Rdmitch
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Ross
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2019
- Threads
- 5
- Messages
- 767
- Reaction score
- 857
- Location
- Elyria, Ohio
- Vehicle(s)
- 2020 JLUR, ford transit 250, 2017 Wrangler Smoky Mountain Edition
- Occupation
- Mechanical designer /contractor and musician
I am part of that group of JL owners who have loose steering. It's hard to explain but it feels as if you can just take 2 fingers, put them on the steering wheel, and just move it around and turn. There is a lot of play in the steering wheel before the wheels actually turn. This makes staying in your lane very difficult and actually dangerous, especially on the highway and on back country roads with oncoming traffic..... down the rabbit hole we go...
Jeep:
The Journey Begins:
- 2018 JLU Sahara
- 6 speed Manual
- 5,000 miles
- Upgraded wheels and axles from the factory
- Build Date: Will input in once I have this info
Back in October I realized that my steering just wasn't right. This is my 4th Jeep (YJ, 2x JKU, JLU) and the steering on this just feels super loose. I just assumed maybe this was due to the new hydro-electronic steering??? I continued to drive for a bit, but I found myself drifting in my lane during highway drives. I also live in an area where the roads are 2 lanes, surrounded by fields, with no shoulders. When you are passing other large vehicles if you aren't exact you are either going to clip mirrors or go slightly off the road. After struggling with this for a few weeks I brought it into the dealer on October 23rd, 2018.
Trip 1 - October 23rd, 2018:
I took it in and was given a loaner Wrangler (Sahara, Manual). After 2 days they called me and told me they couldn't find any issues. It drove "like a Jeep". I dropped off the loaner and took my Jeep back. Obviously they didn't fix anything so it drove the same.
Trip 2 - November 9th, 2018:
This time I took it back, same steering issue. They gave me another loaner Wrangler (Sahara) which again, drove great. I could immediately feel the steering was much more stiff. After 4 days, they called me up and told me that they had found some loose bolts and tightened everything down and it felt much better. I swung in and picked up my Jeep. Again, immediately I knew that the issue was not fixed. The holidays were coming though and I had some plans to be out of town and just kept my Jeep.
Light-bulb Moment - January 31st, 2019:
I was reading some more on here with the issues and saw JeepCares mention to have folks PM them. I went ahead and did this and within a couple days of back and forth (I needed to set up a new appointment, etc) we had a case opened up with FCA. I got a case # from them, etc. I was told a rep would be contacting me, but that actually has not happened yet. (As of 2/14/19 @ 9:15am EST)
Trip 3 - February 13th, 2019:
I brought it back in and got another loaner (Sport, Automatic) which again, drove fantastic with no steering issues. They told me they had been putting new steering stabilizers on some of the Jeeps with similar complaints and hadn't heard back from the customers so they are assuming it fixes the issue. From reading on here I felt that was a long shot, but said go ahead. Later that day, they called me and it was ready to be picked up. Again, less than 100 feet and I knew it didn't fix the issue. They said, "You won't be able to tell until you hit a bump on the highway... it will fix the "death wobble" you were having." I sort of looked at them with a blank expression and went back to square 1 explaining the issue I'm having with my steering. Needless to say, I did not take my Jeep and told them I was going to be leaving it with them until they fixed it this time. I took the loaner and headed out. I messaged JeepCares again and filled them in on the situation (assuming they are filling in my FCA rep, hopefully).
When I explained they didn't fix the issue they were receptive this time to keeping it and continuing to work on it. I'm hoping between that, JeepCares, and FCA I can get a resolution to this obvious issue with steering. As it stands now, I do not plan to take my Jeep back from the dealer until the issue is resolved. Simply put, it's just not safe.
- 2/14/19 - 1:55pm est: Just got a call from my service advisor (Brandon) at FCA. He said he called the dealership and explained to them that they have multiple bulletins out for this exact issue. He then described the issue to me over the phone without me having to prompt him of what the issue was. He hit the nail right on the head. It appears they are wising up hopefully to this? We shall see. Anyways, they are saying the first step (of many apparently) is to do a "body control module update". The factory configuration for the wheel tension was lost. So they are resetting it to gain that wheel tension back. Again, he said this was the first step of many to see the exact fix. I'll keep you posted.
- 2/14/19 - 4:30pm est: Steve (Executive Referrals Manager for FCA) reached out to me today via phone and let me know he would be taking over my case from the customer service reps at FCA. He would be contacting the dealer directly to fill them in on the next steps to get the issue resolved.
- 2/16/19 - 10:00pm est: I have forwarded both the JeepCares and Steve a list of potential fixes for this issue. Not sure if it helps as I have to assume they already have something like this.
Attempted Fixes:
I will continue to edit this thread with more details as each day passes and with all comments made by the dealer as to keep a public log of the events in hope that one day, all this hassle will help another Jeep owner.
- Tightened bolts under Jeep - Didn't fix issue
- New steering stabilizer - Didn't fix issue
- Body Control Module Update - Awaiting results
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