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JL shaking on freeway

Mike_1

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I was driving on the freeway yesterday traveling at about 70-75 MPH and I drove over a mild hump or transition (smooth road to not so smooth road and back to smooth again) and as soon as that happened, the Jeep started shaking uncontrollably and it felt like the wheels were about to literally fly off. I slowed down quite a bit and didn’t exceed 65 MPH the rest of the way and didn’t experience it again.

Any ideas as to what could be causing this? My first guess was alignment but I’ve never experienced shaking that was this severe.
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jhackathorne

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I was driving on the freeway yesterday traveling at about 70-75 MPH and I drove over a mild hump or transition (smooth road to not so smooth road and back to smooth again) and as soon as that happened, the Jeep started shaking uncontrollably and it felt like the wheels were about to literally fly off. I slowed down quite a bit and didn’t exceed 65 MPH the rest of the way and didn’t experience it again.

Any ideas as to what could be causing this? My first guess was alignment but I’ve never experienced shaking that was this severe.
Need to check everything in your steering. Something is loose most likely. Track bar, sway, bar, drag link, tie rod, etc.
 

Ang1Sgt

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Scares the heck out of you the first time to be sure. As others have said, there is a list of things to go through as well as you can. You have a 2018 so depending on miles it may really be time to go through it at almost 5 years old.
 
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Mike_1

Mike_1

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Scares the heck out of you the first time to be sure. As others have said, there is a list of things to go through as well as you can. You have a 2018 so depending on miles it may really be time to go through it at almost 5 years old.
It’s a 2020 so not quite there. But yeah it was pretty scary for sure.
 

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Old Dogger

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First check to see if your front track bar bolts are loose. This is the number one cause of Death Wobble. Also look at your steering gear box. If it is aluminum, which your 2020 should have, then you need to get it replaced with the black in color cast iron steering box. And last but not least, have your alignment checked. More positive Caster will also help to eliminate this. 6 degrees is a good number to shoot for. Your alignment shop will probably have to install lower adjustable control arms to achieve that caster number.
 

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tk1700

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What others have said plus check the tires. I bought a 2007 JK a few years ago. On the way home I hit a bump on the interstate and had the same reaction as you. I checked all the common culprits and everything was fine. The tires were worn and when I bought it I knew they would need replacement soon. I was hesitant to replace them before figuring out the death wobble, but I went ahead and got new Duratracs. Death wobble gone!
 

Morrepe

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I’m taking it in to get everything checked.
Out of curiosity, is your Jeep suspension stock or modified? I've owned four Jeeps (three stock, one lifted with 35s) that I've driven hard on the highway and never experienced this. What others have said is spot on. The only other thing I would add is that if it goes untreated for a while, the bushings and fittings can start to wallow out meaning that torqueing them will no longer solve the problem and you'll have to start replacing stuff. A good shop will know to check for that.
 

Twist

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So many things can cause this but its almost always wear and tear. Lots of things that need to be checked off the list. Including:
  • worn control arm bushings (uppers / lowers / axle side / frame side)
  • Worn knuckles
  • bent wheels
  • tie rod play
  • track bar play
  • Steering stabilizer
  • Sway bar linkages
  • Out of balance tires
  • Pitman arm


Jeep Wrangler JL JL shaking on freeway 1663336179348
 
 



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