2021 Jeep Gladiator Suspension Problems

[XXX] 2021 Jeep Gladiator had a recall on the rear axle seal leak they told me the parts were on back order and the dealership allowed the recall to time out. When they ordered them I took it in and they said the parts were the wrong parts and needed to reorder them. Jeep will rev up to around 7000 rpms and hesitates to go up steep hills. Power stearing fluid keeps leaking from somewhere. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 45 MPH, the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel began shaking violently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to stop the vehicle from shaking. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

See video of incident here: [XXX] Additional video is here: [XXX] The incidents happened while driving on the interstate at approximately 70mph. When a normal expansion joint or bump was traversed, the steering wheel would suddenly oscillate continuously, with the degree of the oscillation growing more severe over time. The entire body of the vehicle shook violently. The only way to recover from the severe oscillation was to reduce speed substantially - generally to below 40 mph - or to encounter another bump to upset the oscillation. We took the Gladiator to a local Jeep dealership. They stated they replaced the steering damper and that the manufacturer had updated the part number (the failed damper was the old part number). However, we still feel a looseness in the suspension that we did not feel previously with this vehicle. When traversing bumps at speed, sometimes the oscillation can still be felt, but it is not continuous as shown in the videos. We suspect the steering damper may have been damaged to due another loose or failed component that is still in service on the vehicle. The vehicle is stock and has not been modified previously. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

This Jeep has the death wobble. When you’re going 70+ miles an hour and hit a bump. It violently shakes and you have to slow down to 55 quickly for it to stop. This has been an ongoing issue and I have even put a new set of tires on and it’s continued. This is a known issue but there’s not been a recall. I had a previous 2012 Jeep and it did the death wobble on that as well.

2021 Jeep Gladiator High Altitude with 29000 miles and in stock configuration. Experienced the "Death Wobble" after hitting slight depression in roadway at 65mph. Jeep front end would not stop vibrating until at complete Stop. This appears to be a design flaw. Reporting the occurance to the dealer for resolution.

Extreme wobble in front suspension and steering wheel when driving at freeway speeds. Also conventionally known as the "Death Wobble". Occurred on 3/8/23 - repair of steering stabilizer by dealer did not remedy the issue Returned to dealer on 3/13/23 - replaced inner and outer tie rod ends and drag link Recurred on 12/7/23 -again replaced tie rod ends for excessive play in ball and socket joints.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving approximately 70 MPH, the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel began shaking violently. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed, and the shaking gradually disappeared. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.5 The contact stated on April 8, 2024 there was another severe front "end wobble”, this following after the dealership replacing major steering components under warranty.

The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel started wobbling. The contact stated that the rear of the vehicle was also wobbling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the stabilizer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the part not being available. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 28,000.

My front suspension keeps bottoming out while driving down the road. If I catch a pothole or dip in the road I will bottom out. Today I was in a parking lot and it bottomed out going over a speed bump. I know there is a TSB for the eco diesel Rubicons but for no other sub-models.

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.

Experienced death wobble-violent shaking of steering wheel and car side to side -on highway on 1/6/2022. It happened twice, 5 mins from my home. Both incidents occurred in expressway. Once while traveling 70mph and had to swiftly change two lanes in rush hour traffic to the slow lane. The shaking stopped stop at reduced speed to 50. Then the second time minutes later I was going 57mph in the slow lane and the violent shaking started again. Luckily it was at my homes exit. I slowed down and drove the 4 blocks on the streets straight to my garage. Called Jeep next morning and they can’t pick it up until Wednesday, January 12. Bought this truck brand new from Jeep in May 2021. When I test drove it, steering pulled to one side. Had it aligned as part of the purchase. Months later I had steering problems and took it to them and they changed the track bar. A few weeks ago I did an oil change with them and they rotated the tires. And now I got the death wobble twice yesterday. There’s something in the suspension that’s either broken, loose, or worn out. I don’t feel safe.

In December, 2021, my 2021 Jeep Willys Gladiator became unstable at normal freeway speeds (70-75 mph) on ~8 occasions. At these speeds, the slightest bump or surface irregularity stimulates a violent and sustaining side-to-side vehicle shudder from the front suspension that was so extreme that it splashed my cola and ice from the center cup holder to the dashboard and doors. R-L-R Steering inputs had no effect and hard braking had no effect until the vehicle slowed to around 60 mph; where stable vehicle behavior restored. This extreme instability and needed hard braking creates a serious driving hazard. The dealer is installing a new steering damper. The engineer in me says there is a bearing, bushing or ball joint as root cause. This defect manifested at ~23,000 miles and occurs more readily as the temperatures drop below 20 deg F. This failure mode is severe, occurs without warning, is not detectable until it occurs and its effect is panic-inducing. My Jeep has stock, factory aluminum wheels and normal sized Michelin All-Season radial tires in good balance with no visible or abnormal tread wear. I ordered this vehicle new on 3/1/2021. The 'Gladiator forum' calls this condition "death wobble". Anecdotally, the condition appears to be associated with vehicles having "lift kits" as well as stock vehicles. My 'Willys Jeep is built by FCA with a modest suspension lift relative to the base Gladiator models. Other (anecdotal) owner information has identified loose ball joints, defective drag link bushings and steering free play as root causes in other new, low mileage vehicles. I am a retired engineer with vehicle development, professional driving and prototype vehicle experience. This is a dangerous condition that needs immediate correction. A 7-month old vehicle with 25,000 miles in excellent condition, no accident history and no modifications SHOULD NEVER DO THIS. A steering damper may reduce this death wobble but there is a more likely root cause.

Right rear axle seal leak causing oil to go onto brake pads Oil leak from shock absorber reservoir

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Gladiator. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH on concrete pavement, after transitioning from the concrete pavement to asphalt, the front end of the vehicle bottomed out inadvertently. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle at a lower speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who tests drove the vehicle and diagnosed that the front shock absorber needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they would follow up with the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,100.

My jeep has bottomed out multiple times on normal road bumps. I've owned 4 other jeeps and have never experienced this before I've noticed there is one 3" of travel allotted between the front axle and the bump stops and I under stand that the diesel motor weight more than the 3.6l but to not compensate for the extra weight and running the same suspension setup as the 3.6l is not even right.... To spend 57,000$ on a vehicle that I can't just drive down the road without having to watch for bumps or manhole cover because I don't want to jar my back is no peace of mind.