Death Wobble at Highway Speed

[californiajeeping]

You guys with 18-19 model year jeeps that have gone to aftermarket track bars and still have some looseness in the steering, keep in mind Jeep has a revised intermediate shaft for the steering column . It can be had for under $100

is there a way to diagnose if the older intermediate shaft is causing the looseness? And are there any videos?

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[YippieKiYayMrFalcon]

Happy to hear you're taking your Jeep in. Let us know how it goes.

Kate
JeepCares

@JeepCares dealer replaced my aux battery, but was unable to reproduce my “death” wobble. They did confirm everything looks good and is torqued to spec. They did offer for me to leave it overnight and their shop foreman would drive it a further distance and over different types of roads to try and reproduce the issue. At this point it doesn’t happen frequently enough for me to go through the hassle, but I’m glad they offered at least.

 

[JeepCares]

@JeepCares dealer replaced my aux battery, but was unable to reproduce my “death” wobble. They did confirm everything looks good and is torqued to spec. They did offer for me to leave it overnight and their shop foreman would drive it a further distance and over different types of roads to try and reproduce the issue. At this point it doesn’t happen frequently enough for me to go through the hassle, but I’m glad they offered at least.

Thanks for the update here. Intermittent concerns can certainly be frustrating to diagnose and your patience is definitely appreciated. If you need any further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out.

Kate
JeepCares

 

[Fonzilla85]

I’ve never had any of the issues talked about on this post, and I hope it stays that way. I’ve swapped out the track bar but only because I wanted to center the front axel.

With this being a common occurrence, FCA may as well put “death wobble” on the window sticker as an added feature to enhance the Jeep experience.

 

[Pourboire]

First time poster/long time lurker - but your issue is so close to what I went through that I wanted to provide some feedback on my experience:
2018 JLU Wrangler Sport S @13K miles - all stock. 90% highway driven. Issue happened on highway going 75mph in left lane during a road transition from bridgeway to roadway. Steering wheel and whole vehicle shook uncontrollably and it felt as if all four wheels were about to fall off. (that's my way of describing) Didn't go away until speed lowered to about 50mph. Took straight to dealer who brought up the V41 recall. Steering damper repaired same day and vehicle returned later that afternoon. Went back on highway and had same issue at @ 60mph - and I took it right back. It's been serviced a couple of times already. Best advice I can provide is to take it to the dealership as soon as possible and whatever is "repaired" do not to accept the vehicle back labeled as "drives as designed" unless they can prove it was tested at a highway speed. The dealership service manager requested my permission to let him take it home on the highway so he could experience the shaking himself and found out there was a reason I told him to be careful driving it! In my humble opinion, when the jeep gets to this "shaking" point, especially when it happens to those of us who have more mileage, whatever the real "defect" is, has already damaged other parts so expect a lengthy process of repairs to pinpoint the exact reason for the steering/shaking issues. Repairs to date include (4) new shocks, (2) separate alignments (plus a replaced hose with the turbo-separate issue) and now we are addressing the tire cupping they found (will have to replace tires) as we continue to address the loose steering, vibrations and continued tendency to pull right. It's scheduled to be seen by a Chrysler rep this week. Now - my faith in Jeep is not lost because the 2018 JLU wrangler loaner w/8K miles I used during the time mine was in service was a joy to drive! Good luck!!

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. It can be extremely disconcerting when one buys a new vehicle and find that major (not minor) issues exist and still exist today. I suspect the damper I installed (OEM) will fail based on the number of replacements issued for this part. Unfortunately when one has a new vehicle under warranty there are few options other to return to the dealership. I don't like dealership service departments (especially BMW which are just crooks using client unfamiliar with autos) to rip them off. The only thing I can say is to hang in there and hopefully things will pan out. From my experience with service departments, I found that Auto-nation tends to train their mechanics to a higher level. Best of luck

 

[Sippican]

I got to say, Jeep worked on my 'wobble' at least 4 times. I was looking for perfect. After video conferences with Jeep, pressurized testing, changing parts time and time again, they finally fixed it. They added this and its now perfect. They may have faulty parts, but they sure do work on it until its right. And I'll say it again! Jeep Cares is the best customer service I have ever dealt with. No doubt about it.

 

[Pourboire]

I got to say, Jeep worked on my 'wobble' at least 4 times. I was looking for perfect. After video conferences with Jeep, pressurized testing, changing parts time and time again, they finally fixed it. They added this and its now perfect. They may have faulty parts, but they sure do work on it until its right. And I'll say it again! Jeep Cares is the best customer service I have ever dealt with. No doubt about it.

They replaced the steering damper with an after market part. This
is a 5 minute install. I did it myself with their newest part update
and improved the handling when I hit a pot hole at 65 MPH. I replaced
it myself, because my dealership can't even change the oil correctly. I was
supposed to be reimbursed for my cost ($42.00), after 2 attempts contacting FCA I gave up. Glad your dealership is on top of the issue
and elected to use a none FCA OEM part. You benefit this time.

 

[nerubi]

I had a problem when it was cold in Flagstaff AZ. I replaced my steering stabilizer (myself), I ordered it from a CA concern and installed it in 10 minutes. Hit same potholes at 70 + MPH and no shimmy this time. I personally won't even let jeep change my oil. Was the stabilizer really replaced? My Toyota dealership came in question when I had the oil changed, I looked at the filter and it didn't seem new. The next time I put some tape on the filter. When they changed the oil the next time, guess what. That's right they never replaced the filter. The management was notified and the oil as well as filter were replaced. This is why most people do it themself if possible. I won't even go into the BMW dealership I use, they are pure crooks.

Aren't we a little paranoid? What will you do if you need major warranty work?

 

[Sippican]

They replaced the steering damper with an after market part. This
is a 5 minute install. I did it myself with their newest part update
and improved the handling when I hit a pot hole at 65 MPH. I replaced
it myself, because my dealership can't even change the oil correctly. I was
supposed to be reimbursed for my cost ($42.00), after 2 attempts contacting FCA I gave up. Glad your dealership is on top of the issue
and elected to use a none FCA OEM part. You benefit this time.

Did you get Jeep Cares involved? Of did you go right to FCA? Jeep Cares works..

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