Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt@EuroJerks
What were the safety concerns?
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The sheer amount of input required by the driver to stay in a straight line. The gif above is (was?) my personal Gladiator. No, it's not a "Jeep Thing" as I've owned eight solid front axle Jeeps. My rock crawler on one ton axles, stretched wheel base, 40" tires, coilovers, and full hydro steering has better feedback than a $50k+ brand new, stock Jeep. Dealership acknowledges the issue with steering boxes, tie rods, linkage, etc. replaced. We even watched the steering box lift off the frame when turning the wheel while the vehicle was stationary.
Had a few instances of going around a sweeping turn at low speed where the steering wheel felt like it was preloading and then would have a delayed "springing" of steering response. This would result in the truck getting shot towards the direction you were turning. While it didn't happen to me, others that had this preloading sensation actually had the steering wheel lock while turning. Example below is of a Wrangler, but you get the idea.
It's a big topic of discussion in the community and is apparently a lottery of who gets an acceptable vehicle. Can't speak for the others, but mine would get better after a box replacement and then slowly get back to where it was over time. I was fed up and it was time to jump ship. In lieu of going through a Lemon Law debacle, I tried CarMax and the "ROI" was acceptable to avoid the headaches.
My other concerns are on me. I bought a Jeep with minimal safety features. With a baby on the way, the lack of airbags and STILL no safety rating, I figured it was fuel to the fire and time to stop holding on to something I emotionally wanted but logically should not.