Own a 2020-2026 Jeep Gladiator? Death wobble, fire recall 26V363, clutch recall, diesel stall — California lemon law may entitle you to a full refund.
The Jeep Gladiator is the brand's midsize pickup — the only mainstream truck built on the same solid-axle platform as the Wrangler. That shared DNA is both its selling point and its problem. The same suspension design that makes the Gladiator legendary off-road also gives it a documented history of violent steering shimmy on the highway, a phenomenon owners call 'death wobble.' On top of that, an open NHTSA recall issued in June 2026 has linked a wiring defect in the power steering system to confirmed vehicle fires — including fires while the truck is parked with the engine off. Owners of 2020-2026 Gladiators face a lineup of documented defects spanning the steering, clutch, fuel system, instrument cluster, and airbag systems. If you've spent time at a dealership trying to get your Gladiator fixed — and the problems keep coming back — California law may entitle you to a replacement vehicle or a full refund.
The issues owners report most, ranked by severity — each one verified against a cited NHTSA source.
Vehicle catches fire — including while parked with the ignition off. Owner may notice burning smell or smoke near the front engine/steering area before fire breaks out. No warning light precedes fire in many cases.
Burning smell from underneath vehicle during or after driving. Clutch slippage — vehicle does not accelerate normally when clutch is engaged. Warning light illuminates. In severe cases, fragments of the pressure plate eject from under the vehicle, creating road debris and potential fire.
After hitting a bump or road irregularity at highway speed (typically 55–75 mph), the steering wheel and entire front end begin shaking or oscillating violently. The vehicle is difficult or impossible to control until slowing to a stop. Worse in cold weather (below 40°F). Multiple dealer visits with no permanent fix. Steering wander and looseness also reported between wobble episodes.
Engine stalls suddenly without warning while driving at any speed. Check engine light may illuminate. Vehicle may not restart. Loss of power assist for steering and brakes at the moment of stall increases crash risk.
Instrument cluster displays a black screen or goes blank while driving. Speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer, and warning lights all become unavailable. Owners report parts on backorder for extended periods, leaving vehicles out of service. Some owners with identical symptoms report exclusion from the recall based on VIN.
Airbag warning light may illuminate. In a crash, driver frontal airbag may fail to deploy, leaving driver unprotected. Owners may not notice any outward symptom until a collision.
A settled Margarian Law case on this exact model, published with the actual settlement math.
Open any defect for the symptoms and why it matters for a California lemon-law claim. Each is tied to a cited NHTSA source.
After hitting a bump or road irregularity at highway speed (typically 55–75 mph), the steering wheel and entire front end begin shaking or oscillating violently. The vehicle is difficult or impossible to control until slowing to a stop. Worse in cold weather (below 40°F). Multiple dealer visits with no permanent fix. Steering wander and looseness also reported between wobble episodes.
High relevance: Safety-rated defect with documented repeat-repair failure. Owners with 2+ dealer attempts to fix shimmy that persists should document each visit with RO. The class action settlement (8yr/90K damper warranty) does NOT preclude individual lemon-law claims if the vehicle was out of service or the defect substantially impairs use, value, or safety.
TSB 08-074-20 replaces aluminum steering gear with steel unit and updates EHPS software — addresses wander but NOT wobble per Jeep's own bulletin. Class action settlement extends warranty to 8 years / 90,000 mi for steering damper replacement. Repeat repairs at multiple dealers are common; many owners report no permanent resolution.
Vehicle catches fire — including while parked with the ignition off. Owner may notice burning smell or smoke near the front engine/steering area before fire breaks out. No warning light precedes fire in many cases.
Extreme safety risk — fires while parked. Owners experiencing vehicle fire or repeated refusal of remedy have strong lemon-law grounds. Failure to repair within a reasonable time under an open safety recall is itself a basis for lemon-law liability in California.
Dealer inspects and replaces EHPS wiring/connector at no charge (recall remedy). Park outside until repaired.
Burning smell from underneath vehicle during or after driving. Clutch slippage — vehicle does not accelerate normally when clutch is engaged. Warning light illuminates. In severe cases, fragments of the pressure plate eject from under the vehicle, creating road debris and potential fire.
Three recalls over 3 years for the same defect establishes a clear pattern of manufacturer inability to repair. Owners of 2020-2023 manual Gladiators who experienced clutch failure, fire, or repeated dealer visits for this issue have strong 'reasonable number of attempts' grounds in California.
Final remedy (23V116): dealer replaces entire clutch assembly and updates PCM software. Prior remedies (wire harness reroute, software torque reduction) proved insufficient.
Engine stalls suddenly without warning while driving at any speed. Check engine light may illuminate. Vehicle may not restart. Loss of power assist for steering and brakes at the moment of stall increases crash risk.
Sudden engine stall on a highway-capable vehicle is a safety-critical defect. EcoDiesel Gladiator owners who experienced stall events — particularly if repair was delayed due to parts availability — have strong lemon-law standing. Covered by recalls 22V767 and 23V263.
Dealer replaces HPFP and inspects/replaces additional fuel components at no charge.
Instrument cluster displays a black screen or goes blank while driving. Speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer, and warning lights all become unavailable. Owners report parts on backorder for extended periods, leaving vehicles out of service. Some owners with identical symptoms report exclusion from the recall based on VIN.
Loss of speedometer while driving is a safety defect and FMVSS 101 violation. Extended parts backorder (reported by multiple owners) creates out-of-service days that count toward California's lemon-law 30-day threshold. Owners excluded from the recall despite identical symptoms may have an independent warranty/fraud claim.
Dealer replaces instrument panel cluster at no charge under recall 24V652.
Airbag warning light may illuminate. In a crash, driver frontal airbag may fail to deploy, leaving driver unprotected. Owners may not notice any outward symptom until a collision.
Airbag non-deployment is among the most severe safety defects. California lemon law does not require an injury to occur — a vehicle with a known safety defect that substantially impairs safety qualifies. Owners who were injured in a crash due to airbag non-deployment have both lemon-law and personal-injury grounds.
Dealer inspects and replaces SCCM as needed at no charge.
Persistent ticking or tapping noise from the engine, louder at idle and increasing with RPM. Engine misfires, check engine light (misfire codes P0301–P0306). Bucking or surging during acceleration. Decreased power and hesitation. In advanced cases: catastrophic engine failure.
No formal recall exists, but the defect is documented in class action litigation and affects the primary Gladiator powertrain. Owners within warranty who experienced multiple engine-noise visits without resolution, or whose engines failed, may qualify under the 'reasonable number of attempts' prong. California lemon law covers defects discovered within the warranty period even if the repair attempts extended beyond it.
No recall issued. Dealer repair per TSB: replace affected rocker arms and camshaft. If metal debris has contaminated oil passages, engine replacement may be required. Repair costs range from $1,500–$8,000+ out of warranty.
Harsh, jerky, or erratic gear shifts — particularly 1-2 or 2-3 upshifts. Transmission shudder or vibration during acceleration. Transmission fault codes, check engine or transmission warning light. In some cases complete transmission failure requiring replacement.
Transmission defect substantially impairing drivability is a classic lemon-law basis. Owners with 2+ repair attempts for harsh shifting who still experience the issue should document each repair order. A full transmission replacement that recurs is particularly strong evidence.
TSB 21-039-24: Inspect and repair or replace D-clutch pack. Transmission replacement in severe cases.
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The electric hydraulic power steering pump (EHPS) wiring connector may develop high electrical resistance, causing the wiring to overheat and potentially ignite a fire. The vehicle may catch fire even when parked with the ignition off.
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The instrument panel cluster may experience an internal short circuit and fail, causing non-compliance with FMVSS 101 (Controls and Displays).
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Steering column control module may not be properly welded, preventing driver airbag from deploying.
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HPFP failure causing engine stall (expansion of 22V767 to additional EcoDiesel Gladiators).
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The clutch pressure plate may overheat through friction and fracture. Hot debris can be expelled from the transmission case onto the road or into the engine compartment.
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High-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) may fail, causing sudden engine stall.
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Software error causes rearview camera image to remain displayed after vehicle is shifted out of reverse.
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Clutch pressure plate may overheat and fracture due to wiring harness routing issue.
Every item below comes from this vehicle's documented defects. The more you recognize, the more a free case review is worth your time.
California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act — commonly called the California Lemon Law — requires a manufacturer to either replace or repurchase your vehicle if it has a defect that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer has been given a reasonable number of attempts to fix it.
For a safety defect (like death wobble, a vehicle fire, sudden engine stall, or airbag non-deployment), California presumes the manufacturer has had a reasonable number of attempts after just two repair visits for the same issue. For non-safety defects, the presumption generally arises after four visits for the same problem, or after your vehicle has been out of service for a cumulative 30 or more days for any warranty repairs — even across different issues.
The law covers the duration of the original manufacturer's warranty. It also covers vehicles used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes — including trucks used for daily commuting even if occasionally used for towing or hauling.
If you qualify, you may receive a full repurchase (refund of all amounts paid, including down payment, monthly payments, registration, and incidental costs) minus a mileage offset, or a comparable replacement vehicle at no cost to you. Attorney's fees and costs are also recoverable, meaning you typically pay nothing out of pocket to pursue a lemon-law claim in California.
This is general information only and not legal advice. Whether your specific vehicle and circumstances qualify depends on the facts of your case.
“Could not duplicate” doesn't mean the defect isn't real. Here's exactly what to do to protect a potential California lemon-law claim.
Document the moment it happens. Photos, video, and screenshots of any warning lights — with the date and the mileage.
Get a repair order every visit — even “found nothing.” That paperwork is the foundation of a claim.
Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Note any recall that has no available remedy yet.
Track your out-of-service days. California law counts the cumulative days your vehicle spends in the shop.
Keep loaner & rental records. Alternate-transport paperwork during long repairs matters.
Save everything in one place. Symptoms, dates, repair orders, and every repeat visit — the intermittent ones especially.
Death wobble and steering shimmy are notoriously intermittent — many owners report the dealer test-drives the truck, finds nothing, and hands it back with a 'could not duplicate' on the repair order. Here is what to do:
Document every episode. Write down the date, mileage, road conditions, temperature, and exactly what happened — including how long the shaking lasted and whether you had to slow to a stop to end it. A written log is evidence.
Video is powerful. Use a dashcam or have a passenger record the steering wheel shaking on a phone. This is harder to dismiss than a verbal complaint.
Do not accept a 'could not duplicate' as the final word. Ask the dealer to document the specific steps they took to attempt replication. Ask for the repair order in writing before you leave — every 'could not duplicate' visit still counts as a repair attempt under California lemon law.
Request a dealer-to-dealer escalation or Jeep field engineer inspection. If your local dealer cannot replicate the defect, escalate to Stellantis customer care and request a technical assistance case number — keep this in your records.
For the EHPS fire recall (26V363): if you are within the affected VIN range (2021-2025 Gladiator), you do not need to reproduce a fire. The recall is open and the remedy is owed to you. If the dealer tells you parts are unavailable, document the date and ask for that in writing — extended out-of-service time counts toward California's 30-day lemon-law threshold.
The Gladiator's death-wobble problem has been documented for years — it predates the truck itself, since the Gladiator shares its front axle with the Wrangler. The class-action settlement provided some relief to 2020 owners, but the extended warranty on the steering damper is not the same as a fix, and many owners report the shimmy returning. Meanwhile, a fire recall affecting nearly 290,000 Gladiators — with 51 confirmed fires on record — does not have a remedy available yet as of mid-2026. Owners of affected 2021-2025 trucks are being asked to park outside and wait.
The clutch fire story is perhaps the most telling. It took three separate recalls over three years before the manufacturer replaced the clutch assembly outright. That trajectory — software patch, then software patch, then finally a parts replacement — reflects a pattern courts and arbitrators take seriously when evaluating whether a manufacturer has made a reasonable number of repair attempts.
If you own a Gladiator and have been to the dealer more than once for any of these issues, your repair history deserves a legal review.
— The Margarian Law team
If your Jeep Gladiator has been back to the dealer more than once for steering shimmy, a fire warning, clutch problems, engine stall, or a blank instrument cluster — and the problem keeps coming back — you may have a lemon-law claim. California law may entitle you to a full refund or a replacement truck at no cost to you, and attorney's fees are paid by the manufacturer, not you. Contact us for a free case review.
Death wobble is a violent shaking of the steering wheel and front end that occurs after hitting a bump at highway speed — typically between 55 and 75 mph. It can make the truck feel nearly uncontrollable until you slow to a stop. The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is the most affected model year, with NHTSA recording more than 170 steering complaints. A class-action settlement (finalized in June 2023) extended the front suspension steering damper warranty to 8 years or 90,000 miles from the original in-service date for 2020 Gladiator owners — at no cost to you. If your dealer has attempted to fix the shimmy and the problem came back, you may have grounds for a lemon-law claim even if the extended warranty covers the repair.
Yes. NHTSA issued recall 26V363 in June 2026 covering approximately 287,887 Jeep Gladiators from model years 2021 through 2025. The defect is in the electric hydraulic power steering (EHPS) pump wiring connector, which can develop high electrical resistance and overheat — igniting a fire even with the ignition off. NHTSA confirmed 51 fires and one injury before the recall was issued. As of late June 2026, the dealer remedy is not yet available. Stellantis advises affected owners to park outdoors, away from structures, until the repair is completed. If your truck is in that VIN range and you have already experienced a fire, contact a lemon-law attorney immediately — a vehicle fire is among the most serious safety defects recognized under California law.
If you own a 2020 to 2023 Jeep Gladiator with the 6-speed manual transmission, you may be covered under NHTSA recall 23V116 (Chrysler manufacturer campaign 19A). The defect: the clutch pressure plate can overheat and fracture, releasing hot debris under the vehicle and creating a fire risk. Warning signs include a burning smell from underneath the truck, clutch slipping, or warning lights. This was the third recall Jeep issued for the same clutch defect — previous software-only repairs under recalls 20V124 and 21V028 proved insufficient. The final remedy is a full clutch assembly replacement plus a PCM software update, at no charge. If your dealer performed only a software update on an earlier visit and the problem continued, that prior visit still counts as a repair attempt under California lemon law.
Yes. If you have the 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 engine, your truck may be covered under two related NHTSA recalls: 22V767 (issued October 2022) and its expansion, 23V263 (April 2023). The defect is a high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failure that causes a sudden engine stall with no warning. Because a diesel stall also cuts power-assisted steering and braking at the moment of failure, NHTSA classifies this as a crash risk. The dealer remedy is replacement of the HPFP and inspection of related fuel components at no charge. If you experienced a stall event and the repair was delayed due to parts backorder, those out-of-service days count toward the 30-day cumulative threshold under California lemon law.
A blank or black instrument cluster is a documented defect covered by NHTSA recall 24V652, affecting 2020 through 2024 Jeep Gladiators (as well as certain Wranglers). An internal short circuit in the instrument panel cluster can cause a complete display failure — eliminating the speedometer, fuel gauge, odometer, and all warning lights. Driving without a functioning speedometer is a federal safety standards violation (FMVSS 101). The remedy is a full cluster replacement at no charge. If your dealer told you the replacement part is on backorder, get that in writing with the date — every day your truck sits at the dealer waiting for a part counts toward California's 30-day out-of-service threshold. Some owners report being told their VIN is not covered despite identical symptoms; if that happens to you, do not accept it without a second dealer inspection.
A 'cannot duplicate' (CND) finding does not end your lemon-law rights — in fact, it still counts as a repair attempt in California. Here is what to do next. First, get a copy of every repair order before you leave the dealer, including the ones marked CND. Second, keep a written log of each episode — date, mileage, weather, road conditions, and what exactly happened. Video evidence (dashcam or phone) is highly persuasive. Third, ask the dealer to contact Stellantis for a technical field engineer review; this creates a paper trail that goes beyond the local dealership. Fourth, call Stellantis customer care and open a formal case — save the case number. If after two or more attempts the shimmy persists and the dealer cannot fix it, contact a California lemon-law attorney. Under Song-Beverly, two failed repair attempts for a safety defect like steering shimmy can be enough to trigger the manufacturer's obligation to repurchase or replace your truck.
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