2020 Jeep Gladiator · symptom sheet
Steering wheel shakes or the "death wobble"
- 43owner reports
- 25,000median miles
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Dec 16, 2025 · checked Oct 2, 2026
181 of the 483 complaints on this car are about the steering system. 43 of those describe death wobble. Only infotainment is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 43 reports
Death wobble on other Gladiator years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2022.
What this problem usually is
This is the violent one. Owners describe the steering wheel shaking hard at highway speed, often right after the front end hits a bump or an expansion joint, and it keeps going until they slow way down. Six in ten complaints in this group use the word wobble, and plenty of owners call it the "death wobble."
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the steering damper (7 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the steering system covers the 2020 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the steering system on the Gladiator
Underhood fires. Closed sep 24, 2026, led to recall 26V-363.
None of these investigations covers the 2020 model year.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 12,887 and 36,000 miles, from the 16 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2020 Jeep Gladiator that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Air Trapped in Steering Damper Warranty Extension XF1 A shimmy in the steering wheel after hitting an irregularity on the road surface (symptom is more prevalent in cold temperatures). This bulletin involves replacing the steering damper.
What owners wrote
“My Jeep Gladiator has had the "death wobbles" three different times now. It has been "repaired" by Jeep only to have the issue return a month or two later. The 2nd repair was done more extensively than just a dampener replacement. There is a class action lawsuit on this issue. But the new repair does not solve the problem! My truck has never been modified. It is original.”
Filed Sep 20, 2023
“The steering wheel begins to vibrate uncontrollably at highway speeds to the point where other drivers notice the shaking in the front end. to correct this problem i have to slow down well below highway speeds to get the steering under control. No the problem has not been reproduced by a dealer and now the vehicle is out of warranty. No indicators lights or warning signs appear when this issue arises.”
Filed Aug 7, 2023
“Steering wheel violently shakes if driving at highway speed and you hit a small bump”
Filed Feb 4, 2023
“At highway speeds when hitting a slight bump (i.e. expansion joint on a bridge or road way) the vehicle shakes violently. This can easily make the driver lose control of the vehicle. The Dealership reproduced and confirmed the issue and a Jeep Star Ticket was opened.”
Filed Jan 20, 2023
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 43 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 88 reports
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 32 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 30 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 28 reports