Death Wobble Suddenly, First Time, No Warning!!! Is this Normal?

[Upnarms]

I have read many stories about the dreaded Death Wobble. But until today I never experienced it. And it occured suddenly and without any indication that anything was worn out or getting there. Is this normal?

I Have a 2018 JL Sahara that is stock. It had the Steering Damper replaced under an early recall. It is just over 50K miles on it now.

Coincidentally, it occurred when I took it to the dealership this morning regarding a U-Connect update recall.

Up until today, and oddly enough, on the drive to the dealership, she drove as steady and smooth as ever, at speeds up to 65 MPH.

Upon leaving the dealership, (after their failed attempt to do the U-Connect update because their wi-fi was busted) I got on the highway headed home and at about 55-60 MPH, upon crossing a seam in an overpass, she started shaking insanely, and would not stop until I got her down under maybe 25 MPH.

Sped back up to around 50-55, hit another seam, and started shaking again. At this point I returned to the dealership never exceeding 45 MPH.

Asked them what they did to my front end while they were trying to do a "U-Connect Update". explained what happened. They looked at me like I was nuts.

Told me "Death Wobble" can come on suddenly. Seems fishy to me.

Interestingly enough, they found another recall, regarding an extension to the Steering Damper warranty, that they said nothing about until I went back and reported this issue! Again, fishy.

So does "Death Wobble" just come out of nowhere, with no indication beforehand that something is failing? Or is this them blowing smoke?

Maybe somebody upstairs is looking out for me, since we are/were supposed to take the Jeep on a long road trip this weekend.

Ill be a broken record here, but what is the mileage on your tires? Worn tires dont balance well even when they are "balanced", and in my experience DW starts kicking in when tires have over 20k miles. The tires are the spark that gets the fire going when coupled with the other culprits.

Don't freak out about it. Start simple. Torque everything. Check your tires, then in my opinion the next thing id do is the beefiest track bar you can get. I got the steersmarts yeti. That alone eliminated my dw, but my worn ko2s still had a little shimmy. The steering stabilizer will only mask the issue until it wears out.

Out of balance, or tires that won't balance well due to wear have consistently been the trigger (again, from my experiences with a TJ, JK, and now JL).

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[GtX]

Maybe I should have gotten the 4 Runner or Bronco instead.

It's not too late!

I firmly believe that anyone who says, "after my lift, it drives better than stock!" is either lying or smoking too much crack.

Not all lifts are created equal and neither are the humans operating the wrenches that install them.

 

[Upnarms]

I actually think my jeep handles way better than stock after my lift. I got the aev dualsport 2.5". Factory was too soft and got a lot of body roll on windy/curvy roads. Enough to make me nauseated. It handles way better now, on and off road. I have 35s now too . Imo the factory front end components are barely adequate for even stock tires so if any little thing gets out of spec the whole thing goes to pot. People who upsize tires and don't upgrade the front end are going to find this out quick.

Trackbar is a must. Tierod/drag link upgrade is close second. Do it right or don't do it at all-until you save up enough to do it right. Piece mealing it can be problematic.

Oh one more thought. I know with my TJ, I was able to get a synergy suspension bushing for the factory track bar. This was a much stiffer material than the factory rubber, it was pretty inexpensive and that combined with a slightly larger trackbar bolt was enough to take away the extra trackbar movement causing the DW. I don't know if one is made for the factory JL track bar. If you get a steersmarts yeti trackbar, id recommend the pro one with the harder bushing.

 

[RockAltered]

Purchased new 18 JLUR immediately went to 315x70x17 DuraTrac. 28,000 miles total 8,000 pulling 2,200 lb boat mild off road most on hi way. Stabilizer recall done. Never experienced death wobble. Purchased new 21 JL Sport S factory hi way tires. Once a month dirt road to keep lubricated. At 3,000 miles experienced death wobble on hi way. Pulled over stopped, started hi way again no wobble. Purchased new 22 JLR factory MT's now at 5,000 miles total same dirt road for lubrication. Haven't experienced wobble. Both 18 & 22 have Zeon 8,000 steel cable winch on front all driven 70-80+ on freeways. All have hard top V6 Auto & stock suspension. Sold 18 & 21 last month to get new Ram 1500 V8 4x4 while still can. So, wobble was a big surprise and on least expected. The more reports the better.

 

[COJeeper]

I actually think my jeep handles way better than stock after my lift. I got the aev dualsport 2.5". Factory was too soft and got a lot of body roll on windy/curvy roads. Enough to make me nauseated. It handles way better now, on and off road. I have 35s now too . Imo the factory front end components are barely adequate for even stock tires so if any little thing gets out of spec the whole thing goes to pot. People who upsize tires and don't upgrade the front end are going to find this out quick.

Trackbar is a must. Tierod/drag link upgrade is close second. Do it right or don't do it at all-until you save up enough to do it right. Piece mealing it can be problematic.

Oh one more thought. I know with my TJ, I was able to get a synergy suspension bushing for the factory track bar. This was a much stiffer material than the factory rubber, it was pretty inexpensive and that combined with a slightly larger trackbar bolt was enough to take away the extra trackbar movement causing the DW. I don't know if one is made for the factory JL track bar. If you get a steersmarts yeti trackbar, id recommend the pro one with the harder bushing.

I'm on OEM trackbar, drag link, and tie rod. I am poor so I was planning on saving up and replacing once I started having problems. Everyone said it all looks good though, everything is tight and bushings are good. Who knows.

I'm hoping spending another $1000 on this stuff resolves my problem.

 

[Upnarms]

I'm on OEM trackbar, drag link, and tie rod. I am poor so I was planning on saving up and replacing once I started having problems. Everyone said it all looks good though, everything is tight and bushings are good. Who knows.

I'm hoping spending another $1000 on this stuff resolves my problem.

Maybe I missed it but what was the status condition mileage type of tires you are running

 

[akabonanza]

Why is are most of you making excuses on a 50k stock Sahara Jeep. The bottom line is the support from the dealership and the factory is So bad and it just keep going on and on. Until the owners of the product stick together your issues will never stop. After a lemon law 2022 Sahara and now a 2024 Sahara I got a drivetrain defect after 400 miles on my phone app. I am done. Did I mention the dealership said the app is not reliable ………really.

 

[COJeeper]

Maybe I missed it but what was the status condition mileage type of tires you are running

This happened from day one of the lift and tire install. So, the tires were brand new and they're Falken Wildpeak AT3W 37x12.5R17

 

[Upnarms]

This happened from day one of the lift and tire install. So, the tires were brand new and they're Falken Wildpeak AT3W 37x12.5R17

I run the same tires, but 35s. Love them! 25k miles so far and they wear great! Don't know what lift you run and there's obviously a lot of factors. My lift was aev came with geometry correction brackets and many have said they make a huge difference keeping the factory angles. Id imagine 37s would exaggerate things even more. I didn't want to screw around so last Christmas when some sales hit, I ordered the apex 2.5 ton tie rod and drag link setup (same as RPM for all intensive purposes) for just over a grand. Went steersmarts yeti hd trackbar like i mentioned before. Then I installed a falcon through shaft stabilizer (I went with the non adjustible due to cost).

The trackbar eliminated any DW. The apex setup stiffened everything up and the through shaft stabilizer keeps everything tracking nice and tight. This setup has been on for nearly 10k miles with zero issues, no more shimmy, no dw.

I know it doesnt mean it'll work for everyone, but I highly recommend the apex setup (aluminum). You can't get beefier than that and it's only about 3 or 400 more than the steersmarts or other setups.

Do it once do it right. I've spent too much on past jeeps half-assing it. Im poor too, due to my jeep ? so i wait for deals and saved up. It was worth it.

 

[Pig-Pen]

This is a known occurrence when the dealer attempts to update the Uconnect with loose fuses.

 

[txj2go]

This wobble is inherent with solid front axle, it will happen given enough time or neglect.

I don't agree. DW seems to be a late model Jeep thing although I have heard of it with some solid axle front wheel drive pickups. I owned a Grand Cherokee WJ for a long time and put 150k miles on it including plenty of offroad miles. It had a solid axle similar to the JL, never any DW or even hints of it. I never heard of it on Grand Cherokee forums either. Maybe not related to this topic but it had much better steering than my JLU also. So Jeep does know how to do it.

 

[Upnarms]

I don't agree. DW seems to be a late model Jeep thing although I have heard of it with some solid axle front wheel drive pickups. I owned a Grand Cherokee WJ for a long time and put 150k miles on it including plenty of offroad miles. It had a solid axle similar to the JL, never any DW or even hints of it. I never heard of it on Grand Cherokee forums either. Maybe not related to this topic but it had much better steering than my JLU also. So Jeep does know how to do it.

Check out the TJ forums. This has been around over 20 years. Ask me how I know.

 

[rworld1]

I firmly believe that anyone who says, "after my lift, it drives better than stock!" is either lying or smoking too much crack.

I think this depends on what lift is installed I just installed an AEV lift and it most certainly drives better than stock. I think that is mainly due to the control arm relocation brackets. Put a budget lift on and you're gonna get a budget ride.

 

[COJeeper]

I don't agree. DW seems to be a late model Jeep thing although I have heard of it with some solid axle front wheel drive pickups. I owned a Grand Cherokee WJ for a long time and put 150k miles on it including plenty of offroad miles. It had a solid axle similar to the JL, never any DW or even hints of it. I never heard of it on Grand Cherokee forums either. Maybe not related to this topic but it had much better steering than my JLU also. So Jeep does know how to do it.

I haven't been in the Jeep game, or solid axle game, for a long time, only two years. However, I heard about DW back in 2018 - 2019 with the JLU and had never heard of it before then. Almost any non-dealer shop I've talked to has said it's related and can happen on all solid front axle vehicles. I think I'm going to just upgrade the tie rod, drag link, stabilizer, and track bar in a month or two. All the shops tell me they're all good but maybe I get lucky and it resolves my shimmy problem.

 

[txj2go]

and had never heard of it before then

I can tell you from working in a big shop that it happens in RWD vehicles too when conditions and worn components are just right.

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