2005 Jeep Wrangler: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Oct 27, 2016 · Steering · 45,000 miles · NY

Jeep has severe death wobble when traveling @60 MPH. Front wheels will start to vibrate violently at this speed and seems to start when hitting a bump or imperfection in road surface. Required action is to apply brakes until shaking stops which could involve a decrease in speed of 15 MPH or more creating a dangerous situation especially in heavy traffic. I have had vehicle inspected at three shops with no worn components found. Had an alignment performed tires balanced track bar mount replaced control arm mount reinforced replaced steering stabilizer replaced tie rod end replaced sway bar links and still problem is no better. Jeep only has 49,000 miles so nothing is really worn too bad. This problem started roughly 10,000 miles ago and I am not sure what to do next other than replacing every steering and suspension component at a cost of probably a cost of thousands of dollars. From what I have read this is a common problem with the coil sprung jeeps with a track bar which seems to be a design flaw. Just want to add the vehicle is a safety hazard due to the fact you never know when the wobble will start and if you are in heavy traffic and all of a sudden you have to slam on the brakes to regain control of your vehicle it could be a very dangerous situation. Chrysler/jeep needs to remedy this engineering flaw not expect consumers to foot the bill.

Filed Mar 31, 2015 · Steering, Suspension · 121,114 miles · VT

The death wobble at approx 60-65 MPH/ repaired steering stabilizer/front axel joint/ right outer pitman adjustment sleeve/ left hand steering arm to connecting tie rod/ left inner to lh adjustment sleeve/ alignment, repairs cost $675, have been on the highway and still shimmies.

Filed Aug 5, 2014 · Brakes, Steering · 79,000 miles · CO

Tl * the contact owns a 2005 jeep wrangler. While driving between 50-65 MPH, the entire front end of the vehicle began to move up and down uncontrollably. The contact had to depress the brake pedal in order for the failure to cease. The failure occurred multiple times. An independent mechanic speculated that the steering stabilizer, ball joints, brakes, or control arms needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

Filed Jul 15, 2013 · Steering, Suspension · 35,000 miles · NH

I have a 2005 jeep wrangler unlimited...while driving on the highway hitting a speed of about 62 my jeep starting shaking so violently that I thought I was going to loose my front end! The steering wheel felt like it was going to come off in my hands and that my tires were ready to fall off as well! This was very very scary since I had my grandchild in the jeep with me! I paid over $800 to have the suspension rod/tie rods replaced. Then shortly thereafter, my jeep would not start. A little pin in the steering column broke and the that part is not sold separately so I had to have the whole steering column replaced...about another $600.

Filed Jul 2, 2013 · Steering, Suspension · 65,287 miles · CO

Hi, apparently my situation isn't unique, I have a 2005 jeep wrangler unlimited with less than 70k miles. At about 50mph it starts shaking violently, this has happened to me at least 5 times since I've owned this jeep, about 2 1/2 months. I took it to the tire shop and they inspected the tie-rod ends and found no problem. It was shaking so bad I thought that surely my front end was coming apart so, I googled my problem and was LED to a plethora of information and found the term "death wobble", I thought it felt like driving over railroad tracks, but death wobble seems to also be an appropriate term as well, because the front end seems to be shaking to death. I, like so many others, went to kevin's off road, kor, website and read about the potential causes and cures. In my particular case there hasn't been any aftermarket modifications, it's as stock as they come. Anyway, kevin's recommended solution to my "wobble" is to replace the track bar, the steering damper, control arms and bushings. The cost for this is around $366 for the parts and I'm not sure what the labor costs will be. It seems to me that maybe someone at chrysler should actually go drive one before they say "it's not our fault". They should be part of the solution since they created the problem. My 1989 jeep doesn't have this problem, leaf springs vs. Independent coil springs, perhaps,... A smoother ride but at what cost? $366 plus labor for me. Can you please help apply pressure to chrysler to make this right? Thanks for your time and interest.

Filed Jan 15, 2013 · Steering, Suspension · 75,000 miles · WV

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep wrangler. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH or above, the vehicle would shake uncontrollably. The contact had to reduce speed to regain control. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who test drove and was able to recreate the failure in the vehicle however, they advised that they were unable to remedy the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where a diagnostic was performed that located the failure at the steering assembly. The steering assembly was replaced and the failure was corrected. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage wa 82,000. The dealer did acknowledge there was a problem with the steering. However, they did not have a fix for it. The consumer stated he found a mechanic that was familiar with the problem and all four control arms, trac bar and steering shock were replaced. Updated 02/07/13

Filed Aug 27, 2012 · Steering, Suspension · 30,000 miles · WV

This problem has been occurring since the first week I bought the jeep used back in 2007. I returned to the dealership three times in the first month to have them balance, rotate tires, check alignment. Was told I needed new tires. New tires does fix the problem for a while. I have replaced brakes, rotors, tires, had alignments, rotations etc. Only to have the problem recur. I have now found that this problem is called the "jeep death wobble" and has hundreds of like complaints. My tire wobbles terribly at around 55 miles per hour. I am now told that I should replace my upper and lower ball joints. Chrysler/jeep has already acknowledged a similar problem on their liberty. They need to discover the problem so that we can fix this and ride safely before someone dies from this defect.

Filed Jun 30, 2011 · Steering, Suspension · 22,000 miles · TX

Driving over uneven road surfaces, man hole covers, pot holes, expansion joints in concrete, or any ripples in the road surface, what is commonly known as "death wobble" occurs. This is an uncontrollable left and right progressive wobble of the front wheels. This wobble does not stop until the vehicle is slowed down to approximately 10 MPH. Parts replaced have been the steering stabilizer, track bar bushings, pitman arm and pitman tie rod end, tires, tires balanced three times (twice in two weeks), alignment performed twice, and steering gear box adjusted. Two different jeep dealerships claim the stabilizer is the problem, and the one replaced must be faulty. Do the research, the steering stabilizer is not the problem... Only a mask. The "death wobble" happens daily. Usually multiple times.

Filed Feb 1, 2006 · Brakes, Suspension · NC

2005 jeep wrangler front brakes were severely worn and ball joints need replacing. *ts ***no answer required***