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Government to look into steering issues

NOMAD-0311

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Just received a call from them and they told me the steering is better than on most of the Jeeps that come in. So ‍Guess I’ll just have to wait and see what comes of all of this
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JeepCares

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Just received a call from them and they told me the steering is better than on most of the Jeeps that come in. So ‍Guess I’ll just have to wait and see what comes of all of this
Hi NOMAD-0311,

Please keep us updated on your dealer's findings. If our team can be of any additional assistance while your Wrangler is in service, we'd be happy to help. We are just a PM away.

Mark
Jeep Social Care Specialist
 

Vezfly

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I had the newest with AF part number. Felt good in parking lot (strange) but did nothing after getting on road. Sucks....Good luck
Are you sure it’s AF now on steering box, I called last week parts Dept and was told AE....?
 

Dave91gt

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We bought our 2018 JLU Sahara in March with 5200 miles. Stock and pristine. Had death wobble twice on the trip home (wife was driving).
I am good friends with the dealer tech. He was honest- had several Jeeps returned with steering issues. At that time, he recommended the new trackbar and Fox stabilizer (dealer paid). That took care of the wobble so far. But it didn’t take care of the drunken sailor wandering.
At his recommendation, we decided to play it safe and go with the Mopar lift. We bought it to lift and with the wandering we wanted warranty. He checked caster and I believe it was almost 6. Put 315 Falken Wildpeak AT’s on it. Wandering never changed.
It feels like your always driving in a crosswind. It gets tiring on a trip. It will likely live a short life in our driveway- which is a shame. Between the crap steering, random heat blowing out of the AC, radio deciding to work when it wants, etc, it’s not real fun making that payment every month.
Before we go further, I’m no rookie with Wranglers or SFA’s. We have a 98 TJ with a Zone lift and 150k that tracks better on the interstate than this JL. We’ve had 6 Wranglers and by far this one has THE worst steering. And being a Wrangler owner, we understand they aren’t KIA’s. I have a 2018 Leveled F250 on 35’s that steers perfect.
I’m not hating on the JL. It’s otherwise a fun, comfortable, and capable vehicle. But the engineering that went into the steering is inexcusable. And as a consumer, I shouldn’t HAVE to go aftermarket to fix it. We test drove a low mileage JK back to back with the JL and we knew the JL was overall better. But never hit the interstate because it was a long drive. And I didn’t know of the steering issues. Why would I? It was basically brand new.
Shame on me. My wife drove it home as I followed and after the second slow down to a crawl on the interstate, I got the phone call and she was all sorts of mad.
A coworker is going through a buyback on his 2018 JLU currently. Due to steering issues.
I’m not that guy though. I’ll either fix it through aftermarket, FCA will fix it, or it’ll get traded.
 
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I’m also dealing with the wandering - it’s a bit better since I lowered pressure from the 44 psi as received from the dealer (???), but still much sloppier than my 07 JKU, and that itself is a bit of a wanderer. Fortunately no death wobble like others have described, but I have begun to notice a more pronounced shimmy if I hit something like an uneven seam on the interstate while in a mild turn. Scheduled for the new damper but that’s still 2 weeks out from being in stock at my dealer.

Has FCA provided for the anyone in the forums any more details on the how/what/why and how the replacement damper improves on the original stabilizer? I’m feeling like the CSN is a bit like offering a bandaid for something that needs stitches, but time will tell. Also, will the dealer cover a alignment check at repair time if requested, as some have mentioned alignment issues off the lot?
 

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Dvol

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thats not the issue at all. Trackbar and and drag link and steering boxes all went to new versions due to problems, but users are fighting to get it fixed by dealerships making claims like this, oh its jsut a jeep thing. no its not, this is beyond htat.

Alot of guys discovered finger tight bolts day 1.

I had the high speed death Shimmy, and in the wind the garbage bushings slop makes it drive like a drunken sailor. I have owned several solid axle 4x4s all had better steering, my 1985 toyota would kinda hop over half a car length (that will wake you up) but no wobbling wandering, death shimmy or death wobble.
Funny you mention old solid Yotas! i also owned several Old slightly worn 1985 Yota's as well and yes those would wake you up!. Yet My JLUR is no were like those old ones were. My JLUR developed about 1-1/2" of play close too @10k miles. My ECU has been flashed and the V41 damper installed. Neither changed anything nore could i tell a difference. I knew the V41 wouldn't correct loose steering cause that aint what dampers do. Mine was installed upside down and caused my steering to shake if i hit bumps. It never did that prior to the recall tho . I took it back and they fixed the damper but said the steering was normal...Hahahaha oh well...Ive owned a lot of junk and i've had 5 wranglers this isnt the worse one by a long shot. Its the first one over 50k tho which makes service issues hard to swallow at times.
 

jimmydarnell

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Are you sure it’s AF now on steering box, I called last week parts Dept and was told AE....?
To be honest, no I did not physically check......I will check next time I see the Jeep. Its at the dealer now for them to look at steering again and also the fan noise thing. They already flashed it with the update and I immediately go out to the Jeep and the fan starts up, Jeez.
 

JFox97

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We bought our 2018 JLU Sahara in March with 5200 miles. Stock and pristine. Had death wobble twice on the trip home (wife was driving).
I am good friends with the dealer tech. He was honest- had several Jeeps returned with steering issues. At that time, he recommended the new trackbar and Fox stabilizer (dealer paid). That took care of the wobble so far. But it didn’t take care of the drunken sailor wandering.
At his recommendation, we decided to play it safe and go with the Mopar lift. We bought it to lift and with the wandering we wanted warranty. He checked caster and I believe it was almost 6. Put 315 Falken Wildpeak AT’s on it. Wandering never changed.
It feels like your always driving in a crosswind. It gets tiring on a trip. It will likely live a short life in our driveway- which is a shame. Between the crap steering, random heat blowing out of the AC, radio deciding to work when it wants, etc, it’s not real fun making that payment every month.
Before we go further, I’m no rookie with Wranglers or SFA’s. We have a 98 TJ with a Zone lift and 150k that tracks better on the interstate than this JL. We’ve had 6 Wranglers and by far this one has THE worst steering. And being a Wrangler owner, we understand they aren’t KIA’s. I have a 2018 Leveled F250 on 35’s that steers perfect.
I’m not hating on the JL. It’s otherwise a fun, comfortable, and capable vehicle. But the engineering that went into the steering is inexcusable. And as a consumer, I shouldn’t HAVE to go aftermarket to fix it. We test drove a low mileage JK back to back with the JL and we knew the JL was overall better. But never hit the interstate because it was a long drive. And I didn’t know of the steering issues. Why would I? It was basically brand new.
Shame on me. My wife drove it home as I followed and after the second slow down to a crawl on the interstate, I got the phone call and she was all sorts of mad.
A coworker is going through a buyback on his 2018 JLU currently. Due to steering issues.
I’m not that guy though. I’ll either fix it through aftermarket, FCA will fix it, or it’ll get traded.
As mentioned earlier I have a 2020 2 door Rubicon sitting in shipping for the last 8 days and the more I read about the steering challenge Increases the frequency at which my pause radar flashes . I am looking for the Jeep to provide all that it does and fully cognizant of its rough edges and that is part of the attraction. . Maybe I missed it in earlier posts but I wonder what the percentage of the vehicles have these significant steering issues and do some accept and move on? Being a engineer and in manufacturing my whole career I find it odd that in a third year of a ($45k plus) model it still persists with a nagging issue of this magnitude.
 

RagTopDeluxe

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I’m also dealing with the wandering - it’s a bit better since I lowered pressure from the 44 psi as received from the dealer (???), but still much sloppier than my 07 JKU, and that itself is a bit of a wanderer. Fortunately no death wobble like others have described, but I have begun to notice a more pronounced shimmy if I hit something like an uneven seam on the interstate while in a mild turn. Scheduled for the new damper but that’s still 2 weeks out from being in stock at my dealer.

Has FCA provided for the anyone in the forums any more details on the how/what/why and how the replacement damper improves on the original stabilizer? I’m feeling like the CSN is a bit like offering a bandaid for something that needs stitches, but time will tell. Also, will the dealer cover a alignment check at repair time if requested, as some have mentioned alignment issues off the lot?
My dealer checked the alignment and fixed the toe as part of my service the first time I brought it in (at two weeks).
 

99wishes

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We bought our 2018 JLU Sahara in March with 5200 miles. Stock and pristine. Had death wobble twice on the trip home (wife was driving).
I am good friends with the dealer tech. He was honest- had several Jeeps returned with steering issues. At that time, he recommended the new trackbar and Fox stabilizer (dealer paid). That took care of the wobble so far. But it didn’t take care of the drunken sailor wandering.
At his recommendation, we decided to play it safe and go with the Mopar lift. We bought it to lift and with the wandering we wanted warranty. He checked caster and I believe it was almost 6. Put 315 Falken Wildpeak AT’s on it. Wandering never changed.
It feels like your always driving in a crosswind. It gets tiring on a trip. It will likely live a short life in our driveway- which is a shame. Between the crap steering, random heat blowing out of the AC, radio deciding to work when it wants, etc, it’s not real fun making that payment every month.
Before we go further, I’m no rookie with Wranglers or SFA’s. We have a 98 TJ with a Zone lift and 150k that tracks better on the interstate than this JL. We’ve had 6 Wranglers and by far this one has THE worst steering. And being a Wrangler owner, we understand they aren’t KIA’s. I have a 2018 Leveled F250 on 35’s that steers perfect.
I’m not hating on the JL. It’s otherwise a fun, comfortable, and capable vehicle. But the engineering that went into the steering is inexcusable. And as a consumer, I shouldn’t HAVE to go aftermarket to fix it. We test drove a low mileage JK back to back with the JL and we knew the JL was overall better. But never hit the interstate because it was a long drive. And I didn’t know of the steering issues. Why would I? It was basically brand new.
Shame on me. My wife drove it home as I followed and after the second slow down to a crawl on the interstate, I got the phone call and she was all sorts of mad.
A coworker is going through a buyback on his 2018 JLU currently. Due to steering issues.
I’m not that guy though. I’ll either fix it through aftermarket, FCA will fix it, or it’ll get traded.
It’s not shame on you, it’s shame on FCA. There’s a lot of people who do the same. My wife hates taking test drives because there are so many distractions. Just think about the salesman trying to show off the new 8.4 touchscreen and that premium sound. As for the fix, so many people give up because of the headache and that’s what they want.
 

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Udi

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As mentioned earlier I have a 2020 2 door Rubicon sitting in shipping for the last 8 days and the more I read about the steering challenge Increases the frequency at which my pause radar flashes . I am looking for the Jeep to provide all that it does and fully cognizant of its rough edges and that is part of the attraction. . Maybe I missed it in earlier posts but I wonder what the percentage of the vehicles have these significant steering issues and do some accept and move on? Being a engineer and in manufacturing my whole career I find it odd that in a third year of a ($45k plus) model it still persists with a nagging issue of this magnitude.
My 2-door 2020 Rubicon came with the steering problem. I didn't find out about it until the first real highway trip. When the Jeep arrived at the dealership, I tested it the best I could before taking delivery but I wasn't aware of the JL steering problems so I didn't take it on the highway for a proper test. If I were you, I would take your new Jeep for a test ride on a solid one hour drive on the highway going 75 mph if you can. If you have a curvy highway, that would be a better test. I struggle most on I-70 where the highway is both going downhill and curve. I can't drive the speed limit and keep the Jeep in the lane. If you test it properly and don't feel a problem, take delivery. If you don't feel comfortable with it, don't. You don't have to take delivery if you find a problem.

Other than the steering problem on the highway, I really love this vehicle. It is fun to drive naked and super fun off road. I'm not sorry that I bought it but I am sorry that I got the short end of the stick... I don't know what percentage of all new JLs come with this problem but I can tell you they haven't solved this problem for the 2020 model.

Perhaps the dealership and FCA will find a way to make it right soon. If they don't, this would probably be the last Wrangler I ever buy.

20190922_144939.jpg
 

JFox97

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My 2-door 2020 Rubicon came with the steering problem. I didn't find out about it until the first real highway trip. When the Jeep arrived at the dealership, I tested it the best I could before taking delivery but I wasn't aware of the JL steering problems so I didn't take it on the highway for a proper test. If I were you, I would take your new Jeep for a test ride on a solid one hour drive on the highway going 75 mph if you can. If you have a curvy highway, that would be a better test. I struggle most on I-70 where the highway is both going downhill and curve. I can't drive the speed limit and keep the Jeep in the lane. If you test it properly and don't feel a problem, take delivery. If you don't feel comfortable with it, don't. You don't have to take delivery if you find a problem.

Other than the steering problem on the highway, I really love this vehicle. It is fun to drive naked and super fun off road. I'm not sorry that I bought it but I am sorry that I got the short end of the stick... I don't know what percentage of all new JLs come with this problem but I can tell you they haven't solved this problem for the 2020 model.

Perhaps the dealership and FCA will find a way to make it right soon. If they don't, this would probably be the last Wrangler I ever buy.

20190922_144939.jpg
My 2-door 2020 Rubicon came with the steering problem. I didn't find out about it until the first real highway trip. When the Jeep arrived at the dealership, I tested it the best I could before taking delivery but I wasn't aware of the JL steering problems so I didn't take it on the highway for a proper test. If I were you, I would take your new Jeep for a test ride on a solid one hour drive on the highway going 75 mph if you can. If you have a curvy highway, that would be a better test. I struggle most on I-70 where the highway is both going downhill and curve. I can't drive the speed limit and keep the Jeep in the lane. If you test it properly and don't feel a problem, take delivery. If you don't feel comfortable with it, don't. You don't have to take delivery if you find a problem.

Other than the steering problem on the highway, I really love this vehicle. It is fun to drive naked and super fun off road. I'm not sorry that I bought it but I am sorry that I got the short end of the stick... I don't know what percentage of all new JLs come with this problem but I can tell you they haven't solved this problem for the 2020 model.

Perhaps the dealership and FCA will find a way to make it right soon. If they don't, this would probably be the last Wrangler I ever buy.

20190922_144939.jpg
Udi, Thanks for the good and well stated feedback, well Jeep forced my decision hand with a surprise delivery tonight, thought I would have a few more weeks to decide. Took your advice and against dealers desire took a very long test drive and put it through your prescribed paces prior to purchasing. Going in with a skeptical mindset the Jeep feels tighter than expected and signed sign on the line. Really like all that this vehicle has to offer and plan on spending daily driving in your presently displayed configuration. Good luck to you

CCBEAE6E-5C16-4B0A-B562-EF55C88A9E82.jpeg
 

RagTopDeluxe

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Udi, Thanks for the good and well stated feedback, well Jeep forced my decision hand with a surprise delivery tonight, thought I would have a few more weeks to decide. Took your advice and against dealers desire took a very long test drive and put it through your prescribed paces prior to purchasing. Going in with a skeptical mindset the Jeep feels tighter than expected and signed sign on the line. Really like all that this vehicle has to offer and plan on spending daily driving in your presently displayed configuration. Good luck to you

CCBEAE6E-5C16-4B0A-B562-EF55C88A9E82.jpeg
Two door Rubi soft top—doesn’t get any better! Beautiful Jeep and I’m glad it’s driving well.

I picked mine up this afternoon and it’s going back. I’ll write more in the other thread this weekend. I’m exhausted after a looooooooong day.
 

Jennalee

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I don't doubt that there are legitimate issues but I have to wonder what % of the complaints are people that have never driven a vehicle like a Jeep and are expecting the car/uni-body/IFS driving experience?
My first Jeep Wrangler was a 1998 or 1999 don’t remember. To me it drove normally, steering never felt strange and I never had to go through an adjustment period. Before that I had a Honda and a Nissan.
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