Jeep Gladiator Steering Repairs

[Overland A Far]

As I have seen on the internet, several JL and JT (Gladiator) owners have had issues with the vehicle wandering while driving. A steering problem that I had especially on rough or uneven pavement. My steering wheel would move between 5 and 10 degrees without resistance or moving the wheels. I looked at the steering brackets, upgrading rods, etc. But the real issue is the steering box! One YouTube video showed how to take out some of the "backlash" in the steering box. I showed this to my dealership service manager and they jumped on it. It helped but still too much play. In fact there was no more adjustment to be made. Then I viewed another video on a Jeep Dealer Notification suggesting customers who complained would be able to get a FIX! I had the notification ID number and again approached the dealership. Their service staff checked it out and ordered the part. A month later after checking to see where my part was we learned Jeep had cancelled the order so she re-entered the order. This time it came in. Fixed today and so far it works as steering should. Responsive and any minor movement of the steering wheel moves the tires. By the way it was a complete steering box replacement! Well JEEP this should be done in the factory and not after the fact. Other than this the unit has performed flawlessly, is great off road and in my opinion the best consumer grade factory built off road capable unit made. The bed rack is made in Calgary Canada by Tradewest Manufacturing. It is adjustable so fits my Gladiator or my Tundra and designed to be able to use a tonneau cover.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

If you want to go one farther get the griffin attenuator from YETI. It works awesome for on road handling of our jeeps. Also, if your steering box is acting up just goto PSC and buy an upgrade.

 

[Overland A Far]

If you want to go one farther get the griffin attenuator from YETI. It works awesome for on road handling of our jeeps. Also, if your steering box is acting up just goto PSC and buy an upgrade.

This is a Jeep manufacturing/parts supply quality control issue that needs to be corrected by Jeep. They know about the problem and would think for financial and contractual reasons with the supplier are reluctant to make a wholesale change and provide the quality steering box which was used to replace mine. Warranty! There is no reason for a Jeep buyer to have to suffer further expense to fix a known defective part due to piss poor quality control or concern over consumer safety and satisfaction.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I understand that, I was just suggesting this item because it's a dramatic difference in the way your solid axle vehicle drives after installation. I am putting one on our jeep soon. I have a little dead spot in my steering box as well. When I replace, since im not under warranty, I am going to put a PSC box and brace on it and be done with it for good. I am glad that Jeep stepped up and fixed yours for you.

 

[MazeVX]

This is a Jeep manufacturing/parts supply quality control issue that needs to be corrected by Jeep. They know about the problem and would think for financial and contractual reasons with the supplier are reluctant to make a wholesale change and provide the quality steering box which was used to replace mine. Warranty! There is no reason for a Jeep buyer to have to suffer further expense to fix a known defective part due to piss poor quality control or concern over consumer safety and satisfaction.

I see your intention here, but... It's not uncommon that you have to upgrade stuff to make it work. I mean that's what we do, buy stuff to make things better and doesn't break. The jeep steering boxes are not really the strongest and depending on what you do and how big your tires are you will replace it or put on the sector shaft brace and whatever anyway. And it's not a unknown issue, but glad it could be solved within the warranty.

 

[Overland A Far]

I understand that, I was just suggesting this item because it's a dramatic difference in the way your solid axle vehicle drives after installation. I am putting one on our jeep soon. I have a little dead spot in my steering box as well. When I replace, since im not under warranty, I am going to put a PSC box and brace on it and be done with it for good. I am glad that Jeep stepped up and fixed yours for you.

Thanks. I was wondering as the dealer was very cooperative however we were surprised when JEEP cancelled the order. For me this would have been a show stopper and I would have likely put the truck up for sale. Concerned that is as well as some other steering issues may help cause the "Death Wobble". In 50 years of driving old, manual steering, old power steering and numerous personal and company vehicles I have never had a steering issue like this. Stay healthy friend!

 

[Smokinjoe]

TSB 08-074-20 to replace steering box in JT/JL the stock box is aluminum new box is iron with larger gears and I believe a computer flash... my JT replacement is still on order … The PSC solution is a big upgrade converting the stock electric steering to mechanical with big bore box and necessary components about $3500 for kit. PSC would be a final solution I ran the PSC big bore box in my 2015 JK and was a very nice upgrade.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I am going this route for piece of mind. I feel a little slop in my steering now. My 2011 never had any and it had 300,000 km of hard off road use.

 

[smritte]

I'm glad you got it fixed.
A lifetime working for auto manufactures taught me, the American and some of the Japanese auto makers flat don't care. I could cite pages of flaws they knowingly allow into the vehicles only to band aid the issue if the federal government forces them to. When a known safety issue is found within the first year of a new build, they will continue to manufacture the vehicles with the defect for as long as 3 years. When it comes to Jeep, I can cite every issue up to the TJ. I refuse to own another jeep product now. The TJ was my last straw. FYI, the TJ death wobble was caught during the final prototype stages. They redesigned the Panhard rod as a band aid, ignoring the true engineering flaw.

The other posters citing the PSC system as a fix are spot on. Every Jeep product I have owned, a huge part of my money invested was to fix the horrible engineering done by them. Its too bad I really like them.

 

[Downs]

A buddy of mine local bought a JT and had steering shimmy as soon as he drove it off the lot. This progressed to full blown death wobble after he added lift and tires of course (seems to be the first thing many new jeeps get before the nubs are even worn off the factory tires), which as a stop gap measure he placed a FOX adjustable steering stabilizer on which he basically kept cranked up all the time. Somehow a local dealer was able to get him a new replacement steering box under the TSB in less than 2 weeks and got him back on the road. He was driving after being off pavement and had his steering stabilizer turned basically off and got severe death wobble again even with the new fixed steering gearbox. It's a mess for sure. He keeps the stabilizer cranked up at all time unless he's off road.

I think Jeep may need to look at doing some kind of good revamp of the quadralink system along with steering. The original quadralink design was never designed to run with tire sizes the likes we are seeing today even from factory trim packages.

 

[Downs]

I'm glad you got it fixed.
A lifetime working for auto manufactures taught me, the American and some of the Japanese auto makers flat don't care. I could cite pages of flaws they knowingly allow into the vehicles only to band aid the issue if the federal government forces them to. When a known safety issue is found within the first year of a new build, they will continue to manufacture the vehicles with the defect for as long as 3 years. When it comes to Jeep, I can cite every issue up to the TJ. I refuse to own another jeep product now. The TJ was my last straw. FYI, the TJ death wobble was caught during the final prototype stages. They redesigned the Panhard rod as a band aid, ignoring the true engineering flaw.

The other posters citing the PSC system as a fix are spot on. Every Jeep product I have owned, a huge part of my money invested was to fix the horrible engineering done by them. Its too bad I really like them.

The TJ's suspension design (front) first showed up in the Cherokee XJ in 84. But any solid axle vehicle can get death wobble just seems like the Quadralink system is very intolerant of worn parts or out of balance items compared to a leaf spring solid axle setup.

 

[smritte]

The TJ's suspension design (front) first showed up in the Cherokee XJ in 84. But any solid axle vehicle can get death wobble just seems like the Quadralink system is very intolerant of worn parts or out of balance items compared to a leaf spring solid axle setup.

This is true to a point. It gets down to a math problem. The suspensions are very similar, not exact. Any solid front can have this happen. It seems the coil spring 4 link/bar/rod.. systems are more susceptible. If your weight, axle width, arm length, panhard bar.....fall into the correct combination, the effect will be amplified. THAT is the failure. How many vehicles have ever had a panhard of the same design as the TJ? The first prototypes used the panhard from the grand Cherokee. The side to side force from the death wobble was allowed to go uncontrolled. the "fix was to install a "Tie Rod" end into one side and a thinner bushing in the other. What they needed to do was reengineer the axle assembly.

 

[Anak]

The above is why I have more faith in aftermarket and custom work than I do in factory engineering.

The OEM engineers have the knowledge, but the corporate decisions are not made with ANY of the priorities that matter to me, the end user. The corporate decisions are all based on lining pocket books, and mine is not one of them. The aftermarket and custom builders have more at stake and make decisions that lead to better quality solutions to make up for the deficiencies the OEMs knowingly produce.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

A buddy of mine local bought a JT and had steering shimmy as soon as he drove it off the lot. This progressed to full blown death wobble after he added lift and tires of course (seems to be the first thing many new jeeps get before the nubs are even worn off the factory tires), which as a stop gap measure he placed a FOX adjustable steering stabilizer on which he basically kept cranked up all the time. Somehow a local dealer was able to get him a new replacement steering box under the TSB in less than 2 weeks and got him back on the road. He was driving after being off pavement and had his steering stabilizer turned basically off and got severe death wobble again even with the new fixed steering gearbox. It's a mess for sure. He keeps the stabilizer cranked up at all time unless he's off road.

I think Jeep may need to look at doing some kind of good revamp of the quadralink system along with steering. The original quadralink design was never designed to run with tire sizes the likes we are seeing today even from factory trim packages.

There is something else wrong. it's not the steering box. Ball joint, tie rod end somewhere thats loose.

 

[MazeVX]

The above is why I have more faith in aftermarket and custom work than I do in factory engineering.

The OEM engineers have the knowledge, but the corporate decisions are not made with ANY of the priorities that matter to me, the end user. The corporate decisions are all based on lining pocket books, and mine is not one of them. The aftermarket and custom builders have more at stake and make decisions that lead to better quality solutions to make up for the deficiencies the OEMs knowingly produce.

This is so true!
Just let me add something, it's made for driving on paved roads under stock conditions.
That might not be the case with the actual steering stuff in the JL / JT platform but that's just what happens... Faults are there to be made.

There are reasons why every solid axle 4x4 vehicle has a different suspension link construction, some avoid death wobble by construction but are much less flexible, some have more flexibility but putting more stress on the bushings etc.

Don't believe there where no problems with a Mercedes G or Toyota J7 series or a defender... They break as jeeps do, they wear as jeeps do...

 

[LostWoods]

I understand that, I was just suggesting this item because it's a dramatic difference in the way your solid axle vehicle drives after installation. I am putting one on our jeep soon. I have a little dead spot in my steering box as well. When I replace, since im not under warranty, I am going to put a PSC box and brace on it and be done with it for good. I am glad that Jeep stepped up and fixed yours for you.

On a JK, unless you've adjusted it, it's highly likely you've got excessive lash in the worm gear and that's pretty easily fixed. Should at least alleviate the dead spot.

PSC is nice but that kind of coin can buy me a really nice lift and the JL/JT box is pretty beefed up compared to the JK... especially the new one coming in the recall. I drove a 2021 on the lot waiting for mine to be checked out and it's a night and day difference in feel.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

On a JK, unless you've adjusted it, it's highly likely you've got excessive lash in the worm gear and that's pretty easily fixed. Should at least alleviate the dead spot.

PSC is nice but that kind of coin can buy me a really nice lift and the JL/JT box is pretty beefed up compared to the JK... especially the new one coming in the recall. I drove a 2021 on the lot waiting for mine to be checked out and it's a night and day difference in feel.

Yeah, I have not adjusted anything yet. My friend has the PSC on his TJ and it's very solid feeling and the way I like it. I am planning on keeping my Jeep for at least 10 years so that upgrade will be worth it for me. In the meantime, I will do the adjustment on the worm gear.

 

[LostWoods]

Yeah, I have not adjusted anything yet. My friend has the PSC on his TJ and it's very solid feeling and the way I like it. I am planning on keeping my Jeep for at least 10 years so that upgrade will be worth it for me. In the meantime, I will do the adjustment on the worm gear.

Well the TJ steering box might as well have been made with bubble gum and aluminum foil so I'd almost call it a necessity in that case if you're running anything larger than a 31". It's a nice upgrade for sure and if I were doing 37s on a JK, I'd be looking at it as well. For the JL/JT I think consensus is that the new stock box should be good until 40s where it becomes more an issue of assist than strength of the box... Jeep at least decided to go the full nine with cast iron instead of incremental fixes to get it good enough.

 

[Downs]

There is something else wrong. it's not the steering box. Ball joint, tie rod end somewhere thats loose.

Possibly, but it's brand new. Doesn't even have 10k miles on it yet, he picked it up with only a few miles on the odometer. I've offered to let him come over and we would go over the front end with a fine tooth comb but I think he's content to allow the warranty process to work it's way out on it.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

It could something as simple as a tie rod not tightened to spec. When I got my patriot off the show room floor the people who built it put a screw through a coolant hose for the heating system and it was spilling out hot coolant on my foot while driving. Things happen.