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Just experienced Death Wobble

7K views 64 replies 29 participants last post by  FIREMIA 
#1 ·
So I'm 3 hours from home and my JKU shakes uncontrollably in Chicago traffic. It'll freak the life out of you!

My concern is this, if I get it fixed, will it come back again? I mean, I have a family that loves road tripping in the JKU, and I'm concerned for safety reasons. I've never lifted the jeep, didn't put on larger tires, or any of the things that might cause death wobble to occur.

Any advice for a concerned keep owner?
 
#2 ·
Completely stock? Nothing recently done at all?


Gotta get it fixed, worrying "If" it'll happen again is moot.
- Allignment
-Check tire balance
-Ball joints
- Check Track bar/steering stab

I've had nine(9) jeeps Lifted and not, never had it happen. There is always a "cause".
Find it and fix it.
 
#4 ·
Completely stock? Nothing recently done at all? Gotta get it fixed, worrying "If" it'll happen again is moot. - Allignment -Check tire balance -Ball joints - Check Track bar/steering stab I've had nine(9) jeeps Lifted and not, never had it happen. There is always a "cause". Find it and fix it.
Completely stock. I've painted the calipers...which wouldn't have caused this. I've added Quadratec LED headlights....Spyderweb shade.....seat covers....and winter mats....all of which would not have caused this.

I'm getting it fixed tomorrow. Synergy part was ordered today.
 
#8 ·
You need to check out the sticky on the topic to fully understand what is going on. Yes, you certainly can get it fixed, but due to the fact that in general it's caused by wear and tear of use, it can eventually return....it's an issue with solid front axles and not due to anything (specifically) being broken.
 
#10 ·
#11 ·
I assume yours is a '12? How many miles are on it? That may move the mod up on my to-do list (to 1). Keep us posted after your mechanic tears into it. Sounds kinda like a Grade 8 bolt package and something else maybe. http://www.wranglerforum.com/f274/the-importance-of-changing-out-stock-bolts-128154-26.html
I will certainly update. My mechanics kid and my kid go to the same daycare locally, he's a jeep guy and is VERY familiar with this, and he said he wants to do this right. It'll cost $1000 all in.

He showed me the track bar, bolts, tie rods, bushings...the whole 9. There was enough give in there....he wanted me to see what causes the wobble. I've also confirmed it with several videos I've seen in the past on this.

The thing that concerns me overall....its a 2011 with 51,000 miles on it (lots of drives from Green Bay to Chicago and back). It is a daily driver vehicle for me, my families loves it, but if there's a chance that this can come back, that's the part that freaks me out

I'll list out parts used, approximate labor, etc.
 
#12 ·
I bought the Synergy lower suspension bolts package for like $80, which I think is what is needed. I had planned to swap the bolts out over Thanksgiving at my relatives house in Pennsylvania until they got a 1/2 foot of snow. I may now wait until Spring.
 
#14 ·
I had a completely stock 2012 dodge charger a while back. it wobbled at high speeds randomly and it was scary as hell. would be enough to shove me a lane to the left or right with no warning. dodge could not find anything wrong with it and it did it probably 20 times so i knew it wasnt in my head. traded it for a truck shortly after just to feel safe again (should have gotten the jeep then instead). I hope they find out what is wrong with yours get it in asap!
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
http://www.wranglerforum.com/f202/diagnosing-death-wobble-and-fixing-non-dw-shimmies-and-wobbles-78034.html ^^^Watch this video!!!!!!! The number one cause of DW, is the Track Bar bolts coming loose and elongating the holes, in the mounting brackets!
I have recently seen this on a buddy's mildly lifted JK. It only happened once so we looked at it right away. The TB bolts on both ends weren't torqued so we tightened everything without taking it apart. DW returned so we inspected and took things apart. New track bar bolts and washers welded onto the mounting bracket along with an after market TB seems to have cured it but ball joints look like they will be next.
 
#18 ·
Update to all

1. Replaced all 4 ball joints with synergy upper and lower kit ($299.99)
2. Fox high performance steering dampener ($189.99)
3. Replaced tie rod ($109.99)
4. Alignment done
5. Overall (including alignment) 5.5 hours of labor charges

Total damage $951.62

So far so good!
 
#20 ·
wow..seems excessive for a 3 year old stock JK hope it cures it for at least another 3 years
The owner of the ship is a hard core jeeper and one of his custom jeep rock crawlers was showcased in 4x4 Magazine.

The parts may be excessive for a stock jku, but I shouldn't experience death wobble for the rest of the time I own the vehicle 😝
 
#24 ·
OP, did you contact Chrysler to see if you could get this handled under warranty?
 
#26 ·
Why didn't he replace the trackbar? Usually the first culprits are the trackbar and caster off (needing more). Then DW hits and the violent undulations wreak havoc on your ball joints. I just had a case of DW on my 12 Ram 2500 and I have a 5k Carli suspension on it, I found it was my caster (cam bolts) needed more caster, the truck now rides smoother and no DW hitting the same rough areas on the hwy. The jeep and 2500 share the same front suspension config for the most part. I would have verified the ball joints were bad, and started with the track bar that is usually crap (stock), and had the caster adjusted..
 
#27 ·
Hopefully you're good to go now. I had DW on my 08 at about 35000. Had the ball joints replaced with Synergy, new Bilstein SS, and alignment for just shy of $850. Haven't had a problem since although it took a year before I wasn't tense going over every bump in the road. About a year later I replaced the bolts with the Northridge kit for some extra piece of mind. I found the OEM bolts were still torqued and the bushings were only lightly scored from the threads, so I'm confident it was all a result of bad ball joints. No worries when driving now. Best of luck to you!
 
#29 ·
A lot of times the problem is Temp fixed by a good SS, but it's really hard on it (SS)because the severe deflexion from a bad track bar or lose TB bolts. Over a period it will wear out the SS and boom DW is back. I would for peace of mind have your old lady sit in the jeep and have her cycle the steering quickly back and forth while u watch the track bar(at the frame mount) and see if there is significant movement, if there is, replace, ensure bolts are torqued or the holes will get destroyed quickly
 
#42 ·
This should tug at the heartstrings. And I kinda threaten a social media fiasco. I'm comfortable created a social media nightmare. Heck, if a few hundred dollar broken guitar can make an airline look bad....I'll make something viral.

I'd like to start out by saying that ever since I was in high school I've wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Many of my friends in high school owned one, and the idea of having the top off in the hot Minnesota summers, with the wind in the hair, sun on the face, provokes an feeling of open air freedom (and also safer than a motorcycle).

It was with great pleasure, 16 years later, that I was finally able to purchase one. What made this unique is that I bought a JKU, because I wanted my then 3 year old son to also enjoy in the same experience I was finally able to have. The morning after purchase, he woke up out of his bed, said "Jeep" and opened the door to the garage and had me lift him to his car seat so he could just sit in his car seat in the Jeep.

We've taken trips all across the Midwest in the Jeep. But fast-forward to a few weeks back, I noticed a shimmy in the front of end. In doing research, and noticing more erratic behavior from the front end over the next few days, I found the problem to be "death wobble." I found this to be an interesting finding, because my 2011 JKU (VIN#) is 3 years old and stock...no modifications have been made, zero lift, and stock tires.

In doing more research, I noticed that Jeep/Chrysler determined that the problem is "not life threatening," and no recall has been issued. This is where I differ in opinion. As mentioned our family Travels the Midwest to visit family and take vacations. Chicago is one such destination. And going at traffic speeds on the highway, in the middle lane, with my family in car, I would fear for the experience and risk of trying to get to the highway shoulder and slow down to have the "death wobble" work itself out. I had this experience happen to me, and luckily this was a time when my family was NOT with me.

Needless to say, our family spent $951 (see copy of invoice and receipt) to get this fixed. Our mechanic is ASE certified, is himself a Jeeper (and has been showcased in 4x4 magazine), and was shocked that I experienced "death wobble" on a stock JKU. While the vehicle is now safe, my enthusiasm as an owner has waned a bit. And in writing you today, in an age of social media disasters, I want to be clear that I'd like Jeep/Chrysler to fix this. My ask is to cover the repairs. And while "death wobble" is unfairly named since zero deaths have been reported, why wait until one happens. While I'm asking for the repairs to be reimbursed, the bigger ask is to put a better quality front end in. Companies like Synergy and Fox are making after market money hand over fist and replacing your stock parts. I'd be more than willing to pay a little more overall for a safer, higher quality part, that has the ability to scale in case I did want to lift it in the future. Our family is greatly looking forward to your response.
 
#43 ·
This should tug at the heartstrings. And I kinda threaten a social media fiasco. I'm comfortable created a social media nightmare. Heck, if a few hundred dollar broken guitar can make an airline look bad....I'll make something viral.

I'd like to start out by saying that ever since I was in high school I've wanted a Jeep Wrangler. Many of my friends in high school owned one, and the idea of having the top off in the hot Minnesota summers, with the wind in the hair, sun on the face, provokes an feeling of open air freedom (and also safer than a motorcycle).

It was with great pleasure, 16 years later, that I was finally able to purchase one. What made this unique is that I bought a JKU, because I wanted my then 3 year old son to also enjoy in the same experience I was finally able to have. The morning after purchase, he woke up out of his bed, said "Jeep" and opened the door to the garage and had me lift him to his car seat so he could just sit in his car seat in the Jeep.

We've taken trips all across the Midwest in the Jeep. But fast-forward to a few weeks back, I noticed a shimmy in the front of end. In doing research, and noticing more erratic behavior from the front end over the next few days, I found the problem to be "death wobble." I found this to be an interesting finding, because my 2011 JKU (VIN#) is 3 years old and stock...no modifications have been made, zero lift, and stock tires.

In doing more research, I noticed that Jeep/Chrysler determined that the problem is "not life threatening," and no recall has been issued. This is where I differ in opinion. As mentioned our family Travels the Midwest to visit family and take vacations. Chicago is one such destination. And going at traffic speeds on the highway, in the middle lane, with my family in car, I would fear for the experience and risk of trying to get to the highway shoulder and slow down to have the "death wobble" work itself out. I had this experience happen to me, and luckily this was a time when my family was NOT with me.

Needless to say, our family spent $951 (see copy of invoice and receipt) to get this fixed. Our mechanic is ASE certified, is himself a Jeeper (and has been showcased in 4x4 magazine), and was shocked that I experienced "death wobble" on a stock JKU. While the vehicle is now safe, my enthusiasm as an owner has waned a bit. And in writing you today, in an age of social media disasters, I want to be clear that I'd like Jeep/Chrysler to fix this. My ask is to cover the repairs. And while "death wobble" is unfairly named since zero deaths have been reported, why wait until one happens. While I'm asking for the repairs to be reimbursed, the bigger ask is to put a better quality front end in. Companies like Synergy and Fox are making after market money hand over fist and replacing your stock parts. I'd be more than willing to pay a little more overall for a safer, higher quality part, that has the ability to scale in case I did want to lift it in the future. Our family is greatly looking forward to your response.
Its called maintenance any solid axle front end can experience the same problem regardless of make, when things were out it creates issues this is why you should have your vehicle looked at on a regular basis if you're unable to inspect it for yourself and check for parts wearing out. There's nothing wrong with the Jeep other than it needed maintenance this is the owner's responsibility sorry to say but I really don't think a lot of people are going to give you sympathy on this one.
 
#46 ·
I see you spent over $900 but didn't replace the track bar or address the track bar bolts or mounts ? Real DW is track bar related and can lead to other problems and it looks like you fixed them but if you don't fix the underlying cause it will return and ruin your new components.
 
#47 ·
Not doing anything to the track bar...And this is an example of one of the reasons where if I continue to have problems I'll be looking for a safer vehicle for my family

I realize there is a stigma for someone who has a capable jeep and doesn't turn it into a rock crawler. On this forum I've heard things like mall-crawler. But I enjoy the fact that I have a solid 4x4 (at least that's what I thought when I bought the jku), I can take the roof off, the culture of being a jeeper, and did I mention taking the roof off?...but death wobble shouldn't happen to a highway run jeep when it hits 50,000 miles.

I have always purchased used cars, trucks, and this jeep to be within 3 years of the current year. And I have never had to put over $900 into a vehicle a year after ownership. My mechanic looked over this jeep and there were zero symptoms for death wobble at the time of purchase

Routine maintenance is something you forecast because you know it degrades over time. There are some people with stock jeeps that can go 150,000 miles and get death wobble, and some that don't ever get it. That's not maintenance to me. That's cheap manufacturing

And chargermob...your comment does kinda piss me off. Here I'm trying to keep this informational and factual. And what I get is an opinion....and we all know what people say about opinions. They are like a$$holes....everyone has one and they all stink.

I realize jeep chrysler isn't likely going to do anything about it. But why shouldnt they? Maybe its because people cop out and say that it's routine maintenance, or they just change the parts out for aftermarket and lift the thing. If they aren't getting any feedback or complaints, they aren't going to do anything about it
 
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