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2021 2 Door Rubicon Death Wobble

bigfoot21075

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I think you have the right info now, I will add my 2 cents. I have had a lot of Jeeps. EVERYTIME I have had death wobble it was ALWAYS self induced. I used to cheap out on suspension parts just to get the height I wanted or replaced worn parts with bargain parts, it bit me EVERYTIME. On my 2017 Jeep JK I spent the money and get a good name lift and it has been sheer lifted joy. WELL WORTH the little bit of extra money up front to save aggravation later.
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Dr. RGB

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The only death wobble stories I have heard of in my years with Jeeps have to me been other than Jeeps fault.

People put junk lift kits on that change the geometry of the suspension and them complain about Jeep and there death wobble. Either that or they go out on the weekends and bash the suspension part all to heck rock crawling and then blame Jeep once they hit the highway for work on Monday and get a bad highway ride.

Don't cheep out on your lift, don't bash your junk on the rocks and you will have zero troubles.
I had death wobble on my 06 TJ after I installed a 2.5 inch lift. I forgot to properly torque the sway bar and had to do 25 mph the entire ride home. Learned that day the importance of torquing to specifications.
 

SS_AP

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Deathwobble is a result of worn-out/weak products or incorrect setup (toe/caster). On your JK, I would bet you had bad ball joints and/or a worn-out track bar. The 21's come with the steel steering box which is an upgrade over the 18-20 JL's, though 18-20's have a TSB now to get the steering box replaced (it will just take some time for them all to get that taken care of). The tie rod, drag link, and track bar aren't amazing and if you plan on keeping the vehicle for any length of time, I would recommend replacing those. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.
 
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JimmyZ

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Deathwobble is a result of worn-out/weak products or incorrect setup (toe/caster). On your JK, I would bet you had bad ball joints and/or a worn-out track bar. The 21's come with the steel steering box which is an upgrade over the 18-20 JL's, though 18-20's have a TSB now to get the steering box replaced (it will just take some time for them all to get that taken care of). The tie rod, drag link, and track bar aren't amazing and if you plan on keeping the vehicle for any length of time, I would recommend replacing those. Feel free to shoot me a PM if you have any questions.
Thanks for the response and offer of assistance! It is greatly appreciated. I will probably take you up on that at some point
 

Nomod

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Has anyone experienced it from a completely stock Wrangler that's never been off-road? (For instance, mine is a stock suspension daily driver with 13K miles and, other than the occasional smooth sandy road, is a pavement pounder. Never a problem of any sort.)
 

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rallydefault

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I'll add that, in my experience, it could also do with the weight in the jeep.

I never experienced death wobble when my Sport JL was stock, but after I had rubi take-off suspension installed (great little shop that specializes in jeeps; owner used to drive a monster truck and knows what he's doing), I had a couple cases of death wobble at highway speeds after hitting a big bump or grade in the road. In both cases the jeep (4-door) was fully loaded with people and stuff because I was going/coming from vacation. The wheel shook like hell and it was a bit scary, of course, but I could control it and it went away after maybe 10-15 seconds and letting off the gas.

Haven't had it happen since those highway vacation trips when fully loaded. I've been on plenty of highways and hit plenty of bumps at speed since then, but no death wobble. Just my experience, hope it helps!
 

aldo98229

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Hit the right bump and the fun would begin, uncontrollable shaking, until you brought the vehicle to a stop.
I have read of symptoms similar to those on these and other JL forums, so they are not that rare.

Having said that, those symptoms sound more like something is seriously loose than “death wobble.”

With regards to FCA having fixed the steering issue, here’s a brief synopsis:
  • For the first year, FCA denied there was a problem
  • In 2019, after mounting customer complaints, FCA started issuing a series of TSBs for dealers to handle customers coming in with steering complaints. Among them were to re-flash the vehicle, if that didn’t solve it then replace the steering damper, if that didn’t solve it then replace the track bar, etc. Clearly, FCA had no clue what the problem was
  • The issue appears to have been finally solved this past August, when FCA issued a TSB to replace the aluminum steering box with a new, stronger one made of cast iron. Since this TSB came out, JL owners have consistently been reporting that the steering issue was resolved.
The good news is that 2021 JLs are now coming from the factory with the stronger steering box; the bad news is that there is a shortage of parts, and prior-year owners are being told to wait 2-3 months to have their steering box replaced.

If you get a 2021, it shouldn't have the steering issue any longer.

Good luck.
 
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JimmyZ

JimmyZ

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Has anyone experienced it from a completely stock Wrangler that's never been off-road? (For instance, mine is a stock suspension daily driver with 13K miles and, other than the occasional smooth sandy road, is a pavement pounder. Never a problem of any sort.)
My 2004 was stock... Never off road. Essentially a mall crawler...
 

guarnibl

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I have read of symptoms similar to those on these and other JL forums, so they are not that rare.

Having said that, those symptoms sound more like something is seriously loose than “death wobble.”

With regards to FCA having fixed the steering issue, here’s a brief synopsis:
  • For the first year, FCA denied there was a problem
  • In 2019, after mounting customer complaints, FCA started issuing a series of TSBs for dealers to handle customers coming in with steering complaints. Among them were to re-flash the vehicle, if that didn’t solve it then replace the steering damper, if that didn’t solve it then replace the track bar, etc. Clearly, FCA had no clue what the problem was
  • The issue appears to have been finally solved this past August, when FCA issued a TSB to replace the aluminum steering box with a new, stronger one made of cast iron. Since this TSB came out, JL owners have consistently been reporting that the steering issue was resolved.
The good news is that 2021 JLs are now coming from the factory with the stronger steering box; the bad news is that there is a shortage of parts, and prior-year owners are being told to wait 2-3 months to have their steering box replaced.

If you get a 2021, it shouldn't have the steering issue any longer.

Good luck.
Great summary!

It's difficult to define rare since it's subjective in nature. Overall, the vehicle is worth buying and taking the low chance that you might have an issue. On the plus side, it's pretty easy to identify during a test drive.
 

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GregorioJL

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The JLU steering issue fixed by FCA occurs under specific circumstances. As you've seen from other replies, there are other causes (sometimes self-inflicted).

Even if you did have the issue, the factory stabilizer is trash, and is mounted below the tie rod and can get damaged. There are several reasonably priced replacement stabilizers on the market that can mount above the tie rod and are much better quality than the factory unit. If you get a dual stabilizer or a more expensive unit that has adjustable firmness, the the ride quality would be much smoother in the event the issue did occur.

That wouldn't fix issues with dead center spots though, but there is a brace kit that fixes most issues (more expensive).

Factory stabilizer:

Jeep Wrangler JL 2021 2 Door Rubicon Death Wobble Steering Stabilizer - Old


Replacement dual stabilizer:
(If you don't like the U-bolt brackets MetalCloak and Fox make tie rod brackets that look nicer)

Jeep Wrangler JL 2021 2 Door Rubicon Death Wobble Steering Stabilizer - New Tie Rod Bracket


Here is a stabilizer that made contact.

7341dbf4-22e3-47fc-8cd2-509e28467d4c-jpeg.jpg
 
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JimmyZ

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Wow... Learned a lot there. Thanks
 

Joe98

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I have had my 2 door JL Sport S for 15 months now. It remains stock standard. Never had a steering problem. Never had death wobble.
 
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JimmyZ

JimmyZ

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I drove a 1946 Jeep Willys in the big one. been waiting to buy a new Jeep till they get better brakes. Have they got the drum brakes straightened out yet?
Lol another funny guy!!! Love this group!!! Where did we find so many in one place?!?!
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