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Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

RagTopDeluxe

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Is it possible your axels may be misaligned, deformed. It may also be that your frame could possibly be bent or welded improperly? Misaligned parts bad welds can cause issues with how a vehicle handles. I mean FCA like most companies out sourced all these things and there were a small number that had frame weld issue on the early JL's. It may be possible you got a dud frame and i would seek a 4x4 shop/frame bodyshop with Jeep knowledge have them diagnose it. Most charge a small fee some may not charge u at all. Based on how cheap the frontend parts they replaced on mine i wouldn't put it past the frame being warped bad axel ect. Just thoughts on helping you seek a fix..

I would have your dealer salesman pull your car fax and see what all it list on it or pay the way to dang high price an pull it yourself. Every time you have had your wrangler in service for a oil changes, recalls or TSBs,repairs it will give brief summary of it on that report. Get your Jeeps current value wholesale and retail maybe that could help your case prove loss of value i know what mine is and well it was way lower than my JK was in the first year? Seems the JL's are not the resale kings like the JK's are. Dang i miss my JK lol

Frustration sucks I know when all you want is it fixed right as do I and everyone else with warranty issues they refuse to fix. Unlike you i have refused to Fix FCA's QC mexican/Chinese Junk with my own money. I've also come to peace with it all and i really don't care about my jeeps issues now or care to share them further. My Jeep fanboy Kool aide and give a crap is all out. I would try to seek the best solution for your needs and budget.. Best of luck hope you find a resolution soon

HI, all good questions and suggestions. Thank you!

My Jeep was built in April 2019, so I thought that was after the weld issues were resolved. I have wondered about a potential structural issue because everyone else has had success with the PSC kit that I had installed. It was incredibly discouraging to have that installed and still have it wander like a drunken soldier.

My hubby had his car on the quickjack today and had to take my Jeep to get some tools. He said that the steering reminded him of our dog on walks—always veering left and right while chasing squirrels :CWL:. (That is his JK in my avatar—I loved that Jeep).

I decided to file for arbitration for lemon law seeing how nothing has solved the problem. I had my hearing last Thursday and it was an interesting and frustrating experience. FCA maintains their position that I’m driving the Jeep, so there’s *no* problem; no “substantial loss of use, value, or safety.” Never mind we had to cancel our trip to Moab and Colorado because of the steering. WTH. I haven’t heard the decision.

We’re thinking of next steps with my Jeep. I love it and it works so well for me with my knee and shoulder issues. And it’s *orange*!! I don’t want to trade it in because we’d lose so much on it.

I put together a PDF of the ~150 2019 wandering issues that have been reported to the NHTSA. It’s incredible that FCA can get away with not fixing these Jeeps.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ldq3tqr1coib2mk/NHTSA Complaints.pdf?dl=0
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BudChique

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My two cents after 2 weeks of first time Wrangler ownership.

Picked up a new 2019 JLR 2-door soft-top on stock M/T tires (Falken Wildpeak) from a dealer 120 miles from home. Ride home was a two-fisted white-knuckle nightmare. The damn thing did not want to stay on the road. Halfway home I concluded that I was a full-blown idiot for dropping nearly $50k on a POS like this. I made it home and the internet became my home for the next two weeks. That's why I am writing to this thread.

I was sure I had the faulty steering with excessive steering wheel play, wandering, drift and all the bad things I read here and elsewhere. As a first step in getting to the bottom of it, I swapped the tires. Rock climbing and mud surfing were not the first items on my list of intended uses. In fact, off-roading was maybe 10% on that list, and the rest was driving on pavement, including interstates. Since I had great experience with Bridgestone Dueler REVO 2s on previous trucks and SUVs, I decided to get the REVO 3s. They are excellent on dry and wet pavement, and decent on ice and snow, as well as, off-road (at least for light to medium off-road use).

The tires made a giant difference - day and night - and it's getting even better as they are breaking in. I did about 500 miles on the Falken M/Ts and now 300 miles on the REVO 3s. No other modifications - same rims. I can now drive 70 mph on smooth highways with 2 fingers on the steering wheel (vs. two white-knuckled fists with the Falkens; actually I didn't dare to go 70 mph with them). On bad/bumpy roads or on smooth roads with abruptly changing pitch, I still have to correct frequently, as it tries to roll into the low spots. It definitely is no race car or limousine. It's a damn Wrangler with all its physical limitations, such as short wheelbase (2-door), high center of gravity, solid axles and big tires. I expect this vehicle to behave as such, and I noticed that I am building up the reflexes to counter these shortcomings. It's working.

The bottom line is that the stock M/T tires are beyond awful on pavement. Once the tire issue was resolved, the remaining shortcomings of a healthy Wrangler are probably "by design" and can be managed with experience. I am not negating the fact that there are some truly faulty steering components out there that need to be fixed, but I suspect that a lot of folks on this thread came here for the same reasons I did, without actually having a bad Jeep, just inappropriate tires. I love mine now, and I feel safe riding it on and off the pavement.

2019-12-30 14.38.22.jpg
 

Tire Guy

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Okay...been a while since I read the posts, but the last 3-5 pages all i can say is wow...some ppl on this forum think HIGHLY mighty of themselves and talk as if they are some sort of Jeep God Expert of All things Jeep.
Let me set the story straight...for all those in here complaining about wandering steering and pulling,,,it isn't a Jeep thang. It isn't a fixed axle thing. It isn't a never owned a Jeep before thing. It isn't a high expectation thing. It isn't a doesn't/shouldn't drive like a car thing. NO..so just stop with all the hate writing and making others on this forum post feel like a POS!!

I have owned 4 Jeeps in my life time...the last being a 2014 4-door Rubicon Hard Rock. Loved it!! I can tell you in the 6 years I owned it, never once did I ever think or feel that the way it drove had any problems tracking, steering, loose, pulling etc...it drove straight as an arrow hands free down the same roads I have driven for 15 years. This is before and after any and all mods I did to this Jeep including larger tires and such.
Then came the 2020 JLU Rubicon. The day I took delivery I noticed how it kept wanting to pull to the right. I could visibly see my steering wheel turn to the right when I let go of the wheel going at nearly any speed above 35mph and of course even more noticeable at higher freeway speeds. Constant correcting just to stay centered in the lane IS NOT RIGHT!! It has NOTHING to do with being a Jeep.

So, what changed since 2014 - EVERYTHING related to the front end
1.) 2018 was the first year they changed to the Electro-Hydraulic Power Steering. In my opinion, this was and always has been the cause of many of the problems we now have, and it happens to coincide with the year MOST of these problems started being reported. The reason for this change all had to do with EPA mileage...anything they could do to shave costs and add 1-2 mpg.
2.) Lower quality parts for things like the LCA, bushings, and parts in general to lower costs...same thing...lower costs, lower body weight..higher MPG
3.) Manufacturing QC also seem to go down with inferior welds, mismatch springs, etc..

So, without belaboring this topic too much longer, I hope my GRAMMAR was acceptable to the much more superior grammar Nazi out there that felt the need to belittle someone, and to the others that recently commented and feel the need to belittle anyone else here that is simply trying to either find comfort in numbers or posting help requests for the first time - just stop and make people feel welcomed! It's not helpful and believe me...you contribute nothing other than hearing/seeing/reading your own gibberish to make you feel important...you aren't! Jeep communities across the US are tight, and we should stick together, If you feel like you need to be a troll, go to an online gaming forum and kick little kids around.

For the rest of us, I wish all of you Jeep owners that have this problem my sincere hope that 2020 will bring about some answers for all of us patient enough to wait or those who are at their wits ends. Not all the solutions posted here will fix your problem and not all the problems posted here are exactly the same, but all in all, we appreciate your ongoing support, ideas, and help! Someone will read these, and someone will take action and find a solution. I hope it will happen before someone gets seriously injured. As for me - I am awaiting a brand new built as ordered 2020 to arrive to replace my current 2020 and I will be right back here to let you know if a newly built one still has the same problem(s).

Good luck all!
Nicely said. :clap:
 

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Rdmitch

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I've seen some positive posts, I think, in this thread or others on this site. It's also reviewed on YouTube.
The ad for it seems to indicate it should be used after a lift kit is installed. I don’t know if it would help on a stock Sahara.
 

cosmokenney

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I just installed the rough country stabilizer bar on my JL and it works beautifully. Truck drivers super stable and straight down the road with 33’s on it with no problem.
Did you go with the single or double stabilizer?
 

Rdmitch

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Wonder how it would work on a stock JL
 

glang1992

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Well after waiting for 7 weeks for taking the next steps to litigation, the attorney (in so many words) said it’s not worth their time to pursue further. 7 weeks for that... so after 6 months of dealing with this process start to finish, I had 2 options. Pursue arbitration myself with no lawyer or take the $5,000 offer, keep the vehicle, and go away. Now I move on, lose my ass on trade in, and get into something I actually will drive.
 

Goin2drt

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Well after waiting for 7 weeks for taking the next steps to litigation, the attorney (in so many words) said it’s not worth their time to pursue further. 7 weeks for that... so after 6 months of dealing with this process start to finish, I had 2 options. Pursue arbitration myself with no lawyer or take the $5,000 offer, keep the vehicle, and go away. Now I move on, lose my ass on trade in, and get into something I actually will drive.
or spend way less than that and just fix it and enjoy it. There are other options.
 

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Woodynj

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or spend way less than that and just fix it and enjoy it. There are other options.
I would fix my steering problems on my own but I have yet to see the one solution that has fixed the problem for everyone. I am not up to throwing parts at and then having a bunch of stuff that is no longer under manufacturers warranty

the whole thing is frustrating. Makes me question my purchase. At this point I just hope the jeep will be worth something when I try to sell it.
 

kobejo34

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I would fix my steering problems on my own but I have yet to see the one solution that has fixed the problem for everyone. I am not up to throwing parts at and then having a bunch of stuff that is no longer under manufacturers warranty

the whole thing is frustrating. Makes me question my purchase. At this point I just hope the jeep will be worth something when I try to sell it.
not being negative but is it really under warranty for they won’t fix it?
 

Goin2drt

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I would fix my steering problems on my own but I have yet to see the one solution that has fixed the problem for everyone. I am not up to throwing parts at and then having a bunch of stuff that is no longer under manufacturers warranty

the whole thing is frustrating. Makes me question my purchase. At this point I just hope the jeep will be worth something when I try to sell it.
But there is. The PSC fixes it. There is one person on here that says it didn’t. Everyone else it did. Quite frankly I think she has something else going on. When you remove the steering box and electronic box and replace with mechanical it takes out all the issues. I get not wanting to spend the money but it is when people are choosing to state they will lose their ass on a trade it like there is no other option and there is for far less money.
 

Goin2drt

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not being negative but is it really under warranty for they won’t fix it?
The steering is under warranty. HOWEVER under warranty no one is getting anything fixed so what is the difference putting on the PSC and losing your warranty, that isn’t working BTW, on your steering components but yet you will have a Jeep that drives just fine and the rest of the Jeep is still covered.

I do get the folks that want to fight the fight and Godspeed. For those that are done fighting and think there only option is to either drive a shitty Jeep or trade it in and lose their a$$ there is another option.
 

Tire Guy

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The steering is under warranty. HOWEVER under warranty no one is getting anything fixed so what is the difference putting on the PSC and losing your warranty, that isn’t working BTW, on your steering components but yet you will have a Jeep that drives just fine and the rest of the Jeep is still covered.

I do get the folks that want to fight the fight and Godspeed. For those that are done fighting and think there only option is to either drive a shitty Jeep or trade it in and lose their a$$ there is another option.
To your point, I am done with the BS from the dealers. So I am doing the slow crawl repair. I really like working on the Jeep so I am doing the parts replacement, based on when I can afford the time and money.
So far:
Quality alignment
Loosened LCAs, settled Jeep and retightened
Check all the torques
Messed with the tire air pressure, (now 32)
Falcon steering stabilizer
JKS adjustable track bar.

I have made some improvement but not enough. Next will be:
Synergy tie rod kit with drag link
Adjust lash on steering box

I have the double whammy, wanders left and right and has way too much play in the steering.
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