10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 37,424 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Experiencing "death wobble" when driving over manholes and/or storm sewer grates. Uncontrollable shaking in front suspension and steering. Vehicle taken to dealership for repairs on 03/05/2012. Has been at dealer for 25 days. Repair parts/labor currently at $1050+tax. Vehicle in worse condition than prior to having repairs. Has now also developed a "shimmy" in the steering that was not present when vehicle brought in to dealer. Vehicle will be retrieved on 03/31/2012 and taken to different auto repair shop. Problem not unique to my vehicle. Research of problem on internet has numerous similar complaints. Please help prior to vehicle causing accident and injuries/death to myself or others. Clearly a manufacturing default, ie. Poor design and no solution for correcting the problem.
- Albuquerque, NM, USA
I am a second owner of a 2006 Jeep Wrangler unlimited. After purchasing the Jeep, I experienced the "death wobble". this is when the front right tire of the vehicle hits a bump at highway speeds and the front suspension goes into an undrivable wobble. To recover you either take your foot of the accelerator or attempt to brake. There are youtube videos showing this occurring. I took the Jeep to a shop where the owner had a Jeep and knew about the "death wobble". he aligned the vehicle and inspected all the front end suspension parts. This did not help. He balanced all the tires. This helped for but the wobble returned. After returning to the service shop the owner replaced the control arm bushings. This helped for 2-3 days. Now the death wobble is back. The Jeep is unsafe to drive.
- Wilmington, DE, USA
We own a 2006 Jeep Wrangler X with around 60,000 miles on it. It started a terrible wobble in the front end that is called "death wobble" I have done multiple repairs and replacements of parts to no avail. I called the local Chrysler dealership for advice their answer was to replace the steering stabilizer. I stated that this had already been done their response was " I don't know what to tell you then." This problem occurs at 50 miles per hour and when it begins the vehicle must come to complete stop to end the wobble. The Jeep has been in the shop multiple times for this problem and no fix has been found. I have rotated the tires twice and that works for about a week and the problem returns. The tires have been rebalanced twice also. I have replaced all the shocks, the steering stabilizer, and it has been realigned two times. This is a major problem for many people as can be seen if "death wobble" is searched on google. There is no known repair for this problem and Chrysler continues to ignore it.
- Hardy, VA, USA
My 2006 Jeep Wrangler shakes so bad it is scary. At 45-65 mph and for no reason start shaking violently. I spent $1600 on new parts. New shocks, new rims, new steering damper, new tracking bar. New camber, new bushing, new control arms. Nothing works. I must pull off the highway to make it stop. This Jeep is dangerous!!!!
- Sac, CA, USA
I want to report an issue with my Jeep Wrangler 2006. I bought this car from Jeep in annapolis Maryland Jeep 2006 with 9,343 miles on it. Two months later it began shaking uncontrollably at 50-55 mph. Only at this speed. This is very scary when it happens and have almost gone off the road. The only way to stop it is to accelerate to higher speed or to slow down. I took it back to the dealer where I purchased the vehicle and they did a an alignment. The shaking stopped and 1 month later it started again. A year later, of just putting up with this I bring the Jeep back to the dealer. They tell me that the cause is from worn tie rods and steering damper worn. If this is the cause of the shake then they should have told me this a year ago. I think the worn parts are a result from the shake. Not the cause. Either way, the Jeep now has 26,000 miles and I'm already being told to put 2000 dollars into it for worn parts. These parts are wearing prematurely because of the shake but no one can determine the cause. If I had bought the car new, I could have used the lemon law but unfortunately, I bought it with low mileage used. This is a very dangerous situation and wondering if it will take a death for someone to recall these like the problem with Toyota accelerator. Its very frustration, and the average person does not have the time or money to fight something like this. I have seen so many people with the same complaints on the internet. Something should be done.
- Annapolis, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that when a road bump was driven over or when the brake was depressed, the vehicle would wobble abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. The dealer replaced the front end stabilizer and shocks, but the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer, but they would not assist with the diagnostic testing costs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 18,000 and the current mileage was 50,000.
- Denair, CA, USA
2006 Jeep Wrangler. Not lifted. Severe "death wobble" between approx. 40-50 mph. This issue is prevalent and dangerous enough to warrant recall. Jeep should fix this design issue immediately before loss of life occurs. The NHTSA must force the issue immediately, as Jeep has known about the design flaw since approximately 1997. Why has this not been addressed/resolved?
- Orange, CA, USA
Traveling at 55 mph hit a slight bump on the road and the front end started wobble from side to side. The steering wheel shook side to side very quickly. The only way to get this to stop was to slow down to a speed of approximately 40 mph.
- Westerville, OH, USA
2006 Jeep Wrangler and the death wobble. Jeep has know about this condition for some time now and since my warranty is up and they could not find the problem before it was up, I am now stuck with it or pay alot of money for a issue that should have been addressed years ago by Jeep. Every time I hit a small bump in the road at 60mph the Jeep goes out of control and shakes the vehicle until you can come to a complete stop in the road and then its fine. All you have to do is google Jeep and death wobble and you will see how many complaints are out there.
- Hartford City, IN, USA
Front end shakes and shimmies since I got it in Sept 06, taken to see why, and of course I been told it is this that or the other, and the problem has not been resolved, I have replaced tires, brake and calipers, shocks, stabilizer shocks, have had the front end lined due to the shaking and shimmy, if there was a recall on this vehicle I was never notified on this matter. The vehicle in question 2006 Jeep Wrangler.
- Glendale, AZ, USA
I own a 2006 Jeep Wrangler, I have been experiencing a violent shake or also known as the death wobble since 2009. Lately, it has gotten far worse. I contacted the dealer at the first signs of the problem, they told me that it was the tires and that they would reimburse me. I called back several times after I got the tires, but the manager always had an excuse. So, no I did not get reimbursed. The tires fixed the problem for a short time, but now it's back and worse than ever. It starts the death wobble at around 55mph, it is so violent that it takes everything I have just to keep control. The only way that I can get it to stop is to either speed up to 60 or come to a complete stop. This is a serious problem and needs immediate attention from NHTSA before a death occurs due to this problem.
- Castlewood, VA, USA
2006 Jeep Wrangler: At about 10,000 miles, I noticed that a shudder started to develop in my front end and would vibrate up through the steering wheel at around 45 mph. It does not always occur at 40 mph usually between 40 and 60 after hitting a bump. Now, at 22,000 miles, I have a violent shudder between 40 and 60 mph, that it feels like I am about to lose control of the vehicle. My wife was driving on a major highway and hit a bump at about 55 and almost lost control of the vehicle. It was so bad that she had to brake in order to avoid hitting the car in the lane next to her. This seems like an incredibly dangerous situation. I have taken the Jeep to the Jeep dealer service department the acted like this was not unusual and called it the "death wobble" (nice name for it) and they replaced the steering damper. The vehicle still occasionally shakes at various speeds and sometimes when braking and sometimes it acts "normal" this vehicle is 100 % stock from the dealer(not lifted and original 215/75-15 tires and has had no modifications, and has not been off roading. I believe the problem still exists and the replacement damper is just temporarily masking the problem( not very successfully either). After searching the internet it is obvious this is not an unusual occurrence and needs to be addressed I guess this wont become a big issue for the Chrysler or the government until there are numerous injuries or fatalities. Its a shame that manufacturers wait until the problems really escalates before they are addressed (like Toyota).
- Woodstock, GA, USA
2006 Jeep Wrangler traveling approx. 45 mph the front end starting shaking causing the loss of control of the vehicle. The vehicle with several passengers crashed upside down in a ten foot storm water waterway.
- Summerville, SC, USA
When driving between the speeds of 40 mph to 50 mph the front end shakes very hard and is hard to keep in your own lane.
- Martinsville, IN, USA
Death wobble on a 2006 Jeep. I was going 55 and had it happen took it to a shop they said my tires needed to be balanced. A week later it happened at 58 mph and I lost control of the Jeep going off the rad took it in to the shop they said it was my brakes. After the brakes it still happened at 58 mph I have new brakes, shocks, brake pads, balanced, steering rod total of over $2000 and 5 days of my time.
- Surprise, AZ, USA
Death wobble on Jeep Wrangler as reported on wsoctv this has occured in my vehicle on many occasions. The Jeep is all factory. No lifts, etc.
- Cornelius, NC, USA
In reference to all late model Jeep Wrangler. What is known as the "death wobble". at a speed of 35 to 55 mph, a vibration in the front end will occur that magnifies in intensity until the driver must stop the vehicle to regain control. Very dangerous. Jeep says that it thinks a steering damper change could stop this from occurring, but has never issued a recall or design change. Problem spans several years of the Wrangler model. I have heard of mid 90's all the way to my 06' having the "death wobble". in my opinion Jeep has neglected to fix a very serious problem that im sure has caused more than a few accidents. I have had to stop completely getting on the interstate to regain control. That cant be safe. I would think that a fix shouldn't be that hard for the engineers at daimler/Chrysler to come up with. After all the Jeep is an amazing vehicle. Therefore I am requesting that the NHTSA commence an investigation into the death wobble" and Jeep responsibility in this. It is my belief that they should be held responsible for any worn or damaged front end parts due to the wobble and the fix for the problem. Thanks for your time and hard work. I am looking forward to speaking with a NHTSA rep at their convenience. If you need to observe the death wobble or need more info please feel free to contact me anytime via email or phone. Or you can just google it. You would be amazed at the number of people out there that have this problem and Jeep acts as if it doesn't exist. All I can say is wow. Thanks again for doing your jobs and making these companies be responsible.
- Waynesville, NC, USA
I purchased a 2006 Jeep Wrangler sport on Sept 25, 2008. Within one week of driving this vehicle I experienced severe wobble (aka "death wobble") while traveling around 55mph twice. It happened when I ran over rough areas in the road that had been patched up pot holes. The vehicle began to shake violently from side to side. I had to almost come to a complete stop before it would stop do this. I felt I had no control of the vehicle while this was happening. After the first time I searched the internet and found that this is not an isolated problem and that many, many other owners have experienced the same thing. It is referred to as the "Jeep death wobble". I contacted the local Chrysler dealership because the Jeep is still under warranty. When I explained the situation to them they acted as if they never heard of such a thing. They replaced the damper on the steering but I know from my research that this is just a short time \"fix\" and that although Chrysler has received many letters from consumers such as myself, they refuse to acknowledge the fact that their design if dangerous therefore, there has been no recall to permanently fix the problem. I then contacted X-treme Jeep in tampa Florida and the owner informed me that the only way to remedy the problem is to eliminate the damper all together and install the rugged ridge steering kit which actually brings the mechanism back to the older way the Jeep were made back when amc built them. This is an expensive job, costing approx. $330. I can not afford this plus the monthly car payment but then again, I can\'t afford to wreck my vehicle do to poor design. I live 17 miles from my job and can\'t afford to go without my transportation. This is a very unsafe vehicle Chrysler does not acknowledge responsible. When I went to pick up my Jeep from the dealership after they replaced the damper I had to come up with $83.63 for the rotation/balance of the tires. No physical damage but my nerves are shot over this.
- Zephyrhills, FL, USA
2006 Jeep Wrangler - extreme front end shutter at highway speeds, usually in the area of 55mph. The shutter is so bad the vehicle has to be stopped immediately to avoid loss of control. This has occurred 3 times in the last week alone. The dealer claims it is a known issue but the part is out of stock. They (Jeep) calls it a shimmer, I* say it is a shutter and a life safety issue.
- Social Circle, GA, USA
- Tehachapi, CA, USA