FCA being sued for Death Wobble

[TCogs1]

After 3 trips back to the dealer on DW, I have another visit next Tuesday. I am at the 12K mile marker.. the first started at 4k (replaced damper and retorque), I made it a point to video tape my DW events.. not all, just a few.. over my years I have dealt with DW and I know what causes it and how to prevent it... in this case I am letting the dealer deal with it because that is what I paid for (warranty)... I will let you know what they do about it next.

BTW: My Jeep dealership has been very supportive, big shout out to Shave Jeep in Thousand oaks CA and I love my Jeep ...

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[smithrd65]

and? this is like posting "no robberies here at my house" there is no problem with crime in my city! Well untill it hits ya.

JL suspension was way underdesigned, its a fact not an opinion.

Sell the vehicle no more under designed. FACT.
Still no ROBBERIES at my house. DROVE MY JLUR TODAY STILL NO WOBBLE.

 

[SirMagnus89]

How do I join the class action suit?

I have said numerous amount of times that this is not safe. The death wobble, the play on the steering wheel and the lack of the car staying in the lane without swerving on a brand new car. Honestly, this suit is well deserved for Jeep.

I’m ready to join and sign on the dotted line of this suit.

How do I join the class action suit?

I have said numerous amount of times that this is not safe. The death wobble, the play on the steering wheel and the lack of the car staying in the lane without swerving on a brand new car. Honestly, this suit is well deserved for Jeep.

I’m ready to join and sign on the dotted line of this suit.

........you just called a Wrangler, which is a body on frame truck, a car...... You are the problem.

 

[TCogs1]

After 3 trips back to the dealer on DW, I have another visit next Tuesday. I am at the 12K mile marker.. the first started at 4k (replaced damper and retorque), I made it a point to video tape my DW events.. not all, just a few.. over my years I have dealt with DW and I know what causes it and how to prevent it... in this case I am letting the dealer deal with it because that is what I paid for (warranty)... I will let you know what they do about it next.

BTW: My Jeep dealership has been very supportive, big shout out to Shave Jeep in Thousand oaks CA and I love my Jeep ...

Sorry for the slow report out... after taking it in to the dealer, they had another update to the steering stabilizer. So this is third one, all with different part numbers, and it is much stiffer.

So far it solved the problem... I have 15K and just finished the Rubicon trail and there are no issues, no DW..

Special thanks to Jeep and Shave Jeep for standing behind their product and warranty.

 

[Spank]

This! Exactly this. The main reason Jeep should have left the Wrangler a niche vehicle, and not try and mass market them to soccer moms and beta males. The pussification of Jeep will continue.

Leaving the Wrangler a niche vehicle would've killed it off a long time ago. Unfortunately, enthusiasts alone can't keep the Jeep brand alive. The soccer mom driving her kids and groceries around in a fully-loaded Rubicon that'll never leave pavement does.

 

[DonBindas]

Link
https://amp.detroitnews.com/amp/1433767001

Jeep said that the death wobble repair is resolved on AutoLine TV:


Fiat Chrysler Automobiles faces a class-action lawsuit over an alleged "death wobble" involving 2015-2018 Jeep Wranglers with a solid front axle that the suit says can cause the steering wheel to shake violently at highway speeds.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Detroit's U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges Fiat Chrysler had knowledge of the issue: "Rather than address it — or disclose its possibility and/or warn drivers at the point of sale — FCA simply claims in a news article that the 'Death Wobble' is not a 'safety issue' and that it 'can happen with any vehicle that has a solid front axle (rather than an independent front suspension), such as the Wrangler.'”

FCA U.S. said it has not been served with the lawsuit and cannot comment on its allegations at this time. "We note, however, that any manufacturer vehicle equipped with a solid axle can experience steering system vibration and, if experienced, it is routinely corrected," the automaker said in a statement.

According to the suit, the so-called “death wobble” occurs because the solid front axle cannot absorb bumps and vibrations as efficiently as a vehicle with a front suspension that allows each wheel to move independently. It says the front suspension and steering components can be jarred out of equilibrium.Drivers experience an "uncontrollable side-to-side shaking of a Jeep’s front-end steering components and – by extension – its steering wheel," the suit alleges.

The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of Claire Reynolds, a New Jersey resident who owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4 x 4, accuses the company of offering drivers a "Band-Aid fix" in the form of replacing the steering damper if the vehicle is under warranty.

The suit claims the problem will ultimately return and can only be remedied by substantial revisions and repair to the suspension. Reynolds claims the damper was replaced three times in six months and the Jeep's front end still shook

Drivers have complained about Wrangler steering problems to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for years.

"I first experienced the 'Death Wobble' within a year or so of purchasing my new 2016 Jeep Wrangler," an unidentified Wrangler owner from Paw Paw, Michigan, wrote to NHTSA in February 2019. "Very scary (seems to happen on a rough spots in the road, traveling at 45 mph or higher). The front end was shaking so badly that I thought I had a flat tire, or that a wheel had fallen off. It has now happened at least 8 times, and I no longer drive on any interstate highway."

Safety advocates in Washington have been urging federal regulators and lawmakers in Congress to look into the steering problems with Jeep Wrangler vehicles as far back as 2012.

"The Jeep 'death wobble' is a serious safety issue that must be evaluated by NHTSA," the Center for Auto Safety wrote in a March 2012 letter to former NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "It is also representative of the problems involving lack of transparency and access to reliable repairs that are present in other safety and defect cases."

NHTSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit seeks damages for affected drivers in the form of a buyback program that requires FCA to pay drivers for defective vehicles and compensation for the loss of value to the vehicles. It also wants drivers to be provided with replacement vehicles while their repairs are pending.

The lawsuit also seeks punitive damages "for FCA’s knowing fraud that put drivers and members of the public nationwide at risk;" calls for regulators to order the company to issue a recall.

 

[Capt-Zoom]

Updated Steering stabilizer is simply a band aid for the greater issue that they didn't use a beefy enough track bar, drag link, and tie rods.

 

[Cristina2323]

I experienced my first three death wobbles in the same week. It felt like the whole front of my ‘18 JL was literally falling apart screw by screw. I had the dampner replaced, now the steering feels tight. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be like that. I don’t remember it being like this but I almost flipped my Jeep into a lake on Saturday so if this stops that from happening again, fine!

 

[Spank]

Updated Steering stabilizer is simply a band aid for the greater issue that they didn't use a beefy enough track bar, drag link, and tie rods.

I will never understand why Jeep cannot get this through their fucking skulls. However, I don't think these individual parts themselves are the issue so much as the fact that we've seen dozens of threads about people noticing they're not installed and torqued properly.

 

[crespillo5k]

Link
https://amp.detroitnews.com/amp/1433767001

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles faces a class-action lawsuit over an alleged "death wobble" involving 2015-2018 Jeep Wranglers with a solid front axle that the suit says can cause the steering wheel to shake violently at highway speeds.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Detroit's U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges Fiat Chrysler had knowledge of the issue: "Rather than address it — or disclose its possibility and/or warn drivers at the point of sale — FCA simply claims in a news article that the 'Death Wobble' is not a 'safety issue' and that it 'can happen with any vehicle that has a solid front axle (rather than an independent front suspension), such as the Wrangler.'”

FCA U.S. said it has not been served with the lawsuit and cannot comment on its allegations at this time. "We note, however, that any manufacturer vehicle equipped with a solid axle can experience steering system vibration and, if experienced, it is routinely corrected," the automaker said in a statement.

According to the suit, the so-called “death wobble” occurs because the solid front axle cannot absorb bumps and vibrations as efficiently as a vehicle with a front suspension that allows each wheel to move independently. It says the front suspension and steering components can be jarred out of equilibrium.Drivers experience an "uncontrollable side-to-side shaking of a Jeep’s front-end steering components and – by extension – its steering wheel," the suit alleges.

The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of Claire Reynolds, a New Jersey resident who owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport 4 x 4, accuses the company of offering drivers a "Band-Aid fix" in the form of replacing the steering damper if the vehicle is under warranty.

The suit claims the problem will ultimately return and can only be remedied by substantial revisions and repair to the suspension. Reynolds claims the damper was replaced three times in six months and the Jeep's front end still shook

Drivers have complained about Wrangler steering problems to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for years.

"I first experienced the 'Death Wobble' within a year or so of purchasing my new 2016 Jeep Wrangler," an unidentified Wrangler owner from Paw Paw, Michigan, wrote to NHTSA in February 2019. "Very scary (seems to happen on a rough spots in the road, traveling at 45 mph or higher). The front end was shaking so badly that I thought I had a flat tire, or that a wheel had fallen off. It has now happened at least 8 times, and I no longer drive on any interstate highway."

Safety advocates in Washington have been urging federal regulators and lawmakers in Congress to look into the steering problems with Jeep Wrangler vehicles as far back as 2012.

"The Jeep 'death wobble' is a serious safety issue that must be evaluated by NHTSA," the Center for Auto Safety wrote in a March 2012 letter to former NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "It is also representative of the problems involving lack of transparency and access to reliable repairs that are present in other safety and defect cases."

NHTSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The lawsuit seeks damages for affected drivers in the form of a buyback program that requires FCA to pay drivers for defective vehicles and compensation for the loss of value to the vehicles. It also wants drivers to be provided with replacement vehicles while their repairs are pending.

The lawsuit also seeks punitive damages "for FCA’s knowing fraud that put drivers and members of the public nationwide at risk;" calls for regulators to order the company to issue a recall.

my jl 2018 in going truth this now is in the dealer after the damper replacement and they had the car for 8 days and they don't know what to do in this case I have a rental in the mind time waiting for a decision in my case , my car only do it when I'm going over 60mph and get a bump in the highway and when the temperature is cold ,anyone can recomend a lawyer in south Florida

 

[VNT]

my jl 2018 in going truth this now is in the dealer after the damper replacement and they had the car for 8 days and they don't know what to do in this case I have a rental in the mind time waiting for a decision in my case , my car only do it when I'm going over 60mph and get a bump in the highway and when the temperature is cold ,anyone can recomend a lawyer in south Florida

Get a steer smarts Track bar and a Falcon damper, some grade 8 bolts from NorthRidge.
Have the tires balanced and alignment performed.

 

[crespillo5k]

Get a steer smarts Track bar and a Falcon damper, some grade 8 bolts from NorthRidge.
Have the tires balanced and alignment performed.

why i should spend all that money when my car is brand new only 15000 and under warranty that makes no sense what so ever ‍ but anyway thanks for the advice

 

[JohnT]

I almost shit my shorts when I read this lol

“The lawsuit seeks damages for affected drivers in the form of a buyback program that requires FCA to pay drivers for defective vehicles and compensation for the loss of value to the vehicles. It also wants drivers to be provided with replacement vehicles while their repairs are pending.”

Know what the dealership will say?

CANNOT REPLICATE

LOL

Clearly it’s a bunch of JK owners trying to get a free upgrade to the 18’-19’ JL lol

loss of value?? lol.

 

[JohnT]

But seriously - never (6 jeeps now) had a death wobble that couldn't be fixed by either;
1. checking the tire pressure
2. A bit of grease to the steering joints
3. telling the mechanics to balance the tires
4. telling the mechanics to check the front alignment
5. and in once case, I replaced the steering stabilizer because it was damaged.
6. twice changed the shocks (different vechicles) because they were worn out.
7. more than once the tires were defective
They don't design them to wobble.

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