Severe steering play, over an inch of deadspot total. Very dangerous to drive on the interstate especially around 18 wheelers
2018 Jeep Wrangler steering complaints
Page 35 of 38: complaints 1,001 to 1,030 of 1,117, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
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.
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.
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. *tt
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.
Loose steering. Large dead spot. Off centered. Very wobbly not stable. Hard to drive in a straight line.
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
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
Loose steering, tracking left or right never straight at any speed.
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.
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.
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".
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 wranglers. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *cc
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.
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.
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/
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 wranglers (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/
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.
Steering is loose. Jeep wanders within the lane and you are required to chase it. Steering is most difficult in the 45-60 zone. It feels there is excessive play in the steering wheel. You can turn it 1/2'+ any direction before the wheels respond. Drove it for 46 miles and took back to dealer but they couldn't find anything wrong and gave it back 3 days later. Vehicle originally delivered with tires inflated to 44 psi. I lowered them to 36 psi as recommended on the door frame and it reduced the wandering by almost half but still is a very loose steering vehicle.
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 (wandering) on paved roads without constant correction. 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 at highway speeds, requiring frequent micro-corrections ' which are hard to get right because of the aforementioned dead zone.
Vehicle is hard to steer and keep in lane. There seems to be a major safety issue because even with constant attention it is all over the place. Even at slower speeds of 30mph the effect can be felt. Higher speeds are very scary and often people behind me wonder if I am driving drunk.
The steering wheel has a lot of play, and feels unsafe at highway speeds. The lack of feel in the wheel could case high speed lost of control and is unsafe for driving.
New jeep wrangler jl has more play in the steering than any other vehicle I have driven in the past 20 years. At highway speeds there is over 1 inch of play before the vehicle begins to turn. As a result, one tends to overcorrect causing a change in direction which makes the car wander more than I believe to be safe. Started on day of delivery in may, 2018 and continues to this day. Apparently not all wranglers experience this, but some very clearly do. Problem exists at all speeds (in motion) especially aware of it going straight on highway.
Steering is extremely loose and require constant correction to stay in a straight line. There's a huge dead spot in it as well, I feel like I'm in a cartoon driving.
Steering has a noticeable 'dead-spot' while driving and requires large amounts of input to correct normal road drift resulting in an almost jerking or sawing motion of several inches in each direction to make small corrections. The large amount of steering input required from the driver then causes the vehicle to sway laterally on the road. This becomes increasingly dangerous as speed increases. The attached service report incorrectly states they were 'unable to duplicate' the condition in a like vehicle. In actuality the other 2018 jeep wrangler I drove exhibited the same behavior; requiring larger than normal inputs to make small corrections. I was told by the service foreman it's just inherent in the design of the wrangler.
The steering is loose. You constantly have to correct to the left or right to keep the jeep tracking in the lane of travel. There is also a "dead spot" about 1/4 to 1/2 to the left and right where if you turn the steering wheel there is no movement from the front wheels. This happens at all speeds.
Steering very loose and wanders all over the road. You need to constantly make corrections while steering. Seems like the jeep wants to wander and is very hard to control. Ive only had the jeep for a week.
There is a dead spot in the steering. You must move the steering wheel 1/2"-1" to the left or right before it will activate based off of the steering input. I initially thought it was part of the typical jeep setup until I read many other owners in the jeep jlu forum complaining about the same issue. I've called (3) different dealers who indicated that they had not heard of the issue. I've provided a link to a facebook video from one of the forum members so that you can see how much play is in the steering input at 70 MPH. I was driving in a severe rainstorm recently and began to hydro-plane and didn't feel like I had the proper amount of input to steering that would allow me to recover without jerking the wheel. This amount of play in the steering makes it difficult to correctly adjust if an immediate input is needed without over correcting. Https://www.facebook.com/groups/jeepwranglerjl/permalink/1014060645441660/ this has has been ongoing since the day I tool delivery of the vehicle. I currently have approx. 2480 miles on the vehicle.
Loose steering and drift while driving. Unable to maintain a straight line without constant steering correction. Very noticeable at freeway speeds as the vehicle will want to drive left or right immediately after you stop correcting steering. Started at 19 miles total on the vehicle. As soon as I purchased it and got on the freeway it felt like driving on ice. Flat out dangerous to drive, right from the factory.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2018 Jeep Wrangler?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history