Wobble issue- Dealer replaced Steering Stabilizer

[jlroman2]

Was having similar problems at high speeds. They replaced the steering dampner and now drives really smooth.

Sponsored

 

[BobRoc]

JL with 3k miles and it started. Had to pull off highway and slow down to 40 to get it to stop. Now up to 6k miles it's even worse. It scares the whole family. Its are only car so only choice. Brought to dealer. They admitted jeep has no clue what is causing it. They stated jeep is working on a fix. The added our VIN too a long list of people with problem with needing a fix. They stated there is no fix at this time.

 

[Joe jl]

JL with 3k miles and it started. Had to pull off highway and slow down to 40 to get it to stop. Now up to 6k miles it's even worse. It scares the whole family. Its are only car so only choice. Brought to dealer. They admitted jeep has no clue what is causing it. They stated jeep is working on a fix. The added our VIN too a long list of people with problem with needing a fix. They stated there is no fix at this time.

My Sahara didn’t start until 21k miles. After after a few stabilizers this time they went with new track bar and control arms as well. Drove from Boston to NYC and back in snow storm and freezing rain on terrible highways and so far not even a shimmy

 

[mgroeger]

Was having similar problems at high speeds. They replaced the steering dampner and now drives really smooth.

You got lucky, the stabilizers are hard to find because so many have this problem. Seems to be an issue on the newer ones possibly. Some dealerships have taken to quality after market stabilizers because they can't get factory ones.

 

[Martindfletcher]

After a weekend of desert running, I now have a very slight shimmy. At least my jeep has been lifted, has 37's and has been off-roaded a bit. Funny part is I had one with the loose nuts on the ball joints, but it never acted squirrely. I will pop the stabilizer off and see if it is shot, and then try re-balancing tires. I certainly cannot claim to have a safety issue. Sorry you others have this issue though.

 

[Spartan99]

JL with 3k miles and it started. Had to pull off highway and slow down to 40 to get it to stop. Now up to 6k miles it's even worse. It scares the whole family. Its are only car so only choice. Brought to dealer. They admitted jeep has no clue what is causing it. They stated jeep is working on a fix. The added our VIN too a long list of people with problem with needing a fix. They stated there is no fix at this time.

Jeep is not working on a fix. You are experiencing something that is normal for a floating live axle front end. The fix is simple. Torque every bolt in your front end in case something wasn’t torqued right at the factory or it loosened during break in, check for any damaged ball joints, and get your wheels balanced. Do these things especially after offroading. Don’t bother with the dealer. Go to a mom and pop place or do it yourself. Just part of owning a Jeep.

 

[mgroeger]

Jeep is not working on a fix. You are experiencing something that is normal for a floating live axle front end. The fix is simple. Torque every bolt in your front end in case something wasn’t torqued right at the factory or it loosened during break in, check for any damaged ball joints, and get your wheels balanced. Do these things especially after offroading. Don’t bother with the dealer. Go to a mom and pop place or do it yourself. Just part of owning a Jeep.

Ummmm.... Alec I'll take "NO!" for $50,000 please. This logic flies when the Jeep is 5 or 10 years old, out of warranty and has been used as intended. It doesn't fly on a $36 to $56k Jeep that has 3k miles on it.
This is poor advice.
Jeep is aware they've got front end problems, your dealer should look at it, the steering damper is a known failure point, if you are mechanically inclined check nuts/bolts on front end, don't take it to a mom and pop because you need to get whatever is going on documented in case your issue goes as far as a lemon law suit plus you will pay out of pocket for any fixes at said mom and pop.

This is the kind of thinking that will keep Jeep from finding a fix. The less they see people showing up with Jeeps that need a fix the less they will know just how many people or affected.

 

[Spartan99]

Ummmm.... Alec I'll take "NO!" for $50,000 please. This logic flies when the Jeep is 5 or 10 years old, out of warranty and has been used as intended. It doesn't fly on a $36 to $56k Jeep that has 3k miles on it.
This is poor advice.
Jeep is aware they've got front end problems, your dealer should look at it, the steering damper is a known failure point, if you are mechanically inclined check nuts/bolts on front end, don't take it to a mom and pop because you need to get whatever is going on documented in case your issue goes as far as a lemon law suit plus you will pay out of pocket for any fixes at said mom and pop.

This is the kind of thinking that will keep Jeep from finding a fix. The less they see people showing up with Jeeps that need a fix the less they will know just how many people or affected.

I understand why you think this way, but it’s just not the case. You will understand why when you find that no one at the dealership or at Fiat Chrysler is able to correct your problem for good.

 

[mgroeger]

I understand why you think this way, but it’s just not the case. You will understand why when you find that no one at the dealership or at Fiat Chrysler is able to correct your problem for good.

You seem pretty cynical and are offering people who don't know any better bad advice. Yet I see you don't even have a JL yet so thereby haven't experienced what many on here are experiencing.

I didn't have the wobble but I had tires feathering and getting chewed up because it turned out a tie rod end and steering bar were bad. Had I not gone to the dealer persistently and worked through the pain in the arse process of elimination the following would have occurred..

Issue wouldn't have been resolved OR I would have had to pay a ton of cash on my own at a mom and pop.
There would be no documentation with FCA in case future issues occurred.
The repaired parts may no longer be under warranty since the work was not done by dealer under warranty.
I wouldn't have gotten two of my tires replaced for free since it was not my fault they got chewed up.

It may be a pain but persistently chasing down the problem through trial and error and process of elimination is the way to go BECAUSE IT IS UNDER WARRANTY.
But by all means if you ever get a JL and you have problems feel free to pay for the repairs yourself... FCA would love that. Sounds like you have been burned in the past by FCA but we are shelling out a lot of money for these things and walking away from warranty work is a fools move.

 

[jlroman2]

You got lucky, the stabilizers are hard to find because so many have this problem. Seems to be an issue on the newer ones possibly. Some dealerships have taken to quality after market stabilizers because they can't get factory ones.

I suppose so. They were back ordered and it took almost an entire month for the dealer to receive them.

 

[Spartan99]

You seem pretty cynical and are offering people who don't know any better bad advice. Yet I see you don't even have a JL yet so thereby haven't experienced what many on here are experiencing.

I didn't have the wobble but I had tires feathering and getting chewed up because it turned out a tie rod end and steering bar were bad. Had I not gone to the dealer persistently and worked through the pain in the arse process of elimination the following would have occurred..

Issue wouldn't have been resolved OR I would have had to pay a ton of cash on my own at a mom and pop.
There would be no documentation with FCA in case future issues occurred.
The repaired parts may no longer be under warranty since the work was not done by dealer under warranty.
I wouldn't have gotten two of my tires replaced for free since it was not my fault they got chewed up.

It may be a pain but persistently chasing down the problem through trial and error and process of elimination is the way to go BECAUSE IT IS UNDER WARRANTY.
But by all means if you ever get a JL and you have problems feel free to pay for the repairs yourself... FCA would love that. Sounds like you have been burned in the past by FCA but we are shelling out a lot of money for these things and walking away from warranty work is a fools move.

Right. You didn’t have the wobble, which is what we’re talking about. Recurring wobble. That dealers can’t seem to fix. And you will get DW one day. Give Jeep ownership and Fiat Chrysler ownership a few years and you’ll understand what I’m talking about in terms of dealers not knowing what to do about wobnle.

As for the rest of you who are annoyed by your recurring wobble, fret not. It’s likely a simple thing that a dealer hasn’t the skills to resolve. That’s why the problem keeps recurring. Your best bet is a 4x4 shop or learn to care for it yourself. You see, wobble has always been possible in front ends like these, especially if you add bigger tires, budget lifts, and even if you simply lose a wheel weight. Very few vehicles have this front end any more because of this. It’s designed for offroading, not highway driving. Your front end is more like a tractor when compared to every other car on the road. No other off road SUV bothers with this front end any longer, which excels at off roading, because the trade off is that it is not as good as IFS at highway speeds.

Not to sound like one of those keyboard warriors, but a degree in mechanical physics, ASE certification, 16 years of Jeep ownership. I just want you all to enjoy your Jeeps. Being new to a vehicle with a floating live front axle can be a source of frustration, but with a little knowledge it’s not that big a deal.

Here’s a huge tip: get your fittings greased annually. A slightly worn ball joint, for example, can create enough wobble to eventually wear everything down and become DW. Keep those joints in tip top condition at all times.

 

[anotheraznguy]

Right. You didn’t have the wobble, which is what we’re talking about. Recurring wobble. That dealers can’t seem to fix. And you will get DW one day. Give Jeep ownership and Fiat Chrysler ownership a few years and you’ll understand what I’m talking about in terms of dealers not knowing what to do about wobnle.

As for the rest of you who are annoyed by your recurring wobble, fret not. It’s likely a simple thing that a dealer hasn’t the skills to resolve. That’s why the problem keeps recurring. Your best bet is a 4x4 shop or learn to care for it yourself. You see, wobble has always been possible in front ends like these, especially if you add bigger tires, budget lifts, and even if you simply lose a wheel weight. Very few vehicles have this front end any more because of this. It’s designed for offroading, not highway driving. Your front end is more like a tractor when compared to every other car on the road. No other off road SUV bothers with this front end any longer, which excels at off roading, because the trade off is that it is not as good as IFS at highway speeds.

Not to sound like one of those keyboard warriors, but a degree in mechanical physics, ASE certification, 16 years of Jeep ownership. I just want you all to enjoy your Jeeps. Being new to a vehicle with a floating live front axle can be a source of frustration, but with a little knowledge it’s not that big a deal.

Here’s a huge tip: get your fittings greased annually. A slightly worn ball joint, for example, can create enough wobble to eventually wear everything down and become DW. Keep those joints in tip top condition at all times.

There are a ton of HD trucks out there running Solid front axles. Ford / Ram still utilize them and they are mainly designated for heavy duty towing on highway. Solid axles are not necessarily for offroad use only. Just to preface i do not have any shimmy or wobble. My jeep is lifted but i still have the stock tie rod and drag link. The issue that i see is not loose bolts / worn ball joints. This is happening on various jeeps that are stock with less than 5k miles. Some of which haven't seen a lick of dirt. The JL did go to aluminum knuckles and hollow tie rod. Who knows what else could be causing it. A properly setup suspension geometry/components from factory should not have to rely on the steering stabilizer to get rid of steering wheel oscillations. I have had a 2nd gen and 4th gen 3/4 ton ram and when it was new / under warranty, there was never any shimmy.

 

[Spartan99]

There are a ton of HD trucks out there running Solid front axles. Ford / Ram still utilize them and they are mainly designated for heavy duty towing on highway. Solid axles are not necessarily for offroad use only. Just to preface i do not have any shimmy or wobble. My jeep is lifted but i still have the stock tie rod and drag link. The issue that i see is not loose bolts / worn ball joints. This is happening on various jeeps that are stock with less than 5k miles. Some of which haven't seen a lick of dirt. The JL did go to aluminum knuckles and hollow tie rod. Who knows what else could be causing it. A properly setup suspension geometry/components from factory should not have to rely on the steering stabilizer to get rid of steering wheel oscillations. I have had a 2nd gen and 4th gen 3/4 ton ram and when it was new / under warranty, there was never any shimmy.

You’re right. Proper geometry doesn’t need to rely on the SS. When everything’s right, there is no wobblle. It was the same with the JK’s; wobble happened when new for lots of owners. Jeep never knew what to do about it and wouldn’t even acknowledge it. It’s common on a lot of front axle vehicles, though. I’m not familiar with the ones you mentioned. Do they use floating front axles that are designed to flex? The solid front axle is a rare front end when you look at all consumer vehicles sold in America. A few HD trucks and the Wrangler and that’s about it.

 

[anotheraznguy]

They were all full float axles.

You’re right. Proper geometry doesn’t need to rely on the SS. When everything’s right, there is no wobblle. It was the same with the JK’s; wobble happened when new for lots of owners. Jeep never knew what to do about it and wouldn’t even acknowledge it. It’s common on a lot of front axle vehicles, though. I’m not familiar with the ones you mentioned. Do they use floating front axles that are designed to flex? The solid front axle is a rare front end when you look at all consumer vehicles sold in America. A few HD trucks and the Wrangler and that’s about it.

My 2nd gen Ram had a dana 60 front and the 4th gen ram had a 9.25 aam front. They were all similar in setup with either a 4 link or a radius arm + track bar. None of them had any shimmy or wobble until the suspension parts started wearing out. But that was well over 30k miles.

 

[Carla]

I am going in AGAIN for the 3rd time to have the same steering stabilizer replaced to stop Death Wobble.

Sponsored