Wobble issue- Dealer replaced Steering Stabilizer

[mikecfromohio]

Hello all- very interested in hearing feedback.

2dr Jl Sport S, about 2500 miles hit a bump and felt some wobble- not quite death wobble but wobble. Brought to dealer and after 2 days they said nothing wrong. Picked it up and then a few weeks later at 3200 miles hit a bump and a bigger wobble- again not quite death but a stronger wobble. Did not stop until I slowed down to about 20 mph. Back to the dealer and they tell me the steering stabilizer is bad, new one is back ordered, might be a while. Finally 3 weeks later, dealer calls and tells me FCA still does not have the part, authorizes an after market part. They put on a Falcon Nexus EF 2.1. No complaints- a definite upgrade. Driving the past 48 hours and there is better handling, firmer steering, a little less drift. It's not an SUV, never gonna drive like one and I am just fine with that- I knew I bought a Wrangler, but I do like the improvement. I conversed with the dealer stating that everything I read points to a wobble issue NOT being the stabilizer. Tells me a that it would not be the issue on an older model that experienced wobble but the new ones this early it is. FCA agrees that's why they are replacing for JL's that have experienced wobble. Only 5 months into ownership with plenty of warranty left if it happens again. Would be great to hear your thoughts. BTW- all stock, no lift.

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[ChrispyJL]

My JLU got wobble @ 3500 miles, took it to dealer, they did a TSB recalibration and torqued some things I asked them to torque to spec.

All was well and good until last night, took my wife on a date night, coming home it shook bad, she was screaming omg were going to die.

Needless to say I am not allowed to have my kids in the JL until it gets fixed.
So back to the dealer she goes, I will tell them about SS.

DW on older jeeps was never the SS, my Cherokee didn't even have one

I am sorry, but I refuse to accept the steering stabilizer as a cause of DW, even on the JL

 

[LadynKy]

Hello all- very interested in hearing feedback.

2dr Jl Sport S, about 2500 miles hit a bump and felt some wobble- not quite death wobble but wobble. Brought to dealer and after 2 days they said nothing wrong. Picked it up and then a few weeks later at 3200 miles hit a bump and a bigger wobble- again not quite death but a stronger wobble. Did not stop until I slowed down to about 20 mph. Back to the dealer and they tell me the steering stabilizer is bad, new one is back ordered, might be a while. Finally 3 weeks later, dealer calls and tells me FCA still does not have the part, authorizes an after market part. They put on a Falcon Nexus EF 2.1. No complaints- a definite upgrade. Driving the past 48 hours and there is better handling, firmer steering, a little less drift. It's not an SUV, never gonna drive like one and I am just fine with that- I knew I bought a Wrangler, but I do like the improvement. I conversed with the dealer stating that everything I read points to a wobble issue NOT being the stabilizer. Tells me a that it would not be the issue on an older model that experienced wobble but the new ones this early it is. FCA agrees that's why they are replacing for JL's that have experienced wobble. Only 5 months into ownership with plenty of warranty left if it happens again. Would be great to hear your thoughts. BTW- all stock, no lift.

I have been waiting now for a month. I was just told that a dampener was ordered to fix my wobble. I hope it works but my wobble was super aggressive so I guess we will see. Glad you are back up and running.

 

[JeepCares]

My JLU got wobble @ 3500 miles, took it to dealer, they did a TSB recalibration and torqued some things I asked them to torque to spec.

All was well and good until last night, took my wife on a date night, coming home it shook bad, she was screaming omg were going to die.

Needless to say I am not allowed to have my kids in the JL until it gets fixed.
So back to the dealer she goes, I will tell them about SS.

DW on older jeeps was never the SS, my Cherokee didn't even have one

I am sorry, but I refuse to accept the steering stabilizer as a cause of DW, even on the JL

Hey ChrispyJL,

We're sorry about your experience! There is a STAR case that references a wobble/shimmy when passing over a bump at certain speeds, and that the remedy is a replacement steering damper. However, your dealer will need to inspect and diagnose your vehicle to see if this applies. If you need any assistance working with your dealership regarding your concerns, please PM us any time.

Jennifer
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

[fzdan4256]

I got another opinion from a local shop. The tech called me and said the steering gear box is bad. Said it flex's and moves like crazy when turning the wheel. Going to look at it in the morning. Still at the shop. Just FYI

 

[JeepCares]

I got another opinion from a local shop. The tech called me and said the steering gear box is bad. Said it flex's and moves like crazy when turning the wheel. Going to look at it in the morning. Still at the shop. Just FYI

Hi fzdan4256,
We are glad that you are having your dealer look into this concern. Please send us a private message if you would like any additional assistance while your Jeep is at your dealer. We're happy to help!
Lydia
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

[mgroeger]

My JLU got wobble @ 3500 miles, took it to dealer, they did a TSB recalibration and torqued some things I asked them to torque to spec.

All was well and good until last night, took my wife on a date night, coming home it shook bad, she was screaming omg were going to die.

Needless to say I am not allowed to have my kids in the JL until it gets fixed.
So back to the dealer she goes, I will tell them about SS.

DW on older jeeps was never the SS, my Cherokee didn't even have one

I am sorry, but I refuse to accept the steering stabilizer as a cause of DW, even on the JL

From personal experience DW can be caused by bad SS. I put on a RC SS thinking it was an upgrade. 10k miles later wife hits a bump and it throws her into the next lane. I take it out and pull into a parking space and the whole front end is jumping around like it's going to fall off. Call the service manager and he says the RC SS are known to fail, he said the stock ones are actually very good on the JL and tells me to put it back on... voila no more wobble.
It was probably so pronounced because we do have a 2" spacer lift on it.

 

[Spartan99]

The Jeep Care Specialists on this board are wrong. The SS has nothing to do with wobbles and shimmys. The SS only lessens the effects, but it’s not the source of the problem, and if not corrected you’ll go through stabilizers annually. You most likely lost a wheel weight, which wouldn’t matter on 99% of passenger cars on the road. The unbalanced wheel is creating a vibration that abused your ss into failure, and it’ll happen again.

Also, pay a 4x4 place (not the dealer) to torque every front end bolt. It’s also very likely that on your new Jeep, something loosened on break in. Do these things and it’ll likely go away. Keep your front tires balanced and your front end torqued and you’ll be just fine. Avoid the dealer on this topic.

 

[ekimgnuj]

Hey ChrispyJL,

We're sorry about your experience! There is a STAR case that references a wobble/shimmy when passing over a bump at certain speeds, and that the remedy is a replacement steering damper. However, your dealer will need to inspect and diagnose your vehicle to see if this applies. If you need any assistance working with your dealership regarding your concerns, please PM us any time.

Jennifer
Jeep Social Care Specialist

This is great to hear, but replacing the steering damper does not work. Mine was in the shop for three weeks, just got it back, and still have the problem. The cause is something else, so far they can't figure it out so Jeep may be taking this car back as it is a significant safety issue.

 

[mgroeger]

This is great to hear, but replacing the steering damper does not work. Mine was in the shop for three weeks, just got it back, and still have the problem. The cause is something else, so far they can't figure it out so Jeep may be taking this car back as it is a significant safety issue.

Tell them to look at the steering bar and the tie rod ends. I had to have my steering bar and tie rod end replaced because they were loose.
You may want to find another dealer as well... three weeks to fix a steering stabilizer?

 

[JeepCares]

This is great to hear, but replacing the steering damper does not work. Mine was in the shop for three weeks, just got it back, and still have the problem. The cause is something else, so far they can't figure it out so Jeep may be taking this car back as it is a significant safety issue.

Hello ekimgnuj,

Thank you for letting us know - anyone still experiencing this concern is welcome to private message us so we can work with your dealer regarding further diagnosis. Please include your VIN and dealer name/location if you send a PM!

Jennifer
Jeep Social Care Specialist

 

[ekimgnuj]

Tell them to look at the steering bar and the tie rod ends. I had to have my steering bar and tie rod end replaced because they were loose.
You may want to find another dealer as well... three weeks to fix a steering stabilizer?

Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it and will talk to the dealer.

The problem with with the damper was that nobody could get it in stock - its a known problem, they are getting them in for the "death wobble" constantly. Apparently the rebuilt damper was also faulty, they are now working on the third design of the part and there are still problems after it is installed.

 

[rubicon20032003]

Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it and will talk to the dealer.

The problem with with the damper was that nobody could get it in stock - its a known problem, they are getting them in for the "death wobble" constantly. Apparently the rebuilt damper was also faulty, they are now working on the third design of the part and there are still problems after it is installed.

Email Mike Manley about it .They took care of me

 

[Carla]

Hello all- very interested in hearing feedback.

2dr Jl Sport S, about 2500 miles hit a bump and felt some wobble- not quite death wobble but wobble. Brought to dealer and after 2 days they said nothing wrong. Picked it up and then a few weeks later at 3200 miles hit a bump and a bigger wobble- again not quite death but a stronger wobble. Did not stop until I slowed down to about 20 mph. Back to the dealer and they tell me the steering stabilizer is bad, new one is back ordered, might be a while. Finally 3 weeks later, dealer calls and tells me FCA still does not have the part, authorizes an after market part. They put on a Falcon Nexus EF 2.1. No complaints- a definite upgrade. Driving the past 48 hours and there is better handling, firmer steering, a little less drift. It's not an SUV, never gonna drive like one and I am just fine with that- I knew I bought a Wrangler, but I do like the improvement. I conversed with the dealer stating that everything I read points to a wobble issue NOT being the stabilizer. Tells me a that it would not be the issue on an older model that experienced wobble but the new ones this early it is. FCA agrees that's why they are replacing for JL's that have experienced wobble. Only 5 months into ownership with plenty of warranty left if it happens again. Would be great to hear your thoughts. BTW- all stock, no lift.

I have had the steering stabilizer replaced 2x now. I know exactly what you mean. The wobble gets worse over time. The stabilizer is just a bandage. Check your lemon law for your state. We are just waiting it out and going through the hoops, but we think it will eventually get to that point unfortunately.

 

[mgroeger]

Thanks for the tip, I appreciate it and will talk to the dealer.

The problem with with the damper was that nobody could get it in stock - its a known problem, they are getting them in for the "death wobble" constantly. Apparently the rebuilt damper was also faulty, they are now working on the third design of the part and there are still problems after it is installed.

I know some dealerships are also going with aftermarket stabilizers. I don't remember if it's Fox or Tera flex or ??
Regardless, it's on the forum somewhere... do you homework Then approach the dealer and push on them... "This has become dangerous, I'm paying $XX per month for something that scares me to drive, I want this part now, etc..." You get the idea.

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