Any reports of issues with steering in the 2019s?

[practicaltact]

Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree with you on the dealership being "far more trained then just about every Wrangler owner" comment.

The dealer that installed my Mopar lift kit put the springs on the wrong side (L on R, R on L - front and rear) and when I told them about it they said they were "trained" to put the odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right. Well, ummm the odd numbers are the front springs and the even are the rear. Not that you could mix those up but instead of reading the instruction manual, they decided they would just go by their "training" and do it completely wrong. The stupidity just spewed from their mouths after that... like when they said they torque all the bolts while in the air and then torque them again on the ground. Yep, the clevite bushings on the controls arms and all. Again, no need to follow a simple 21 page manual. It took me all but about 5 minutes to notice the spring issue once I had the manual in my hand. I mean, a number next to a LF, RF, LR, RR is pretty simple to follow don't ya think?... To top it off when I asked about my stock suspension parts, the service slacker had them in the back of his Jeep (JL Sport). This was three days after I had purchased it btw...so the parts were still brand new. It's a big multi state dealership out west that I, like you, thought had some quality mechanics because they are "the dealer"...

Nothing personal but when I read that line I thought no flipping way man

I'm going to also disagree with the dealership being "farm more trained then just about every Wrangler owner" comment. You can see throughout this forum time and time again when the dealership doesn't even know about TSBs, refuses to acknowledge a problem, and a multitude of other evidence, like what you just described, of them not knowing the difference between Left Right Up Down Front Back etc. But look, they are not incentivized to do good work for you during the warranty period. First they don't want to document a problem because they know each time is 1 of 3 strikes until they're out on the lemon law. Also because doing good work means spending the time necessary to solve the problem including researching and actually performing the work necessary. The fact is that every minute they spend on your warranty issue is a minute lost on for profit work (after warranty). Spartan99 is right in that you need to not just set the alignment up to meet the factory parameters, but within those parameters you need to tweak the setup, test it, tweak it some more, and repeat this process until you've got it dialed into your liking. I can tell you I will not be going to the dealer to dial in my steering. First I will do some simple investigation of things like ball joints etc that I learned by reading this forum, then I will be taking it to my local, trusted, mechanic down my street who is incentivized to do a good job for folks like me in the neighborhood whose trust he wants to earn. I'd rather pay him to get it right the first time because I know he's a talented mechanic, than to have to take my chances at a dealership wondering if I am going to get some bozo kid who I probably won't even meet face to face, who actually doesn't even want to be at work that day.

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[nerubi]

Yeah, I'm going to have to disagree with you on the dealership being "far more trained then just about every Wrangler owner" comment.

The dealer that installed my Mopar lift kit put the springs on the wrong side (L on R, R on L - front and rear) and when I told them about it they said they were "trained" to put the odd numbers on the left and even numbers on the right. Well, ummm the odd numbers are the front springs and the even are the rear. Not that you could mix those up but instead of reading the instruction manual, they decided they would just go by their "training" and do it completely wrong. The stupidity just spewed from their mouths after that... like when they said they torque all the bolts while in the air and then torque them again on the ground. Yep, the clevite bushings on the controls arms and all. Again, no need to follow a simple 21 page manual. It took me all but about 5 minutes to notice the spring issue once I had the manual in my hand. I mean, a number next to a LF, RF, LR, RR is pretty simple to follow don't ya think?... To top it off when I asked about my stock suspension parts, the service slacker had them in the back of his Jeep (JL Sport). This was three days after I had purchased it btw...so the parts were still brand new. It's a big multi state dealership out west that I, like you, thought had some quality mechanics because they are "the dealer"...

Nothing personal but when I read that line I thought no flipping way man

So a blanket statement about all dealerships for one incident? Yes, some people at the dealerships aren't the sharpest crayon in the box but overall I would trust them over anyone on this forum if diagnosis and repair was required on my Wranglers. Have you ever goofed up something at work?

 

[EZMFE]

So a blanket statement about all dealerships for one incident? Yes, some people at the dealerships aren't the sharpest crayon in the box but overall I would trust them over anyone on this forum if diagnosis and repair was required on my Wranglers. Have you ever goofed up something at work?

Yeah, if under warranty sure because you have no choice but if the warranty could be fulfilled by any other local mechanic many would take it to a shop they trust. There are many great mechanics at these places and on these boards so utilize both so you are that much more informed. I just don't put 100% confidence is each and every one of the mechanics at the dealers due to my thirty plus years of owning vehicles and knowing they are not known for seeking out the best of the best. It's more like who can they pay the least.

Oh, and yes, I do goof up quite regularly at work but I am only an air traffic controller during the week and a surgeon part time on weekends so no big deal...hehe

 

[Kaliks&Bones]

So should I just cancel the order I just placed on a 2019?

 

[guarnibl]

So should I just cancel the order I just placed on a 2019?

No. That seems ridiculously extreme. Remember, this is a forum -- so you're going to see a higher proportion of people having issues vs the ones that didn't.

 

[Kaliks&Bones]

No. That seems ridiculously extreme. Remember, this is a forum -- so you're going to see a higher proportion of people having issues vs the ones that didn't.

Yeah I was being sarcastic. I'd love to know the percentage of actual problems given the number of units being sold. Do you think it's even .01%?

 

[Capt-Zoom]

the accumulation of miles traveled will always lead a mechanically inclined group like this forum to be more knowledgeable than any dealer. It doesn't take long for us as users to have millions of miles on out jeeps cumulatively. I see it time and time again on car, truck, and motorcycle sites where users find the problems and often the solutions first.

My 19 steering is better than my 18. But my 18 steering wasn't nearly as bad as many others. I would call the 18 I had very vague and somewhat unpredictable even after the tab fix. 19 feels spot on but a tad tighter that I like so far.

 

[Arctickat]

I just picked up my 2019 JL Sport S yesterday. Have never owned or driven a Jeep before. Put 30 miles of freeway driving getting her home at speeds up to 70. Noticed no difference in the steering than any other SUV I’ve owned.

 

[practicaltact]

Yeah I was being sarcastic. I'd love to know the percentage of actual problems given the number of units being sold. Do you think it's even .01%?

In total, including steering and every other issue that has been posted about in the "Issues, Repairs, Warranty, TSBs, Recalls" section of the JL Wrangler Forums, there are 23,000 posts. I'd guess worst case that 1/2 of those would be steering related so 11,500 steering related issue posts. Then I'd say probably of those posts only 1/3 are unique issues (same poster posts 3 times in a given thread) so that would be roughly 3,800 unique steering issues. Given that about 250,000 wranglers were sold in 2018 that's about 1.5% of owners having trouble. However, I'd say that's on the upper side given my assumptions. It's probably less than 1% of owners having trouble with steering.

 

[DesmoDog]

In total, including steering and every other issue that has been posted about in the "Issues, Repairs, Warranty, TSBs, Recalls" section of the JL Wrangler Forums, there are 23,000 posts. I'd guess worst case that 1/2 of those would be steering related so 11,500 steering related issue posts. Then I'd say probably of those posts only 1/3 are unique issues (same poster posts 3 times in a given thread) so that would be roughly 3,800 unique steering issues. Given that about 250,000 wranglers were sold in 2018 that's about 1.5% of owners having trouble. However, I'd say that's on the upper side given my assumptions. It's probably less than 1% of owners having trouble with steering.

The total number of Wranglers sold has nothing to do with the percent of owners having issues from your estimate. Your 3800 number is taken from a sample consisting of how many owners are registered here, not how many Wranglers were sold. If there are 25,000 owners here, your 3800 number now indicates a rate of 15%. I doubt there are 25,000 active members/owners here, and also doubt there is a 15% failure rate. In other words, and no flames intended, I don't think your estimate means much.

FWIW even 1% is a big failure rate in automotive terms. Quality guys talk in terms of incidents per thousand, or parts per million... not percents.

 

[Hgrace]

So should I just cancel the order I just placed on a 2019?

My 2019 is flawless. Drives like my Lincoln possibly better.
This thread was started by a disgruntled 2018 owner.
Form what I've gleaned from all the DW threads is more often than not they are lifted and or larger tires and or spacers.

 

[practicaltact]

The total number of Wranglers sold has nothing to do with the percent of owners having issues from your estimate. Your 3800 number is taken from a sample consisting of how many owners are registered here, not how many Wranglers were sold. If there are 25,000 owners here, your 3800 number now indicates a rate of 15%. I doubt there are 25,000 active members/owners here, and also doubt there is a 15% failure rate. In other words, and no flames intended, I don't think your estimate means much.

FWIW even 1% is a big failure rate in automotive terms. Quality guys talk in terms of incidents per thousand, or parts per million... not percents.

No flame taken. I was just doing a quick estimate and I'm no statistician that's for sure. It would be nice to know what the real failure rate is.

 

[hai5rockin]

4000miles on my 19 moab and still tight.

 

[Spartan99]

My 2019 is flawless. Drives like my Lincoln possibly better.
This thread was started by a disgruntled 2018 owner.
Form what I've gleaned from all the DW threads is more often than not they are lifted and or larger tires and or spacers.

Sorry to break it to you but DW is common on stock Jeeps as well. It is a fact of life with this design, which is why the design exists on only a handfull of vehicles sold in the U.S. DW will most likely happen to you if you don’t know how this unique system works and how to maintain it. Even then it will most likely happen. All it takes is a very slightly worn out, damaged or misadjusted component for the vibrations to travel through your front end and over time mature into DW. Even something as simple as an unbalanced wheel can start the process. You can never eliminate the possibility of it occuring, but you can prevent it as best you can.

I’ve owned Jeeps for a long time. A degree in mechanical physics, an ASE tech back in the day... I totally changed careers when I found that doing cars for a living took the enjoyment out of it. I just want all you new Jeep owners to be happy. I totally get the frustrations I’ve been there myself, so I just wanted to share some things I’ve learned that’s all. My neighbor bought a used one off a car lot against my advice; wrong lift, wrong this, suspiscious that. It’s become an expensive nightmare. Sucks. You think Jeep is ridiculous for having special steering? Look at what Corvette owners are going through with rims constantly cracking. It’s a serious race car that gets driven like a normal car. Potholes, curbs... normal driving destroys the wheels. Heck, you can even buy wheel insurance for your Corvette! Jeeps are similar. These are serious rock crawlers, designed to drive 3 mph over boulders, through rivers, through mud and sand. Driving on the freeway is an after thought. I read in these threads that people are doing 90 in these things. Sheesh! Slow down. Your Jeep’s front end has more in common with a tractor than it does any other car you have driven. Pretend you are driving a pimped out tractor, because that’s not so far from the truth.

For the unhappy folks who paid a lot of money and are bummed that it doesn’t steer or feel right, don’t fret it’ll be fine. Once you get to know your Jeep better you’ll figure out how to get it precisely how you want it, better than any other vehicle, and then you’ll be stuck on Jeep for life. It’s a relationship. It’s different from any other vehicle. I am the original owner of a 2008 JKU. Trust me. I’ve been where you are. Your JL’s are by far the best iteration of Jeep yet you’ll be fine.

 

[nerubi]

I just picked up my 2019 JL Sport S yesterday. Have never owned or driven a Jeep before. Put 30 miles of freeway driving getting her home at speeds up to 70. Noticed no difference in the steering than any other SUV I’ve owned.

You do know the manual says not higher than 55 mph for first 300 miles, right?

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