Stellantis issued a recall covering early Gladiators (2020–2022) for an intermediate steering shaft that could fracture under stress, resulting in loss of steering control. This is a safety recall — verify your VIN and confirm the repair has been completed before driving the truck.
The intermediate steering shaft connects the steering column to the steering gear. On affected vehicles, the shaft assembly could fracture at the coupler under load conditions — particularly aggressive steering inputs, off-road use, or high steering loads. A fractured intermediate shaft means partial or complete loss of steering control.
Stellantis issued Recall 21V-368 (and a related service bulletin) covering 2020–2021 Gladiators manufactured within a specific production window. The fix is dealer-performed replacement of the intermediate steering shaft with an updated part.
Not all Gladiators in this model year range are affected — the recall covers a specific production date range. The only way to know if your truck is in scope is to check the NHTSA recall database by VIN.
Go to nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter your 17-character VIN. The site will return any open recalls associated with your specific vehicle. If the steering shaft recall appears and shows "remedy not yet received," contact a Stellantis dealer and schedule the recall repair. This is covered under the recall at no cost.
If the recall shows "remedy completed," the dealer has already performed the shaft replacement on your vehicle. The work should be documented in your service history.
If you own an early JT and haven't verified recall status, here's what an affected or marginal intermediate shaft may feel like:
None of these symptoms is confirmation that the shaft is about to fail — other steering components (track bar, ball joints, tie rod ends) create similar symptoms. But if your truck is in the recall range and hasn't had the recall completed, these symptoms make the verification more urgent.
A dealer-replaced intermediate shaft on a 2021–2022 JT is the updated production part. The replacement part is not the same component that was recalled — it's the corrected design.
If you've had the recall completed and still experience steering symptoms, those are coming from elsewhere: track bar, ball joints, tie rod ends, or alignment. The shaft replacement addresses the specific fracture failure mode, not all steering feel issues.
Recall status is one of the first things to verify on any 2020-2022 Gladiator you're considering. A seller who says "it's had all its recalls done" is not proof — get the VIN and check it yourself at nhtsa.gov/recalls before money changes hands. An open steering-shaft recall isn't a dealbreaker (the fix is free and any Stellantis dealer can perform it), but it tells you the previous owner wasn't tracking safety campaigns, which is worth factoring into how the rest of the truck was likely maintained.
Pull the truck onto level ground and rock the steering wheel back and forth at a standstill with the engine running. Excessive dead play at center, or a distinct clunk, can come from the intermediate shaft coupler, the track bar mounts, or worn tie-rod ends — you won't isolate which from the driver's seat, but it flags that the front end needs a closer look. If you're weighing a specific truck, the payload and towing reality guide and the frame bend recall guide cover the other two early-JT items worth checking on the same walkaround.
The steering shaft recall is a single failure mode, not the whole front end. If your JT wanders, shimmies, or feels vague after the recall is confirmed complete, work through the rest of the steering system before spending on parts. Fresh, correct-spec fluid in the hydraulic assist matters more than most owners assume — see power steering fluid service. A worn or undersized damper is often blamed for symptoms it can't fix; the steering stabilizer upgrade guide explains when a stabilizer actually helps and when it only masks a worn component that needs replacing.
The VIN lookup answers the recall question; a physical check answers the wear question. With the engine off and the key in a position that unlocks the column, have a helper rock the steering wheel back and forth through a few degrees of rotation while you watch the intermediate shaft — follow the column through the firewall down to the steering gear input. You are looking for lag: the column turning before the gear input responds, or visible relative movement at either U-joint or at the coupler. A healthy shaft transmits motion with zero perceptible delay.
Two cautions. First, this inspection finds a worn coupler or U-joint; it cannot find the fracture risk the recall addresses, which is a material defect inside a part that looks fine until it lets go. A clean visual check is not a substitute for the VIN lookup or the dealer repair. Second, don't confuse steering-box input play with shaft play — if the shaft moves as one piece but the pitman arm lags behind it, the slack is in the gear, which is a separate (and not recall-covered) diagnosis.
The NHTSA VIN tool returns every open campaign on the truck, not only the steering shaft, so read the whole list while you're there. Early Gladiators accumulated several campaigns worth confirming: the frame bend towing recall on trucks used for heavy towing, and — on six-speed manual trucks — the clutch pressure-plate campaign that FCA issued across the JL/JT manual lineup. None of these cost the owner anything to remedy, and a truck carrying multiple open campaigns tells you something about how attentively it was owned.
Keep the paper trail. When a dealer completes a recall, ask for the repair order and file it with the service records — recall completion status is queryable by VIN by any future buyer, and a documented history is worth real money when you sell. If you're the buyer instead, the same lookup costs nothing and takes two minutes; run it before you negotiate, not after.
Written and maintained by an AZ wheeler and driveway wrencher. Always cross-reference your factory service manual — modifications affect vehicle safety and warranty. Work at your own risk.
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