Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

[DDwranglerJL2]

My advice to everyone who is having a serious problem with the "wandering steering" issue (as I am), I urge you to file a formal complaint with NHTSA -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. I have done so for two reasons: I want to get my own situation resolved with my JL 2door via definitive action by Jeep corporate, and as a public service to all other JL owners who may be endangering themselves and other motorists with this serious safety hazard. There are a number of formal complaints already filed. Add yours to the list asap.

Here is the direct link to file a formal complaint:

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/

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[Mowery]

My wandering has been fixed with adjustable front lower control arms from rough country. I added about 3/4 of an inch in length over stock which put the caster at 6.3 degrees ( out of spec on high side and I don’t care about pinion angle, is rather be able to drive on highway without appearing drunk)

My Jeep now drives better than stock (I have a 2.5 spacer RC lift)

 

[cmcclintock]

Same here as Wutroad: Just got mine back from the dealer. As expected they didn't fthink anything wrong with the steering/steering box. I drove with tech and showed him on mine/he drove also.. then drove another one identical Rubi Unlimited from the lot- we both drove . Funny thing this one from the lot was way worse than mine with the constant left to right correction on steering . (Like mine was originally when purchased) ..Dealership chalked it up as that is how it is..I'm disappointed, but not surprised. ...

Since I purchased the Rubi I have added a Rubicon Express 2” lift, 37 inch BFG Muds, psi now at 32, had alignment, and now just tonight added the RC steering stabilizer and it is driving 90% better than stock off the lot when I purchased ..BIG DIFFERENCE! My caster setting is still a a little low after the lift but some adjustable lower control arms should get that to the upper range near 5.8 degrees which may help a little bit more..I also called FCA Jeep at gave my opinion on the dead spot/steering issues that are known on this forum. For those of you having steering issues don’t give up- great info on this forum- I would not count on the dealership to resolve( you may have to take the lead if it bother you and use the tips on this forum) some/ a few have reported their dealership had been helpful though. I have owned Jeeps in the past and the only one that had funky steering similar to what I initially encountered was a CJ7 back in the 80’s.

 

[JeepCares]

I have 1100 miles on my JLU Rubicon. It has a a dealer installed 2" mopar lift, 35" KO2's on Mopar 17" performance wheels. All work and alignment was done prior to delivery at dealer. I have owned 2 TJ's, 2 JK's, and a YJ with various lifts and tires, as well as a few trucks and cars. About 99% of my driving is city/suburban driving. I rarely am above 50 mph or on straight aways without stopping in traffic or at traffic lights. I've taken the Rubi on a couple trips to the shore and must say the steering is freaking horrendous. I get the wandering and the dead spot and floating feel when on long straight aways doing 50+ mph. It's a cause and effect because of the unresponsiveness of the steering, so you overcorrect causing you to go side to side in the lane. Thus making it almost impossible to keep it going straight and requiring you to drive with two hands on the wheel. My tires were at 44 psi. Aired them down to 38 psi. Did not help because the steering at higher speeds is just sloppy and unresponsive with a good 1 inch plus of play in the wheel. I also tried the Rough Country Steering stabilizer. It did nothing to help the wandering. It was actually worse then stock. In fact I got a lot more bounce on the tires when I hit a bump or hole in the road, so I put the stock steering stabilizer back on. It seems that it takes the computer a few seconds too long to receive the input from the steering wheel. I'm no engineer or mechanic and I'm not too smart (LOL) but I can tell you there is an issue with the software and steering box (gear). Like I said, I have had numerous Jeeps and trucks and I have been a Police Officer for over 20 years, so have a ton of driving experience and I have never had any vehicle with this steering issue. This is a serious safety issue especially at higher speeds on major highways, where you feel it and deal with it most. JEEP and FCA need to get there ass in gear and fix this issue ASAP before there is a fatality.

@JeepCares

If I can Internet forum blather for a moment I think part of the issue is that the vague and unresponsive steering has been sometimes been blamed on user perception. This is definitely not some "jeep thing" or a matter of personal preference.

I just rode in my father-in-laws lifted TJ, which rides like a half-melted marshmallow bouncing in a shoe box. I counted how many times he made steering adjustments on a long straightaway at highway speeds. Then we ran the same stretch in my JLU Sport, which is bone stock. I didn't tell him about the issue beforehand, only that I wanted him to compare the two Jeeps. Where he was able to drive his TJ with only minimal steering, watching his hands shifting around when driving the JLU was a little like watching someone with OCD and a tick. Left, left, right, left, right left right right. This is far from scientific but the result was clear. There's just no "cruising down the road" in the JLU.

Comparing my experience to others, I don't feel like loss of control is imminent. I'm not discounting those who feel steering is unsafe but I will say the highway speed drive requires a constant adjustment to the steering. I can see how people could say it doesn't feel safe. The level of input required can certainly take your mind off of the traffic around you.

Insane Jeep and FCA are not acknowledging this. I'm gonna take a highway test drive of my 2 door before accepting delivery.

Would dropping the tire PSI all the way to, say, 32 help this out without creating too much rolling resistance or increased tire wear? I hated how my old solid axle 4Runner drove when the PSI was anything above 32.

Hello everyone,
We regret to hear of these concerns and your dealer experiences as well. We would like the opportunity to look into this further for you. Please send our team a private message if you have not already. Please include "steering play" in your title of your message, along with your VIN, current mileage and details on your dealer visit if you have gone already in the body of the message.
Julie
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

[hubble]

I guess somebody is gonna have to have an accident and get hurt because of this before FCA will do anything. I find myself driving my truck more than my new jeep. I haven't been to the dealer yet, been working a lot. But I got that feeling their gonna say no problem found or it drives like a jeep.

 

[Jeepsforkeeps]

To add my two cents worth. I too have a JLUS that I special ordered so I wasn't able to test drive it. It is without a doubt the worse steering vehicle I have ever driven and I have had well over a hundred vehicles. It actually borders on being dangerous. It is really a shame because it's just about perfect in every other way. I have had 14 Jeeps starting with a CJ2A plus all four series of Wranglers, five Grand Cherokees, a Comando, and three XJ Cherokees, one of which we drove nearly 300,000 miles. It drove better with that many miles than this Wrangler does. There are folks claiming this steering problem is "normal", or it's just a Jeep thing, or it's first time Wrangler owners expecting too much, or it's tire pressure, or it's aligment or blah blah blah. Mine is exactly as everyone else on this and other forums have described. An inch and a half of slop at the steering wheel and requiring constant correction when driving is not normal. I have been to the dealer and of course I was given the runaround, even though a tech went on a ride with me and agreed there is a problem. It appears the steering box is the issue and a replacement is correcting the problem so I'm hoping mine gets to that point. I have messaged JeepCares and I'm waiting to hear back.

 

[DDwranglerJL2]

To add my two cents worth. I too have a JLUS that I special ordered so I wasn't able to test drive it. It is without a doubt the worse steering vehicle I have ever driven and I have had well over a hundred vehicles. It actually borders on being dangerous. It is really a shame because it's just about perfect in every other way. I have had 14 Jeeps starting with a CJ2A plus all four series of Wranglers, five Grand Cherokees, a Comando, and three XJ Cherokees, one of which we drove nearly 300,000 miles. It drove better with that many miles than this Wrangler does. There are folks claiming this steering problem is "normal", or it's just a Jeep thing, or it's first time Wrangler owners expecting too much, or it's tire pressure, or it's aligment or blah blah blah. Mine is exactly as everyone else on this and other forums have described. An inch and a half of slop at the steering wheel and requiring constant correction when driving is not normal. I have been to the dealer and of course I was given the runaround, even though a tech went on a ride with me and agreed there is a problem. It appears the steering box is the issue and a replacement is correcting the problem so I'm hoping mine gets to that point. I have messaged JeepCares and I'm waiting to hear back.

See my post in this thread from yesterday (post #437). You need to file a formal complaint with NTSHA (there’s a direct link in my post to do so). It only takes 5 mins. The more complaints filed, the faster Jeep will respond with a serious fix. Thanks.

 

[M1kefries]

Picked up my JLUR 6 speed a couple of weeks ago and am having this same issue. I test drove an Auto and then a stick back to back, both Rubicons. In reflection the Auto did not have this play. I dropped it off at the dealer today to have them check it out. They called me back a couple of hours later and said it was a bad tie rod, parts won’t be in till Wednesday, I’m skeptical as I don’t think a bad tie rod would cause these symptoms, but will report back after I get it back.

Ok so here is a video of what I am talking about. This was driving up 288 outside of Richmond, VA on a flat straight section with the cruise set at 65mph.

 

[Driggs]

Ok so here is a video of what I am talking about. This was driving up 288 outside of Richmond, VA on a flat straight section with the cruise set at 65mph.

This is exactly what mine does to. Mostly at high speeds.

 

[WutRoad]

That's it! Thanks for the vid!

 

[Man-of-methods]

Ok so here is a video of what I am talking about. This was driving up 288 outside of Richmond, VA on a flat straight section with the cruise set at 65mph.

I don't mean to sound insensitive, but how is what you're doing in the video a bad thing? Sorry, but that doesn't look unsafe or unmanageable at all. There was another member that took video of his steering wheel fighting back when he made a left turn, now THAT looked really bad. I just don't see what you guys are talking about in your steering issues. I hope you guys find a fix, if it negates one.

 

[Young04]

I don't mean to sound insensitive, but how is what you're doing in the video a bad thing? Sorry, but that doesn't look unsafe or unmanageable at all. There was another member that took video of his steering wheel fighting back when he made a left turn, now THAT looked really bad. I just don't see what you guys are talking about in your steering issues. I hope you guys find a fix, if it negates one.

That is not normal and it is a legitimate complaint. My Jeep doesn't do that. None of the vehicles I have ever driven do that on a straightaway.

 

[offrampclimber]

I have 1100 miles on my JLU Rubicon. It has a a dealer installed 2" mopar lift, 35" KO2's on Mopar 17" performance wheels. All work and alignment was done prior to delivery at dealer. I have owned 2 TJ's, 2 JK's, and a YJ with various lifts and tires, as well as a few trucks and cars. About 99% of my driving is city/suburban driving. I rarely am above 50 mph or on straight aways without stopping in traffic or at traffic lights. I've taken the Rubi on a couple trips to the shore and must say the steering is freaking horrendous. I get the wandering and the dead spot and floating feel when on long straight aways doing 50+ mph. It's a cause and effect because of the unresponsiveness of the steering, so you overcorrect causing you to go side to side in the lane. Thus making it almost impossible to keep it going straight and requiring you to drive with two hands on the wheel. My tires were at 44 psi. Aired them down to 38 psi. Did not help because the steering at higher speeds is just sloppy and unresponsive with a good 1 inch plus of play in the wheel. I also tried the Rough Country Steering stabilizer. It did nothing to help the wandering. It was actually worse then stock. In fact I got a lot more bounce on the tires when I hit a bump or hole in the road, so I put the stock steering stabilizer back on. It seems that it takes the computer a few seconds too long to receive the input from the steering wheel. I'm no engineer or mechanic and I'm not too smart (LOL) but I can tell you there is an issue with the software and steering box (gear). Like I said, I have had numerous Jeeps and trucks and I have been a Police Officer for over 20 years, so have a ton of driving experience and I have never had any vehicle with this steering issue. This is a serious safety issue especially at higher speeds on major highways, where you feel it and deal with it most. JEEP and FCA need to get there ass in gear and fix this issue ASAP before there is a fatality.

I agree with the bolded parts above. The Rough Country stabilizer just added more resistance to the feel of the steering, but amplified bumps and potholes, plus I felt it pulled to the right a little when braking. I put the stock stabilizer back on after a week of trial on the RC.

 

[Torero]

Ok so here is a video of what I am talking about. This was driving up 288 outside of Richmond, VA on a flat straight section with the cruise set at 65mph.

Mine was like that. Very frustrating. I don’t know how but mine corrected itself. And NO I did not get used to it. Now I can actually let go of the steering wheel and it stays straight as an arrow.

 

[M1kefries]

I don't mean to sound insensitive, but how is what you're doing in the video a bad thing? Sorry, but that doesn't look unsafe or unmanageable at all. There was another member that took video of his steering wheel fighting back when he made a left turn, now THAT looked really bad. I just don't see what you guys are talking about in your steering issues. I hope you guys find a fix, if it negates one.

I don't think it is unsafe just not as it should be. This is mild and on a straight flat highway. The previous 60 miles or so were on back country roads and you would need to magnify that motion by a factor of 10. If the steering was like that on the back roads I wouldn't have anything to complain about. I've owned a number of Jeeps from the 90's on up and none of them acted like this one. I'm not looking for BMW performance, but I also don't think I should be chasing the steering to stay in the lane.

My wife won't drive it as she does think it is unsafe as it stands. Of course that may not be a bad thing..... ;-)

I'm sure Jeep will get it right, maybe not as quickly as some of us might like.... Let's face it though this is a brand new model and it will take time. I'm due to pick it up later today after the dealer is replacing a Tie Rod. If that fixes the issue I'm a happy camper, if not I will persist until it is right.

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