2006 Jeep Wrangler Steering Problems

DEATH WOBBLE. VEHICLE WILL SHAKE VIOLENTLY AT TIMES BETWEEN 50-53 MPH. CONDITION WILL RETURN TO NORMAL AFTER DECELERATING TO < 40 MPH, MOST TIMES. OCCASIONALLY WILL HAVE TO COME TO COMPLETE STOP.

2006 JEEP WRANGLER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE EXHIBITS SEVERE/ VIOLENT VIBRATION "JEEP DEATH WOBBLE" ISSUES. DEALERSHIP HAS NO SOLUTIONS OTHER THAN TIRE ROTATION AND ALIGNMENTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VIBRATION WAS SO SEVERE, HE HAD TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN, BECAUSE IT FELT AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS FALLING APART. *JB

LEFT REAR BRAKE LOCKS WHEEL WHEN EMERGENCY STOP OR WET PAVEMENT. NO VISIBLE DEFECT BY 2 BRAKE SHOPS. HAPPENS WHEN MOVING ON DRY OR WET CITY STREETS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART AFTER RUNNING AN ERRAND. THE CONTACT ALSO HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN PREMATURELY FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN OF WHEN THE RECALL REPAIR WOULD BE COMPLETED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.

THE JEEP HAS WHAT HAS BEEN TERMED THE JEEP DEATH WOBBLE. THE JEEP IS ALL STOCK, NOT LIFTED AT ALL. I HAVE FIRED THE PARTS CANNON AT THE JEEP...ALL THE WORK HAS BEEN PERFORMED BY FACTORY TRAINED TECHNICIANS USING OE PARTS. I HAVE CHANGED THE TIRES TWICE IN 20,000 MILES. THE JEEP GETS A TERRIBLE WOBBLE ON THE HIGHWAY AT 55MPH (SPEED LIMIT ON 465 IN INDIANAPOLIS) AND CAN ONLY BE BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL BY STOPPING THE VEHICLE. EVEN THOUGH I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT CAUSED BY THE EXCESSIVE WOBBLE, IT IS DEFINITELY NOT SAFE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE HIGHWAY. IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASY TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ON A BUSY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. THE FUEL FILLER NECK OFTEN OVERFLOWS WHEN FILLING THE FUEL TANK ALSO. THERE WAS A RECALL ON SOME JEEPS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THE JEEP DEALERSHIP SAID MY SPECIFIC JEEP DOESN'T QUALIFY FOR THE FIXING OF THE ISSUE. IT IS DEFINITELY NOT SAFE TO HAVE A FUEL FILLER NECK THAT DOESN'T STOP THE FUEL NOZZLE FROM FLOWING.

CAR BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE WHEN I HIT A POTHOLE ON THE FREEWAY GOING 65MPH. SEAT BELT PINNED ME TO SEAT SO I COULDN'T SAFELY TURN AROUND TO CHANGE LANES TO GET OFF FREEWAY. IT WAS DARK OUTSIDE AND VERY DANGEROUS. THIS PROBLEM IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND KNOWN AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. IT WAS TAKEN THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED RIGHT AFTER IT HAPPENED. THEY REPLACED THE STEERING STABILIZER, BUT 5 WEEKS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR I HAVE ONLY OWNED FOR 7 MONTHS. *TR

WHILE TRAVELING ACROSS A BRIDGE, AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, AFTER HITTING A BUMP THE STEARING WHEEL STARTED TO WOBBLE GREATLY. HAD TO SLOW THE VEHICLE TO APPROX. 30 MPH TO GET IT TO STOP WOBBLING. WHEN I INCREASED SPEED THE SYMPTOM DID NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A TIRE SHOP HAD HAD THEM BALLANCE ALL WHEELS. WHEN I LEFT THE SHOP WHEN I REACHED 45 MPH 10 MINUTES LATER THE WOBBLE OCCURED AGAIN. *TR

I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45 MPH ON OPEN ROAD WHEN THE VEHICLE SHOOK SO BAD I PULLED OFF THE ROAD, BECAUSE I HAD TROUBLE HANGING ON TO THE WHEEL. I LOOKED THIS UP AND IT WAS CALLED A DEATH WOBBLE. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED IN 2013 AFTER TRADING IN A 1999 WRANGLER THAT I NEVER HAD SUCH A PROBLEM WITH. I HAVE REPLACED THE STABILIZER BAR AND STABILIZER LINK BUSHINGS, TRACK BAR AND BUSHINGS AND STILL GET A WOBBLE BUT NOT AS BAD. THERE IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING WRONG BUT NO ONE IS ADMITTING IT. WHY DOES IT TAKE SOMEONE GETTING SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED TO GET THE PROBLEM RECOGNIZED AND FIXED.

AFTER HITTING A BUMP MY JEEP'S STEERING VIOLENTLY SHAKES UNTIL I SLOW DOWN. IT FEELS LIKE I MAY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. IT IS VERY UNSAFE. THE WHEELS WERE RECENTLY REPLACED AND BALANCED WHICH DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

I PURCHASED THE WRANGLER IN ABOUT OCTOBER OF 2009. SINCE THEN, THE FUEL TANK OVER-SPILLS WHEN IT IS FILLED AT THE GAS PUMPS. IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE PAINT AND TO THE PLASTIC WHEEL GUARD. OF GREATER CONCERN IS DEATH WOBBLE. THE FRONT END VIOLENTLY SHAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FROM TIME TO TIME. THE VEHICLE IS HARD TO CONTROL. I MADE ATTEMPTS IN 2013 AND 2014 TO FIX IT, ONLY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM RETURN. IN 2013 THE STEERING DAMPER AND STEERING STABILIZER BAR WAS REPLACED. IN 2014, THE TIRES WERE REPLACED AND ALIGNED. THE PROBLEM RETURNED THIS YEAR, AND IS AT ITS WORST. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 55-60 MILES PER HOUR. I DROVE INTO A CURVED PART OF THE INTERSTATE THAT VEERED TO THE LEFT AND WHEN I TRAVELED THROUGH IT, THE WHOLE JEEP BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I SLOWED DOWN TO PULL OVER AND WHEN I REACHED ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR, THE SHAKING STOPPED. I ASKED A MECHANIC ABOUT IT AND HE SAID THAT THIS "DEATH RATTLE" IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH JEEPS. WE CHANGED THE TIRES AND THE STEERING DAMPER. THIS SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A WHILE BUT A YEAR LATER THE SHAKING CAME BACK. I DID SOME INVESTIGATING ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE DEATH WOBBLE AND FOUND OUT THAT THE CAUSE CAN BE ONE OR MORE OF A NUMBER OF THINGS ON THE FRONT END. I HAD THE TRACK BAR CHANGED AND THAT HELPED ABOUT 80%. NOW, 8 MONTHS LATER THE SHAKING IS BACK. I UNDERSTAND FROM THE INTERNET THAT THIS DEATH WOBBLE PROBLEM IS RAMPANT ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH DIFFERENT JEEP OWNERS. YET CHRYSLER WILL NOT ADMIT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE OTHER THAN ME SPENDING HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF MY DOLLARS TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT IS OBVIOUSLY THE FAULT OF CHRYSLER?

VERY RANDOMLY, THE VEHICLE STARTS TO SHIMMY VIOLENTLY. HAVE SEEN THIS COMPLAINT ON SEVERAL WEBSITES. THANKFULLY WE HAVE BEN ABLE TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL OFF THE ROAD. HAVE BEEN TOLD THERE IS NO CLEAR CUT RESOLVE TO THIS ISSUE WITHOUT SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY BECAUSE IT COULD BE VARIOUS THINGS. WANT TO GET RID OF THIS VEHICLE BEFORE SOMETHING TRAGIC HAPPENS, BUT AM AFRAID BECAUSE OF THIS, WILL NOT GET WHAT VEHICLE IS WORTH AND SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT DIE NOT KNOWING THE ISSUE. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THE NAME FOR THIS CONDITION IS A "DEATH RATTLE"

I BORROWED MY HUSBAND'S JEEP AND AS SOON AS I WENT ABOVE 50 THE WHOLE THING STARTED SHAKING REAL VIOLENTLY. I HAD A HARD TIME CONTROLLING IT. I PULLED OVER AND CALLED HIM. HE SAID IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR A FEW WEEKS AND ALWAYS TAKES BACK ROADS TO AVOID DRIVING FASTER. I HAD TO PUT ON THE HAZARD LIGHTS AND CRUISE TO THE NEAREST EXIT. THANK GOODNESS MY KIDS WEREN'T WITH ME BECAUSE I WASN'T STRONG ENOUGH TO CONTROL IT. IT SCARED THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME. THEN I SAW ONLINE IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM(WITH MODIFICATIONS-TOO BAD WE NEVER DID ANY) BUT NOT A BIG ENOUGH DEAL TO HAVE A RECALL. LET THEM DRIVE IT AND SEE HOW QUICK IT GETS DONE. DANGEROUS. THEY SAY IT'S AN EASY FIX AFTER YOU TRY HALF A DOZEN THINGS. GREAT! LET ME GET MY CHECKBOOK... *TR

WHEN YOU REACH APPROX. 48 MILES AN HOUR, THE FRONT END WOBBLES AND YOU LOOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN IN THE CAR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE SHOOK VIOLENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING DAMPER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. UPDATED 11/09/15*LJ, 03/28/18*JB *TR

SINCE PURCHASING MY 2006 JEEP WRANGLER UNLIMITED, I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH SEVERE FRONT-END INSTABILITY (SHIMMY AND SHAKING) WHEN THE VEHICLE TRAVELS APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES PER HOUR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE, I SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON FRONT-END WORK, TIRE BALANCE, AND TIRE ROTATION WORK, IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, DESPITE A SLIGHT INITIAL REDUCTION IN THE PROBLEM, THE SHIMMY AND SHAKING RETURNED SOON AFTER THE WORK I HAD DONE, AND HAS BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THIS ISSUE IS SO COMMON THAT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN ONLINE JEEP COMMUNITIES HAVE NAMED THE CONDITION, "DEATH WOBBLE.," SINCE THE ISSUE CAN RENDER A VEHICLE VIRTUALLY UNDRIVABLE. I FEAR FOR MY PERSONAL SAFETY, AND FOR THAT OF MY WIFE AND YOUNG CHILDREN WHEN WE TRAVEL IN THIS VEHICLE. MY REQUEST IS THAT CHRYSLER STOP DENYING THAT THERE IS A DANGEROUS, POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING CONDITION INVOLVING MULTIPLE JEEP PRODUCTION YEAR MODELS. I REQUEST THAT A SOLUTION BE ENGINEERED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IN THE INTEREST OF MY FAMILY' SAFETY, AND THE SAFETY OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. *TR

AT AROUND 45MPH MY FRONT WHEELS STARTS TO WOBBLE BACK AND FORTH VIOLENTLY CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO HIT THE BRAKES TO GET THE SHAKING TO STOP. THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO WOBBLES BACK AND FORTH MAKING IT HARD TO STEER. THIS IS A HAZARD AS IT HAPPENS IN TRAFFIC AND COULD CAUSE ME TO BE REARENDED. ALSO A DRIVER COULD PANIC AND WRECK AS A RESULT. VEHICLE HAS NO SUSPENSION MODIFICATION. TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED AND VEHICLE HAS PROPER ALIGNMENT. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE PHENOMENON KNOWN AS "DEATH WOBBLE". *TR

ON FRIDAY, 07.27.12, WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE/WOBBLE WILDLY, AND I THOUGHT THAT I HAD A BLOWOUT IN THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. I PULLED OVER ON THE SHOULDER, BUT, TO MY SURPRISE, THE TIRE WAS FINE, AND I COULD SEE NO VISIBLE PROBLEMS. I PROCEEDED DOWN THE HIGHWAY, BUT, AFTER ABOUT A MILE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE/WOBBLE WILDLY AGAIN (ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLY), TO THE POINT WHERE I LITERALLY THOUGHT THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WAS FALLING OFF. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I DROVE SLOWLY ALONG THE SHOULDER, EXITED THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY, AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER MAKING SURE THAT THE LUG-NUTS WERE TIGHT, I DROVE (VIA CITY STREETS, TO MINIMIZE SPEED) BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WHEEL BALANCING. THAT SAID, WHEN I HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE'S RIGHT FRONT END STILL WOBBLES. IN THE INTERIM, I DID SOME GOOGLE'ING, AND I FOUND THAT NUMEROUS OTHER (?DEATH WOBBLE?) CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED NATIONWIDE (INCLUDING HUNDREDS TO THE NHTSA). CHRYSLER HAS ISSUED MULTIPLE TSBS, AND THERE IS A MAINTENANCE NOTICE ACKNOWLEDGING ?STEERING VIBRATION? (A MONUMENTAL EUPHEMISM; THE ISSUE GOES WAY BEYOND A SIMPLE VIBRATION) ON THE JEEP WEBSITE. IN SHORT, CHRYSLER IS WELL-AWARE OF THE EXISTENCE AND SEVERITY OF THIS PROBLEM. THE MATTER HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY A SAN FRANCISCO TV STATION (KGO-TV), AND EVEN TWO MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRESS WHO SENT INQUIRIES/COMPLAINTS TO BOTH CHRYSLER. DESPITE ALL OF THE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS, PUBLICITY, AND REQUESTS FOR ACTION, THE NHTSA HAS DONE NOTHING. THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW/DEFECT, AND THE NHTSA NEEDS TO FORCE CHRYSLER TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL. JEEP OWNERS NEED TO BE MADE AWARE OF THE EXISTENCE/POSSIBILITY OF THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION, AND CHRYSLER SHOULD INCUR THE COSTS OF ITS DIAGNOSIS AND CORRECTION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 A JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING OVER 50 MPH THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT HE WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

WHILE DRIVING AROUND 35 MILES PER HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE. THIS SHAKING BEGAN TO INCREASE OVER A PERIOD OF ABOUT 10 SECONDS. THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS SHAKING VIOLENTLY AT THIS POINT, REQUIRING THAT I SLOW DOWN IN ORDER TO REGAIN CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. THIS SHAKING CONTINUED TO OCCUR WHENEVER I ACCELERATED ABOUT 35 MPH ON A RANDOM BASIS. *TR