NHTSA Complaint #10259533 — 1996 JEEP CHEROKEE

1. EARLY THIS YEAR, JUST AFTER THE NEW YEAR HOLIDAY, '09, OUR '96 JEEP CHEROKEE (152K IN EXCELLENT CONDITION) BEGAN SHAKING OR WOBBLING VIOLENTLY AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 52 TO 56 MPH. ON INQUIRING IN A HANDFUL OF WEB SITES ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS PROBLEM I LEARNED THAT THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF JEEP CHEROKEE OWNERS AND OWNERS OF OTHER JEEP MODELS IN A BROAD RANGE OF MANUFACTURE DATES BETWEEN '86 AND AS RECENT AS '05. ALSO LEARNED THAT THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION IS COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE "DEATH WOBBLE" OR "DEATH SHAKE". ADDITIONALLY, IN MY INTERNET RESEARCH, MANY JEEP OWNERS ATTEMPTING TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM HAVE TAKEN THEIR VEHICLES TO PROFESSIONAL MECHANICS INCLUDING CHRYSLER-JEEP DEALER/SERVICE CENTERS TO HAVE THE PROBLEM RESOLVED, SPEND HUNDREDS, IN SOME CASES WELL OVER A THOUSAND $, ONLY TO HAVE THEIR VEHICLE RETURNED WITH NO IMPROVEMENT IN THE WOBBLE CONDITION. 2. WITH OUR JEEP, THIS WOBBLE HAS NOT SUBSIDED. IT HAPPENS ON EVERY OCCASION WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAYS WHILE MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AS WE ACCELERATE UP TO THE 55 MPH RANGE. UPON ACCELERATION, AT APPROXIMATELY 51 TO 52 MPH A VIBRATION BEGINS, THEN UPON ACCELERATING AT 53 TO 55 MPH THE VIBRATION BECOMES A VIOLENT WOBBLE TO THE EXTREME THAT WE HAVE HAD INSTANCES WHEN WE HAD TO DECELERATE DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH OR LESS IN ORDER TO REGAIN CONTROL WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. IF THERE IS A SAVING GRACE OUT OF THIS PROBLEM, IT IS THAT WE CAN ACCELERATE OUT OF THE WOBBLE BY GETTING BEYOND 55 MPH AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, BUT IN PHOENIX HIGHWAY DRIVING, THIS IS NOT ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY. THOUGH' NOT IN EVERY INSTANCE AS DURING ACCELERATION, THE SAME CONDITION EXISTS @ 55 DURING DECELERATION AS WE EXIT THE HI-WAY. 3. THUS FAR, AS WE'VE READ AND HEARD OF SO MANY JEEP OWNERS SPENDING HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS AT A PROF. AUTO REPAIR CENTER WITH NO RESOLUTION, THE POSSIBLE REMEDY, AND AVOIDING HIGHWAY DRIVING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. *TR