| Issue ID | 920977 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10459006 |
| Manufacurer | CHRYSLER GROUP LLC |
| Brand | JEEP |
| Model | WRANGLER 4-DR 4X4 |
| Model Year | 2008 |
| File date | 15/03/12 |
| Component | WHEELS |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | It was a dry sunny late morning when i was driving on a colorado interstate at approx. 65mph. I went over a rough patch of road and the steering wheel started to shake from side to side. I thought it was just the rough road but it did not subside after passing back onto smooth road, in fact it got worse. The shaking did not stop until i slowed down under 10mph. This happened four more times on this trip, always after hitting a bump at 50mph or faster. After a little research i determined the symptoms were consistent with a well know problem, "death wobble". My 2008 jeep wrangler unlimited x is 4 years old, has 30k miles on it and is completely stock and well maintained. It has the stock 32" goodyear sra tires on 17" rims, filled to 35 psi. I checked the torque on the track bar and the bolts were to spec at 125 lb/ft. I took the jeep to a local shop where they determined the ball joints were bad as well as the steering stabilizer. Those have been replaced with aftermarket components and so far there have been no further occurrences. That was about 3k miles ago and i have tested the jeep at highway speeds with a severe bump which did not induce death wobble. My first experience with death wobble was in the left lane on a crowded highway; it is amazing that i was able to maintain control and did not cause a major accident just by having to slow down to such a slow speed in the left lane. I have seen chrysler's comments on the non-existence of death wobble due to inferior engineering/design of the steering components and can tell you they are wrong when they say it happens only on lifted vehicles. This is highly irresponsible of them to not take this seriously when it is so easy to find so many people with this problem. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 30227 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | CENTENNIAL, CO |
| VIN pattern | 1J4GA39138LXXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | 6 |
| Drive train type | 4WD |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 65 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |