What 280 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Jeep Gladiator

1) Frequent spontaneous windshield cracks. 2) violent, out of control steering wheel vibrations at highway speeds nearly causing severe collisions. Reoccurring incidents. I’m ready to file a lawsuit.

NHTSA ODI 11494925

Vehicle is 2 years old, with only 21,000 miles. Driving on the freeway, above 65mph, the vehicle wobbles violently if you hit a pot hole or a small bump. It jerks the steering wheel very hard from side to side, making it very difficult to stay within your lane. The only way to make the extreme wobble go away is to slow down significantly (<40mph) or sometimes come to a complete stop. A simple internet search and you will find MANY complaints about this with Jeeps, and it is commonly referred to as the "Death Wobble". PLEASE help us consumers put an end to this terrifying issue. I was on my way from Austin to San Antonio (1.5-hour drive) and was almost involved in two accidents because of this. Very few drivers expect for the vehicle they are following behind of to slam on their brakes, which is exactly what I had to do on several occasions to control the wobble. I was almost rear ended on the freeway going 60+ mph on more than one occasion. For the sake of every Jeep owner, AND everyone else on the road, Jeep cannot continue to release vehicles with this well-known defect. My vehicle is currently at the dealership being looked at, but I suspect it will be an issue with the suspension parts, either worn or loose. Either way, not acceptable for a vehicle with this type of mileage. No warning lamps or messages given before the wobble occurs. As mentioned before, you hit one pothole or bump the right way and it starts to wobble very violently.

NHTSA ODI 11493860

Under heavy breaking the rear wheels of my vehicle lifted off of the pavement. This loss of traction and shift in weight resulted in a head on collision with a vehicle in the opposite lane of traffic. After the accident I discover that the suspension for my vehicle was incorrect to the level that FCA released a TSB regarding the issue. The suspension that was equipped with the vehicle was designed for the gasoline motor and the weight associated with that motor. My vehicle has the diesel motor (approximately 600lbs heavier) along with factory equipped steel bumpers adding additional weight. This factory design failure created a vehicle that could not perform as designed and as I found out via an automotive accident, a vehicle that under heavy breaking can lift its rear wheels off of the ground.

NHTSA ODI 11490911

I was exiting the freeway with a speed limit of 75 mph. On the off-ramp I lost control of the Gladiator. The front end wobble was so bad that I could not hold onto the steering wheel for fear of breaking my wrist. Instead I had to wrap my arms about the wheel in an attempt to stop the wobble. I was unable to keep the vehicle in my lane, and finally ended up in a large ditch next to the off ramp. What happened appears to be a problem with the Mopar 1.5" lift kit installed by the dealer. The kit was installed 8/17/2021. This incident occurred in Jan 2022, about 4,000 miles later. I had the kit installed and then inspected about a month later specifically to check for any loose bolts, and to double check the torque for the bolts. The CV bar in the front lost a the bolt on the passenger side, dropping the cross bar and resulting in total loss of control of the passenger side front tire. I felt very lucky not to have been injured, and not to roll the jeep. It took about 150 feet to stop the vehicle in the ditch. I am attaching a photo of the bar held in place after the accident using bungie cords. This was done just to get the bar off the road and allow for moving the vehicle. The mechanic was able to secure the cross bar with a new bolt. The original bolt and nut were not found. We speculate that either the bolt was not torqued correctly or might have been missing a lock washer. At any rate, potentially this could have resulting in much worse. If this happened just a few seconds earlier on the freeway, the damage and injuries could have been much worse. Now the vehicle is driving like new, after new bolt and alignment. However, I will be checking those bolts more frequently, particularly if I notice any extra play in the steering. Before this happened, the play in the steering had increased. I thought I just needed an alignment, but it was much worse than that. Really I would think this cross bar needs redesign to ensure it can't break loose.

NHTSA ODI 11451758