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jasmeetbabra

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I called my dealership here in LA and they say parts are not available yet. Told me to call a month out..

Wanted to make sure this is covered under warranty?
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mgroeger

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JLJeepGuy513

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I don't know about all this software stuff and upgraded parts business, especially after having my 2021 JLUS for a few weeks now. Allow me to explain based on years of TJ ownership:

Jeep has been using virtually the same steering box setup for decades. I had a 99 TJ with a loose steering wheel dead spot in the middle, etc. The old school fix for that, preached in all the Jeep forums, was to tighten am exterior screw adjuster on the box itself which caused the steering gears to mesh more tightly. It was a tricky operation because you are trading a tighter feeling steering wheel for one that no longer returns to center on its own. I did mine and found a sweet spot where the wheel was tighter, less dead spot and free play, and it sort of returned to center with a little help. Tighten the screw too much and you have a safety issue where the wheel won't easily do that.

Now, flash forward to 2021 and I hear some people with 19, 20's complain about the same type of play I had with my old TJ. I get my 2021 and I notice right away the steering is pretty good, some typical play but tight. It also doesn't return to center on its own, just like my old TJ after I tightened the steering box screw!

I really wonder if Jeep's "fix" for 2021 was to just tighten that steering box adjuster up just a hair. Nothing more.
If you go back about a year or more, FCA did put out a TSB to do just that, tightening the adjuster screw a quarter of a turn. This TSB only lasted a few months when they came back and told dealers NOT to touch the screw. I knew many others on here that did make the adjustment with somewhat good results but most of us were warned we would take the risk of voiding the warranty if we did this. I, personally was waiting for the warranty to expire to perform this but now im sooooo close to getting it fully replaced at dealer.
 

2mnycars

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If you go back about a year or more, FCA did put out a TSB to do just that, tightening the adjuster screw a quarter of a turn. This TSB only lasted a few months when they came back and told dealers NOT to touch the screw. I knew many others on here that did make the adjustment with somewhat good results but most of us were warned we would take the risk of voiding the warranty if we did this. I, personally was waiting for the warranty to expire to perform this but now im sooooo close to getting it fully replaced at dealer.
If you adjust the steering gear too much, it starts to bind and the steering wheel won't return-to-centre.
Before you start note the first position. of the adjuster and nut. Make a *small* adjustment, tighten it up and take a test drive. That may be all you need. If it's not enough, do it in small increments until it's right.
Once I did overtighten the steering gear because I had rushed. I had no problem resetting it after a short test drive. I had adjusted it too much. However, if you leave it too tight and continue to drive that's a bad thing.
 

Fusilli Jerry

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On Friday I took it in to my local dealer and they agreed to put me on the list for new steering gear when it comes in. Said a few weeks, but who knows?

At least I got my name out there. My steering is comically bad, I can rock the wheel back and forth and it wont turn, just like on that short youtube clip everyone's seen.

But when a stiff wind comes blowin' through, Sweet Jesus, hold on for dear life.
 

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2mnycars

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On Friday I took it in to my local dealer and they agreed to put me on the list for new steering gear when it comes in. Said a few weeks, but who knows?

At least I got my name out there. My steering is comically bad, I can rock the wheel back and forth and it wont turn, just like on that short youtube clip everyone's seen.

But when a stiff wind comes blowin' through, Sweet Jesus, hold on for dear life.
told the dealer that refused to do the TSB that our Jeep was unsafe and they would be mentioned in court action. If there wa an accident. Wrote on the warranty order that work wasnot done, and Jeep was unsafe. Thisshoulf be a recall.
 

cosmokenney

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For those that are out of warranty or rather do the work yourself we have created kits which includes the 2021 Steel steering gear here.

4 Door - https://www.allmoparparts.com/sku/jlsteeringkit4dr.html
2 Door - https://www.allmoparparts.com/sku/jlsteeringkit2dr.html

The original TSB is attached which provides a bit more insight of the repair.

Please let us know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
-Benny
Wait a minute! You have these items in stock, yet the dealers are telling people they have to wait for months to get the new box? What's going on here?
 

hoag4147

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Wait a minute! You have these items in stock, yet the dealers are telling people they have to wait for months to get the new box? What's going on here?
Dealers are restricted to ordering every 14 days to maintain an even distribution. Not that parts are not available. Kind of ridiculous
 

cbrenthus

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Thank you for providing this - I've been wondering what it would cost to do myself. I'm thinking of adjusting my stock box, and if it goes and they won't warranty it since I adjusted it, how much am I out. This seems like a worthwhile risk with the new steering box cost.
 
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AllMoparParts.com

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Wait a minute! You have these items in stock, yet the dealers are telling people they have to wait for months to get the new box? What's going on here?
The 2 door Gear just went on backorder however there is incoming inventory so we do not foresee significant delays. The 4 door gear is limited to 1 every 14 days as Rick mentioned. For dealerships that are servicing alot of vehicles they can build a backlog extending weeks or perhaps months out so what you are hearing is correct, It just depends on that specific dealership and region.

- Benny
 

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entropy

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"Hi there, this is FCA. We had to acknowledge back in 2019 that some JL's had a steering problem, so we were forced to issue a recall. We came up with some story about vibrations and gave everyone a cheap bolt on damper. Saved us so much money!. Now in 2020 we actually came up with the real fix, a new steering box, but we did it quietly and with a TSB. The timing is now perfect, exactly 3 years after the first sloppy 2018 JLs came out!. So convenient ;). This will save us money in warranty repairs and the new Jeeps won't have the issue anymore!. We navigated this issue smoothly and saved our profit margins."
 

mvng4wd

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I called and scheduled an appointment for tomorrow and I sent them the TSB paperwork. They called back late this afternoon and told me that the steer gear is on back order nation wide and it will be a month or so out.
 

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I posted this to the two main threads discussing the steering issues but thought I'd post here too.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...b-08-074-20-for-improved-steering-feel.56363/

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/fo...ew-steering-gear-box-per-tsb-08-074-20.56822/


ANOTHER UPDATE:

Background:
Mrs. Jeep got new gear box and software update and it handles great and tight.
I got the new gear box and software update and it was "Meh" and kind of floaty at best AND my power steering pump got very loud where you could hear the whiney noise while driving at slow speeds. Even the guy at the dealership was shocked out how loud it was.

FCA said to go ahead and have the PUMP replaced since that was the only other thing to look at. VOILA!!! It is super quiet now, sounds like my wife's Jeep, and nice and tight. It's almost like the software was overdriving the pump I had or maybe the pump was on it's way out. Who knows but I am happy to say it feels good now.

There is one caveat and I think I see what others are saying about this "notch" they feel. It's not really a notch, people are calling it a notch but then it goes away after the wheel is turned back past that position. What is happening is that if the Jeep is sitting still and there is no movement applied to the wheel the steering pump is not running (since it is hydro electric and not belt driven). When you turn the wheel the pump immediately turns on and you have power steering.
It appears in my Jeep (and I suspect others) there is a very slight delay in the pump engaging and as such you feel this "notch" as you turn the wheel while the pump engages. When you turn the wheel back past this same spot there is no "notch" because the pump is running and everything is smooth. The only time you would feel the "notch" is when in a parking spot or sitting idle for a bit, while driving there is no sensation of this notch, I only felt it in the parking lot.
That being said I will certainly continue to monitor it but I will take this slight delay in the pump engaging over the meh or loose feeling steering any day.
 

Chaosmtb

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Must read my experience here... the aluminum steering box gets sloppy in the HEAT, and locks up in the FREEZING, I never touched my steering box, only found finger tight ball joints that creaked, and caster at 3.2 weaaak, but my issues are wander, and in northern winter VT I got some bad memory steer, get the steel box if you can and do not try adjusting an aluminum one, i could imagine you dial it in on a nice summer day but once you drive it in a very cold environment it can seize and make it dangerous to drive... just get the new box. Don’t fuss with the aluminum period.
 

zrickety

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Thanks for posting this. I think $500 is a fair price to fix this, I don't want to waste my time at an incompetent dealer.
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