Suspension Issues Plague the Jeep Gladiator With Death Wobbles
It doesn’t matter if you’re on a skateboard or in a truck, death wobbles are terrifying and can lead to disastrous results. The Jeep Gladiator could have a suspension issue that makes death wobbles worse. See if the Jeep Gladiator can be fixed.
Jeep Gladiator suspension issues lead to death wobbles
It’s no secret that the Jeep Wrangler is prone to death wobbles, but did you know that the Jeep Gladiator is also at risk?
Drivers have reported that their Gladiator models start to severely shake at the front end at highway speeds, making them more difficult to control.
Typically the cause of the death wobble is related to a heavily modified suspension without taking the extra weight into account. Or the vehicle could have worn out suspension components related to the track bar, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, and bent shocks.
Sometimes death wobbles are due to hitting a large pothole, but the Gladiator seems to start haking without notice.
The problems could be related to an issue with the steering system and faulty dampers/ stabilizers. This issue became so big that Jeep settled on a class-action lawsuit alleging that Jeep knew about the problem but sold Wrangler and Gladiator anyway.
As a result, Jeep has agreed to replace the damper with a new part that’s designed to better control vibrations in the front suspension.
The Gladiator warranty was updated to extend coverage for all parts and labor related to the failed front suspension damper for eight years or 90,000 miles.
Those who already had the components repaired may be eligible for reimbursement. You can submit a claim here.
Some drivers claim that they still experience the death wobble after having the suspension components replaced.
They allege that using the same Gladiator parts doesn’t fix the problem and recommend installing more robust after-market components instead.
Other than the potential for death wobbles, the Jeep Gladiator ranks as an extremely reliable truck. J.D.Power gave the 2023 Gladiator a reliability rating of 87 out of 100, which is great. Scores between 81 and 90 are above average while scores between 91 and 100 are best.
