NHTSA Complaint #10199459 — 2004 JEEP WRANGLER

MY 2004 JEEP WRANGLER HAS DEVELOPED WHAT I LATER FOUND OUT IS KNOWN TO JEEP DRIVERS AS THE "DEATH WOBBLE." AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE FRONT END BEGINS TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. ONCE THE OSCILLATIONS START, THE VEHICLE BECOMES DIFFICULT TO STEER AND MUST BE BROUGHT TO A FULL STOP FOR THEM TO GO AWAY. VERY DANGEROUS ON THE FREEWAY SURROUNDED BY OTHER TRAFFIC. THIS IS AN ENTIRELY UNMODIFIED, STOCK SUSPENSION WITH LESS THAN 20K MILES ON THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, WHO COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG, BUT SUGGESTED I REPLACE THE POWER STEERING PUMP. I HAD THE VEHICLE ALIGNED AND THE TIRES ROTATED, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED. THIS IS A MUCH MORE VIOLENT AND UNCONTROLLABLE SHAKE THAN WHAT IS CAUSED BY OUT OF BALANCE TIRES OR WARPED BRAKE ROTORS. I TOOK THE JEEP TO A SHOP SPECIALIZING IN 4X4 SUSPENSION. THEY MENTIONED THAT THE PROBLEM USUALLY OCCURS WHEN A VEHICLE IS IMPROPERLY LIFTED OR MODIFIED, BUT THEY HAD SEEN AN INCREASED INSTANCE OF LATER MODEL STOCK WRANGLERS EXPERIENCING IT. THEY REPLACED THE BUSHINGS IN THE FRONT END COMPONENTS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE. A SEARCH OF THE INTERNET SHOWS THAT MANY WRANGLER DRIVERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM ON STOCK VEHICLES. NO MECHANIC HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG, WHICH SUGGESTS A DESIGN DEFECT. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR ON THE FREEWAY, AND CAN NOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE SELL IT TO ANOTHER PERSON. *JB