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JL Steering Box Adjustment

Jeepsterfreak

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I have the exact problem with my brand new JL Wrangler I bought today. The drive home was so frustrating. I'm completely worn out. If it weren't a Saturday, I would have gone back. We were tired and hungry and just wanted to go home. The dealer I bought it from is an hour and a half away. I'm almost certain that my local dealer's service will give me a hard time since I didn't end up buying a Wrangler there.

What's weird too is my brand new Jeep had over 200 miles on it. I think it was returned. Does anyone have carfax?

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There is another thread about a ball joint nut being loose causing a clicking noise when turning. In addition to an out of spec steering box, maybe loose ball joints could also be causing wandering?

The dealer certainly can not sell you a used vehicle as new, at least not legally.
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JeepCares

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I have the exact problem with my brand new JL Wrangler I bought today. The drive home was so frustrating. I'm completely worn out.
Hello Gibby,

I understand this is frustrating. Send me a direct message if you end up going into the dealer. I can get a Case Specialist on this who'll work with you and the dealer during inspection. It'll also allow us to formally document this.

Jasmine
Jeep Social Care Specialist
 

smuddy

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Hello Gibby,

I understand this is frustrating. Send me a direct message if you end up going into the dealer. I can get a Case Specialist on this who'll work with you and the dealer during inspection. It'll also allow us to formally document this.

Jasmine
Jeep Social Care Specialist
@JeepCares , I'm still waiting on a response from you guys from 6 days ago!
 

hubble

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Picked up my new Rubicon this weekend and right off noticed it drifted all over the road. Stopped and let 9 or 10 psi out of the tires (they were at 45), now at 36 psi. Made a big difference and it drives a lot better. But it still wants to drift around a little and the steering feels sloppy and vague. I really have to keep both hands on the wheel to feel comfortable. I really want to get the steering feel fixed because this jeep is awesome and I love being in it and driving it. :)
 

Gibby

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There is another thread about a ball joint nut being loose causing a clicking noise when turning. In addition to an out of spec steering box, maybe loose ball joints could also be causing wandering?

The dealer certainly can not sell you a used vehicle as new, at least not legally.
Okay, I now see that my Wrangler was a dealer trade and someone drove it 200 miles. They had to have a heck of a time driving it with the steering the way it is.
 

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JeepCares

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Picked up my new Rubicon this weekend and right off noticed it drifted all over the road. Stopped and let 9 or 10 psi out of the tires (they were at 45), now at 36 psi. Made a big difference and it drives a lot better. But it still wants to drift around a little and the steering feels sloppy and vague. I really have to keep both hands on the wheel to feel comfortable. I really want to get the steering feel fixed because this jeep is awesome and I love being in it and driving it. :)
Hi hubble,
If you do visit the dealer to have this looked into further, let us know! Just send out team a private message with additional details and we would be more than happy to offer our assistance.
Julie
Jeep Social Care Specialist
 
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jeremyjeep

jeremyjeep

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FYI: Today, I had my dealership make the adjustment on the steering box while they were doing the cruise control recall and now the sloppy steering / drift is gone! Yes! So many people on this forum said "it is a Jeep thing", I'm so glad I found the research versus assuming what people were saying here was right.
 

Masala

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I just got my JLU Sahara a little over 2 weeks ago, and I noticed the "wander" on the test drive (different, less-optioned car than the one I bought) and again on the drive home in my new Sahara. At the time, I chalked it up to the difference in power steering input between Lexus (my trade-in) and Jeep. However, after reading this thread, I now feel like I *wasn't* just being delusional, and I should have my dealer take a look at it.

For those who have had their OEM steering box adjusted, are there any additional specifics you can list which I could relay to my dealer (to, in turn, relay to the actual service tech working on it) to get right down to the business of what worked and what didn't?

Thanks in advance!
 

Dc1203

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Hi LeoD,
If you find you need any additional assistance while you are working with your dealer on this, we would be more than happy to help. Send us a private message with additional details.
Julie
Jeep Social Care Specialist
Iā€™m having this same steering problem (steering wheel locking while at a high speed) with my new 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JL and have been trying to work with Jeep, but to no avail. Basically Iā€™m being told to pick up and hope for the best. My family was almost killed in this thing and I wonā€™t be picking it up until someone addresses this. Especially because thereā€™s been a large number of people reporting this same issue and itā€™s been resolved:

Iā€™ve been making payments on a new vehicle thatā€™s been in the shop for 2 weeks, with no end in sight. Not sure how a corporation can live with this liability and knowingly allow this problem back on the street endangering public safety.

Iā€™ve waited 10 years to get back into a Jeep, after having my child and driving a family car and am extremely disappointed with the way Iā€™m being treated. Definitely a huge disappointment to say the least!
 
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Holymoly1963

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Hey Jeep, what is the purpose of the steering box adjustment anyway? It seems like 99% of dealers don't know either.
 

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Jo's Jeep

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Same problem, excessive play and wandering. Did your dealer try to adjust the steering box first before ordering a new one? I've seen the videos for how to adjust it on a JK. If I can just find out where it is on a JL, I could make the same adjustment. If the adjustment doesn't have the desired result, I can adjust it back to the original position.

Skip to 9:50 and you're welcome.
 

Kevman

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Maybe this is a dumb question, but why did Jeep decide to go with partial hydraulic versus full electric steering? Almost no modern car uses hydraulic anymore.
 

vavaroutsos

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Maybe this is a dumb question, but why did Jeep decide to go with partial hydraulic versus full electric steering? Almost no modern car uses hydraulic anymore.
Maybe so hydro assist rams could easily be added when people go to 37" and larger tires.
 

Rubitex18

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Hereā€™s the latest video up from Jeep Informant on steering.

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