10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
6,979 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2018 Jeep Wrangler steering problems

steering problem

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2018 Jeep Wrangler Owner Comments (Page 48 of 53)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #118

Jul 282018

Wrangler

  • 10 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There is excessive play (about 2 inches) in the steering. This leads to me having to constantly correct for it wandering. The Wrangler I have is also a manual which requires me to take one hand off the wheel to shift. While doing so it is not easy to keep the vehicle straight. I feel this is very dangerous on the highway especially.

- Windsor Locks, CT, USA

problem #117

Sep 082018

Wrangler

  • 29 miles
Severe steering play, over an inch of deadspot total. Very dangerous to drive on the interstate especially around 18 wheelers

- Cleveland, TN, USA

problem #116

Sep 172018

Wrangler

  • miles
While making a left turn at low speeds it seemingly felt like my power steering was disabled and I had to crank my wheel in order to make the turn. A few hours later, I get home and about 100 yards from my apartment, the 'service electronic stability control ' warning pops up. I have only had this vehicle 2 days and less than 300 miles. It's safe to say, I'm extremely unhappy with this vehicle.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #115

Sep 012018

Wrangler

  • 20 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle steering wonders at highway speeds requiring constant steering control from operator. As speed increases to interstate legal speed limits vehicle steers on its own repeatedly left to right back to left violently requiring operator to reduce speed to regain control of vehicle. If operator view momentarily looks at dash controls the vehicle wonders into lane of oncoming traffic. Periods of high winds increases severity of vehicle wondering to higher levels of dangerous driving. I purchased this vehicle new and vehicle steering wondering has happened during every driving experience on state and federal high ways. Currently this vehicle has 1071.0 miles on odometer.

- Milford, NE, USA

problem #114

Aug 132018

Wrangler

  • 5 miles
When driving at speeds in excess of 45mph, there is significant play in the steering wheel. As a result, the vehicle is difficult to control in a straight line. This is dangerous. Because of the play, you have to constantly move the steering wheel a significant amount left or right to find where the point is that impacts the direction of the vehicle. This needs your attention because fca is ignoring the issue. I have visited two different dealers to look for a solution and also spoken the customer service at fca. The dealers' inspections did not discover any mechanical issue. In speaking to fca and the technicians at the dealerships, they indicated that it is a software issue, but cannot do anything until fca directs them. Some owners of the Wrangler have coerced their dealership to flash the power train control module. According to those individuals this software update has solved the issue. But I have not been able to find a dealer to do this without fca direction.

- Green Cove Springs, FL, USA

problem #113

Sep 152018

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 1,129 miles
As I was driving on the interstate in miami Florida my steering wheel turned to the right but my vehicle kept going straight and I heard a loud clunk from the front left of the vehicle. I was able guide the vehicle off of the interstate with great difficulty and took it to the closest dealership. There I was able to take a picture of what looks like a failed weld on what you could call a track bar or steering bracket.

- Doral, FL, USA

problem #112

Sep 112018

Wrangler

  • 6,800 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This is the second time the vehicle has experienced a total computer failure while it was being driven. My fiance' was driving this time and lost power steering, brake assist, as well as the ability to shift gears or even turn off the engine. As before, indications are a complete failure of the can network - multiple cels and error messages, from fuel low to TPMS fail to electronic start stop disabled to check shiftier, as well as a loss of power steering and the engine going into limp mode. The first time this happened I was doing 70mph on the freeway. It occurred at night, thankfully, as it caused me to swerve between lanes during the sudden loss of power/steering assist. If it had been during rush hour, I would have hit another vehicle. This time the computer failed while in a parking garage. Thankfully it occurred after turning into a straight away as my fiance' took the entire length to stop due to the loss of breaking; she blew through a pedestrian walkway and could not stop and, if it had happened during a turn, she most likely would have hit a car or hit the edge of the parking garage. Both times we were very lucky that we did not have an accident that resulted in major damage or a fatality. Jeep has found 2 electrical wiring problems so far with this Jeep and obviously there are additional wiring defects present in the vehicle.

- Galveston, TX, USA

problem #111

Sep 012018

Wrangler

  • 50 miles
Loose steering. Large dead spot. Off centered. Very wobbly not stable. Hard to drive in a straight line.

- Coral Springs, FL, USA

problem #110

Sep 082018

Wrangler

  • 10 miles
I just leased a Jeep an immediately upon driving the Jeep home I had problems steering the vehicle as I entered normal traffic speed. There is a noticeable steering dead zone (play) when the steering wheel is at-or-near centered position. Furthermore, the vehicle does not seem to be able to drive in a straight line (the Jeep wanders quite markedly on paved roads without constant correction. ) several times I went out of my lane. These two issues are present at all speeds but are especially noticeable at highway speeds. Both issues compound and make the vehicle unsafe to drive requiring frequent micro-corrections which are hard to get right because of the aforementioned dead zone. I have been driving Wrangler for 10 years so this is not because I am new to the vehicle. If I drive this Jeep I will have an accident, its only a matter of time there is also half inch to full inch of play with the steering wheel in park. The steering wheel can be moved with no movement in the tires

- Glendale, NY, USA

problem #109

May 292018

Wrangler

  • 900 miles
While driving at highway speed the Jeep wanders all over the road requiring constant steering correction and sometimes requiring extra force to be put on the steering wheel. Upon my own investigation there is a tsb out for this but it does not fix the problem I also took the time to inspect my steering components and found that the ball joints were not torqued to specifications they were only hand tight

- Manville, NJ, USA

problem #108

Aug 102018

Wrangler

  • 11 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Loose steering, tracking left or right never straight at any speed.

- Rock Island, IL, USA

problem #107

Sep 012018

Wrangler

  • 200 miles
Steering is loose and 1 inch movements of the steering wheel in either direction yield no steering effect at all. Car wanders in left and right and the "dead" zone in the steering wheel make it difficult to control. Other drivers must think I am driving drunk. Not safe or comfortable.

- Miller Place, NY, USA

problem #106

Sep 092018

Wrangler

  • 600 miles
Steering wheel automatically goes the opposite direction while in gear 1 or 2 when it is turned half way. This happens under parking conditions (difficult not to hit other cars); and turning in high traffic situations (very dangerous in congested areas). I lost control of the car steering (it was going the opposite direction such as in a skidding situation) on the highway getting on from an onramp (from first gear to second - from a stop sign) and almost steered into oncoming cars!! I have a video example of the problem that I can send via email if you need.

- Astoria, NY, USA

problem #105

Aug 242018

Wrangler

  • 925 miles
My daughter was driving the brand new Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport we purchased and she called me in a panic because her "steering wheel locked up!" on a city road as she was driving. She could not steer to the left at all. She pulled over to right, shut down the car and when restarted it did not stop the issue. This is extremely unsafe! I researched online that there is a known steering lock problem with a tsb 18-19-02-ds with 2018 Jeep Wrangler, yet, our dealer says he's "never heard of it".

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #104

Aug 222018

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 60 miles
While driving on the highway with my wife at 60mph the steering got loose to the point where the car was losing control I needed to pull off the highway. The 2018 Wrangler jk has a new steering system design that creates a dangerously loose and oversteer condition that will increase rollovers at high speeds we would like to formally document the steering on the jl is flawed, dangerous, and designed at a level of looseness where the drivers control of the vehicle is dramatically impaired. This vehicle should be recalled and or the electronic software package should be redesigned. With this email I am notifying fca that they have a material safety hazard on this product. The excessive play in steering risks oversteer at low speeds and increased rollover % probability at 55 mph and higher this is not acceptable. The change in tires makes no difference in performance. This is documenting complaint number 2 from the [xxx] family. Please do not allow families with children to drive this vehicle without a warning or the teen age demographic that loves to drive Wrangler. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- New Canaan, CT, USA

problem #103

Sep 052018

Wrangler

  • 2,500 miles
New 2018 Jeep Wrangler sahara jl experiencing instability with the steering. At speeds above 40mph the vehicles steering requires constant compensation to keep it tracking straight. It is very concerning on narrowere, older highways where a small adjustments makes a big difference. There are numerous complaints regarding this vehicles' steering and it needs to be addressed by the manufacturer. The Jeep is going to the dealership this week and my expectations that the issue will be addressed is very low.

- Belmont, MA, USA

problem #102

Aug 292018

Wrangler

  • 70 miles
As other's have reported, there is a dead spot in the center of the steering wheel. The vehicle wanders excessively and requires quite a bit of correction due to the dead spot. This is not safe and needs to be fixed.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

problem #101

Aug 252018

Wrangler

  • 500 miles
I am experiencing a dead spot in the steering of roughly 1-2 inches at both city and highway speeds (60+ mph) where the steering is unresponsive. As well as "wandering" steering where any variations in the road/wind etc cause the vehicle to veer off course. With these two problems, I am constantly correcting the vehicle to the point where it is extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. I have found numerous other people that are experiencing the same problem. The following forum describes the issues reported : https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/my-steering-issues-have-been-fixed.12843/

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #100

Aug 112018

Wrangler

  • 500 miles
I am experiencing a dead spot in the steering of roughly 2-3 inches at highway speeds (60+ mph) where the steering is unresponsive. As well as "wandering" steering where any variations in the road/wind etc cause the vehicle to veer off course dramatically. With these two problems, I am constantly correcting the vehicle to the point where it is extremely uncomfortable and unsafe. I have driven numerous other Jeep Wrangler (prior models) and have never had such issues. I have found numerous other people that are experiencing the same problem. The following forum describes the issues reported and the failed "fixes" that the service departments are rendering: Https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/my-steering-issues-have-been-fixed.12843/

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #99

Aug 032018

Wrangler

  • 1,000 miles
Steering has a 'dead spot' when centered (up to about 10degrees to left or right) when traveling highway speeds. This means the driver has to continually steering to the left or right (about 10degrees) to the left or right just to keep the car centered. When driving close to other cars or highway median, this could cause you to veer off your lane and lead to a potential accident.

- Toronto, AZ, USA

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