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.
While driving at normal highway speeds (60mph and above) each overpass, seam or pothole in the road causes my 2018 Wrangler to shake and vibrate uncontrollably. At times this "death wobble" is so violent that the only way to make it stop is to pull over and come to a complete stop. Imagine trying to keep control of your Jeep while it's shaking uncontrollably and you have to cross 3 lanes of traffic to pull over. This was my experience on 5.4.19. This was not the first time. This is also after the dealership and manufacturer have "repaired" the issue on 3 previous occasions.
While driving about 65 miles per hour I ran over a bridge expansion joint on a bridge approximately ten or more times during my trip. On three occasions when I ran over the expansion joint the front of the vehicle began to shake violently up through the steering wheel causing me to leave my lane of travel. I feel if a car was next to me at the time I could have crashed. Applying brakes and slowing ended the problem each time.
Jeep will start death wobble when driving over 60 mph if vehicle drives over uneven road, bumps, dip in roads. Entire front end shakes violently and will not stop until speed is decreased below 45 mph.
Front wheels shake violently when hitting small bump in highways at cruising speeds, stock road tires and wheels, dealer changed steering stabilizer, helped but still does it,
- Goshen, IN, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Wandering and loose. Steering does not track on center but needs to be continuously corrected. Immediately after purchase was taken to dealer to check alignment and was told this was normal. At speed it is very uncomfortable to drive as it will wander and has a dead spot when steering wheel is left at the center position.
The vehicle wanders on the road and requires too much corrective steering. The dealer told me up to 2 1/2' of steering wheel play is acceptable, but I feel it's unsafe. Especially in windy conditions in the mountains, and above 50 mph, the steering is very unresponsive and the vehicle sometimes wanders several feet from the travel lane while I try to correct the angle. This is the 32nd Jeep I have owned, and our family still has three others, including a 35 year old CJ-8. all of them steer much better than my completely stock 2018 rubicon. My Jeep is 14 months old and has 10,000 miles on it. It has been to the dealer a few times and they tell me the steering is normal for this model, at the same time admitting that the jl steering is worse than prior years. I have been told there is nothing that can be done to make this vehicle safer.
Several times when driving at approx. 65-70 miles per hour on the freeway, I experienced the "death wobble" a violent shaking of the front end of the Jeep including the wheels, front end, steering wheel and dashboard etc. The only way to stop it is to slow to about 50 mph or less. This occurs when going across a separation on a freeway or over a bump in the roadway. This first occurred with about 3025 miles on the new Jeep. It always happens on the highway as there must be speed over 65-70 for it to occur. It was very dangerous and frightening to have to decelerate in the fast lane of traffic on the worst and most dangerous freeway in America, the 91 through corona and riverside, ca. Very very dangerous and I am fortunate I did not cause an accident. I have a short video showing one episode when I was already considerably slowed.
The vehicle steering is sometimes uncontrollable. The vehicle merges rights and even pulls right when you try to steer to the left. This happens at speeds over 40 mph
Vehicle shakes uncontrollably when hitting a bump at speeds of approximately 50mph or higher. It feels as if you've popped a tire. Shaking will not stop until you slow down significantly. This issue is often called the 'death wobble.' No modifications to the vehicle, less than 7 months old at the time of the first incident. Consistently happens at least once every other week.
This vehicle wanders in the lane left to right when driving at highway speeds. When passing tractor-trailers it moves from side-to-side causing a difficult and perhaps dangerous situation. Fca's slow response, testing and upgrading, along with their dealer's use of the standard phrase: "operating as designed" is annoying and dangerous, and I just heard it from a dealership service advisor today in georgetown, tx! let's assume that hazardous driving conditions of a vehicle should have been noticed by the potential buyer in the test drive, as anticipated by the phrase, "operating as designed", the very least a car manufacturer could do is to warn the potential owners of a possible problem, since many new auto test drives do not involve vehicles traveling 70-80mph. Steering issues should not be taken lightly by any auto manufacturer!
I purchased my 2018 Jeep Wrangler unlimited jl in June of 2018. Within the first month of having the vehicle the problems began. I initially had windshield seals that were missing so the Jeep would fill up with water from behind the dashboard. The dealership said they "fixed the problem" and then my windshield cracked because they didn't install properly, now it is leaking again behind the steering wheel. This will be my 3rd visit to the dealership for this problem. Then the "death wobble" began around 8/9,000 miles, almost causing multiple accidents. My vehicle has been in two dealerships since October 2018 trying to fix all of the issues occurring. The Jeep is being sent to the dealership for the 5th time on April 10, 2019 for ongoing steering issues. The damper (recall) in the vehicle was replaced 4 times without success and the steering continues to worsen. Keep in mind, the damper recall fix was only available at my dealership in January of 2019. I now have 18,000 miles on the vehicle, loose and wobbling steering, can't maintain a lane while driving, vibration and wobbling while breaking, the emergency break is no longer engaging (manual transmission), and just put in a complaint with Jeep a few weeks ago after little success with the dealership. Jeep is telling me that my unsafe, unstable vehicle has too many miles on it to buyback. I have had the vehicle for less than 10 months and have never had this many issues with any of my other vehicles in my life. The vehicle will be going back to the original dealership I purchased it from for the 5th time for steering issues and 3rd time for the windshield seals, along with many other issues. I no longer feel safe in my own vehicle in which I am paying a high price for every month.
When hitting a bump - I.e. bridge expansion joint - at highway speeds the vehicle's front wheels went into a severe wobble when required an immediate deceleration to alleviate. Numerous instances. Quite scary in heavy traffic, even for an experienced driver and a former general manager of a five-star Chrysler dealership!! extensive research found a number of people having this problem, yet no recall or "fix" from fca has evidently been found. In previous responses from corporate they indicate that it is not a safety issue and I must vehemently disagree. The common term used is "death wobble"!! do we need to wait until an inexperienced driver or innocent fellow traveler becomes a victim?. my Jeep is in the shop now awaiting some sort of disposition.
Violent vibration (death wobble) at highway speeds experienced to stock Jeep Wrangler sahara unlimited. Occurred within first 3000 miles of ownership (November 2018). Returned to Jeep dealer for fix but problem seems to have returned.
Vehicle has the tendency to wander during highway driving. You would have to constantly provide input to the steering which causes fatigue. It drives and feel like you're in a windstorm.
I purchased vehicle in Feb 2018. Within the first week or two started having problems. A coworker purchased a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. She returned it in two months because it would not start. Another coworker's girlfriend purchased a 2018 rubicon with engine light problems, starting issues, and radio not working. My vehicle history: Rear defroster sensor on back window does not stay secured. 4th return to dealer. Second window to be replaced. Panel light for rear window defroster continues to light, but sensor is not connected. Have been on wait list since March 2019 for new window to arrive. It appears the sensor cord is too short to reach window when raising. Death wobble has happened 3X while in motion on highway and has been at the dealership 3X for this issue. Vehicle does not correct itself while driving and it feels like the vehicle is coming apart. Had to continue driving on the highway, slowing down did not correct the problem, until I reached a safe place to pull over. Once coming to a complete stop, it corrected itself. The Jeep looses total control and I am afraid something may come apart causing injury or death. Freedom tops had rattle inside of them with huge wind noise when in motion. Problem corrected when dealership switched out freedom tops. Now the freedom top is too big for freedom bag. The bag appears to be coming apart when zipped. Drove to store and got out of the vehicle. Tried to remote lock the vehicle, which failed. Tried to start Jeep, it would not start. Followed instructions on panel to use key by placing close to remote start button. After a second try it started. Radio playing two stations at one time. Back camera would not work. Key fob replaced as it was falling apart. Armrest replaced, would not connect when enclosed in holder. All began in 2/2018. Date I am about to enter below is for the wobble.
This is regarding what's known in the Jeep community as the 'death wobble.' I bought my car brand new in September of 2018, and I've experienced the death wobble. I'll be on the freeway, driving 65+ mph, all of the sudden hit a bump or rumble in the road and then lose control of my steering. The Jeep starts vibrating (wobbling) uncontrollably. The only way to stop this is by slowing down enough to come to a stop, which can prove difficult and dangerous on the freeway. This is something I feel should be fixed. My car has never been in an accident, has all new parts since I bought it brand new and shouldn't have this problem.
At 3800 miles my vehicle experienced violent steering wheel vibration. The dealership replaced the steering damper. Within weeks it started to occur again. I opened a case with Chrysler and the dealership and it appears the fix is replacing it with another aftermarket steering damper that isn't available till July. The frequency and severity of the wobble is increasing. This morning on a 20 minute commute it occurred twice. Once at 70mph and then once at 58mph exiting the highway. Turning the wheel to get of the exit was difficult and the vibration continued until I got the car down to 30mph. I call Chrysler again telling them I'm actually scared now to drive my vehicle on the highway and at this rate am risk for an accident and can't wait till July for repair.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chester, NJ, USA