NHTSA Complaint #10424610 — 2005 JEEP WRANGLER

THIS JEEP BOUGHT "USED' IN 2007 WITH 18K MILES AND NO MODIFICATIONS. NO POST-PURCHASE MODIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE. PROBLEM FIRST NOTICED AT 20K MILES AND HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. AT 45+ MPH, WHILE ENTERING FREEWAY ON-RAMP OVERPASS, HIT EXPANSION JOINT IN ROAD. JEEP BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE FROM THE FRONT END OF VEHICLE, AND STEERING WHEEL WOBBLED LEFT TO RIGHT, 5 TO 6 INCHES EACH SIDE, UNCONTROLLABLY. VEHICLE SOUNDED AND FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO LITERALLY FALL APART. DRIVER TRIED BREAKING GENTLY BUT VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SHAKE/WOBBLE EVEN WORSE. WITH DIFFICULTY, DRIVER GOT VEHICLE TO SIDE OF ROAD AND CALLED FOR HELP. ANOTHER OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING DOWNHILL 55 - 60 MPH AND DECELERATING, VEHICLE STARTED VIOLENTLY SHAKING/WOBBLING, UNPROVOKED BY ROADWAY DEFECT OR OBSTRUCTION. DRIVER BROKE HARD, DOWN-SHIFTED, GOT VEHICLE TO SHOULDER OF ROAD AND CAME TO COMPLETE STOP. WOBBLE DID NOT CEASE UNTIL CAR STOPPED. OTHER OCCASIONS, TYPICALLY WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 45 - 60 MPH ON FREEWAY, STEERING WHEEL WILL START WOBBLING, SUBTLY AT FIRST, THEN ALL-OUT SHIMMY/WOBBLE FROM FRONT END. ON ONE OCCASION VEHICLE SEEMED TO SELF-CORRECT, BUT DRIVER SENSED WOBBLING TRYING TO RETURN. ON ALL OCCASIONS DRIVER(S) GRASPED STEERING WHEEL HARD TO TRY TO "CALM" VEHICLE. THREE DIFFERENT FAMILY DRIVERS (AND ONLY DRIVERS) OF THIS VEHICLE ALL EXPERIENCED SIMILAR VEHICLE MALFUNCTION. JEEP HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THREE DIFFERENT SERVICE CENTERS (CHRYSLER/JEEP, LES SCHWAB, KEN'S TIRES) FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIR. OWNERS PURCHASED SUGGESTED PARTS AND SERVICE EACH TIME. PROBLEM EVENTUALLY RETURNS. *TR