Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

[hubble]

I'm tired of waiting for a fix....................

Sponsored

 

[Pourboire]

I agree with your second paragraph. Until you had an opportunity to drive on the open road, you weren't able to know the issue existed. I'm guessing this applies to most of the JL's...not just the few of us that are speaking out. This will be the comment if FCA gets it right and does a recall. ' Wow! This is so much better and I didn't even know I had a problem'

I have been reading as most concerned JL owners about this issue. Fortunately I haven't experienced this issue with my JL sport 2 door. Its tracks fine at 80 MPH, and the front wheels start responding with about 1/2 inch movement from the steering wheel. So can Jeep make it right? YES. If my Wrangler is OK, they should be able to make everyone's great in this respect. The primary causes of a loose steering wheel, are loose ball joints, worn tie rod ends or a loose steering box. These are new vehicles, and tightening loose ball joints by many members haven't completely fixed the problem. Worn tie rods, NA they are new, steering box looseness, seems to have corrected or lessen the problem when done in conjunction with the Technical Service Bulletin issued. For reference, my JL was manufactured June 12th. In view of the aforementioned, I wouldn't trade my vehicle in and take a great loss. I know it's easy for me to say, and I would probably be considering trading if it was and issue with my JL. FCA know they have a Gold mine with their new JL's, and they sure don't want to lose it to a steering problem.

 

[kre62]

Funny, FCA can do a recall on something with no user complaints, but it's customers are screaming at them for a steering fix and nothing:

http://www.thedrive.com/news/23090/...rom-around-the-globe-due-to-brake-performance

 

[packetpilot]

There are a few replies in this thread where people are reporting slight variations of the steering box part number that have changed in as little as two weeks, so obviously Jeep is aware of the steering issues. Some of the steering box part numbers end in AB, AC, or AD.

The logic there is a bit flawed; assemblies' part number revs increment for many reasons; only a subset -- and very likely, a minority -- of those reasons are based on rectifying some "issue". Often, a subcomponent within the assembly from a vendor has changed, or some way to save weight/material/cost has been found, or the PCB inside the assembly has one or several different ICs, or PCB layouts, etc.

"If steering box assembly's part number increments, then there were 'issues' with the preceding revs" is the kind of statement that accelerates consumers' misguided confidence, and while it happens all too often on most vehicle forums, perhaps we can pump the brakes on it here (or at least in this thread).

 

[jeremyjeep]

The logic there is a bit flawed; assemblies' part number revs increment for many reasons; only a subset -- and very likely, a minority -- of those reasons are based on rectifying some "issue". Often, a subcomponent within the assembly from a vendor has changed, or some way to save weight/material/cost has been found, or the PCB inside the assembly has one or several different ICs, or PCB layouts, etc.

"If steering box assembly's part number increments, then there were 'issues' with the preceding revs" is the kind of statement that accelerates consumers' misguided confidence, and while it happens all too often on most vehicle forums, perhaps we can pump the brakes on it here (or at least in this thread).

So are you saying that there isn’t a chance the different part number increments means they aren’t trying to fix the problems with the steering box? If that’s the case, that’s a big bummer.

 

[Jeepsterfreak]

So are you saying that there isn’t a chance the different part number increments means they aren’t trying to fix the problems with the steering box? If that’s the case, that’s a big bummer.

68250506AC is the part # I posted back in May/June. Has it changed?

It’s possible FCA is using more than one supplier to make the gearbox.

I used to be able to view all the parts diagrams,part #s and pricing on the mopar website but now all it shows is accessories for the JL, no parts. Did Mopar remove the JL parts from public viewing?

 

[packetpilot]

I'm unsure whether this has been shared already, but if people are playing around with their front suspension fasteners, it's probably in everyone's interest to see the Mopar official torque specs.

 

[packetpilot]

So are you saying that there isn’t a chance the different part number increments means they aren’t trying to fix the problems with the steering box? If that’s the case, that’s a big bummer.

I'm not saying that; I'm saying there is a chance but it's far from a certainty.

 

[jeremyjeep]

I'm not saying that; I'm saying there is a chance but it's far from a certainty.

Ah, so there *IS* hope they are working on a fix.

 

[PavementWarrior]

I'm not saying that; I'm saying there is a chance but it's far from a certainty.

Lots of reasons for minor hardware revs, its common for parts to go obsolete or be hard to acquire forcing moving to differnt parts and the work to ensure same operation. Small flash chips lately have been a nightmare for us, iot devices and such will buy all the output from vendors. We had to swap chips 3 times a board this year.

 

[JeepCares]

Took my Jeep in today. Took the service guy for a spin so he could see it himself. He saw what I was talking about and said it wasn't normal so we'll see what happens.

I'm also having this issue with loose steering. How did you guys get your dealership to actually flash the new TSB?

I noticed the TSB states it's for LWB (4-door?) models. I know the 2-door and 4-door have different steering ratios. Is Jeep implying that the issue the TSB addresses does not apply to 2-door models? I have a 2-door, and my steering is loose. Maybe we should make a poll for 2-door vs 4-door with/without loose steering to see what the numbers are.

I have a 2 door with the same issues and test drove another one almost as bad today and the still did the TSB you'll just have to go through jeep cares, and just FYI its a band-aide it makes the steering a bit harder to turn so it keeps it from wandering as much but it will still have the same play in the box its just software.

I've had mine at the dealer twice for the steering issue. First time tech said all vehicles with big tires drive like that and nothing was done. Second time I was told it was normal for the JL (I guess thats kind of true) and they checked the alignment, it was perfect according to them. They would not flash the TSB because it does not pertain to my VIN. I took delivery of my Jeep 6-16-2018. My steering has gotten better with more miles on it. I'm at 3000 now and it drives much better. It still wanders from left to right and there's still play in the steering wheel but not nearly as bad and I think this is as good as its gonna get. My question is what could have happened to make it get better with more miles? It's still not right and I'm not happy with it.

Hello Everyone,

If you have not already sent us a PM with your vin numbers and mileage, please send them so that we can document these concerns on your behalf.

Lamar
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

[hdtrader]

So I watched the third video uploaded by the gentleman with the blue JLU....forgive me I can't recall your username. I noticed you commented on the steering of the JK being tight, and you showed the play in your JL by wobbling the steering back and forth. I wanted to chime in and tell you, that I had a 2012 JKUSahara, and then I replaced it with a 2014 JKUR which I still own....both of them have had that exact dead spot, and I can wiggle my steering wheel just like that without any input to the wheels. The 2012 was my first ever Jeep, and then replaced with the 2014, and I chalked up the sloppy steering to it being a solid axle vehicle in addition to the fact that you wouldn't want super tight/responsive steering offroad where your wheel would be bouncing left/right nonstop and uncontrollably from side to side without that dead spot. That rationale seemed/seems reasonable. Looking at these comments/videos, either that IS the case, and the steering is not supposed to be telepathically responsive (meaning the slightest movement of the wheel results in front wheels turning) and there is nothing wrong with the JL steering.....OR, this problem is not only a JL problem. If you like, I can make the same video showing the dead spot in my JKUR.

Its a JL problem...

 

[fat_head]

Hello Everyone,

If you have not already sent us a PM with your vin numbers and mileage, please send them so that we can document these concerns on your behalf.

Lamar
Jeep Social Care Specialist

Sent. Thank you.

 

[clymber]

I can now,, without a doubt, state that the steering issues in this thread are absolutely not "a Jeep Thing". I had a 2018 Sahara JLU that I owned for 7 days, and it had awful, scary bad, loose steering, like many people are reporting here. Unfortunately, after just a week of owning it, a tree decided to fall on it and split it almost in two.
I was debating whether to get another one, based on how horrible the handling was, but I needed a vehicle, so I decided to chance it. A few days ago, I received my second Sahara JLU, and the vehicle handling / steering is like night and day compared to the first one. The first one was terrible: steering play, drifting, lousy cornering, etc. This new one is very tight and responsive. No drifting, very little play. Basically, it goes where I want it to go when I turn the wheel, without me having to constantly correct for over / under steering.
So, for those that are getting the brush off by Jeep, you are clearly getting screwed. There seems to be a very real quality control / design issue with the 2018 Jeeps. Hopefully, if enough people complain, they will get this fixed for all 2018 JL's, and not leave people hanging!

Good luck to those that are still trying to get this problem fixed. It is a real issue, not a Jeep thing, so don't give up!

 

[jmcdtucson]

I watched the third video by @RDT300 showing a large amount of play when parked. So I tried it on my JL. My JL's wheels turn at the slightest movement of the wheel when parked. There is zero play.
So there seems to be a real difference between vehicles. Mine steers satisfactorily at all speeds. So there has to be a fix

Sponsored