2018 Jeep Wrangler: jerking or lurching

Filed Jun 4, 2026 · Brakes · NC

I own a 2018 Jeep Wrangler that my 19 year old son drives for college. While driving, the vehicle jerked and became sluggish. There were no warning lights illuminated. I became aware that the front brake rotors had overheated again. I had the front right brake caliber and brake line changed back in 2024 and the issue has recurred this year. I had a local mechanic change the front brake pads and rotors for both front tires and caliber to right front side only in April/2026 and the issue has started again today. The vehicle was taken back to local mechanic to be diagnosed again. He stated that the brake fluid was unable to properly bleed through the brake line restricting air to fully purge from the hydraulic system, which can result in incomplete bleeding, reduced braking performance, uneven pad wear, brake drag, or brake fade and is part of the reason for burning smell near right front tire. He added that car isn’t safe to drive in this condition due to safety concerns of accidents due to inability to properly brake or even a fire. Vehicle hasn’t been repaired due to cost and I will attempt to contact manufacturer. The initial mileage reading when this issue occurred in 2024 was 90,000 miles. The mileage as of this complaint is 112,392.

Filed Aug 2, 2024 · Brakes · 79,588 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked and drifted inadvertently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact became aware that the front brake rotors had overheated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with front brake calipers failure. The contact was informed that the front brake calipers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the same diagnostic was provided by the mechanic. The contact was informed that the front brake calipers needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 79,588.

Filed May 13, 2024 · Electrical, Steering · TX

Several electrical issues, vehicle issues tying back to the CAN BUSS. The vehicle throws several codes and several components quit working. I lost powering steering at 80 M.P.H and had to fight the vehicle not to wreck out. Then the power steering comes back to function again almost causing me to wreck out. Traction control also stops working when this issue occurs, which is also incredibly dangerous. The vehicle then starts jerking and becoming unresponsive. New batteries, changed Can Buss connectors and no solution. There are hundreds of reported issues with this on the forums. Chrysler and Fiat should be held responsible. These issues are going to be the cause of someone's death. Just because this incident did not involve a "crash, fire or death" does not mean the next will not.

Filed Mar 18, 2024 · Steering · AZ

Driving Jeep Wrangler Unlimited at posted speed of 65 mph when I hit a rough spot in the road or a seam in the pavement, or a pothole the front wheels jerk back and forth violently until I slow down to 30 mph or less and then continue driving. This is known as the Jeep "Death Wobble" the dealers know about it, it's on YOUTube many times, it is very dangerous because you have no control of the vehicle. The dealer replaced the steering stabilizer on a recall notice, but my Jeep still has the same problem.

Filed Jul 5, 2023 · Acceleration, Electrical · MI

While driving vehicle will randomly have multiple warning lights on display suddenly appear (ABS, check engine, stability control, traction control, etc.) and speedometer would either go to 0 or read blank. In some instances power steering also cut out causing vehicle to swerve or jerk without warning. Spouse was scared to drive it when this happened and pulled over to have it towed. Did not want to have the vehicle suddenly swerve or lose control and hit cross traffic or pedestrian on side walk. This issue would then suddenly resolve itself and return to normal state. On some occasions, when vehicle was started, it would not shift out of park at first, but then would correct itself and allow it to be shifted out of park and driven. When check engine light was active, had codes checked and none were active, only stored. Indicated ABS sensor or ABS module errors. Was able to have Chrysler Dealer check into and after 5 days of troubleshooting, they worked with Chrysler Engineering to determine that there was a star CAN connector that was malfunctioning. Installed part 68321746AA for $84 and labor of $527 to resolve issue.

Filed Nov 7, 2022 · Brakes · 47,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle jerked and pulled inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear brake calipers had seized. The dealer diagnosed that the rear brake calipers and the brake line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

Filed Jun 13, 2022 · Steering · KY · crash

The steering wheel is loose/has too much play. The Jeep wanders when holding the wheel straight. When driving, turning the wheel 2-3 inches in either direction produced not movement at all in my tires. This was not an issue before steering recalls were done. Unfortunately, with Covid and working from home, I did not drive a lot, and definitely not need to take it on highway. April 9th was the first time taking it on the highway for a trip (Connecticut to Kentucky). I did not make it. I was in an accident when a vehicle appeared to be to coming to close. I recall turning the wheel and not getting any response…then jerking more out of fear which was to much and I ended up smashing into a guardrail. I had to leave it in Pennsylvania at a collision center for repairs. May 26 - Can repairs complete so I picked it up in PA and drove to Louisville. A 7hr trip took 2-days. I has to drive slow, and so way could I drive it while it was raining. It was wandering and all over the highway and the steering was not responsive. June 3 -I brought it into Cross Jeep as soon as they had an opening. They rotated the tire and test drive it. I was told they did not notice anything out of the ordinary. The loose steering is how Jeeps drive. I was told to take it home and see how things were after the tire rotation. June 6 - First thing Monday I called to bring Jeep back in because it was driving the same. I left message with the answering service and I texted, but was unable to reach someone to make an appointment. June 7 - Got in touch with service and scheduled and appointment for their soonest opening (June 13) June 13 - Brought Jeep in and explained loose Staring and wandering is still an issue in the vehicle does not feel safe and is not safe because it caused me to crash. I showed them a video on the loose steering. I was told there is nothing they can do. That’s how “Jeeps” drive. I insisted they look further and I also file a complaint with Jeep.

Filed Feb 18, 2022 · Steering · OR

Steering wheel seems to ( tighten up when going around a curve went right ) this has happened off n on from time to time…. Safety is if the steering whee locks up going around a curve at 30 or more miles an hour and you don’t respond quick enough or pull hard enough the other way you can run someone over. Cause a wreck. This is 100% a safety matter and needs to be investigated not the only jeep having this problem. No one has confirmed the issue or hasn’t caused any accidents ( yet) it is just a scary moment when it Happens I have two kids and don’t need the steering to act up while they are in the car. No warning lamps on nothing let’s you know that something isn’t right. When it happens and all sudden you jerk left or right makes you look like a drunk driver swerving. This has happened 5 or 6 times and just happened 2/18/22 when my wife was on her way home from work. THIS NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT AND INVESTIGATED BEFORE IT CAUSES A DEATH.

Filed Nov 5, 2021 · Steering · PA

I was driving to work at approximately 7:50 am when the outside ambient temperature was below freezing (approximately 30 degrees Fahrenheit). The vehicle was operating normally until I came to a long, sweeping, and gradual curve on a road that I take every day to get to work. As I entered this curve to the right, driving at approximately 60mph, my steering locked up causing the Jeep to drift into the other lane of traffic. After 2-3 seconds of steering lock, the wheel released and I was able to jerk the vehicle back into my lane. Normal operation resumed, until I came to a similar curve, just up the road, when the lockup happened again. Again, the curve was long, sweeping, and gradual, and I was driving at approximately 60mph.

Filed Dec 22, 2020 · Steering, Transmission · 5,200 miles · TX

While driving on highway the steering wheel became stiff for about a couple of seconds,when it got back to normal it corrected into incoming traffic, I nearly hit incoming traffic,it was pretty scary cause the steering was very hard and stiff , I was trying to correct the vehicle cause it was moving towards the left even though I was trying to correct it to the right, when it loosened up it jerked hard to the left to incoming traffic,thankfully there was no incoming traffic at the time, also I noticed that when I put the transmission in gear there's no movement, it acts like it's in neutral, I have to put it back in park and reshift

Filed Dec 12, 2020 · Acceleration, Steering · 31,000 miles · VA

Just got this jeep used from jeep dealership back in july. I usually don't drive over 60 because of the speed limits around here. But I just did when I went to go visit family 2 hours away and my steering wheel seemed to lock up when I went anywhere from 60/70mph. I had to jerk the steering wheel slightly to one side so I could drive on a bended portion of the road. It's not listed as a recall but this is seriously concerning to me. I thought it was just that one time but I test it out when I drove back home and the last 6 times I went to visit and the exact same thing happens every time. Most recent time it happened was yesterday and my uncle said to report it.

Filed Nov 11, 2020 · Suspension · 21,000 miles · MS

As the customer was driving if a forward direction, traffic came to a very fast decrease in speed causing the driver to apply the breaks harder than normal breaking. The driver felt and heard a loud pop, followed by a big jerk and violent shaking. Something appeared to be digging into the ground as the drive came to a stop.*dt