Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

[Robojoe]

Do you guys think that maybe, just maybe, that this "play" in the steering is the new tires? The tires are really soft and could be the result of the swaying feel in the steering you are encountering. From what I'm seeing, it's mostly in the Rubicons, right? When we get new tires in our fleet of tractors, everyone at work feels the sway and floaty feel in the steering for about a week.

In the beginning I felt this floaty feel when I took delivery. I figured it was the tires because of my experience from work. It drives great now, no sway, no play, no drifting feel. Now my wife's JL Sport never had this problem. Her tires are not as meaty as mine. She has never complained about her steering. Ever

We've been on trips on my Rubi, once through a storm with lots of wind. Yeah, that was a little scary for her and a little intimidating for me because of the way the Jeep was all over the road. That was the very first trip and the Jeep only had around 600 miles at the time. Now I have about 2300 miles and I don't feel what I did in the beginning.

I'm not saying you guys don't have steering problems, but I am saying that the tires, especially new meaty ones, will make you feel floaty and drifty on the road. I'm not an expert, but I've logged around 4 million miles on the road....just from work.

I don't think its tires. I have a JLUR that came with the 33' KO2s. After about 1200 miles I put on used 35" KO2's with about 24k miles and experienced the same problem. So I feel it is not with the tires. I had mine in to the dealer after 300 miles and they told me it was tires. Now after changing tires and adding more miles (currently at 1800) its back at the dealer today after getting Jeep Cares involved. Stay tuned to see what they find. I have told them that a couple of jeeps from this thread have had steering boxes replaced and that it solved the problem.

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[JeepCares]

Went to the dealer yesterday. Met with the shop foreman and went over the excessive steering paly with him. He crawled under the Jeep to visually check the suspension. We went on a drive and as soon as we went over 30 mph the play was noticable. When we got out on the highway and the speed increased the play had become much more apparent and he was able to observe what I was describing.

They kept the car for the morning and he stated a tech would go over the all of the suspension and steering bolts to make sure everything is tight and check the alignment.

The foreman told me the ended up lowering the tire psi from 42 to 36 all around, did an alignment (correcting the front left toe) and checked the intermediate shaft to make sure there was no issue with the weld referenced in the recent recall of January build JLs. I was told no issue was found with the weld as mine was a May build. The foreman said this should fix the issue as there was nothing else found wrong with the car. He also told me I was the first person to complain of this issue.

After leaving I went on a 30 minute drive to see if the changes made a difference. The play is better at lower speeds but once you get over 45 mph the Jeep still requires constant corrections to keep it in the center of the lane to to the play still being a problem. My wife and I are still concerned about driving 3k miles like this but don't know what other option we have. We love the Jeep so much but are disappointed with the steering and are not looking forward to the 5 days of driving across the country in 2 weeks.

Thanks for following up. I understand your stance towards and your desire to reach a solution. I can't necessarily give any technical advice but, if you'd like to escalate your inquiry to a Case Specialist, I'd be happy to do so. I am available via direct message if this is of interest.

Jasmine
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

[WutRoad]

Mine hits the dealer Tuesday for the cc recall and to have the alignment inspected as a first step in getting this cleared up. My daughter has taken over my 2005 XTerra with 180k hard miles on it and her comment on first driving the jeep was 'I don't know how you drive this thing.' It's actually quite tiring as you can never relax the constant vigilance needed to keep the thing on track.

My description is that there is a dead spot in the steering where it feels like there is no relationship between the steering wheel and the vehicle. The jeep may go straight for a bit, it may go left, it may go right. So you turn the wheel a bit, and then a bit more, and finally it starts to respond. If the next turn it makes is back the same way, then it's easier because you've already got the wheel over there. If not, then it's a long way to catch it. There is no resting your arm on the door and driving with your wrist. I wouldn't call the turns severe, but if you aren't on top of them you won't be in your lane long.

Tires are at 36 psi cold all around. Stock Sport S with no suspension mods as yet. I've hit 1300 miles and hoped it would 'break in', but no such luck.

 

[GordonZoo]

I've tried to keep up with this issue and others that some of us have. I plan to take ownership next week when my blue Rubicon arrives. My question is... Has anyone driven one that drifts and also driven a same model that tracks normally or drives much better? Could you tell that yours had steering slop by a good/bad comparison? Just trying to rule out that they all drive this way or just some seriously have issues. I will be new to the wrangler club so I plan to test drive mine on the highway to understand if I also have an issue. I did test drive one on a secondary road at 45 mph and thought it tracked fine. That was before this thread had started.
Thanks in advance everyone

 

[LeoD]

I have posted in another thread about the steering issue, but I wanted to update you all as well. I picked up my new JLU Rubicon over a month ago and after limited driving (200 miles), it sits in the driveway.

The dealer tightened up the steering box, but that was not the fix. It is simply dangerous to drive at speed on the highway.

What exactly happens is when you try to make a small steering input, nothing happens. So you add a little more input and it over corrects leading you to try to correct in the other direction which makes it overcorrect in the other direction. Now you have to fight it to keep it in its lane, its like driving on a snow covered road.

So yesterday I asked the service manager to call his Jeep rep and this is his reply:

"Yes it is steering gear, steering chuck. There is no sense replacing with the same one they have that they are using on the assembly line. They need to have a updated one first, or we are not accomplishing anything at all. I am on it with the T/A for Chrysler.......waiting on his response. Chrysler is very aware of the concern now."

So Jeep is aware and swapping out the steering box seems like it's not the fix. I'm not real happy that they are not publicizing this to new JLU owner. I don't know what a steering chuck is, but evidently it needs to be updated.

Has anyone else had a similar reply from Jeep?

 

[hubble]

Found this after a quick google search................https://www.allpar.com/history/mopar/steering-chuck.html
Maybe we need a firm feel steering box.

 

[Kysport]

Like I have said before. FCA really needs to step up and come up with a fix. Hopefully sooner not later.

 

[hubble]

What exactly happens is when you try to make a small steering input, nothing happens. So you add a little more input and it over corrects leading you to try to correct in the other direction which makes it overcorrect in the other direction. Now you have to fight it to keep it in its lane, its like driving on a snow covered road.

This is exactly the way mine feels, and lord forbid you hit a bump in the road.......you don't know where your going..............

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

I have posted in another thread about the steering issue, but I wanted to update you all as well. I picked up my new JLU Rubicon over a month ago and after limited driving (200 miles), it sits in the driveway.

The dealer tightened up the steering box, but that was not the fix. It is simply dangerous to drive at speed on the highway.

What exactly happens is when you try to make a small steering input, nothing happens. So you add a little more input and it over corrects leading you to try to correct in the other direction which makes it overcorrect in the other direction. Now you have to fight it to keep it in its lane, its like driving on a snow covered road.

So yesterday I asked the service manager to call his Jeep rep and this is his reply:

"Yes it is steering gear, steering chuck. There is no sense replacing with the same one they have that they are using on the assembly line. They need to have a updated one first, or we are not accomplishing anything at all. I am on it with the T/A for Chrysler.......waiting on his response. Chrysler is very aware of the concern now."

So Jeep is aware and swapping out the steering box seems like it's not the fix. I'm not real happy that they are not publicizing this to new JLU owner. I don't know what a steering chuck is, but evidently it needs to be updated.

Has anyone else had a similar reply from Jeep?

Doesn't make sense, or everyone would have the problem... and I know every does not have the problem, because I do not.

 

[DDwranglerJL2]

As another new owner of a JL Sport S (2-door) with the "wandering steering" problem, I'm writing to put my experience on the record, and to pose a few questions. ODO is now at about 1700. My issue is like many other posters: Too much centered steering play at speeds above 40-50 mph especially on perfectly straight and smooth highways. Quite difficult to keep the vehicle on a reliable straight path; too much frequent steering input required to stay comfortably centered in my lane. As one recent poster mentioned, God forbid if I glance down to adjust the thermostat on the dash or change audio modes on Uconnect screen--then quickly look up to see the vehicle veering off the straight path! Yes -- I've had several white knuckle driving events in perfect driving conditions (sunny, dry, good road, no excessive speed) -- all due to the vague steering and constant need to correct and re-correct a straight-line steering path when driving above approximately 40-50 mph.
What I've done since delivery in early June: Dealer "checked" suspension, steering system, and alignment. Alignment was off a bit, and dealer corrected it. I've tried dropping tire pressure to approx 32-33 (cold), and it helped a bit, but certainly NOT a cure. Also had an independent (and well qualified) jeep shop install a new Rough Country steering stabilizer. I THINK this helped a bit, but it might also simply be placebo effect going on! Long story short -- I'm still seeking a solid solution.
My questions: Is there some magic word or phrase I have to use to get Jeep dealer to replace my steering box? Under what circumstances will they do so? Also, how do I get in touch with "Julie -- Jeep Social Care Specialist" who posts in this thread every now and then? How do I send her team a "private message"?
Bottom line: I spent a lot of money for this vehicle, and fully expect it to be able to safely take me down the highway without giving me a stress headache while trying to comfortably keep it between the lines. I appreciate any additional input anyone can offer.

 

[clymber]

Just adding my 2 cents. I went directly from driving a '97 TJ to a 2018 JLU Sahara, and can honestly say that compared to the JLU, my TJ handled like a Lamborghini. The JLU has a huge "dead spot" (3-4 inches of steering change needed before vehicle actually starts turning), and wanders all over the road.

My JLU was totaled last week, so I've got the opportunity to buy another one. At this point, I'm a bit "on the fence" as to whether I should hold out for a 2019 to see if they've improved the steering.

 

[TJ&JL]

I read somewhere that the factory test drives a sampling of jeeps of the assembly line. My question is why didn't they catch this issue long ago? My jeep was built December 4 and has this problem. I wonder how many factories are manufacturing the steering boxes? If they are produced in different factories this could be why some jeeps are not having this problem.

 

[TJ&JL]

Doesn't make sense, or everyone would have the problem... and I know every does not have the problem, because I do not.

The steering boxes may be made in several factories, explaining why some have problems and others do not.

 

[WutRoad]

The steering boxes may be made in several factories, explaining why some have problems and others do not.

Usually there are multiple machining stations as well, and different operators calibrate the machines back to spec at different deviations. So there are a lot of opportunities for some to be good and some to be bad. If I recall right mine was built in April. But driving down the interstate on a windless day with no other cars around and having the steering wheel turned left of center in a right hand turn to stay off the shoulder.... there is a problem. I look forward to a solution because I love this thing!

A touch of levity: Was headed to Home Depot this morning with the wife and I missed the turn. She gives me a 'Are we still going to Home Depot?'
'Sorry honey, didn't see it. I was locked into staying in my lane.'

 

[RABUF]

My May built 2 door Rubi has the same play others have talked about. Wanders all over at speeds above 20-25. Never had this problem with last 5 Wranglers. Tire pressure at 37. Noticed that it “corrected” after some low speed turns on gravel road but returned when back on hard pan after a mile or two. Will evaluate for about 500 miles to see if it is do to break in. If not, to the dealership for fix.

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