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Loose Steering is NORMAL for the JL

ArchAngel

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It needs to be said, although I can already feel the conflict that my comments will generate. So be it.

I’ll try to be brief as possible.

If you feel your Jeep is not safe to drive or has some other issue than loose steering, this doesn’t apply to you. Get your Jeep into service.

Now about that loose steering...

Tight steering on a Jeep means certain death. Hit a bump at high speed and watch what happens to the steering wheel with those live axels. Loose is good.

For off-road, you need power to turn the wheels on obstacles and more precise control to not fall off a cliff. Loose is good.

This is why Jeep designed the gearing ratios in the box to be loose.

Now for the wandering...

All cars wander do to road crown and imperfections and wind. You might notice it much more in a Jeep since bigger steering corrections are needed because the steering is loose. Also WIND (The Jeep is an aerodynamic train wreck.). Watch any driver in any car and you will see them making constant corrections, just smaller. This is normal.

Maybe you don’t agree. That’s fine, but my family has owned four JLs so far (2018 and 2019), and I’ve driven many more. They are all the same with loose steering.

Enough of this. Unless you have some other issue beyond “loose steering,” go drive your Jeep. Enjoy the loose steering! It will keep you awake and having fun while the rest of the regular car drivers are half asleep.
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UDUBJL

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It needs to be said, although I can already feel the conflict that my comments will generate. So be it.

I’ll try to be brief as possible.

If you feel your Jeep is not safe to drive or has some other issue than loose steering, this doesn’t apply to you. Get your Jeep into service.

Now about that loose steering...

Tight steering on a Jeep means certain death. Hit a bump at high speed and watch what happens to the steering wheel with those live axels. Loose is good.

For off-road, you need power to turn the wheels on obstacles and more precise control to not fall off a cliff. Loose is good.

This is why Jeep designed the gearing ratios in the box to be loose.

Now for the wandering...

All cars wander do to road crown and imperfections and wind. You might notice it much more in a Jeep since bigger steering corrections are needed because the steering is loose. Also WIND (The Jeep is an aerodynamic train wreck.). Watch any driver in any car and you will see them making constant corrections, just smaller. This is normal.

Maybe you don’t agree. That’s fine, but my family has owned four JLs so far (2018 and 2019), and I’ve driven many more. They are all the same with loose steering.

Enough of this. Unless you have some other issue beyond “loose steering,” go drive your Jeep. Enjoy the loose steering! It will keep you awake and having fun while the rest of the regular car drivers are half asleep.
I test two different JL's before buying mine. NO LOOSE STEERING! The one I bought (which wasn't one that I test drove) has loose steering. I had two JK's no loose steering. Congrats to you that you had ones with no issues. But all of these people that comment that it is normal obviously have no right to tell the people that do have issues that they need to just run it. SHUT UP!
 

bbott

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I test two different JL's before buying mine. NO LOOSE STEERING! The one I bought (which wasn't one that I test drove) has loose steering. I had two JK's no loose steering. Congrats to you that you had ones with no issues. But all of these people that comment that it is normal obviously have no right to tell the people that do have issues that they need to just run it. SHUT UP!
Exactly. I’ve been to the dealer 6 times. Still no fix. Drove a 2019 and the steering was much better. Yet I see people on here and this post say it’s normal, stop complaining, you bought a Jeep not a Porsche. Give me a break. There is a steering problem and Jeep needs to finally address it.
 

Kidder212

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I am really sorry to hear people who have steering problems with their Jeep.i have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in solid axle vehicles I have owned them in all brands. My Jeep drives exactly the same as every solid axle vehicle I have owned. At higher speeds when a bump is impacted you get bump steer. It all has to do with the depth the length of the bump, speed, wheel base of the vehicles, crown of the road and if the vehicle in in a turn. My point is all this is hard to reproduce. This has been a common with solid axles. The vehicles sometimes feel like the will change lanes, or skid/ skip off the road. This is very normal and there is no fix for it. I often wonder if people think this is the “death wobble” it is not.
 

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UDUBJL

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I am really sorry to hear people who have steering problems with their Jeep.i have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in solid axle vehicles I have owned them in all brands. My Jeep drives exactly the same as every solid axle vehicle I have owned. At higher speeds when a bump is impacted you get bump steer. It all has to do with the depth the length of the bump, speed, wheel base of the vehicles, crown of the road and if the vehicle in in a turn. My point is all this is hard to reproduce. This has been a common with solid axles. The vehicles sometimes feel like the will change lanes, or skid/ skip off the road. This is very normal and there is no fix for it. I often wonder if people think this is the “death wobble” it is not.
The thing is I have owned a JK and also test drove two other JL's before getting the one I have. None of them drove like this.
 

Bearded_Dragon

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I've driven multiple solid axle vehicles with great steering off-road, I never went off a cliff nor did the steering need any, "looseness" for extra power or precision. On-road I was never thrown into another lane anymore than a car when hitting a bump.

Jeep has fucked up the steering on JLs and saying steering is supposed to be loose is a bullshit band-aid just like, "it's a Jeep thing."
 

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Lou Bunn

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I don't know if this has been addressed, sorry if I missed it. But, does the model make a difference? When we bought our JL Sport S, it drove fine but we did a road test in a Sahara to see if we would be happier with a hard top. We didn't pick the Sahara, the dealer just had it gassed and ready for test drives and it had the hard top. It definitely drove different and my wife hated it, said the steering was just wrong - whatever that means. I see a lot of posts where people say my 50K or higher Jeep shouldn't drive like this, so I was assuming they had Sahara or Rubicons. I know the Sahara has 18" wheels and the Rubicon has a different set altogether. We did air ours down from the mid 40's to about 35 psi and it drives even better.
 
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OP

ArchAngel

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Everybody calm down. I’m not suggesting there aren’t JLs with issues, but I’ve never driven a JL with tight steering. Perhaps if you think you have a problem, consider if it’s something that’s changed or if it’s been there since you bought it. If the latter, why did you buy something you didn’t like? If it didn’t drive like your JK or other models you test drove, why did you go through with the purchase?

Again, I’m not telling you your Jeep doesn’t have an issue (it may), I’m telling you to expect the JL’s steering to be loose.
 

Kidder212

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I have said this in another thread and found myself in a shit shower. Tires with a heavier lug pattern tend to want to squirm on the road. My Jeep was all over the road for the first 4-5000 miles then the steering improved. I am not saying this the the end all/fix all for steering problems, I am saying give some break-in time then reassess
 

Arrowhead

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Everybody calm down. I’m not suggesting there aren’t JLs with issues, but I’ve never driven a JL with tight steering. Perhaps if you think you have a problem, consider if it’s something that’s changed or if it’s been there since you bought it. If the latter, why did you buy something you didn’t like? If it didn’t drive like your JK or other models you test drove, why did you go through with the purchase?

Again, I’m not telling you your Jeep doesn’t have an issue (it may), I’m telling you to expect the JL’s steering to be loose.
I test drove mine before purchasing and it drove just fine and as expected - drove it 50 miles on the highway home from the dealer. Didn't notice any issues for a while and then the wandering got noticeable. After about 5000 miles my drag link was shot and I can see excessive movement on the track bar ends. Stabilizer is shot also. My daughter has a '15 JK and swap back and forth commuting together. It's like night and day driving hers. Yea, it;'s not tight light some people might want, but quite acceptable and she has taken it on many road trips with no complaints.

So not sure what your getting at but don't try to tell me it's in my head. Even FCA has used up half the alphabet for updated parts numbers.

The ironic part is all the people that have newer JL's that have the upgraded parts read older posts an think early adopters that had issues are making it up.
 

Chocolate Thunder

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This is my first Jeep. It’s the first vehicle I’ve owned with solid axles. My steering is NOT loose. I don’t have excessive bump steer at any speed that I’ve noticed in 8000 miles. Should I be worried since loose steering is safer in a Jeep? Should I take it in to the dealership and have parts replaced to make the steering less responsive? I don’t have a dead spot. I don’t have to constantly correct it from wandering at highway speeds. Is something wrong with my Jeep???
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