While traveling at highways speeds, 55mph or more, bumps or uneven surfaces may cause the vehicle to begin shaking very violently. Chirping of tires can be heard and ability to steer and possibly slow down is greatly diminished. This occurred only occasionally when the vehicle had under 20,000 miles. After that it would occur almost any time the vehicle was driven over a bumpy surface in excess of 55mph, and under less severe bumps as time went on. Frequency of occurrence on an uneven stretch of highway would render the vehicle incapable of maintaining normal highway speeds impeding flow of traffic. This causes front tires to lose pressure and wear more rapidly. Problem occurred more frequently after re-inflating tires. Slowing the vehicle to a speed of approximately 35mph or less would usually stop the shaking; sometimes, an almost, complete stop would be necessary. Upon my initial complaint nothing was done about it. I was told it may be an out of balance tire. Upon the 2nd complaint the steering dampener was replaced. I have not had a chance to adequately test the vehicle to see if this repair has fixed the problem. From everything I've read, it's a temporary fix at best. In summary "death wobble" needs to be seriously addressed, I feel fortunate to have not been an accident yet. This is a very unnerving condition. It is worth nothing, that the shake is so violent vehicles behind or beside me will often yield extra distance to the vehicle when it occurs. This likely is causing undue repair costs to many vehicle owners as it has me in prematurely worn tires and other parts.
2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4x4 suspension complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 68 of 68, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited with 10,500 miles. I have made no modifications to the vehicle. Approximately 3 weeks ago, after just having the jeep serviced (including rotation of tires) at my jeep dealer, during a two hour drive I twice experienced violent wobbling from side to side, making it very difficult to control the vehicle. I took the car back to the dealership. The dealership replaced parts of the front suspension. My son then took the jeep out for a short trip, and once again experienced the problem. I then researched the problem on the web. Numerous sites report the problem, referred to as "death wobble". Most of the sites report the problem as being very serious, with the jeep shaking violently from side to side -- usually brought on by one of the front tires encountering a bump in the road. Multiple persons have described the problem as being very dangerous, with the vehicle being very difficult to control.
2008 jeep wrangler unlimited had death wobble at 20k and 55k mileage. It is very dangerous as the front end goes out into the death wobble on the interstate or on curves. Chrysler service dealerships say to replace the steering shock, tires etc...these cars only have 20k on them. Read the stories on edmunds. All of them are the same. How many stories does it take? I never posted my first story but this is now my second incident at 55k. Someone is going to get killed. Who knew and when is all I can say. I think there is a design error. I have owned cars for 30 years and have never experienced this sort of problem. This is the 5th recall on some sort of jeep wrangler unlimited part. I have not read about any deaths yet however there will be if this problem does not get addressed. A group is getting together to hopefully file a class action lawsuit. What does it take? Working american citizens don't have time or money to fight for safety. I assume american cars are safe and companies will do what is right if there is a problem. Doing the right thing is hopefully still an american value. I hope the government will help us and do the right thing. I have never asked the gov to do anything for me other than the basic services that all americans get. Don't fail me. I know it is complicated. Are you willing to do the right thing?
While driving approximately 50 MPH, went over an expansion join on an interstate overpass and the front end of the jeep began shaking violently (found numerous online sites regarding the problem- jeep wrangler death wobble). Shaking stopped once speed was below 20 MPH. Problem continued to occur when going over small bumps above 35 MPH. Mechanic inspected and found both stock front shocks and steering stabilizer shock needed replacing. Problem still occurring, so jeep was brought to dealership. Dealership acknowledged that they have had similar complaints with jeep wranglers. Dealership installed steering stabilizer relocation brackets and a new stock steering stabilizer shock. Problem is still occurring and the jeep will be brought back to the dealership for further repair.
My 2008 jeep wrangler has had many issues. One issue that seems to be an extreme safety concern is what people have come to call "the death wobble". I took my jeep in about a year ago to have this issue addressed and they told me that it was my "bump steer and the steering dampener". So the dealer replaced it and it seemed to be fine up until about a month ago. "the death wobble" occurs when you are traveling at speed of 45mph and up. What happens is that if you hit a bump in the road or a pot hole, your jeep goes into an uncontrollable wobble and shakes violently. You almost have to come to a complete stop to make the wobble subside. This is a huge safety issue because it can causes you to wobble into another car, go off the road at high speeds, and even cause a rear end collision because you are slamming on your breaks to stop the wobble. After reading up on this issue, this "the death wobble" is a growing occurrence among jeep drivers, and there doesn't seem to be a fix for it.
Death wobble, hit pot hole in road at 60mph and the front end of the vehicle goes into a violent shake. The only way to get the shaking to stop is bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
Driving down the highway at 65 miles per hour my 2008 jeep rubicon starting violently shaking! We have take it to 3 garages and no one can find any problem with the vehicle. This has now happened 5 times! I understand based on my internet research this is called a "death wobble!" - I do not want this vehicle any longer. What can I do! We have had it for 3 months!!!!!!!
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 jeep wrangler 4-dr4x4. While driving approximately between 60-65 MPH, the front end of the vehicle began to shake violently. The contact reduced speed and came to a stop. The vehicle resumed in operation without the vibration. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the stabilizer bar and steering damper were replaced. The failure occurred after the repair and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The technician informed that a part was ordered and did not provide additional any information pertaining to the repair. The contact stated the vehicle had been at the dealer for one month and currently remained there until repaired. The failure was approximately 20,000.
"death wobble" when the vehicle hits a bump such as an expansion joint at speeds between 60-70 MPH, the vehicle begins to shake violently to the point that control is lost on all but dry pavement. The vehicle must be slowed to less than 50mph before the shaking stops. No warning or esp lights illuminate during the episodes. Dealer replaced a leaking steering shock on this vehicle and suspects it is the cause but I have not been able to test on the same stretch of road to confirm. While in the waiting room, another 07+ jeep wrangler owner was picking up his vehicle after receiving the same repair for the same symptoms. Dealer contact info: faricy boys chrysler jeep 4950 new car drive colorado springs, co 80923 719‑636‑3914 advisor: robert hoover
When driving the jeep at highway speeds the front end will shake violently. It becomes very hard to steer the jeep. You have to almost come to a complete stop before the shaking will stop. Shaking has a similar feel to a tire blow out. My jeep has been to the dealership 3 times for the same problem and they have been unable to fix the problem. It started at about 12,000 miles. They have replaced the stabilizer shock 2 times but that does not fix the problem. This seems to be a common problem with the stock jk model wrangler jeep. Please look into this before somebody gets seriously hurt. There is plenty of accounts of this on the internet. You can see video on youtube. Just search on jeep death wobble.
We have a 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited with 30,000miles, that has what is called the death wobble, this has happened numerous times beginning with as little as 15,000 miles. I can be driving down the interstate about 60 MPH and going around a turn the front end shake fiercely, the steering wheel shakes so band that is will cause an accident. The jeep dealers has looked at this vehicle and cant seem to find the problem.this is an issue with lots of jeeps around the company, just do a google search and type in jeep wrangler death wobble and you can see at the complaints. Chrysler need to find and fix this problem before someone get killed.
2008 jeep wrangler unlimited with 45,000 miles. During driving and you hit a bump the vehicle will shake violently. It will not stop until you stop the vehicle and then you can proceed. I looked on the internet and it seems to be a common problem among jeep owners. They even have a name for it the death wobble.
I have a 2008 jeep wrangler rubicon and whenever I got over hard bumps or rail road crossings I get death wobble. I have seen many others have had this same issue and chrysler has done nothing to correct it.
About a month ago my 2008 jeep wrangler x started to experience an extreme wobble that happens intermittently. When it happens the whole front end starts shaking so violently that it is difficult to control the vehicle. Yesterday the issue occurred so badly that I had to immediately pull off the highway (it was quite dangerous and I'm lucky there wasn't an accident). I took the vehicle into a jeep dealer to diagnose this issue. They told me they were aware of similar incidents with other jeeps (often referred to as "death wobble") but they said that since the problem is intermittent, they have no clear fix to date. Going on their recommendation, I had the tires rebalanced and they went through and retightened the trackbar linkage, however, the problem has not been resolved. The dealership is providing me no further resolution and, as mentioned before, I am still experiencing instances of extreme front-end wobble. I am afraid to let my wife drive the vehicle until it is resolved as it presents a very dangerous driving condition when it does happen.
I own a 2008 jeep wrangler 4 door. I have had the jeep pretty much defect free up until about 35000 miles. About a month ago the jeep started to get a shimmy. I had the wheels/ tires rebalanced to try and fix it. I did not have an issue for about another week. Then on day while traveling down the freeway at about 50 MPH. I drove over a small transition in the road. This cause my wheel to shake very violently and I had to make an emergency lane change to pull over to stop the violent shaking. This is often referred to as "death wobble" because anyone in the car thinks they are about to die because the two front wheels feel like they are going to fall off. I visually checked under that car and everything seemed to be in working order so I continued down the road. A day later the exact same thing happened. As I thought that this could potentially cause a serious accident or serious damage to my car I took it into my dealer to have them fix it. They said that I needed a new steering stabalizer/ shock. I replaced that hoping that would fix the problem, it did not as it happened again a few days later. I took it back and they could not figure out what was wrong. I took it to my personal mechanic after that and he discovered that the track bar bushing was prematurely worn out and it was causing the problem and also causing other components in the steering to be become worn also. After replacing the track bar I did not have any problems. This is a serious issue that must be addressed by a recall or physical inspection of the track bar at regular intervals. Also this can be caused by a loose track bar bolt so there must be a more reliable way to secure the track bar to prevent this from happening.
Stock 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited x. No modifications whatsoever. Death wobble. Dealer masked it by replacing the steering stabilizer. Dealer wants to charge me for inspecting the front end to find the problem and might charge me for the repairs. Death wobble is unacceptable and should be corrected by the factory free of charge.
My 2008 4 door jeep wrangler xl has this deal wobble. It has happened about 4 times since I have owned it. It you hit a bump or pothole at around 40-50 MPH it goes into this death shake. It feels like it is coming apart. You cannot control the vehicle when it does this and is a danger to myself and others on the road.
1. Cruising at 42mph on interstate, approaching curve 2. Vehicle proceeded over a change in surface from concrete roadbed to asphalt experienced heavy potholes on right hand side causing massive failure of all front end steering and handling components with uncontrollable, violent shaking. Disengaged gearbox, coasted to slower speed with emergency flashers on, shaking subsided and proceeded to drive normally. Less than 5 minutes later over a similar change in surface with potholes at 40mph, vehicle suspension failed in the same way and I responded in the same way by reducing speed and waiting for the shaking to subside. 3. Called dealership service department and described the "death wobble" experiences and was given a service appointment for this coming tuesday so they can evaluate and replace components as needed.
Massive front-end shake that seemed to be a result of traversing a pitted improved asphalt surface in downtown honolulu at about 40-45 MPH. I was unable to control the steering and thinking quickly activated my hazard lights, took the vehicle out-of-gear and coasted reducing speed until I felt the steering return to control as the shaking ceased. This has happened on two other occasions not as severely...totally unacceptable for a stock-equipped vehicle with less than 7,000 miles.
I have had the "death wobble" in the front end of my 2008 jeep wrangler happen twice in the last couple of weeks while on a busy freeway. I have nearly crashed both times as I was in heavy traffic and could not move over to the side of the road. I am frightened to drive it and wonder how many fatal car accidents have occurred due this terrible wobble that bounces the front end up and down.
When traveling at road speeds between 45mph and 65mph, if the vehicle encounters a small bump or indention in the road the front end shakes out of control. You must reduce speed or stop the vehicle to allow the movement to stop. My wife and I have both experienced this on our 2008 jeep wrangler x. The front end shakes excessively. I encountered it while entering a curve and thought I was going to end up in the ditch or overturned in the vehicle.
On tuesday march 9th 2010 I was driving my 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited across railroad tracks in herman minnesota about 11:00 am. The road conditions were wet. I experienced a violent shaking starting in the front end which then involved the whole vehicle. My speed was about 25 to 30 MPH. I hit the brakes and the shaking stopped. I have 15,000 miles on the vehicle. There are many complaints of this on various forums on the internet(edmunds.com,jkforum.com etc) I have no modifications on my vehicle and has been maintained(tires rotated and balanced, oil changes etc). I bought a 2002 jeep grand cherokee new and have traveled over these same railroad tracks many a time with no problems. I am going to make an appointment for this week (3/15/2010) with albany chrysler/jeep the dealer whom I purchased the car from for a recall to reprogram the computer and normal maintenance. At this appointment I will have the shaking incident addressed.
2008 wrangler sport 4 dr. After running over a seam in the curve of an overpass the vehicle shook violently. The whole car was bouncing. This shaking continued until I was able to pull to the side. The incident was terrifying and I felt as if I would lose control of the vehicle. This happened 2 times in the past year and mentioned it to the local jeep dealer. They said it was a common occurrence.
While driving my 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited on a two lane road at about 45 miles per hour I hit a pothole and suddenly there was a violent shaking in the front end of the vehicle. The steering wheel turned from side to side uncontrollably for a couple of seconds and I could feel the entire vehicle being turned from side to side as thought the front tires were wobbling back and forth from left to right. The only way to stop it was to hit the brakes and slow the vehicle. In the past few weeks I have felt a looseness in the steering when I hit a bump or pothole in the road but this time it was violent and sustained and nearly caused me to cross the center line into oncoming traffic. Took the vehicle to my jeep dealer and was informed that this is a common problem with jeep from suspension and that the technician himself had experienced it in his own jeep. He made the comment that there should be a recall on it. In the end they needed to replace the steering damper, traction bar, bushings, and brackets. Conveniently these items are specifically excluded from the extended warranty that is sold as "bumper-to-bumper". Supposedly this even has a nickname, "death-wobble".
Why does my jeep have the death wobble? Yes death wobble is what it is called amongst jeep owners. Do a google search on it!! I am quite sure that your engineers have heard of it. The front end wobbles violently after hitting a bump or pot hole going over 45 MPH. It will only stop doing it if you slow down below 45 MPH. This is extremely dangerous anywhere, much less on an interstate with a tractor trailer behind you!! Yes that has happened,with my family,and elderly mother in the vehicle. My jeep is only a little over a year old, and I pay 499.00 a month for it! This is my first jeep after renting one for the beach and loving it. I bought one just like the rental,and I am now extremely disappointed and very turned off to the whole jeep experience after having this happen to me. Then I do some research on it and find that I am not the only one with a jk model that is going through this :( my jeep has done this multiple times! This is a very scary situation to be in. Especially with your family in the vehicle!!! This is a dangerous condition,and has been well documented. Why has there not been a recall? Would it really take a death to prove that this an issue that must be addressed?
The vehicle is a 2008 jeep wrangler 4 door 4x4.the incident happened at approximately 15000 miles.while driving down the highway at 55 to 60 MPH the front end steering/suspension began shaking violently as if I had blown a tire.inspection of the vehicle after being forced to pull over and stop rendered nothing evidently wrong .took the vehicle to the dealership for inspection of the front suspension components and they claim there is nothing wrong with it.searching on the internet for jeep wrangler problems I have come to the conclusion that I have what seems to be common with jeep wranglers I.e. "death wobble".all you have to do is type these two words in a search engine and you will get all kinds of hits on jeep wranglers. It surprises me that chrysler has not acknowledged this problem and figured out a fix for it. It is a bit dangerous, especially at highway speeds.
2008 wrangler 4 door. Front wheel oscillation occurs between 35 & 50 MPH when the vehicle travels along uneven road surfaces and hits a pothole on the rhs. Front end suspension oscillation intensifies as speed increases rendering steering forces that exceed human strength. The sensation that is generated is that the front end goes in one direction whilst the wheels go in the opposite direction. Squealing from the tires results in visible skid marks on most road surfaces. The result of this uncontrolled movement is a is a crash to the rhs that lowers the speed enough so the driver can regain control. Local dealer claims "they all do this" various web blogs suggest that the wheels or tires are not circular or concentric.
Driving a rental jeep in kauai, hit a small bump in road - the jeep went into a violent shimmy - would not stop until the vehicle came to a complete stop - then it behaved normal - this happened about 2 times on the 3rd day of the rental period and another 5 times over the 8 day rental period - should have requested a new jeep the first time it happened - the last day it happened 3 times on the way to the airport - my wife and kids were extremely upset - lost control of vehicle and almost was in a head on collision - ended up parking on the side of the road and called a taxi - I understand this is a common problem in jeeps - someone is going to get killed if jeep does not figure out what is going on and how to fix this problem -
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