2020 Jeep Gladiator

TOOK MY TRUCK IN TO THE DEALER FOR EXTREMELY LOOS FEELING STEERING, IT TAKES NEARLY 2 INCHES OF STEERING INPUT TO EFFECT A CHANGE IN STEERING, AND IT WANDERING IN THE LANE AS I DRIVE IT. THE TRUCK ACTUALLY HAS DONE THIS SINCE I BOUGHT IT IN APRIL 2020. THERE IS A TSB OUT TO REPAIR THIS ISSUE. I TOOK TO THE DEALER AUG 31 2020, AND ALL THEY DID AT THE TIME WAS TO UPDATE THE SOFTWARE ON THE JEEP, AND TOLD ME TO COME BACK IF ISSUE STILL PERSISTS. I TOOK IT BACK IN SEPT FOR THE SAME, AND THEY CLAIMED PARTS WERE ORDERED. WE ARE NOW INTO NOVEMBER WITH NO END IN SIGHT. I TOOK A CAMPING TRIP WITH MY FAMILY TWO WEEKS AGO, I CAME OUT FROM BEHIND GUARD RAILS ON THE INTERSTATE INTO THE WIND, AND WAS BLOWN ALMOST OUT OF MY LANE BEFORE I COULD REGAIN STEERING CONTROL. FCA DOES NOT SEEM TO DEEM THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE, AND IS LIMITING THE NUMBER OF REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR THE 2020, SO THEY CAN PUSH OUT THEIR 2021 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES. JEEP CUSTOMER SUPPORT SAYS THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO TO GET THE ISSUE TAKEN CARE OF.

THE STEERING WHEEL NEEDS CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT AND INPUT AS THE WHEELS OF THE CAR DO NOT TRACK STRAIGHT, AND ARE NOT IN SYNC WITH THE STEERING WHEEL. IT'S EVEN MORE STRESSFUL WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE DRIVING STRAIGHT, ON CURVES, THROUGH CONSTRUCTION ZONES, AND ALONGSIDE SEMI-TRUCKS, THE STEERING WHEEL NEEDS CONSTANT ATTENTION, AND THE VEHICLE WANDERS AT ALL TIMES. THE STEERING WHEEL IS LOOSE AND MOVES ABOUT THREE INCHES FROM CENTER IN EITHER DIRECTION WITHOUT THE FRONT WHEELS MOVING. THE DRIVE IS MENTALLY EXHAUSTING. THE STEERING WHEEL IS SO LOOSE, THAT WHEN YOU PLACE YOUR HANDS AT 10 O'CLOCK AND 3 O'CLOCK, THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT STAY FIRM, IT MOVES - WE HAVE TO PROP OUR ELBOWS ON THE ARMRESTS TO STABILIZE THE STEERING WHEEL. WE DID TEST DRIVE OTHER GLADIATORS AND THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR IN THOSE VEHICLES. WE LIKE THE JEEP BRAND, HAVE OWNED SEVERAL JEEPS, AND WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE GLADIATOR, BUT WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE, IT'S UNSAFE.

I ENTERED THE HIGHWAY AND MY POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON. I THEN LOST POWER STEERING. IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF AT THE NEXT EXIT AND PULLED INTO THE GAS STATION. AS I EXITED MY VEHICLE I OBSERVED SMOKE COMING FROM THE HOOD VENTS. THE ENGINE BAY THEN BECAME FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. VEHICLE IS TOTAL LOSS.

THERE IS A STEERING PROBLEM WITH MY GLADIATOR. I HAD THE NEW STEERING BOX CHANGED OUT ALONG WITH THE NEW UPDATE WHICH HELPED SOME BUT YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY KEEP CONTROL OR IT WILL WANDER OFF THE ROAD OR INTO OTHER LANE OF TRAFFIC. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. THERE IS TOO MUCH PLAY IN THE STEERING AND IT IS EXHAUSTING WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT "IT IS A JEEP". I HAVE OWNED 5 OTHER JEEPS AND NEVER HAD AN ISSUE AS BAD AS THIS IS. JEEP HAS TO RECOGNIZE THE ISSUE AND ISSUE A SAFETY WARNING BEFORE SOMEONE'S LIFE IS INVOLVED. I HAVE SPENT MONEY ON A FRONT END ALIGNMENT IN HOPES THIS WOULD ELIMINATE THE PROBLEM AND HAD TO ADD AN ALIGNMENT CASTER/ PINION ANGLE BOLT KIT AND STILL WANDERING.

FIRST INCIDENT WAS APPROACHING A TURN OFF INTO A SHOPPING AREA, A CAR WAS STOPPED THERE WAITING FOR TRAFFIC AS I APPROACHED I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO WAY DOWN, I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO RECYCLE BRAKE PEDAL AS IT WENT SO FAR DOWN I WAS HITTING GAS PEDAL, THUS CAUSING ME TO COLLIDE. SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING TO TOWN AND A STRONG BRAKE BURNT SMELL WAS OCCURRING, WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO STOP AGAIN BRAKE PEDAL WENT WAY DOWN AGAIN WHICH THIS TIME I HAD TIME TO REGAIN CONTROL FROM HITTING GAS PEDAL AND FORCE STOP, INSPECTED BRAKES AND FRONT BRAKES WERE EXTREMELY HOT AND SMOKING AS IF BRAKES WERE BEING CONSTANTLY APPLIED, I DID NOT FEEL BRAKES BEING APPLIED GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY JUST SMELL AND INSPECTION OF FRONT BRAKES HEATING UP. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO REPAIR STATION WAITING ON RESULTS. I FEEL THAT IF NOT TAKEN CARE OF TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR AND MAJOR ACCIDENT.

THE STEERING IS VERY LOOSE AND THE VEHICLE PULLS TO THE RIGHT AND FEELS LIKE IT'S BOUNCING ALL OVER THE PLACE. IT FEELS LIKE I AM DRIVING IN A WIND STORM WITH CONSTANT CORRECTIONS AND OVER CORRECTIONS MAKE IT FEEL UNSAFE. REPRODUCE ISSUE: DRIVE AT 50MPH RELEASE STEERING WHEEL, VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY SWAYS TO THE RIGHT. DRIVE AT 60MPH VEHICLE CONSTANTLY NEEDS CORRECTIONS.

STEERING LOOSE AND THE CAR CAN NOT BE STRAIGHT,THE STEERING HAVE TO MUCH PLAY AND THE CAR MOVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE TO TRY TO KEEP IT IN THE LANE,ALSO A BAD VIBRATION AFTER PASS A NO LEVEL SURFACE....VERY DANGEROUS ON THE FREEWAY,ALSO I TURN ON THE CAR AND MOVE THE STEERING WHEEL FROM SIDE TO SIDE WITHOUT DRIVING IT AND THE STEERING BOX MOVE FROM THE CHASSIS AND HAVE A GAP LIKE 1MILLIMETER FROM THE CHASSIS...THIS IS NOT NORMAL