK TO THEIR WEBSITE LISTING THE TSB'S: HTTPS://ROCKKRAWLER.COM/TECHNICAL-SERVICE-BULLETINS/
Mileage: 5,000
DEATH WOBBLE AND VIBRATION WHEN VEHICLE HOT IN DIFFERENT SURFACES LIKE CROSSING BRIDGE WHEELS AND STEERING UNCONTROLLABLE AT HIGH SPEED OVER 40 MPH. UNUSUAL SMELL INSIDE CABIN. THIS HAPPENS ON HIGHWAY AFTER ABOUT TWO HOURS OF DRIVING.
Mileage: 200
THE VEHICLE STARTS WITH THE FRONT SUSPENSION MOVING UNCONTROLLABLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND YANKS YOUR STEERING OUT OF CONTROL ( DEATH WOBBLE) DID IT 6 TIMES TO THE POINT THAT I CAN NOT TRUST THE VEHICLE BECAUSE IT GOES OUT OF STEERING CONTROL BOTH FRONT TIRES MOVE UNCONTROLLABLY SIDE TO SIDE LIKE IF BOTH WHERE FLAT AND YANKS YOU SIDE TO SIDE TAKES YOU OUT OF ROAD
Mileage: 11,000
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, WENT OVER A ROUGH SURFACE ON THE ROAD AND THE GLADIATOR STARTER SHAKING AS IF I HAD HAD A BLOW-OUT. ONCE I SLOWED DOWN IT STABILIZED. HOWEVER, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE AS IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED TWICE IN A HIGH TRAFFIC AREA. UPON RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET, I'VE COME TO LEARN THAT IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM CALLED "DEATH WOBBLE" THAT HAPPENS ON JEEP OFF-ROAD VEHICLES, WHICH MAKES IT ALL THE MORE CRITICAL THAT NHTSA REQUIRE CHRYSLER-FIAT TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. THANK YOU.
WHILE DRIVING AT ALL SPEEDS ON HIGHWAY AND SIDE ROADS WHILE TRAVELING STRAIGHT THE VEHICLE WANDERS BOTH TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT. THERE IS ALSO ALOT OF PLAY IN THE STEERING WHEEL.
Mileage: 1,000
WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 70MPH ON THE INTERSTATE AFTER TRAVELING OVER A SMALL BUMP THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VIOLENTLY FOR 3 TO 4 SECONDS UNTIL I SLOWED DOWN THE VEHICLE TO APPROXIMATELY 50MPH. A MILE OR SO DOWN THE ROAD THE VEHICLE DID THE SAME THING AT ABOUT THE SAME SPEED
Mileage: 6,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD GO SIDE TO SIDE, WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN STRAIGHT. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TWO LOCAL DEALERS (FOX CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM LOCATED AT 346 GRANT AVENUE RD, AUBURN, NY 13021 AND THE SECOND DEALER UNKNOWN) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND FILED A CASE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 130.
Mileage: 130
A MONTH AFTER PURCHASING MY 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR OVERLAND I NOTICED HOW BOUNCY IT FELT ON THE ROAD AND WHEN TURNING RIGHT I FELT A GRINDING SOUND. THE JEEP HAS SPENT ALL ITS TIME COMMUTING TO AND FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY. I TOOK OFF THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE AND I NOTICED THAT THE SHOCK BRACKET THAT IS WELDED TO THE AXLE WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF AND MAKING CONTACT WITH MY TIRE. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION I NOTICED IT WAS ONLY A LITTLE SPOT WELD THAT HELD THAT WHOLE THING TOGETHER. THE BROKEN SHOCK MOUNT WAS DANGLING AND TEARING THE INSIDE OF MY TIRE. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE EXPLANATION I RECEIVED FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS THAT THE ROBOT MISSED A LOT OF WELDS ON THE FRONT AXLE. IT HAS NOW BEEN A MONTH NOW AND MY JEEP IS STILL SITTING AND AWAITING PARTS. NOT MUCH SUPPORT FROM JEEP, JUST MAKING PAYMENTS ON A CAR I CAN'T DRIVE.
Mileage: 1,400
DEATH WOBBLE. WHEN DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF 65+ MPH WHEN THE WEATHER IS BELOW 38F, IF MY JEEP HITS A SIGNIFICANT BUMP IN THE ROAD THE STEERING WHEEL BEGINS TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AS DOES THE REST OF THE VEHICLE. IT STOPS AFTER I REDUCE MY SPEED TO BELOW 55MPH.
Mileage: 13,000
THE STEERING ON MY VEHICLE DRIFTS WITHIN THE LANE AND IS VERY DIFFICULT TO OPERATE. THE DEALER SAID IT IS A COMBINATION OF ELECTRIC AND MECHANICAL STEERING WHICH IS SENSITIVE. DEALER SAID REPAIR FOR THIS ISSUE AT THIS TIME. WAITING FOR A SOFTWARE UPDATE.
Mileage: 30
THE SO CALLED DEATH WOBBLE WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS....DRY PAVEMENT AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 60/65 MPH ON BOTH CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS ....IT HAPPENS QUITE OFTEN...THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY 4000 MILES
Mileage: 4,000
MY 2020 JEEP GLADIATOR WANDERS OFF THE ROAD I HAVE TO KEEP TRYING TO STAY IN LANE. WHEN I CAME TO THE RED LIGHT STOP THE OTHER DRIVER ASKED ME IF I WAS OK BASICALLY THINKING I WAS DRUNK DRIVING. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER SERVICE AND THEY SAID ITS NORMAL WITH JEEPS. I KNOW SOMETHING IS TERRIBLY WRONG WITH THIS CAR SO I SEARCHED JEEP GLADIATOR FORUM AND OTHERS ARE ALSO COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE. SOME HAVE EVEN STATED THEY ALMOST GOT IN A CAR CRASH. PLZ DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS
Mileage: 1,230