Uncontrollable wobble in front end on highway causing vehicle to be unsafe (referred to as the death wobble)

- Belmont, MA, USA

The 2007 Jeep Wrangler stalled, lost power brakes, lost power steering. Tried to restart the vehicle and would not turn over. We noticed flames shooting up outside the passenger side of the vehicle. All 4 of us climbed out the driver side door. I tried to open the hood and flames came bursting out. Within 2 minutes the whole vehicle engulfed in flames. The flames were coming from underneath the engine. It took the fire department nearly 2 hours to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was a total loss.

- Fort Wayne, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the front end of the vehicle would shake violently. In addition, the vehicle experienced difficulty braking and vibrated when the brakes were depressed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the dealer stated that the steering stabilizer needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred approximately 1 year later. The manufacturer was notified and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000 and the current mileages was approximately 30,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Richboro, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving the vehicle 30 mph it pulled excessively to the right. The contact tried to turn the steering wheel back to the left and it responded as if the power steering failed. The contact applied the brakes in order to stop the vehicle and there was no response. The emergency brake also failed when it was engaged. The failure caused the contact to crash into a viaduct. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic and inspected by the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated nothing was wrong with the vehicle. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The failure and current mileage was 6,000.

- Elmira, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler unlimited. The contact stated the brakes would independently engage while traveling at various speeds. The contact stated the failure occurred in the front and rear driver side brakes and the rear passenger side brake. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted in regards to the failure. The failure persisted and progressively became worse. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 37,000 and the current mileage was 37,200.

- Fort Walton Beach, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. While driving at speeds of 20 mph and depressing the brakes while approaching a stop light, the brakes would not engage. The vehicle proceeded to crash into another vehicle. There were no injuries and there was minor body damage to the vehicle. A police report was filed accordingly. The vehicle was taken to a local brake shop. There were no repairs made to the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were approximately 18,000.

- Crosslands, WV, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. While driving up a steep hill at approximately 5 mph, the contact continuously applied pressure to the brake pedal. The pedal would vibrate and the vehicle would not slow down. After several attempts, the contact depressed the brake pedal down to the floor in order to stop the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the failure was related to a malfunction of the wiring in the ABS. The vehicle was repaired. On a separate occasion, the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for an identical failure and they were unable to detect the malfunction. The vehicle has not been repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 4,000 and current mileage was 12,300.

- Port Orchard, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that she experienced a loss of power in her vehicle. She also noticed that there was a loss of power steering and brake accessibility. While driving 75 mph, the contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed. The dealer kept the vehicle for approximately three weeks and drove it for 300 miles; however, they could not find any failures with the vehicle. The contact was informed that there were two recalls on her vehicle, which were corrected by the dealer. NHTSA campaign id number 07V291000 (electrical system) was most closely related to the recent failure. The dealer offered the contact another vehicle on their lot. The current mileage was 10,513 and failure mileage was approximately 5,000.

- San Diego, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. The contact drove into a mud puddle and then across a grass field. Three days later, he took the vehicle to the car wash and the check engine light illuminated. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they found a failure at the brake purge tank, which ripped and caused the brake line to pull down. The dealer informed the manufacturer that the cause of the failure was due to reckless driving. Therefore, the manufacturer stated that the warranty does not cover aggressive driving, only defected parts. The contact feels that his vehicle was designed to be driven on rough terrain; therefore, the brake purge tank is defective. The current and failure mileages were 10,000.

- Georgetown, DE, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 30 mph, the stopping distance increased when the brakes were applied. The contact stated that the failure also occurred the following day while driving 40 mph. The road conditions were clear. He further stated that while driving 2 mph, the vehicle veered to the right. The dealer adjusted the tire pressure. In addition, there was a five second delay when he started the vehicle. The contact stated that the air conditioner and radio worked intermittently. The dealer was unable to duplicate any of the failures. The failure mileage was 900 and current mileage was 1,702.

- Montebello, CA, USA