What 721 owners told NHTSA about the 2019 Jeep Wrangler 2-door

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE "DEATH WOBBLE". THE CONTACT NEEDED TO REDUCE HIS SPEED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CONTACT CALLED SAFFORD CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM FIAT OF SPRINGFIELD (LOCATED AT 7611 LOISDALE RD, SPRINGFIELD, VA 22150, (703) 866-1700) AND INFORMED THEM OF THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,800.

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FIRST NOTICED EXCESSIVE PLAY LEFT TO RIGHT ON STEERING WHEEL. UNABLE TO DRIVE WITHOUT CONTINUOUSLY CORRECTING TO GO STRAIGHT ON ROADS N HIGHWAY. WHILE ON HIGHWAY COMING OVERPASS JEEP WENT RIGHT TO LEFT INTO A 'DEATH WOBBLE' I SLOWED DOWN, STARTED AGAIN IT CONTINUED. PULLED TO THE SIDE OF ROAD AND CONTINUED ON AT SLOWER SPEEDS.. AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER MIGHT HAVE LOST CONTROLLED N IT WOULD BE DEADLY. I DO NOT SEE ANY RECALL ON SITE. MANY HAVE POSTED ON JEEP SITES. NOW I HAVE EXPERIENCED AND PETRIFIED

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LOOSE STEERING/"DEAD SPOT" CAUSES THERE TO BE PLAY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE STRAIGHT. THIS CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO BE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT PATH. EVEN MORE PRONOUNCED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. DEALERSHIPS DESCRIBE THE VEHICLE AS "OPERATING AS DESIGNED"

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STEERING: VEHICLE WANDERS AND STEERING IS LOOSE IN EFFORTS TO CORRECT DIRECTION. ANGLE OF ROAD SURFACE SUCH AS CROWN SOMETIMES RESULTS IN UNEXPECTED DIRECTION CHANGE TOWARD ANOTHER LANE AND THE SLOP IN THE STEERING ITSELF MAKES IT CHALLENGING TO CORRECT WITHOUT OVER-CORRECTION. IN TRAFFIC THIS RESULTS IN INTENSE EFFORT TO MAINTAIN POSITION WHICH RESULTS IN INCREASED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL FATIGUE OVER RELATIVELY LONG DRIVES. THE STEERING SEEMS INCONSISTENT AS IT VARIES FROM MINIMALLY PROBLEMATIC TO A WHITE-KNUCKLE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS DUE TO ROAD CONDITION VERSUS STEERING COMPONENT. DEALER HAS PERFORMED THE V41 STEERING DAMPER RECALL WHICH IMPROVED ONLY EXCESSIVE WHEEL SHUDDER WHEN DRIVING OVER ROAD IMPERFECTIONS AND DID NOTHING TO IMPROVE THE WANDERING/LOOSENESS. THEY ALSO DID ADJUST ALIGNMENT WHICH THEY SAID WAS OFF SLIGHTLY. NO NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT FROM THAT. I HAVE ADVISED DEALER THAT THE REPAIR EFFORT WAS NOT EFFECTIVE AND I WILL NOW HAVE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK IN, BUT THEY TEND TO JUST PROVIDE THE ?IT?S A JEEP - THAT?S THE WAY THEY ARE? LINE. THE STEERING IN THE JEEP IS NOT TYPICAL AND I SEE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS IN FORUMS WHERE A SINGLE THREAD HAS HALF A MILLION VIEWS. SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE.

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PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW AND IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT AT LOW SPEEDS OR IN ONE LANE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. RETURNED VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP FOR TROUBLESHOOTING. AFTER FOUR DAYS THEY RETURNED THE VEHICLE STATING ON PAPERWORK THAT IT WAS "AS GOOD AS IT CAN BE." VEHICLE CONTINUED TO WANDER EVEN WORSE AFTER FIX. THIS VEHICLE NOW FEELS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.

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I AM EXPERIENCING THE DEATH WOBBLE. IT HAPPENED ONCE A FEW WEEKS AGO AND THEN NEARLY FIVE TIMES IN A 180 MILE DRIVE. EACH TIME NEARLY CAUSED AND ACCIDENT AND THE POTENTIAL COMPLETE LOSS OF CONTROL. THIS OCCURRED AT SEVEN SPEEDS RANGING FROM 55 TO 75 AND WHEN HITTING SMALL ROAD IMPERFECTIONS.

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' DEATH WOBBLE' EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES IN THREE MONTHS. LASTED MANY SECONDS, NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE OR WAY TO REDUCE WOBBLE. ALL EPISODES EXPERIENCED AT HIGH SPEED FOLLOWING HITTING A BUMP. APPARENTLY EXPERIENCED BY OTHER OWNERS, DEALER NEVER MENTIONED ISSUE.

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THE STEERING IN THE 2019 JEEP JL WRANGLER IS SO LOOSE AND WANDERS ACROSS THE LANES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THAT IT HAS BECOME TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY. IT DOES NOT STAY CENTERED AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP STRAIGHT. IT REQUIRES SO MUCH CONCENTRATION TO WORK THE STEERING WHEEL TO KEEP IT IN THE LANE THAT IT'S JUST NOT WORTH THE DRIVE AND THE EXTREME STRESS.

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THERE'S PLAY IN THE STEERING. VERY RISKY ESPECIALLY AT HIGH SPEED AND WINDING ROADS. TOO MUCH PLAY AND HARD TO MANAGE A STRAIGHT PATH. DANGEROUS!!!

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DRIVING 45MPH ON HIGHWAY, JEEP LOST POWER STEERING, WARNING LIGHTS FLASHED BRAKES APPLIED AUTOMATICALLY. SHIFTER SERVICE AND TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. CAR WAS RESTARTED AFTER STRUGGLING TO GET TO SIDE OF HIGHWAY. RESTARTED JEEP AND POWER STEERING CAME BACK TEMPORARILY BUT IT HAPPENED ABOUT 7 MILES DOWN ROAD THIS TIME THE SHIFTER LOCKED UP AFTER RESTART.

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YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE MY WELDS ARE RUSTING, HAVE PITS IN THEM, AND THEIR IS EXCESS SLAG VISIBLE ON FRAME. I KNOW THIS IS AN OUTSTANDING ISSUE, BUT WANTED TO REPORT MY CASE AS IT APPEARS TO BE WHAT IVE READ ABOUT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS. VEHICLE IS ONLY 5 MONTHS OLD OFF THE DEALERS LOT.

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STEERING WOBBLES AND DRIFTS VIOLENTLY AT SPEEDS OVER 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN A WATER LEAK UNDER THE DRIVERS SIDE STEERING COLUMN THAT TWICE NOW THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX, ALL WIRING UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL IS WET AFTER A RAIN AS WELL AS PUDDLES OF WATER ON FLOOR MAT.THIS CAR IS A LEMON

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JEEP ACCELERATION FROM A STOP IS INCONSISTENT. THIS CONCERN IS WORSE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A SLOW SPEED. UPON INITIALLY APPLYING LIGHT PRESSURE TO THE GAS PEDAL, THERE IS NO RESPONSE, BUT THEN THE VEHICLE LURCHES AHEAD AGGRESSIVELY AND IN AN UNEXPECTED MANNER. THIS IS COUNTER-INTUITIVE AS THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH ETORQUE, WHICH IS ELECTRONICALLY APPLIED TORQUE TO ASSIST ACCELERATION. THIS SYSTEM IS TO INSTANTLY APPLY TORQUE TO THE DRIVETRAIN VIA SECONDARY BATTERY POWER - BUT IF THAT WAS WORKING AS EXPECTED, ONE WOULD SEEMINGLY NOT EXPERIENCE THE INITIAL DELAY PRIOR TO THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE DELAYED AND THEN LURCHING ACCELERATION HAS RESULTED IN NEAR ACCIDENTS - IF DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, THE LURCHING RESULTS IN MY RAPID ACCELERATION WHILE DRIVERS AHEAD OF ME MAY BE STOPPING. ALSO, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STOP OR SLOW ROLL, THE PAUSE RESULTS IN NEEDING TO SLOW OR STOP TO WAIT FOR A BETTER ENTRY OPPORTUNITY, BUT AT THAT SAME MOMENT, THE ACCELERATION KICKS IN. THIS IS NOT PERFORMANCE THAT ONE WOULD EXPECT AND IS A LESS THAN OPTIMAL SAFETY EXPERIENCE. I TOOK THE JEEP TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS 'THE TECH SAID HE DROVE A 2 DOOR 2.0 LITER OVER THE WEEKEND AND IT 'DID THE SAME THING', SO IT MUST BE NORMAL'. I STRESSED THAT NOT BEING AN ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST FOR ASSESSMENT AND REPAIR. IN RESPONSE THEY 'FLASHED' THE SOFTWARE, BUT THAT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO DEMONSTRATE THE SAME ISSUE.

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1. WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING HAS ABOUT 2 INCHES OF FREE PLAY WHILE TURNING THE WHEEL FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. IN OTHER WORDS THERE IS A DEAD SPOT FOR ABOUT TWO INCHES OF STEERING WHEEL MOVEMENT. IN THAT DEAD SPOT, MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT CHANGE THE VEHICLE DIRECTION. 2. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WILL WANDER INTO OTHER LANES WHILE HOLDING THE STEERING WHEEL STEADILY IN ONE POSITION. 3. GOING OVER BUMPS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO UNEXPECTEDLY CHANGE DIRECTIONS. 4. MINOR UNEVEN ROAD SURFACES WILL CAUSE THE STEERING TO WOBBLE VIOLENTLY REQUIRING THE DRIVER TO SLOW DOWN. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE WHILE DRIVING AT FREEWAY SPEED -- WHERE SLOWING DOWN IS QUITE DANGEROUS. 5. WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL IS ALWAYS TURNED SLIGHTLY LEFT. NOTE, THIS IS NOT A ONE-TIME INCIDENT. THIS IS A CONSTANT AND CONSTANTLY STRESSFUL ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE. I CAN REPRODUCE ALL OF THE ABOVE AT ANY TIME.

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STEERING: VEHICLE WANDERS AND STEERING IS LOOSE IN EFFORTS TO CORRECT DIRECTION. ANGLE OF ROAD SURFACE SUCH AS CROWN SOMETIMES RESULTS IN UNEXPECTED DIRECTION CHANGE TOWARD ANOTHER LANE AND THE SLOP IN THE STEERING ITSELF MAKES IT CHALLENGING TO CORRECT WITHOUT OVER-CORRECTION. IN TRAFFIC THIS RESULTS IN INTENSE EFFORT TO MAINTAIN POSITION WHICH RESULTS IN INCREASED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL FATIGUE OVER RELATIVELY LONG DRIVES. THE STEERING SEEMS INCONSISTENT AS IT VARIES FROM MINIMALLY PROBLEMATIC TO A WHITE-KNUCKLE DRIVING EXPERIENCE. HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE IF THIS IS DUE TO ROAD CONDITION VERSUS STEERING COMPONENT. DEALER HAS PERFORMED THE V41 STEERING DAMPER RECALL WHICH IMPROVED ONLY EXCESSIVE WHEEL SHUDDER WHEN DRIVING OVER ROAD IMPERFECTIONS AND DID NOTHING TO IMPROVE THE WANDERING/LOOSENESS. THEY ALSO DID ADJUST ALIGNMENT WHICH THEY SAID WAS OFF SLIGHTLY. NO NOTABLE IMPROVEMENT FROM THAT. I HAVE ADVISED DEALER THAT THE REPAIR EFFORT WAS NOT EFFECTIVE AND I WILL NOW HAVE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK IN, BUT THEY TEND TO JUST PROVIDE THE 'IT'S A JEEP - THAT'S THE WAY THEY ARE' LINE. THE STEERING IN THE JEEP IS NOT TYPICAL AND I SEE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS IN FORUMS WHERE A SINGLE THREAD HAS HALF A MILLION VIEWS. SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT HERE.

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THE STEERING HAS SIGNIFICANT SLACK/PLAY WHICH CAUSES THE JEEP TO WANDER REQUIRING CONSTANT CORRECTIONS. THIS IS ESPECIALLY CONCERNING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AROUND TURNS BUT IS STILL EVIDENT AT LOW SPEEDS.

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STEERING IS EXTREMELY LOOSE CAUSING EXCESSIVE STEERING CORRECTIONS AND LACK OF CONFIDENCE IN SAFETY. RECALL FOR STEERING DAMPER WAS PERFORMED BUT THERE WAS NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE LOOSE STEERING

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LAST NIGHT WHILE DRIVING HOME MY JEEP WRANGLER WENT INTO FULL DEATHWOBBLE. I WAS COMING FROM THE I10 WEST TO THE I 19 SOUTH RAMP AT 50 MPH AND HIT THE BRIDGE EXPANSION JOINT AND IT WENT. IT IS A CURVED RAMP OVER PASS AND THE JEEP ALMOST WENT COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS ON THE RAMP. THE JEEP IS TOTALLY STOCK AND HAS 2080 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER AT 1100 MILES FOR THIS SAME COMPLAINT. THEIR RESPONSE IS TO REPLACE A STEERING DAMPER, WHICH IS NOT IN STOCK AND WAS 8 TO 10 WEEKS OUT. EVERY JEEP FRONTEND TECH WILL TELL THAT A STEERING DAMPER IS A BAND AID. THERE SHOULD BE A NATIONAL RECALL ON THESE $55,000 JEEPS.

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STEERING FEELS LOOSE AND CONSTANTLY WANDERS ALL OVER THE ROAD. VEHICLE WILL NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT AND ALWAYS DRIFTS TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER.

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THE STEERING WHEEL HAS 1.5-2.5 INCHES OF PLAY, THIS MAKES IT VERY HARD TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN A STRAIGHT LINE. IT IS REALLY BAD WHEN DRIVING ON INTERSTATES IN WINDY CONDITIONS. YOU CAN SEE THE IMPUT SHAFT TO THE STEERING GEARBOX TURN, WITH NO OUTPUT

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VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL AND VEHICLE ITSELF BEGAN TO VIOLENT SHAKE AT 65 MPH.

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JEEP HAS VERY LOOSE STEERING. HAVE TO CONSTANTLY OVERCORRECT TO STAY IN THE LANE. DEAD SPOT IN THE CENTER AND HAVE TO TURN IT TOO MUCH TO STEER. WON'T RETURN TO CENTER AFTER TURN. LOTS OF PLAY WHEN DRIVING, PLAY GETS WORSE AT SPEED. I CAN MOVE THE WHEEL BACK AND FORTH AT SPEED WITH LITTLE EFFECT ON STEERING. WHEN I BRAKE THE VEHICLE DIVES TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT DEPENDING ON THE ROAD BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT FEEL CONNECTED TO THE WHEELS. JEEP DEALERS SAY THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT BUT IT IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER 2019 JEEP WRANGLERS THAT I HAVE TEST DRIVEN. ONE DEALER SAID THAT DURING THE ROAD TEST, IT DROVE AS INTENDED YET THEY DIDN'T PUT ANY MILES ON THE JEEP. THIS HAS BEEN DOING THIS SINCE I BOUGHT THE JEEP IN JULY 2019. I HAVE VIDEO BUT IT IS TOO BIG TO UPLOAD TO THE SITE

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FROM PURCHASE AS NEW VEHICLE, STEERING WANDERS AND IS NOT TIGHT. I HAVE HAD THE V41 RECALL WITH REPLACEMENT STEERING STABILIZER. WHILE DRIVING YOU MUST ACTIVELY STEER TO MAINTAIN A CENTER LINE IN THE LANE. THERE IS SOME PLAY LEFT TO RIGHT IN THE WHEEL. WHILE AT SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY YOU CANNOT IGNORE OR RELAX THE CONTROL. IF YOU STEER RIGHT YOU MUST STEER LEFT TO CENTER, THE WHEEL DOES NOT RETURN TO CENTER UNASSISTED.

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11/12/2019 2:30 PM DRIVING IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF 400 NORTH NEAR EXIT 13, THE FAR LEFT LANE HAS DIPS. FIRST DIP CAUSES CAR TO GO INTO A VIOLENT SHAKE. WAS GOING ABOUT 60 MPH. OTHER CARS AROUND ME STARTED TO MOVE INTO DIFFERENT LANES AWAY FROM THE CAR. MY INITIAL THOUGHT WAS A FLAT TIRE. I PULLED INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AT A FULL STOP. THE TIRES WERE FINE. STARTED DRIVING AGAIN AND CAR WAS NORMAL. 11/15/2019 1:45 PM SAME ISSUE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING 400 NORTH THIS TIME THE WOBBLING WAS MORE VIOLENT. WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. CAR IS CURRENTLY WITH THE DEALER AND I AM UNAWARE WHEN I WILL GET THE CAR BACK.

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WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT APPROXIMATELY 72 MPH, I DROVE OVER A BRIDGE AND SUBSEQUENTLY BUMPS IN THE ROAD. THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE CAUSING AN INCREASE IN VIBRATION THROUGH OUT MY JEEP AND SWERVING ON THE ROAD. NEXT TIME I WAS WITH MY HUSBAND AND IT DID IT AGAIN AT ABOUT 74 MPH AND HE TOO AGREED THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG. HE NOW FEARS FOR MY SAFETY IN THIS VEHICLE AS I DRIVE A LOT OF MILES.

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