This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
On approximately 01/21/13 at about 8:00am, while traveling on the 405 freeway at about 50mph, my Jeep got the "death wobbles". it was found the entire front housing snapped off. It was fixed and returned to me. On 02/11/13 at about 10:30am, I was merging on to the I-5 N/B from sand canyon in irvine. When I reached 45mph, I got the "death wobbles" again. This time, the dealer said it was because I had cheap tires on the vehicle. I have nitto tires which are about $250 each. I have looked into the death wobbles and it appears Jeep has a real problem. The vehicle shakes so violently you feel like you are losing control. Someone is going to get killed and Jeep knows it. I have had my vehicle in twice now for the same thing. Once more and I am going lemon law. If they give it back and my family is injured as a result of a known flaw. Stand by! this is crap. You cannot knowingly sell a defective vehicle can you? seems like it would be criminal to defraud or fail to disclose this death wobble issue to buyers. I did not know anything about this until it happened to me.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing transmission coolant fluid. As a result, the engine would overheat and steam would bellow from the engine in warmer temperatures. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and was told that transmission coolant fluid was leaking where the soft line met the hard line for the transmission coolant. The contact spoke to the manufacturer about NHTSA campaign id number: 09V436000 (power train: Automatic transmission), but was advised that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 73,000.
Upon acceleration from a complete stop, manual transmission violently pops out of first gear. Stick shift lever pops out with dangerous force and can injure hand or arm if it is in the path of ejected shift lever. Condition extremely dangerous when turning in traffic and losing drive. Also can cause rear end collision as drive loss is immediate and no brakes are applied so no brake lights warn drivers behind the vehicle.
When trying to pull away in first gear the transmission will suddenly and violently slam out of first gear. The first occurrence was while pulling away from a light after it had turned from red to green, how ever subsequent occurrences have happened while attempting to make left turns and one such occurrence led to a near collision on October 16th 2012 while driving with my pregnant wife in the vehicle. This seems to be happening more frequently, once a week now. Chrysler is aware of the problem and has issued a service bulletin about it but no safety recall. This is a major safety issue for people with manual transmissions. The tsb number from Chrysler is 21-001-10 rev. A.
Hit bumps in the road and the front end starting shaking very badly. Had to come to a stop for the shaking to stop. The famous Jeep death wobble. At the dealership they acted like they never heard of the problem before. After seeing these complaints I realize its a common problem and Jeep should of fixed it. It cost me $400 to fix it. Also since I purchased this vehicle I complained to the dealership that the transmission shifts funny. They keep telling me there is no fix for this and it is a common problem with this transmission.
- Southampton, PA, USA
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The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated the air bag warning light illuminated and the clock spring failed. The contact mentioned that the failure may have been directly related to NHTSA campaign id number: 11V528000 (air bag: Frontal). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included on any recalls. The failure mileage was 79,000 and the current mileage was 89,000. Updated 10/10/12 the consumer also stated the 1st gear in the transmission was also defective, which caused the transmission to pop out of gear. Updated 10/17/12
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact was driving 70 mph when the vehicle stalled and could not be restarted. The contact heard a humming noise coming from the gear shift area. After some time, the wipers and the vehicle independently started. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis but the failure could not be replicated. The failure and the current mileages were 90,000.
During mild acceleration from a full stop, in first gear, the manual transmission jumped out of first gear into neutral. A very loud and jarring clang occurred simultaneously with the incident. During the next three years this was a rare and consistent occurrence. As of the summer of 2012 this has become a daily occurrence. This creates a dangerous situation where vehicle drivers behind me may assume that the forward motion of my vehicle will continue and accelerate where in reality the acceleration of my vehicle comes to an abrupt halt and the vehicle speed decreases until I am able to re-engage the transmission.
The total integrated power module failed while accelerating onto freeway. The Jeep got stuck in second gear while merging. Happened about three times. Took two weeks to repair because of back orders for the part.
When starting from a stop the transmission violently slams out of 1st gear into neutral leaving the car stalled in traffic. This is an extremely dangerous condition. When asking the Jeep dealership about the problem they acknowledge the issue, but said there probably will not be a recall until someone is injured.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while stopped and changing gears from neutral to drive, the vehicle made a loud noise and jolted as the contact attempted to accelerate. The failure recurred several times. In addition, the contact stated that the gear shifter was loose and able to be moved easily while the vehicle was in motion. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a mechanic or the dealer for inspection or repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, no assistance was provided. The current mileage was 58,199 and the approximate failure mileage was 57,000.
2008 Jeep Wrangler unlimited the shifter pops out of first gear violently, with a very loud noise. This has occurred over 20 times. Especially dangerous when pulling out to oncoming traffic and it pops out of gear.
Known to many who have Jeep, the "death wobble". when this first happened to my daughter's car, thankfully I was the one driving. It was on the interstate and I thought a tire had blown. The steering wheel vibrated uncontrollably and I pulled over. Nothing looked wrong but I called a tow truck regardless. They looked at it at the station and could not find anything wrong. I had no idea this was a problem Jeep created when they built the vehicle. It is a situation where the front axle begins oscillating with such violence that control of the Jeep is difficult until slowed down, and the entire vehicle shakes to the point you feel it will come apart.
2008 Jeep Wrangler. Consumer writes in regards to mechanical problems and brake line routing defect the consumer stated the first problem he had with the vehicle was the transmission. It began failing to engage and shifting out of gear. The dealer discovered that the transmission oil filter had not been installed and was lying on the bottom of the transmission oil pan. In January 2011, while driving at highway speeds, the consumer began to experience intermittent violent shaking of the entire vehicle, which seemed to be originating from the front end. The consumer stated it felt as though a wheel was loose. The consumer went to a repair shop, where the tie rod and pitman were replaced. Two weeks later, the shaking occurred again and soon it became increasingly violent, making it nearly impossible to control the vehicle and stay in his lane. The consumer returned to the repair shop where they replaced the steering damper, which seemed to correct the problem for awhile. In July, the consumer took the vehicle for a routine maintenance check. While checking the front end, the mechanic was able to get two full turns on a nut on the track bar. Since then, the shaking has not occurred. The consumer stated as he approached a line of vehicles stopped at a light, he attempted to apply the brake, but it went soft and to the floor. An inspection revealed a hole in the brake line above the right front wheel, where the line left the wheel well and went into the engine compartment. The hole was caused by rubbing on the line by the edge of the plastic wheel well lining.
Fuel overflows when refueling. Overflow occurs even without filling the tank. Parking brake doesn't work unless you pull it up very hard and still doesn't keep it from rolling. Air conditioner doesn't cool. It has been in the service department several times for repair. Blows "smoke" from vents. A loud "knock" sound when you turn the A/C on/off or when you crank the vehicle and the A/C control is on. Soft top leaks over both doors when it rains. Service department has confirmed proper top installation. Sharp edges on the roll bars. Roll bar covers have ripped as a result of putting the top up or down. Dangerous "wobble" when you hit a small pothole, change uneven lanes, etc. Hood lifts approx. 2 inches when a large truck or trailer passes or meets the Jeep. Manual transmission "grinds or catches" when shifting into 2nd gear, worse when cold.
Tsb 21-001-10 was issued on 03/2/2010 "manual transmission may intermittently jump out of first gear" they know they have a problem with it and since my dealer cannot "duplicate" this situation they will not do anything about it even with my lifetime warranty. Pulling out into traffic and having your shifter popping out of gear while some body is barreling down on you is awesome. I feel so safe.
I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler X, manual transmission. The vehicle keeps popping our of gear on its own which often results in a sudden and unpredictable stop in the middle of the road. This occurs when the vehicle is accelerated after a complete stop, the problem also displays anytime while driving on 1st, 2nd or 3rd gear. Sometimes, after having stop for a red light or a stop sign, I put the car on 1st gear to drive away but the car would move a few feet but then it pops out right back to neutral. As a result, my vehicle would stop completely and the driver behind me often almost hits my vehicle from the back. The same thing happens when I am turning a curve. I must add that the vehicle makes a loud noise when it pops out of gear causing me, as the driver, to loose some control and concentration. I believe, because of this problem, my car is an accident waiting to happen. I have reported the problems to the manufacturer and the dealer at least five times but they keep saying they do not know what the problem is and are not able to fix it. I am fearful for my safety and that of other drivers because of this problem with my car. I would strongly urge your organization to immediately investigate this matter.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Orange, CA, USA