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.
Death wobble. Any time a bump is hit with the Jeep above 35mph, it goes into the death wobble, which doesn't go away until the car is stopped. I've tried fixing everything possible, but it still happens. I understand this is a common problem, but it certainly seems life-threatening, as the Jeep feels like it is going to break into pieces!
Very bad wobble in front end....happens at any speed, but the faster you go the worse it gets (Jeep death wobble)....dealer said it is the tires....but I should not have to change my tires every 6 months.......I have had close calls on the highway going 65 miles an hour when the death wobble starts Jeep is a 2011 I have had it for almost 5 years....have taken to dealer for this more times than I can remember.
Traveling on highway over 45mpr, over minor bumpy entrance to overpass, my vehicle experiences the known "death wobble". nbc news I-team reported on this very same Jeep manufacturing issue. My rubicon immediately began shaking uncontrollably and I had to slow down to approximately 15 mpr. The first time it happened. Now, it happens all the time in the same area. The road is straight, no turns and the "bumps" are not pot-holes. I have to hang on to the steering wheel very tight and pray no car is next to me. My tires are aligned and I have them inspected regularly. My dealership said it's a known problem and they actually have a "couple of roads by the dealership they test drive their Chrysler & Jeep vehicles with that problem because it always happens." Today was the latest event and I contacted my Jeep dealership.
I was driving down the highway at approximately 45mph, and I experienced a wobble/vibration/shaking in the steering. I slowed down to approximately 40mph, and arrived at my destination. A few days later, I was driving down the highway again at approximately 50mph, and my Jeep started violently wobbling/shaking/vibration to the point where I could barely maintain control of my Jeep. Upon slowing down to approximately 35mph, the Jeep continued to wobble/shake/vibrate violently to the point where I had to pull off of the road. I checked tires for looseness and did not find that they were loose. I got back in my Jeep and continued to my desitination driving under the speed limit at approximately 35mph with my four way hazard lights flashing because I was afraid of losing control of my Jeep. Once I got to my destination, I proceeded to pull off the passenger front tire to check for anything out of the ordinary that would explain the wobble/vibration/shaking. Nothing looked damaged/low on fluid/broken so I put the tire back on. I then proceeded to a tire business and had all four tires balanced and rotated. The wobble/shaking/vibration seemed to improve but this did not solve the issue. The Jeep continued to wobble/shake/vibrate when trying to slow down therefore this is an ongoing issue. The steering stabilizer has also been replaced which seems to make this issue worse and the issue is still not resolved. I am afraid to drive it now due to safety issues/concerns.
The air bag light has been turning on and off, it is mostly on. The dealership told me it was the "clockspring" and it would be about $500 to repair. I declined to repair because I cannot afford it right now.
- Merriam, KS, USA
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Jeep goes into a death wobble at highway speed with no warning very difficult to handle, must decrease speed drastically or pull off road toget Jeep back under control
I experienced the so- called death wobble last night and this morning on my way home from work. I was going just above 40mph. It feels like an unbalanced wheel? if I would leave off the throttle just a bit and keep it smooth at 40 mph it would go away. I couldn't imagine the other owners who were going much faster what they must have experienced. This needs fixed and I will be at the dealership expressing my concerns. I hope no one gets hurt by this !
This has happened on a few occasions I was and am terrified that the vehicle shakes uncontrollably to the point it feels like Jeep will fall apart and you are going to get into a serious accident.
Traveling about 50 mph in sweeping left turn on smooth, paved road, vehicle began to shake violently, did not want to respond to hard braking and continued until under 25 mph. Tires were close to being worn out, they were replaced with new alignment. Problem has continued with new tires. Jeep was at dealership 3 days and they could not find anything wrong, I want to add they were concerned and very nice but found no problem. Driving home from dealership it happened 3 times and has happened numerous times since. Dealership suggested new tires were bad, but this has now happened on 2 sets of tires. The problem occurs with such violence it is unsafe to driver, passenger, and other vehicles sharing the road. This also happens on roads with bumps on straightway such as might be found in right lane where heavy trucks cause surface deformaties. Our Jeep has no modifications to any part, steering, suspension, shocks, or has tires not recommended for this vehicle.
The airbag light has come on to report a fault in the system. This is a major problem that Jeep Wrangler jk owners are having. The clock spring is faulty. The right hand drive version of this vehicle has been recalled for the same part. But not the left hand drive? this is most definitely a defective part as after searching on the internet its a wide spread problem and needs to be addressed. Parts failing as soon as 1/12 years. The airbag will not deploy if in an accident.
I was traveling North it had snowed the day prior roads were slick or so I thought the Jeep was steering strange I was traveling up a small incline and took the first of two turns I made the first and lost all control going into the second in to the ditch missing a large tree and bounced out of the ditch and down the ditch on the other side. With my seat belt on I was still thrown all around the cab of the Jeep in pain still thank you. After getting a tow truck we found the steering bar coming off the steering box was off and when we looked closer the shaft on the steering box had broken completely off. I find this hard to be leave that shaft is over a half inch thick. So to sum it up I am very lucky I had not made it to the highway it would no have been a good thing for myself and any other drivers on the highway that night.
While driving about 50mph and then begin to slow down on a major highway. The steering wheel begins to wobble back and forth violently and the whole vehicle shakes like crazy, and the muffler sputters like it is about to shut off. I have had to forcefully steer to the shoulder of the road and my vehicle continues to shake, the only way to get it to stop is to turn it off and restart it. This also happened when my vehicle was sitting in my garage and I turned it on to warm it up, it starts to shake and sputter after about 30 seconds of being turned on. I've heard it called the "death wobble" and I understand why. This has happened numerous times over the last 4 months. The condition seems very dangerous to me.
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number: 13V234000 (power train, steering) exceeded a reasonable amount of time. The dealer stated that the parts were not available for repair and were on a national back order. The manufacturer was not made aware of the delay. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had not experienced a failure.
I started feeling a warble when I would hit a bump on the road, took it into a les schawb they told me it was warn tie rod ends, so I then took it to Jeep dealer 'lithia" in eugene Oregon they inspected it and said nothing was wrong. Today I was coming home on hwy 126 and after I hit a part of the road that is rough, the Jeep totally went out of control the whole thing was shaking so bad I had everything I could do to slow it down and pull off to the side of the road, it probably would feel like if all 4 tires popped at once. It scared me so bad, I was just shaking. I got out looked at all the tires, and underneath, L seen nothing wrong so I put on my 4 way flashers and drove home the last 3 miles at a crawl. I will contact Jeep again on Monday and tell them there is a problem, the power steering has also went out twice on this and had to be fixed.
My clock spring is inop there is a recall for this on right side drive Jeep well mine is a left side drive with the same issues that the right side drive has why isn't it a recall for all clock springs they are the same part number for both side drives please fix this as it also affects my horn and airbag. Thank you
I began driving down the street going about 45 mph when the steering wheel start to shake violently from left to right. Which caused the whole vehicle to shake. I applied the brakes and pulled over. I thought I blew out a tire or snapped a lug on one of the wheels. Walked around the vehicle and everything looked fine. When I came back up to 40 mph and started to happen again. It didn't happen again for a few weeks. Then it happened again with I was coming around on a ramp to enter the interstate. I was going about 60 at this time and had to slow down immediately to keep from running into the concrete barricades. Now it happens once or more a week when I turn or drive up to 40 mph and more. Have not been in accident from it yet because no one has followed me too close when I have to apply the brakes.
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the front driver and passenger side wheels began to shake on five occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing but they were unable to duplicate the problem. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure continued to occur and the manufacturer was notified. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that when driving 60 mph over a road bump, the front end of the vehicle would shake violently to the point that the contact would almost lose control of the vehicle. In order to correct the failure, the contact had to merge to the shoulder and stop the vehicle completely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a diagnostic and stated that he needed to replace all four tires. The tires were not replaced. The manufacturer was notified and recommended that the vehicle be taken to another dealer for a second diagnostic test. The failure was mileage was 22,000. Updated 4/11/13 the dealership and manufacturer referred to the problem as the death wobble. Many speculate it is caused by the track bar, alignment, steering and suspension components, or the tires. The consumers vehicle is currently backed by a five year power train warranty. However, the dealership believed the tires needed to be replaced, at his cost. The consumer did not believe the tires were the issue.
While traveling on a highway or a high speed service road, my Jeep will begin to shake tremendously. I have researched and found this is known as the "death wobble." I am a younger driver and when the first incident happened, I began to freak. Although not very many accidents actually occur I am still scared that it will happen again. Sometimes I can feel it coming on but nothing ever happens. This has happened 3 times in a week and a half, once at 67mph, once at 60mph, and once at 55mph. This is a very scary event and I hope to get it fixed soon. I wish that you would take the time to look over this incident and fix it. Once again being a young driver this is very scary. I have had my Jeep for a year and 2 months and this is the first time it has happened.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Tea, SD, USA