Design flaw, or is something broken?

[h20boy1965]

Hey folks, newbie here. I've had my 2018 JLUSS now for about 5 months. I absolutely LOVE it, but I have to admit that it's been a pretty tough relationship to this point.

Driving it home for the first time, I noticed the steering seemed loose to the point where I really had to pay attention to keep it between the lines. Was told by the dealer that there's nothing wrong with it. Fine, paying attention while driving is not a bad thing I guess, and I've gotten used to it. And the wife refuses to drive it because of this issue, so again, fine. Don't want to beat this dead horse.

Went through the whole ESC, ESS, Brake light issue. She was in the shop for 3 days while they replaced the vacuum pump, sensor, etc...It's been about 2 weeks without an issue, but last night driving through deep snow in a parking lot, the ESC and ESS warning lights came back on. They haven't come back on this morning, so fingers crossed...

Last night driving home, it was about -6C with some freezing rain. I barely made it home before the wipers became completely ineffective due to ice build up. Had everything cranked to max. Is this a known problem? There doesn't seem to be any air coming from the left and right windshield defrost vents. Just the middle. Seems weird. It happened to me once before, but it was -30C at the time, so I cut her a bit of slack...

Mark

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[Rhinebeck01]

@h20boy1965

For some talk about the defroster issue go here. Be sure to read the whole thread:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/question-regarding-the-windsheld-defrost.15276/

 

[RockyMtnHigh]

Is this your first Wrangler? They don't steer themselves. Some claim an aftermarket steering stabilizer can help.

The ESC light makes perfect sense to me, especially in freezing rain. The Jeep is just letting you know its attempting to regain control on slippery ground. Not sure about the ESS. My defroster seems to work very well, we had freezing rain here too and it melted nearly immediately. I'd swap out the factory wiper fluid with Rain-X de-icer, if you haven't already

 

[LSUMaze]

Went through the whole ESC, ESS, Brake light issue. She was in the shop for 3 days while they replaced the vacuum pump, sensor, etc...It's been about 2 weeks without an issue, but last night driving through deep snow in a parking lot, the ESC and ESS warning lights came back on. They haven't come back on this morning, so fingers crossed...

Mark

This has happened to me before in My Grand Cherokee, not my Sahara yet, in a snow storm. I asked the technician and he said that the sensors might have gotten too much snow and they froze. I don't know if that is what happened to you, but looks very similar. In the morning, after a night in the garage, everything was just fine...

 

[h20boy1965]

Thanks for your responses. I read the whole thread, Rhinebeck01, and was a little disappointed I'm going to have to fix the problem myself by jamming stuff into the vent holes! Haha. Oh well, like I said, I am still very much in love with her, and just because she's expensive, doesn't mean she's perfect.

 

[Djmatt85]

Hey folks, newbie here. I've had my 2018 JLUSS now for about 5 months. I absolutely LOVE it, but I have to admit that it's been a pretty tough relationship to this point.

Driving it home for the first time, I noticed the steering seemed loose to the point where I really had to pay attention to keep it between the lines. Was told by the dealer that there's nothing wrong with it. Fine, paying attention while driving is not a bad thing I guess, and I've gotten used to it. And the wife refuses to drive it because of this issue, so again, fine. Don't want to beat this dead horse.

There are tons of threads about steering issues on this forum. The JL isn’t going to have tight steering like a sports car, but it’s not supposed to be loose either (mine is fairly tight). First step in any case is to check your tire pressure see if that helps you any. A lot of JLs are leaving the dealers with tires way over inflated. Other than that, review some of the steering threads as they have good input on that subject.

 

[h20boy1965]

There are tons of threads about steering issues on this forum. The JL isn’t going to have tight steering like a sports car, but it’s not supposed to be loose either (mine is fairly tight). First step in any case is to check your tire pressure see if that helps you any. A lot of JLs are leaving the dealers with tires way over inflated. Other than that, review some of the steering threads as they have good input on that subject.

My '91 YJ drove like a go-cart. Very tight steering. Which was why I was surprised with the JL. I've read most of the threads on this subject and have decided to live with it. Tire pressure was at 36 when I checked.

I find it very odd that the dealers don't take groups like this more serious. I've tried to explain to them that I'm not the only one with a particular problem, but they don't seem to care.

 

[mwilk012]

Get a nice layer of snow, ice, or mud on a wheel speed sensor and you’ll get that ESC light.

 

[GreyFox]

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/how-to-dial-in-your-steering.22188/#post-529695

Good info here for you thanks to @Spartan99

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