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Loose steering feels like it has play and drifts

Markham

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I have a question.

The type of steering in the Jeep Wrangler is also the same type used in the new Ram 1500, correct? I know they are different monsters but the mechanics are pretty much the same.

I would expect a full size truck to have play in steering but not with an SUV (aka Wrangler)

I happen to also have a 19ā€™ Ram 1500 in the household and it steers great. Why can the Ram drive fine but the Wrangler is a mess. Please if I am missing something correct me.

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californiajeeping

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When my Jeep came in I gave it a good test drive over lots of potholes and never felt any wobble. It was a windy rainy day so I did not notice any wandering. A few days later I did. After reading on here I dropped the tire pressure to 32 and just thought maybe it was the new tires and me just not being used to the way a Jeep drives. After several 4+ hour trips and daily driving, I am now at 7000 miles. The steering is not perfect, but I have still never had any wobble, the wandering however is still there but I thought maybe it normal. My wife wanted to drive the Jeep yesterday (the first time since we have had it). She drove about 4 miles and said she did not like it, felt like it was all over the road. I took it to the dealer and they said everything was normal. I jacked it up today and checked the torque on the steering components. I also found out I have the AD tie rod and steering stabilizer. (I looked at the wrong part and still need to check the trackbar) All the bolts I checked seemed pretty much spot on. I did however read the wrong units for the tie rod so I had to back them off and retighten. I was only able to check one ball joint before the rain came and I had to stop.

After all that, I went for a drive. I don't know if anything is better or not. This is very frustrating.
What are the toe numbers on your JL?
 

jdhunt0

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Not sure on toe numbers. I think my next step is to go to an alignment shop and get a baseline then Iā€™ll lay with the toe and caster.

BTW, I was out of town and stopped at a dealer that sells quite a few Jeeps. They said they knew of the problem but there is no official fix from Jeep but they extra recall in 6 months or so. Of course they mentioned the problem with as the clock spring? Never heard that before.
 

HajPaj

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Iā€™m so glad someone posted this. My husband and I just got a Sahara yesterday and I noticed that the steering wheel was loose. It felt like I constantly had to steer while driving. That wasnā€™t enjoyable. I want to go to the dealer but Iā€™m afraid that theyā€™ll say itā€™s in my mind. Or thatā€™s the way a Jeep rides. Which I feel is absurd.
 

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T.T.T

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Iā€™m so glad someone posted this. My husband and I just got a Sahara yesterday and I noticed that the steering wheel was loose. It felt like I constantly had to steer while driving. That wasnā€™t enjoyable. I want to go to the dealer but Iā€™m afraid that theyā€™ll say itā€™s in my mind. Or thatā€™s the way a Jeep rides. Which I feel is absurd.
Ya check the tire pressure (36 cold) check tie rod,drag link, ball joints(need crows foot), and track bar(I havenā€™t checked that yet). Just tightening the tie rod and one side of the drag link made a noticeable difference. Itā€™s not the tightest steering, but it got rid of the constant minor adjustments.
 

Markham

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I have some good news for my Jeep, on the 4th visit to the dealership they finally agreed to go for a ride with me driving. I showed them what I felt was excessive play in the steering wheel. They then had me drive a different Jeep on the lot and it drove completely different. Much tighter, faster return to center. So they are acknowledging there is possibly something wrong, most likely the steering box. I also showed them how the tie rod seemed loose on the passenger side, I can move it with my hand and it clicks. Hopefully this time I will see some results.
 

Alpha Delta

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I have some good news for my Jeep, on the 4th visit to the dealership they finally agreed to go for a ride with me driving. I showed them what I felt was excessive play in the steering wheel. They then had me drive a different Jeep on the lot and it drove completely different. Much tighter, faster return to center. So they are acknowledging there is possibly something wrong, most likely the steering box. I also showed them how the tie rod seemed loose on the passenger side, I can move it with my hand and it clicks. Hopefully this time I will see some results.
I'm in Maine as well. Which dealer are you working with?
 

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Solidaxle

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Solidaxle

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I have a question.

The type of steering in the Jeep Wrangler is also the same type used in the new Ram 1500, correct? I know they are different monsters but the mechanics are pretty much the same.

I would expect a full size truck to have play in steering but not with an SUV (aka Wrangler)

I happen to also have a 19ā€™ Ram 1500 in the household and it steers great. Why can the Ram drive fine but the Wrangler is a mess. Please if I am missing something correct me.

5D924DAC-3AC9-4759-BB8B-1A117B0F6C52.gif
Incorrect
The 1500 Ram has a IFS front suspension with a arms and CV boots and shares nothing in common with the wrangler. Nothing
 

RagTopDeluxe

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Iā€™m so glad someone posted this. My husband and I just got a Sahara yesterday and I noticed that the steering wheel was loose. It felt like I constantly had to steer while driving. That wasnā€™t enjoyable. I want to go to the dealer but Iā€™m afraid that theyā€™ll say itā€™s in my mind. Or thatā€™s the way a Jeep rides. Which I feel is absurd.
In addition to the advice above, you can also ask the dealer to check the alignment. My toe was way off and they fixed it (but the numbers are not exactly what I want), which helped.

There are some star bulletins that you can take to the dealer and have them check your Jeep.

I'm having longer lower control arms put on Thursday to help give my Rubicon more caster. I'm going to have another alignment done to dial in the toe, too.

Good luck!
 

JeepCares

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Iā€™m so glad someone posted this. My husband and I just got a Sahara yesterday and I noticed that the steering wheel was loose. It felt like I constantly had to steer while driving. That wasnā€™t enjoyable. I want to go to the dealer but Iā€™m afraid that theyā€™ll say itā€™s in my mind. Or thatā€™s the way a Jeep rides. Which I feel is absurd.
Hi HajPaj,
Congrats on your new Wrangler! We'd like to help you get this resolved with the help of your dealer. Please send us a private message at your earliest convenience so we can gather some additional information from you.
Lydia
Jeep Social Care Specialist
 

Markham

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I got my Jeep back after dropping it off for the 4th(?) time. They replaced the steering box, and track bar, both with the updated part numbers. It is feeling about the same as when I dropped it off, and does not feel as tight as the one they had me test drive. The funny thing is on the one I test drove the front tire pressures were at 36 and the rears were at 41 according to the dash readout. Mine are 35 all the way around. Perhaps an alignment is needed.

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If I have time on my day off on Monday, I'm driving to another dealership to see if they will test drive it and go from there.
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