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How much steering play does your JL have?

How much steering play does your JL have?


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Rudolph Hart

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I’m not denying there are complaints but to try to claim there are ‘tens of thousands’ doesn’t help anybody since it obviously lacks credibility.
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ViperJon

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As somebody who admits to not having these problems your participation in this thread is somewhat curious and serves to illustrate how the internet magnifies these issues.
He lost me at "my 2019 is not perfect it has 1/4" play"......are we getting the micrometer out now? Seriously......1/4"?
 

Rudolph Hart

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He lost me at "my 2019 is not perfect it has 1/4" play"......are we getting the micrometer out now? Seriously......1/4"?
Exactly, so the question is what motivates somebody who doesn’t have a problem to come in here and make lurid claims?
 

mmcbeat

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I notice no play in my steering. I have driven pickups in the past, had I been used to low slung FDW - I just don’t know.
 

cosine

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i voted 0-1/4" because my steering is pretty good. i do find my jl steers and handles better than my 07 grand cherokee.
 

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daveprice7

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I’m sure you quite capable of checking for yourself but the figures are 745 in 2018 and 176 in 2019 for steering complaints. As this is the government agency for collating this information surely your claim of ‘tens of thousands’ if true should generate figures higher than these?
NHTSA numbers are probably not too valuable to make a case for or against the steering issue, considering only around 40,000 complaints are registered per year for all vehicles (about 17 million). That being said, the steering complaint percentage appears to be higher than average for 2018 Wranglers (745 complaints on 240k sales) vs all complaints for all vehicles, but there's no way to know how many vehicles that correlates to. I'd be interested to know how many targeted complaints would trigger a formal investigation or even what the federal standards are for steering play... Yaknow, all of our opinions are irrelevant if there is a minimum legal standard that is or isn't being met... Is there one?
 

KnG818

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NHTSA numbers are probably not too valuable to make a case for or against the steering issue, considering only around 40,000 complaints are registered per year for all vehicles (about 17 million). That being said, the steering complaint percentage appears to be higher than average for 2018 Wranglers (745 complaints on 240k sales) vs all complaints for all vehicles, but there's no way to know how many vehicles that correlates to. I'd be interested to know how many targeted complaints would trigger a formal investigation or even what the federal standards are for steering play... Yaknow, all of our opinions are irrelevant if there is a minimum legal standard that is or isn't being met... Is there one?
= .31% not even ½ of 1 percent

...and a "complaint" doesnt mean its a valid one either.

If I complained to the treasury about my one dollar bills being wrinkly....do you think I'd be taken seriously? Its characteristic and expected.
 

daveprice7

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= .31% not even ½ of 1 percent

...and a "complaint" doesnt mean its a valid one either.

If I complained to the treasury about my one dollar bills being wrinkly....do you think I'd be taken seriously? Its characteristic and expected.
I was just pointing out that very few vehicle owners complain to the NHTSA vs vehicles sold, so, the small number of steering complaints registered there is kind of meaningless unless there is more context, like, how many complaints of a specific issue on any vehicle has triggered an investigation that resulted in a recall? It could be that 745 is "really high" for a specific issue, or it could be that it's just background noise.. only the NHTSA could tell ya.
 

KnG818

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I was just pointing out that very few vehicle owners complain to the NHTSA vs vehicles sold, so, the small number of steering complaints registered there is kind of meaningless unless there is more context, like, how many complaints of a specific issue on any vehicle has triggered an investigation that resulted in a recall? It could be that 745 is "really high" for a specific issue, or it could be that it's just background noise.. only the NHTSA could tell ya.
Agree w you
 

HoundDude

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How are we measuring play?

1. From center wheel to left (or right) before steering starts

Or

2. Total dead zone from left to right (vice versa) where there is no steering?
the 2.75" I reported was measured using option #2 - total dead zone from left edge to right edge. agree that many folks are not very precise in the forums.
 

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Carlton

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the 2.75" I reported was measured using option #2 - total dead zone from left edge to right edge. agree that many folks are not very precise in the forums.
That is a lot of dead zone. I drove a 2018 JLUR when they first came out that was like that. Almost crashed pulled out of the dealership lot, no joke. Steering was super sketchy.

Using option 2, I have about an inch since I have about an inch on my 2020 JLUR. Not bad and drives well. When it was stock it was worse. Adjusting caster to 6.8°, adding a beefier track bar, and Fox ATS has it riding really well.
 
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FFCars

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Based on my theory of what was going on with the trackbar bushings, I replaced the trackbar with the Yeti Pro (polyurethane bushings). I was instantly satisfied. This was about 6-8 weeks ago now. Still very happy with it. Just the one change, the trackbar.

My sis-in-law had to fly out from back east due to her mother having a stroke this week. I was confident she could safely drive the jeep. Her husband drove it about a year ago, when we first bought it, for a week while they were visiting. He commented that the steering was "very squirrely". Today, Sis-in-law drove it about 80 miles in LA traffic, freeways, surface streets, etc.. She didn't think anything was wrong with the steering, and she owns a BMW X5. My wife has still been reluctant to drive it. I think it scared the shit out of her last year.

BTW, I put the tire pressure down to 30 psi long ago and it helped a little in how badly it darted around. It has been at 30 ever since. I live with the low pressure warning light
Thank you for the long reply. You give me hope. I’ve ordered a Yeti Pro track bar. And I have a Fox 2.0 steering shock to install.
 

vavaroutsos

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Exactly, so the question is what motivates somebody who doesn’t have a problem to come in here and make lurid claims?
Why are you quoting my post with these comments? If you would have read my post, you would have known I previously had a 2018 which had plenty of problems and I spent a lot of time investigating the cause of steering issues. So I'm not coming in here and just making claims, and @ViperJon, no I don't need to get my micrometer out to measure 1/4" unless I want to measure it with accuracy to 0.0001".
 
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FFCars

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I think you’re exaggerating the scale of the problem and in the absence of any data to prove your ‘tens of thousands’ claim that’s what I’ll continue to believe.

The internet and forums always magnify these issues as this is where folks come to complain and seek advice. The happy majority are silent.

As somebody who admits to not having these problems your participation in this thread is somewhat curious and serves to illustrate how the internet magnifies these issues.
This unscientific survey shows that a large percentage of owners have a lot of play in the steering. Unless people are dying, I would not expect people report crap like this to the government.
 

roaniecowpony

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Thank you for the long reply. You give me hope. I’ve ordered a Yeti Pro track bar. And I have a Fox 2.0 steering shock to install.
I would urge you to change only the trackbar first. Drive it for a few days and then change the damper.
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