What 1,793 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Jeep Wrangler 4-door 4xe

I am filing this complaint due to a serious and recurring safety issue known as the “death wobble” on my 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited JL. This defect causes violent front-end shaking at highway speeds when hitting bumps or making minor steering corrections. The issue began during the first week of ownership and has persisted through five separate service visits. Repairs have included steering damper replacements, track bar, alignments, and balancing, but the issue continues to return. A dealership technician confirmed the shaking on October 9, 2023, during a test drive at over 70 mph. The vehicle was only sent to a certified Jeep service center on the fourth visit. After researching the problem, I found this is a well-documented and widespread issue among Jeep owners — especially on Wrangler models of certain years. There are numerous forums, websites, and videos where other owners describe the exact same symptoms, often with no long-term resolution. I shared this information with the dealership to help them understand the seriousness of the issue, and only then did they investigate further. I have video evidence of the defect, technician confirmation, service records, and text messages showing dealership delays. This defect creates a major safety concern, especially with children in the car, and could easily cause an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11672610

It is the death wobble. I took the car in once. My cars started violently shaking when I would hit 58 Miles per hour and curve to the left, or the right and shakes so uncontrollably that I would have to tap the brakes but not too hard. Is I did not want to go off the road period there were cars that were behind me. That would shoot off to every direction trying to get around me. And yes, of course it's dangerous. Not supposed to be going down the interstate. Drinking a d*** Bloody Mary anyways. I took it into 2 dealerships. There are car places around where I live. They went ahead and diagnosed it and charged me $5060 or no 70 something. To fix it and it was even worse, so I brought it back to them. They tried to balance the other tire but that did not work, and that is the point where the other mechanics came over and said, that's the death wobble, which I had never heard of. He then told me about the staring damper, which then I looked everything up and saw that you had a class action settled where you were supposed to take cars in and fix them. However, this person seems scared of their own shadow, so who knows, but I asked for the history to see if anything had been done? And you guys, Jeep or Jeep, refuse to give it to me, said I would have to call the dealership, I called the dealership, they said, oh we don't give you a copy of that. I said, well, why wouldn't you? I mean, it is my car that I'm buying from y'all and they said, yeah, sorry, we don't do that. You'll have to get like a car, fax or something. I'm like, hold on, you guys. Sure, don't want to pay for anything. Considering this whole entire thing. Is your fault? And uh, the fact that you guys asked for a Vin number in order to fix my vehicle is ridiculous because whether you had the Vin numbers stored or not, it's a 2018, and I got the d*** death wobble. Now, mine happens to be a limited edition golden eagle. And you will see in the videos. I told them it was going to end up costing them a lot mor

NHTSA ODI 11645895

Unknown-APPARENTLY THIS IS AN ON GOING WRANGLER ISSUE BUT WAS NEVER recalled AND I SEE NO COMMENTS. I see all over the forums that this is a problem and it is driving me insane coming from the left front wheel well area not only during breaking, but both breaking and slowing down no foot on gas or break. There is a very large, creaking, loud, creaking noise, coming out of that area. It also makes the steering wheel bobble, which I think is causing what everybody is saying, the death wobble. I’ve taken it to Jeep . I have done multiple car washes. I’ve tried everything they are telling me that there’s nothing wrong with it but you can clearly hear that sound and it goes creek creek creek, creek, creek, creek, creek, over and over and over again until the car stopped, and there is also a loud grinding noise when you start the vehicle as well.

NHTSA ODI 11574126

Has a severe wabble in the front end at 70 MPH to about 73 mph.

NHTSA ODI 11572927

When going over a bump in the road at speeds above 35 mph the front end shakes the steering wheel and it feels like the front end is jumping up and down and is hard to control. I have spent over 1k in parts and labor including a new stabilizer shock, drag link, tie rod ends and more. It still does it even after these repairs. The front end has been aligned and tires and wheels balanced. The vehicle is dangerous to drive and there does not seem to be a fix for it. FCA said replacing the steering stabilizer would fix it but had no effect. The cause has been labeled unable to determine. I habe had it at two different shops and a lotnof suspension/steering pieces replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11567511

Occasionally, the vehicle's front wheels bounce out of control at normal and high-speed. It appears to happen on the right front.

NHTSA ODI 11546005

Vehicle violently shakes after hitting a bump or other imperfection on the freeway.

NHTSA ODI 11488640

I purchased my 2018 Jeep wrangler and has less than 13k miles. I been having alot of front shaking (death wobble) since purchasing the vehicle. I have heard of complaints about the front end shaking violently and have had this problem a few times. Especialy at highway speeds if I hit a pothole as such. I can get it to stop if i am able to slow down and apply light brake pressure. I have checked all the steering for tight ess and even had the track bar replaced (as per other owners). But still have the problem occasionally. As for alignment, the jeep runs really well and straight without problems. I hear theres possible problems with the aluminum steeringg box (which I do have) vs. the steel steering box (I hear has a recall??). Is there any other issues as this is really scarry. Other than the replacement track bar everything is stock on this vehicle. Behicle was purchased from Cascade Auto in Wenatchee Washington 22 July 2022 with 10,893 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11488553

This Jeep has the notorious “Death Wobble”. It has been inspected numerous times, there was a recall on a part ~May be a sway bar or a stabilizer bar etc- that did absolutely nothing to fix it. I’ve had the entire suspension replaced and it still does it constantly when driving over bumps in the road -specifically when the front right tire goes over a bump, around the 30+ mph. The entire front end of the Jeep jumps all over the road, the steering wheel shakes violently back and forth and you lose control of the vehicle. It’s terrifying when it happens, especially on the freeway. My two teenagers have both experienced this while driving and they were terrified trying to control it, had no idea what to do and almost lost control of the car because of how violently this one shakes. They both are anxious about driving the vehicle all together. I purchased this new and it started right away. Took it to the dealer and they new exactly what I was talking about but had no idea how to fix it. There is no warning, it’s just happens suddenly amen going over a bump in the road. It’s SO SCARY!

NHTSA ODI 11488493

I was driving my wife's vehicle at the time of this incident. While driving at highway speeds (55+ mph) I went over a cracked/uneven section of the roadway. The steering column began to vibrate and jump in my hands. The front wheels were rattling and bouncing, making it difficult to control the steering path of the vehicle. It was only after slowing down the speed of the vehicle that the rattling / jumping of the steering column stopped. The uneven section of road I had gone over hadn't been that severe enough, I thought, to cause any damage. I drive over that same route several times a week and it was no different than before, other than I was driving the Jeep. I asked my wife if this had ever happened to her before. She said it had, but it stopped and she thought it may just be a wearing or broken steel belted radial tire. We were getting the tires replaced soon. After getting new tires, the problem is persisting. The mechanic did not find any damaged wheels or tires, the steering didn't appear loose or damaged. After checking this site for vehicle recalls, but finding none, I was perplexed. After conducting further research I found out about the "Death Wobble" and FCA's Customer Satisfaction Notification V41 Steering Damper fix.

NHTSA ODI 11464900

WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE AT 65-70 MPH IT STARTS SHACKING IF YOU HIT A POT HOLE OR A CRACK ON THE ROAD AND IT CONTINUES TO SHACK FOR ABOUT 5-6 MINS.

NHTSA ODI 11405024

FRONT END WOBBLE OCCURS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (55-65)MPH DURING LANE CHANGES OR HITTING BUMPS IN THE ROAD. THIS GIVES A FEELING OF STEERING WILL CAUSE KEEP TO GO OUT OF CONTROL. SEVERE BRAKING IS ONLY REMEDY RIGHT NOW. IT CAN CAUSE ACCIDENT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS

NHTSA ODI 11387277

WHEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT ABOUT 65 MPH . IF I HIT A BUMP OR POTHOLE IN MY LANE THE FRONT END AND STEERING WHEEL JUMPS/SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND THE VEHICLE IS VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY AND HARD TO CONTROL . THIS HAS HAPPENED ALOT . IT IS VERY DANGEROUS .

NHTSA ODI 11315569

RAPID JARRING AND SHAKING OF STEERING WHEEL OCCURRED WHEN DRIVING SPEEDS OF 65 -70 MPH ENCOUNTERED AN EXPANSION CRACK THE VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE JEEP CAUSED ME TO HAVE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID A COLLISION. THIS HAPPENED ON JANUARY 29, 2020 THE JEEP HAS 13,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS NEVER BEE OFF-ROAD. THE JEEP HAS BEEN PARKED SINCE THE INCIDENT, DEEMED UNSAFE FOR TRANSPORTATION. IT IS SCHEDULED TO GO TO INTO DEALERSHIP ON FEB 4TH FOR EVALUATION AND REPAIR IF POSSIBLE.

NHTSA ODI 11306346

AFTER THE STEERING DAMPER RECALL MY JEEP STARTED EXPERIENCING THE "DEATH WOBBLE" AFTER HITTING BUMPS AT ABOUT 65MPH. IT HAPPED 3 TIMES. JEEP IS GIVING ME THE RUNAROUND.

NHTSA ODI 11298072

TRAVELING ON AN INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH AND WENT ACROSS THE METAL STRIP JUST BEFORE A BRIDGE. THE FRONT WHEELS STARTED WOBBLING VIOLENTLY AND THE STEERING WHEEL SHOOK BAD AS WELL. THIS HAPPENED TWO MORE TIMES THIS TRIP AT THE SAME TYPE OF SITUATION. THE SECOND TIME I TRIED TO SLOW DOWN TO GET THE JEEP TO STOP WOBBLING BUT AN 18 WHEELER WAS DIRECTLY BEHIND ME AND ALMOST RAN UP THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE. I HAD THREE MISHAPS ALL THE SAME ON THIS TRIP. I USE THE JEEP AROUND TOWN, BUT WON'T DRIVE IT AT HIGH SPEEDS. I HAD THE DAMPER REPLACED IN THE JEEP THREE DAYS PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. THIS IS THE PART THAT FCA SAYS CAUSES THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT NEXT WEEK TO HAVE THE JEEP CHECKED OUT. THE DATE THIS HAPPENED TO ME WAS NOV. 8TH, 2019. BEING A FIRST TIME OWNER OF A JEEP, I THINK I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WHEN I BOUGHT THE JEEP FROM THE DEALER.

NHTSA ODI 11281522

I WAS DRIVING MY JEEP ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH AND DROVE OVER A SEAM(BUMP) IN THE ROAD. THE FRONT WHEELS AND STEERING WHEEL BEGAN THE SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND UNCONTROLLABLY. I HAD TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP IN ORDER FOR THE SHAKING TO STOP. FINDING A PLACE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE HIGHWAY IS NOT SAFE AT ALL.

NHTSA ODI 11279344

ON 9/30/19 AT 4:30AM, ODOMETER READING OF 170 MILES, WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEED, APPROX 70 MPH, ON I-295, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE. IT WAS UNCONTROLLABLE UNTIL MY SPEED REDUCED TO 35 MPH. AT 35 MPH THE SHAKING BEGAN TO SUBSIDE WHILE I CONTINUED TO SLOW TO A STOP. THE INCIDENT APPEARED TO BE TRIGGERED BY A SLIGHT BUMP OR SEAM IN THE PAVEMENT. ON 9/30/19 THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED AT CHERRY HILL DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP, 1708 W. MARLTON PIKE, CHERRY HILL NJ 08002. THEY DETERMINED CAUSE TO BE FAULTY STEERING DAMPER AND REPLACED IT WITH PART NUMBER 68251580AD WHICH I WAS TOLD WAS AN IMPROVED PART OVER THE ORIGINAL. AT FIRST THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO BE RESOLVED. THEN ON 11/3/19 AT 9:30PM, ODOMETER READING 1,490 MILES THE VIOLENT SHAKING OCCURRED AGAIN. CIRCUMSTANCES WERE THE SAME, TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED, APPROX 70 MPH, HAD TO REDUCE SPEED TO STOP THE SHAKING, AGAIN ON I-295 BUT DIFFERENT LOCATION, AGAIN APPARENTLY TRIGGERED BY A SLIGHT BUMP OR SEAM IN THE PAVEMENT.

NHTSA ODI 11277985

WHEN DRIVING OVER SPEEDS OF 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, AND HITTING EVEN THE SLIGHTEST OF BUMPS, MY JEEP STEERING WAS UNCONTROLLABLE, AND I IMAGINE THIS IS THE "DEATH WOBBLE" I HAVE HEARD ABOUT OCCURRING IN JEEPS. THE ONLY WAY TO MANAGE IT WAS TO SLOW WAY DOWN TO 35 MPH AND AVOID BUMPS OF ANY KIND.

NHTSA ODI 11278016

MY JEEP SHAKES VIOLENTLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY UNDER CONSISTENT AND REPEATABLE CIRCUMSTANCES: DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65-70 MPH AND HIT A SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD (OFTEN THE SEAM OF A BRIDGE IN THE ROADWAY).

NHTSA ODI 11267022

WHILE EXITING A DRIVE THRU, I NEEDED TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN. AS I WAS IN MOTION TO MAKE THAT LEFT HAND TURN, THE STEERING LOCKED UP & IT SENT ME CRASHING STRAIGHT INTO A METAL POLE, WHICH JUST HAPPENED TO BE FOR THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING. THANKFULLY THERE WERE NO PEDESTRIANS AROUND THAT WERE PUT IN HARMS WAY. HOWEVER, MY 2018 JEEP WRANGLER JL WAS NOT SO LUCKY. CURRENTLY WE ARE BEING ESTIMATED AROUND $8,000 - $15,000 IN DAMAGE BUT THAT IS NOT FINAL YET.

NHTSA ODI 11256948

WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ON AN OVERPASS OR ANY BUMP MY JEEP SHAKES UNCONTROLLABLY AND FEELS AS THOUGH ALL FOUR WHEELS ARE GOING TO FALL OFF, HAVE TO PUT HAZARDS ON AND REDUCE SPEED QUICKLY, HAS BEEN AT DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES FOR STEERING DAMPER WHICH HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM, VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE

NHTSA ODI 11255552

MY CAR HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING THE 'DEATH WOBBLE' AS SOME DEALERSHIPS HAVE TOLD ME THAT. THE STEERING GETS A MIND OF ITS OWN AND ITS SUPER HARD TO CONTROL SOMETIMES. I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW CAR AND IT FEELS LIKE IM DRIVING A LEMON. ALMOST EVERY OTHER DAY SINCE I PURCHASED IT (ONE MONTH AGO) SEEMS LIKE IVE ALMOST GOTTEN INTO AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11235142

WHEELS HAVE A GROOVE BEHIND THE SPOKES THAT ACCUMULATE WATER AND DIRT THAT SETTLES TO THE BOTTOM WHILE PARKED AND AFFECTS TIRE BALANCE, CAUSING DANGEROUS SHAKING WHILE DRIVING. IT IS ESPECIALLY PROBLEMATIC ON WET WINTER ROADS WHERE THEY FILL WITH WATER DURING WHILE DRIVING THAT POOLS IN THE BOTTOM AND FREEZES OVERNIGHT. IN LESS THAT 10,000 MILES I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM THREE TIMES WITH WATER/ICE AND TWICE WITH MUD.

NHTSA ODI 11218557

SEVERAL TIMES WHEN DRIVING AT APPROX. 65-70 MILES PER HOUR ON THE FREEWAY, I EXPERIENCED THE "DEATH WOBBLE" A VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE FRONT END OF THE JEEP INCLUDING THE WHEELS, FRONT END, STEERING WHEEL AND DASHBOARD ETC. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP IT IS TO SLOW TO ABOUT 50 MPH OR LESS. THIS OCCURS WHEN GOING ACROSS A SEPARATION ON A FREEWAY OR OVER A BUMP IN THE ROADWAY. THIS FIRST OCCURRED WITH ABOUT 3025 MILES ON THE NEW JEEP. IT ALWAYS HAPPENS ON THE HIGHWAY AS THERE MUST BE SPEED OVER 65-70 FOR IT TO OCCUR. IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND FRIGHTENING TO HAVE TO DECELERATE IN THE FAST LANE OF TRAFFIC ON THE WORST AND MOST DANGEROUS FREEWAY IN AMERICA, THE 91 THROUGH CORONA AND RIVERSIDE, CA. VERY VERY DANGEROUS AND I AM FORTUNATE I DID NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE A SHORT VIDEO SHOWING ONE EPISODE WHEN I WAS ALREADY CONSIDERABLY SLOWED.

NHTSA ODI 11202778