When reaching speeds of 55 miles per hour the jeep shakes to a point of almost losing control of the vehicle until the jeep reaches a speed of 65 - 70 MPH then settles down.
2005 Jeep Wrangler suspension complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 51, newest first, as owners wrote them.
This is second time this has happened; it has happened to me at least 4 times since 11/30/2013. I was accelerating, and when I hit about 50mph, my left tire hit a small pot hole. My front end began shaking violently; my steering wheel was literally bouncing in my hands and I could not actively control the jeep. The shaking would not stop until I slowed down to about 5 miles per hour on a busy roadway. I almost caused an accident. This jeep has a shimmy/wobble that occurs on some bumps. Some lead to the "death wobble," and others do not. The shaking is so intense that the front end felt like it was going to come apart. I have new tires, and the vehicle was just purchased used from the dealership, after having received a full service. I took it into the jeep dealership that confirmed that everything looked ok, and the bushings were fine.
Death wobble!!!! Started about dec 2011 around speeds of 55-60 MPH. Car will suddenly start to violently shake. When viewing from behind in another car it appears as if the wheels may come off. I have replaced the shocks, struts, stabilizer bar, track bar, springs, spacers, calipers, hubs, new tires, balance and rotate tire every 5000-6000 miles, new front brakes, new back brakes, two rear alignments, 3 front alignments, and rotors, I death wobble has gone from bad to dangerously worse. My wrangler is a factory right hand drive jeep that I use to deliver mail. I was using as my primary car as well. I must drive 25 miles to work via interstate and then another 65 miles on my route. The car consistently shakes when I hit speeds of 45 MPH or higher. A bump in the road will trigger the wobble as well. I spoke to two different jeep dealerships today and was told that there is no solution to my problem. I have been to at least 6 different mechanic shops, one off road shop, and two different alignment shops. I was told that I could try replacing the gear box ($899.99) and also try replacing my rims! If the maker of my vehicle has no idea on what or how to fix it........then who will? I would like to resolve my death wobble. I am extremely annoyed! I no longer feel safe driving my car to and from work and when it rains I am a nervous wreck just knowing I will have to drive my jeep on the interstate. Sadly its gotten to the point that I will not allow any of my kids in this vehicle. I end up having to leave my jeep at work in another town if my husband isn't able to drive it to and from work for me. I am willing to fix the problem.......if jeep would just let me know what that is!!!! In good conscious I could never sell and stick someone else with this problem/headache!! Also, when I fill my jeep up with gas, it overflows splashing gas everywhere!
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.
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.
I was driving on the inside lane at or about 43mph on a state hwy when it hit a very small bump in the road. Almost immediately after my 2005 jeep wrangler began shaking violently causing me to lose my grip on the steering wheel before I could regain control, nearly striking another vehicle traveling on the outside lane. The shaking was so violent I thought my jeep was literally going to fall apart and/or flip over. I work out of town and was forced to return home and take my wife's truck.
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
Was on vacation in alaska when we started to get the jeep death wobble ( shimmy) . We tried wheel balance as I thought maybe we lost a wheel weight. Still shimmying. Installed a new steering dampener and this helped a little. Still shaking at around 55 to 60 MPH. Ended up buying 4 new tires and that seems to have helped but there is always a slight shimmy in the steering wheel. Nothing like b/4 thou when you would have to slam the brakes on to get it to stop shaking. Waiting for it to start again.
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.
After I had my tires rotated and was traveling about 45 MPH the front end began to severely shimmy. It occurred several times. The only way to get it to stop was to decelerate. I had the dampener and tires replaced (they were worn unevenly) today. I have major concerns about the safety of the vehicle long term. There are many anecdotal references on google concerning this being a major problem (google search wrangler "death wobble." ) one story indicated that there were a limited number of formal complaints to your organization so I wanted to make sure I added a complaint as this condition could cause an accident for an unsuspecting driver. I will update the result of the repair in terms of whether it resolves the incident or not.
Hello, I own a 2005 jeep wrangler unlimited. While driving on the highway, trying to "maintain" the proper speed limit, my jeep will develop a death wobble to the front end. This erratic and almost uncontrollable behavior occurs at anywhere from 55 to 60mph. After trying to research the solution to this problem, I have noticed multiple other jeep owners having the same issue. My jeep is my daily driver, and also is used to transport my 4 and 5 year old kids around. Due to the economy I can not afford to purchase another vehicle, nor will I sell these problems to someone else. I am surprised there hasn't been more highway related incidents/fatalities due to this issue. Any help will be greatly appreciated in solving this issue. Dealerships are no help and I cant afford to replace the whole front end just to end up with the same problems. Thank you for your time in this matter, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Death wobble violent shaking of steering wheel with after market parts I have spent thousands of dollars trying to fix the problem and it still death wobbles jeep need to reimburse people for this if I would have been told this by a disclosure of some sort when I went to purchase the jeep I would have not purchased it.
Front end shakes violently after hitting a bump and will not stop shaking until vehicle is brought to a stop. Dealer has attempted to fix it 5 times between august 06 and january 07. Dealer replaced steering dampner in august, 2006. Replaced trac bar in december, 2006. I had independent shop check front end. Found nothing out of spec. At one point dealer claimed that it was caused by tires. New tires fixed problem for a short time. Had tires balanced 4 times in 2009. Replaced stabilizer shock again in august, 2009 and again in december of 2011 with heavy duty one. Problem persists today in january of 2012.
Was driving over 50 miles per hour when I hit a little bump and my whole front end of my jeep started to shake violently, I thought the wheels were going to come off, I could bearly control the steering wheel to make it to the side of road, I have had less violent ones but they are becoming more frequent now, I just went to dealer and they said my steering damper will have to be replaced for 255.00 , I have been reading all the complaints about this " death wobble" and all the work that people are having done only to have the issue come back, I do not want to waste money on all the things that they will try and replace only to find its not the real issue. Please help!
Death wobble at speeds between 55 and 60 MPH.l
This jeep bought "used' in 2007 with 18k miles and no modifications. No post-purchase modifications have been made. Problem first noticed at 20k miles and happens intermittently and without warning. At 45+ MPH, while entering freeway on-ramp overpass, hit expansion joint in road. Jeep began to violently shake from the front end of vehicle, and steering wheel wobbled left to right, 5 to 6 inches each side, uncontrollably. Vehicle sounded and felt like it was going to literally fall apart. Driver tried breaking gently but vehicle continued to shake/wobble even worse. With difficulty, driver got vehicle to side of road and called for help. Another occasion, while driving downhill 55 - 60 MPH and decelerating, vehicle started violently shaking/wobbling, unprovoked by roadway defect or obstruction. Driver broke hard, down-shifted, got vehicle to shoulder of road and came to complete stop. Wobble did not cease until car stopped. Other occasions, typically while driving between 45 - 60 MPH on freeway, steering wheel will start wobbling, subtly at first, then all-out shimmy/wobble from front end. On one occasion vehicle seemed to self-correct, but driver sensed wobbling trying to return. On all occasions driver(s) grasped steering wheel hard to try to "calm" vehicle. Three different family drivers (and only drivers) of this vehicle all experienced similar vehicle malfunction. Jeep has been taken to three different service centers (chrysler/jeep, les schwab, ken's tires) for inspection and repair. Owners purchased suggested parts and service each time. Problem eventually returns.
I love my 2005 jeep wrangler but I'm afraid it's going to kill me or cause a major accident. Hitting a bump or rough patch at speeds over 50 can trigger a "death wobble." the tires spin sideways- uncontrollably- and the car literally jumps and shimmies out of control. If I'm lucky I can guide it off the freeway to a stop. This happened a year ago and I had my tires aligned, which helped for a while. It started again, so I took it to the dealer who aligned my tires and replaced my steering damper. Jeep knows about this problem- there's a replacement part available for newer models. I drive conservatively, and never off-road, and have not made any modifications to the factory parts. This is a dangerous and common complaint- jeep should be made to recall and fix this problem before people are killed!! How can there have been no action to date with so many complaints!
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.
I bought a 2005 se sport jeep wrangler about two years ago. In the past few months I have noticed vibrations increasing in the steering wheel and just in the past month the shakings have become extremely violent between 52-60 MPH, causing me to have to pull over and stop on the interstate. I took it to the shop and have had the brake pad replaced, new shocks, new alignment, tires rotated, tires balanced, rotors replaced and the entire front end checked. The shaking is still present and I cannot afford to keep replacing one thing at a time when nothing seems to help. The violent shaking is occurring consistently every time I reach 52 MPH now and I am scared to drive it on the interstate or have my family drive it. I don't know what to do, where to go or who to talk to to help me get this fixed without costing me my entire months salary or more. My tires also appear to be wearing wrong due to the shaking, which will cost me more money to replace. I have done research on this "death wobble" and am finding that it is very common. We need someone to help us so no one gets seriously injured and so we aren't paying out of pocket for a technical error.
2005 jeep wrangler shakes violently after hitting any minor bump while driving 45 MPH or above. The vehicle must come to a complete stop before the shaking will stop. Tires have been replace, wheel alignment which stopped the shaking for a few months. The shaking is back and now the steering stabilizer arm is being replaced just to see if that will stop the shaking. This is very dangerous as it can cause accidents trying to come to a complete stop on a freeway.
We own a 2005 jeep tj wrangler. When hitting a bump it shakes violently and you have to come to a complete stop before it will stop. I have done a lot of research on this problem and find that it is very common with this year and model of jeep. We have replaced the steering damper, sway bar ends, track bar bushings, all new shocks, brakes and rotors, tires balanced and rotated several times with no avail. This is a serious issue and we cannot seem to get any answers. The jeep has 60,00 miles on it and is completely stock with no modifications on it. It is very dangerous drive, but my only vehicle for transportation to my job. My warranty does not cover suspension and steering so everything I have done has been at my own expense. This issue can cause a serious wreck and for a young driver could be fatal. Can you please look into this situation. We are stuck with what we have, as we are still paying on it. We can get no answers, except keep replacing parts with better quality ones. Which brings the questions up, why did they use less than good quality when it was built.
I bought my 2005 jeep brand new off the lot. Within a year I began to notice the "death wobble". I had been a very moderate driver, and had less than 10,000 miles on the vehicle. When I took the jeep to the dealer, they replaced the stabilizer arm, which the warranty covered, but the problem remained. The dealer then rotated and balanced my tires and adjusted my alignment. They charged me over $200 for that. This seemed to mask the problem for about a year, then the "death wobble" returned. I took the jeep to a different dealership where I was promptly sold 2 new tires (stock uniroyal tiger paws @ $104 each) and a steering dampener. Total cost this time was well over $500. This took care of the wobble for about a year. Now the wobble is back, and I'm wondering what to do. I can't afford another dealer to fleece me again, and I hear jeep isn't acknowledging this wide-spread problem. They should issue a recall. In the meantime though, I love my jeep and want it fixed. I don't want it to kill me or anyone else. Does anyone know of anything that can be done to resolve this problem? I can't afford $200-$500 every year on band-aid solutions.
I own a 2005 jeep wrangler with 29,500 miles on it. Recently, the front-end has started to wobble/shake violently at speeds around 40-45 miles per hour causing near loss of control. When it happens, the only solution is to apply the brakes and come to a complete stop. I have checked the internet and it appears to be very common, in fact, it has been labeled the "death wobble". Problem is, no one seems to have identified the exact cause or fix. Some of the recommendations include: install after-market heavy steering stabilizer (did that, no change), alignment, wheel balance, steering box, camber angle, etc. Any suggestions?
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep wrangler. Whenever the contact drives over 40 MPH, the front end of the vehicle shimmies. As a result, he lost control of the vehicle. The dealer stated that the vehicle could not be diagnosed. The current mileage was 54,000 and failure mileage was 30,000.
Jeep shakes violently when a bump is hit or road is uneven. The problem started about 2 months after purchasing the used vehicle. The problem did not show itself during the test drive but after investigating through the internet their are several jeep wrangler owners with the "deathwobble" problem. I clicked on your link provided by a local television news station wsoc channel 9 in charlotte, nc after they covered a story about another chrysler vehicle. I implore you to do what is right and ask chrysler to recall or repair, at their expense, my vehicle and other vehicles affected by this defect. An extended warranty was purchased from the dealership, crossroads ford p&a code 00994, and we were told at the time of purchase chrysler's warranty was still valid. After taking it back to the dealer several times and even taking it to the jeep dealership no one will accept accountability. We have no other choice but to drive it and fear for the life of our son.
Paris rent a car rented 2 @2005 jeep wranglers that had bald tires, bad brakes and inproper steering while visting st. Johns, virgin island. Paris rent a car, p. O box 1155, cruz bay, st. John vi 00831.
Tl*the contact owns a 2005 jeep wrangler. While driving 45 MPH over a bump in the road, the front end would shake so severely that the contact would have to stop the vehicle in order for it to stop jerking up and down. The vehicle would operate normally on occasion; however, if he drove over a bump, the shaking would occur. He took the vehicle to the dealer approximately ten times, but they could not duplicate the failure when they test drove the vehicle. The manufacturer advised him to take the vehicle to a dealer. They also stated that they would send a representative to the dealer to inspect the vehicle, but they never did. The current mileage was 21,437 and failure mileage was approximately 5. Updated 10-30-08 *bf updated 10/31/08.
Email from constituent requesting that the federal safety agency investigate the jeep wranglers in reference to a problem called the "jeep death wobble" caused by a defective steering dampener. *nj the dealer informed the consumer that the steering damper needed to be replaced on her vehicle.
Driving wrangler at 50 MPH when the front end began to shake violently. This was very traumatic, I had to pull off the road. When I searched the internet, I found that this has been a recurring problem among jeep owners. Dealership didn't seem to know about problem. Dealer stated that the steering damper and stabilizer bar went bad. Of course these items were not covered by warranty. Jeep needs to acknowledge problem and fix it. Someone is going to die from this. Please google "death wobble"happened to my wife and children. Will not take kids in this vehicle.
2005 jeep wrangler x. This is a stock vehicle, no modifications. Between 45-55 MPH both accelerating and decelerating has the death wobble (dw). First major dw was june 07 (12,819 miles) as I was driving on a smooth speed limit 50mph road, dealer replaced both steering damper and front trac bar. Next major dw in april 08, dealer replaced front trac bar again. Next major dw 1 may 08, dealer replaced steering gear. Next major dw 12 may 08, dealer stated manufacturer has developed a stronger steering damper and there are over 1,600 on back order, expect to be installed in july 08. Current mileage is 20,631. The jeep death wobble is a serious safety issue and jeep needs to fix it. Dealer service manager and lead jeep mechanic both state this is a recurring problem on jeep wranglers.
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