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is the death wobble still a thing in the JL or is it too soon to tell?

spiritrider1

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Here you go bud! There’s a few upgrades that are more essential when using spacers for the lift,
Steer-smart seering upgrade (fix death wobble)

(Tiebar, drag link flip kit, trackbar)

YETI XD™ JL/JLU Track Bar Relocation

Bracket


YETI XD™ JL/JLU Adjustable Front Track Bar


YETI XD™ Jeep Wrangler Tie Rod Assembly

JL/JLU (2018+)

Standard


Yeti XD Jeep Wrangler JL/JLU Draglinks

No-drill Top Mount (this might be different depending on your suspension setup)


Otherwise i would drag your dealer through the shit storm, threaten action from FCAU if they don’t comply with your request. I’ve found many Jeep dealers just need a strong nudge to get them in the right direction, denying any problems is a car dealerships bread and butter, go in confident that there is a problem and tell them your not leaving until it’s fixed, eventually either they’ll fix it or you’ll wear em down to the point that they’ll fix it.

On a side note, If they give you any shit over aftermarket parts, I’d pull up some of the anti-lemon law docs/etc you signed when you purchased and threaten legal action if they refuse service, AFTERMARKET PARTS DO NOT VOID WARRENTY and that’s been proven by court cases in many states! Good luck!
Thanks for the help. I've been eying some of those very parts based on recommendation from another forum member. But right now my budget is tapped with all that I've already done. It's under control for the moment but will probably go for the drag link and ball joint upgrade next.
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JMyatt

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No answers. And sadly the Jeep wasn’t even modified.
Same here, started almost immediately. First 700 miles. Have 3000 miles on my 2018 JL Sport S Unlimited now. It’s had 3 steering stabilizers replaced. Hasn’t resolved the issue. Stabilizers never will resolve the issue. Moving into lemon law territory. Back to the dealer tomorrow.
 

SaharaSting

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What about the 2019's. Have they fixed all the issues that the 2018's have?
 

ODDs

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And is anyone with the Selec trac experiencing the death wobble issue?
 

KDB

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What about the 2019's. Have they fixed all the issues that the 2018's have?
I would think that the 2018 JL's that have these "issues" are the minority and not the majority as your statement implies. I'm sure there are some '18's with issues as evident by some on this forum but I do not think that all JL's from model year 2018 have issues. Could it be that most of these with issues were from early on in production?

I'm saying this as my 2 door JLR was made in June of '18 (production of 2 doors didn't start until 09 April 2018) and I took delivery 06 July '18. As of today I have ~12,000 miles with no frame rust issues, no wandering issue and no death wobble issue.

Note that I had death wobble on my 2009 2 door JK and ended up installing the Northridge bolt kit. Replaced all front suspension bolts and torqued to spec to cure it so I know what death wobble is. In addition one thing I really appreciate in the JL over my JK is the tracking down the road. My JK tended to drift everywhere and was always a "battle" to keep it straight, especially on windy days. With my JLR I can normally steer with one hand/finger regardless of speed or wind. Night and day difference on the positive side in regards to tracking and wondering.

Again, I'm not saying there are not some JL's with these issues and I feel bad for all that do have anything wrong with their '18's, just saying that i think the overwhelming majority of all '18 JL's do not have any of these issues is all.
 

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SaharaSting

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I would think that the 2018 JL's that have these "issues" are the minority and not the majority as your statement implies. I'm sure there are some '18's with issues as evident by some on this forum but I do not think that all JL's from model year 2018 have issues. Could it be that most of these with issues were from early on in production?

I'm saying this as my 2 door JLR was made in June of '18 (production of 2 doors didn't start until 09 April 2018) and I took delivery 06 July '18. As of today I have ~12,000 miles with no frame rust issues, no wandering issue and no death wobble issue.

Note that I had death wobble on my 2009 2 door JK and ended up installing the Northridge bolt kit. Replaced all front suspension bolts and torqued to spec to cure it so I know what death wobble is. In addition one thing I really appreciate in the JL over my JK is the tracking down the road. My JK tended to drift everywhere and was always a "battle" to keep it straight, especially on windy days. With my JLR I can normally steer with one hand/finger regardless of speed or wind. Night and day difference on the positive side in regards to tracking and wondering.

Again, I'm not saying there are not some JL's with these issues and I feel bad for all that do have anything wrong with their '18's, just saying that i think the overwhelming majority of all '18 JL's do not have any of these issues is all.
I picked up my 2018 JL in July 2018. It was a special order and have had 4 new dampners put on. The last was the heavy duty Fox steering dampner and seems to be ok at the moment. Besides this issue, there have been several other problems. So, seems ours are about the same manufacturer time length.
 

Brooklynjlu2018

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I have a 2018 sahara always wandering since day 1 also three back windows due to rear defroster braking off. Still not fixed three weeks ago i had the mopar lift installed after that i feel every piece of sand on the road. I swapped out the updated mopar front spring perchs because after 1 week theyhad caused a shiny spot on the coils from rubbing i used rock krawler perchs best 30$ u can spend. I ordered the rancho hd track bars front and rear. Definitely tightened up the steering a bit still wobbles unless u are on a straight no bump road i live in the northeast so that doesn’t exist i have an appointment at the dealer tomorrow Also an fyi the dealer put a new stabilizer with the AD code in when he did my lift so thats not it either. I called rock krawler yesterday and spoke to the guy i got my perchs from and inquired about adjustable lca’s and he told me i should A: check the ball joints cause most are in there finger tight and B: a new drag link. He doesnt sell the drag link he could have easily sold me lca’s instead he told me to change a part they didn’t great bunch over there. Im gonna see what the dealer says tomorrow
 

WXman

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It's hilarious that FCA is putting steering dampeners on at their cost to fix a problem that has nothing to do with the steering dampener. That's like putting a Band-Aid on a gunshot wound.

Not all 2018s have the issue. In fact, a huge majority of them don't. They're selling almost 20,000 Wranglers per month. If it were a common issue, it would be all over the news. Mine is a very early build '18 with a 2.5" lift and 35" muds and it's rock solid on even the harshest expansion joints and RR tracks.

Also, as long as Jeep continues to use the solid axle in the front, there will ALWAYS be the possibility of death wobble. It's just the nature of the design. It happens on other brands of trucks too.
 
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szobell

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Put on a Falcon Nexus 2 stabilizer months ago. Have not had DW since then. Could still feel like it was going to try to DW, but it held solid.

Dealer last week replaced with new part track bar and stiffer bushings and it is a very positive difference. I think Jeep might have solved it.

Solid steering, no hint of trying to wobble.
 

otter3591

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Bone stock JK -> 1st death wobble was at 40,000 miles. Had it twice more. I believe the people who suspect steering stabilizer bar and it’s bolts loosening.
My 2019 Wrangler with 10,000 mile death wobbled yesterday, glad I had heard if it and kind of knew what to do. I was traveling 68 mph in cruise when I hit a good bump on the highway. This is stock and not lifted.
 

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Leafs3

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I got mine back from the dealer yesterday for the second replacement of the steering stabilizer, this time they used the Fox brand at FCA expense.
Follow up from months ago. I had my '18 JLU Saraha into the dealer 4 times, starting at 2000 miles. 3 bad factory steering dampers. They put the Fox one on at 13,000 miles, and I haven't had a problem since. They also gave me $1400 (4 payments) for my troubles.

I got my '18 in July of last year and have 19,000 miles on it already. Gonna need new tires in about 6-7k. Going to do 2" suspension lift and put on some 35's. Also, pros and cons of 17, or 20" wheels?

Any suggestions?
 

spiritrider1

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Kinda ticked that FCA is throwing parts and money at this now and back when I was crying a river (see my previous posts) they wanted to charge me $500 for a Fox shock and threaten to cancel my warranty because of the 2.5" lift I installed. I declined and got the Falcon Nexus 2.2 adjustable. It's been great ever since but as we all know, it's a band-aid. My Auto Stop-Start stopped working again... Both batteries were replaced just a few months ago for the same reason. I don't think the small battery is up to the task. My 2018 F-150 only has one battery and its been working great for the 8 months I've had it. Speaking of Ford, I wonder if I could shoehorn the 2.7 Ecoboost into the JL... That little V6 runs SWEET and gets 22-23 mpg.
 

otter3591

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Kinda ticked that FCA is throwing parts and money at this now and back when I was crying a river (see my previous posts) they wanted to charge me $500 for a Fox shock and threaten to cancel my warranty because of the 2.5" lift I installed. I declined and got the Falcon Nexus 2.2 adjustable. It's been great ever since but as we all know, it's a band-aid. My Auto Stop-Start stopped working again... Both batteries were replaced just a few months ago for the same reason. I don't think the small battery is up to the task. My 2018 F-150 only has one battery and its been working great for the 8 months I've had it. Speaking of Ford, I wonder if I could shoehorn the 2.7 Ecoboost into the JL... That little V6 runs SWEET and gets 22-23 mpg.
My Auto Stop Start button is giving me fits as well, they cannot find the problem, how did they fix yours or is it fixed yet?
On the wobble discussion, just a little over 10,000 miles my 2019 Wrangler Sport S death wobbled, they replaced the steering damper with the newest AE version, so far so good...... We'll see.
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