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.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler unlimited. While driving at 50 mph, the front end of the vehicle started shaking violently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and an authorized dealer. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was not available.
Recently the air bag light in my jk Jeep Wrangler (2008) began illuminating. I did some investigation prior to servicing it at the dealer and determined it was likely the clockwork spring since there were some many reports of failure. In addition, my electronic sway bar disconnect system would not re-engage after a camping trip. I drove down a mountain pass and on a stretch of 75 mph interstate without a sway and an air bag which was dangerous. I took it into the dealership to get both issues looked at. Jeep confirmed it was the clockwork spring causing the air bag light ($48 diagnosis) and that the sway bar disconnect motor ($96 diagnosis) had failed. They quoted me for $410 to get the clockwork spring fixed & $1410 to replace the sway bar. No promise was made to reimburse me for the diagnosis and repair cost should the issues become recalls since they are under investigation. I took initiative to self determine the cause of the sway bar not reconnecting since I suspected that the electronic motor was still functioning (I could hear and feel to motor operating before & after I took my vehicle into the dealership for service). After disassembling (never been tampered with prior), I found water and rusty parts inside and could see that the unit as poorly designed judging from the one small spring that is suppose to work to re-engage the sway bar by pushing the internal gears (now rusty) back together. I simply applied some grease to the parts and reinstalled the unit. To my delight this allowed the motor to reconnect the sway bar. It is unconscionable to put motorist in harms way without a functioning air bag system and / or sway bar due to poorly vehicle construction and then charge for diagnosis and repair costs. Please issue recalls for the clockwork spring and the lack of water protection for the electronic sway bar disconnect system before fatalities occur.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While traveling at an unknown speed, the rear tires started wobbling. The contact heard the sound, but the failure was not visible unless someone was traveling behind the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who diagnosed that the axle housing and the cv joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop who diagnosed that the axle shafts needed to be replaced due to the axle shaft being bent. There was also a presence of a leak. The seal on the passenger side fractured without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,350.
When driving on the expressway at a speed of approximately 70 mph, the left front tire struck a small pot hole, the front suspension began shaking violently, removing drivers grip on the steering wheel. After regaining wheel grip, driver began rapid deceleration while steering off to the shoulder. Shaking subsided around vehicle speed of approximately 40 mph and then a complete stop was achieved without incident. No traffic was immediately present at the time. Nothing was found during initial inspection on roadside and vehicle drove properly after resuming cautiously.
This vehicle has the Jeep "death wobble" which involves severe shaking and violent wobbling at about 50 mph. This occurs frequently. I have made numerous attempts to have the problem solved and vehicle repaired. Nothing has helped.
- Madison, MS, USA
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As with other Jeep owners, my Wrangler suddenly fell into the 'death wobble'. with many attempts at repair and over $1500, there is still an unresolved issue.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving at approximately 60 mph after driving over a bump or depressing the brake pedal, the front end shook uncontrollably. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering dampener failed. The tires were rotated and balanced, but failed to repair the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
I was traveling on a busy highway at a speed of 65 miles per hour when out of the blue the Jeep started to shake uncontrollably. To make matters worse, I had a semi right behind me hauling a gas tanker. Fortunately for me I was traveling in the speed lane which is adjacent to the emergency run off the lane. I let my foot of the gas and rolled/trembling off the highway into the emg lane till I came to a complete stop. After catching my breath and my heart. I proceeded to get out of the car to check and see if there was something wrong with the front end axle. I did not see anything problem so got back in the Jeep and drove off. I drove about another 50 miles that night and was not able to duplicate the problem at any speed. So a couple of days later I took the Jeep in to see my service advisor at planet Dodge in doral, fl. After a brief description of the symptoms and what happened, the service advisor calmly said it's a common problem called "the death wobble". so I am now having to drop off this Jeep in order to get a diagnosis and have the problem repaired. I hope it never happens to anyone; especially my mother who often drives the Jeep. This is a very very dangerous condition which will eventually cause accident and may even cause fatalities. There needs to be a class action suit filed against the manufacturer. Or at the very least a recall.
I was traveling on a busy highway at a speed of 65 miles per hour when out of the blue the Jeep started to shake uncontrollably. To make matters worse, I had a semi right behind me hauling a gas tanker. Fortunately for me I was traveling in the speed lane which is adjacent to the emergency run off the lane. I let my foot of the gas and rolled/trembling off the highway into the emg lane till I came to a complete stop. After catching my breath and my heart. I proceeded to get out of the car to check and see if there was something wrong with the front end axle. I did not see anything problem so got back in the Jeep and drove off. I drove about another 50 miles that night and was not able to duplicate the problem at any speed. So a couple of days later I took the Jeep in to see my service advisor at planet Dodge in doral, fl. After a brief description of the symptoms and what happened, the service advisor calmly said it's a common problem called "the death wobble". so I am now having to drop off this Jeep in order to get a diagnosis and have the problem repaired. I hope it never happens to anyone; especially my mother who often drives the Jeep. This is a very very dangerous condition which will eventually cause accident and may even cause fatalities. There needs to be a class action suit filed against the manufacturer. Or at the very least a recall.
I was just driving down a paved residential road on a slight decline about 40 mph and it started wobbling and shaking the entire car. I felt like I was going to lose control and couldn't swerve over since there was traffic. I applied the brakes lightly, but not too much since there was other vehicles behind me that I didn't want to slam into me from behind if I suddenly braked too hard. Even while applying brakes the Jeep was still wobbling violently. Violently! seriously thought I was going to cause a wreck. Finally the Jeep stopped wobbling where I pulled over and checked if my tires were lose or anything. Everything was fine on the outside. When I came home I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue, and turns out it even has a name called the "death wobble". my Jeep is a 2008, with 40,000 mile. This Jeep is rarely used. This is unacceptable. Not only the Wrangler, but many other vehicles as well. Chrysler seems to deny that any issues exist concerning the "death wobble". please help.
I was driving home from work on a state highway, even though posted speed limit was 65mph, traffic was heavy and I was forced to slow down to around 50 to 53 mph. When speeding back up to 55 mph my Jeep sahara shook violently and uncontrollably, I thought my vehicle was going to shake apart, I hit the brakes and went down to 50 mph (thank god no one was close behind me and did not hit me) and the shaking/wobble stopped. As traffic picked back up and I was able to speed up to 60 mph, there was no real problem (a slight shake as I past 55 mph), but as soon as I had to slow down to 55 mph the vehicle started to shake/wobble uncontrollably again. It appears if I accelerate from 0 to 55 mph I get the violent shaking/wobbling but if I go from 0 to 60-65 mph, I do not really experience the violent uncontrollably shaking, just a slight shake at the 55 mph going to 60-65 mph. If I slow down from 60-65 mph to 55 mph I get that same violent uncontrollable shaking/wobbling. This happens everyday - not randomly! I found even on non-highways, where speed limits that allow 55 mph, I get the same violent shaking. This is my only vehicle and I depend on it to get to and from work every weekday. I have read the forums and I have checked the tire pressure, it has no effect on the shaking/wobbling. I have never taken it off-road, I don't even put it in 4 wheel drive. My son has his own Jeep that he has work on for years and he looked at my Jeep (things like steering components, ball joints, tires, steering damper, etc.) all the things Jeep owners have posted on these forums and have paid dearly for at the dealership and everything seems ok. I recently found from a Jeep forum that this is called the 'death wobble'.
Typical "death wobble" that I was unaware of until researching this morning. Very scary and with only 25,000 miles an no off roading on this Jeep, this should not happen and certainly not something I should have to pay to repair!
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 45 to 65 mph, the front end of the vehicle shook violently out of control and caused the suspension to become unstable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the tires needed to be balanced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the steering damper, but the failure recurred two days after the repair was performed. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle would shake uncontrollably. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the front bushings needed to be replaced and an alignment needed to be performed. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving various speeds, the vehicle shook violently. The dealer stated that the tie rods and steering dampers needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred a year later. The tie rods and the steering dampers needed to be replaced again. On a different occasion, while driving 10 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to wobble. The dealer stated that the rear passenger side axle shaft was bent and caused the failure. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the air bag indicator illuminated sporadically. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who specified that the clock spring needed to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V176000 (air bags) or NHTSA campaign number: 11V528000 (air bags). The failure mileage was 45,010.
Upon getting up to speed around 45 miles per hour, front end of vehicle starts shaking uncontrollably if even a slight bump is hit on the roadway. It is the so called "death wobble" so often talked about on the internet and in Wrangler forums. Mechanic replaced steering dampener which minimized the problem but it still continues to happen sometimes. Mechanic cannot find anything else that is loose with the suspension.
Was driving around 50 mph front end started to shake so hard it was hard to hang on to steering wheel, hit the brakes hard, once vehicle almost stopped it stopped shaking, wife was with me and said she would never ride in it again. Seems like Jeep would man up, I'm not the only one with this problem.
Several issues with the vehicle: 1. "death wobble" vehicle intermittently shakes violently over 45 mph. Stop vehicle and starts running fine. 2. suspect bad tipm. Intermittent horn and wipers turn on after opening driver door. Next, car sometimes will not start. Tapping the tipm will allow it to start. Next with ignition off and key out, engine continues to run until tapping the module. Finally, now the engine will just stop intermittently while driving down the road. Found that both of these issues are common problems with Jeep.
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 55 mph, the entire front end of the vehicle shook violently. The contact decelerated to 40 mph in an effort to cease the shaking. An independent mechanic replaced the tires; however, the failure recurred when the vehicle was driven more than 55 mph. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic again and had the steering damper replaced twice, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000
Driving down the 101 freeway in los angeles experienced the "death wobble" had it service on 06/24/14, alignment down, blown steering stabilizer replaced, tires balanced, and still it happened again. In April of 2014 I experience the same occurance eleven times driving 40mph on South victoria blvd in ventura California. My whole family was in the car. Had it serviced immediately the next day. No one can seem to fix the issue this death wobble has occurred numerous times since I bought the Jeep in January of 2011. Can you help?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Goshen, NY, USA