NHTSA Complaint #10588232 — 2006 JEEP WRANGLER

MY JEEP EXPERIENCES WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE "DEATH WOBBLE." IT HAS HAPPENED FOR YEARS, BUT I HAD ALWAYS BEEN TOLD THAT MY TIRES WERE OUT OF BALANCE, OR THAT I NEEDED A FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THOSE FIXES WOULD HELP FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, AND THEN THE SHAKE WOULD RETURN. JUST IN THE LAST 6-8 MONTHS DID A MECHANIC ACTUALLY TELL ME ABOUT THE WOBBLE, WHAT REALLY SEEMS TO CAUSE IT, AND THAT IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE WITH JEEPS. MY JEEP IS STOCK, WITH NO MODIFICATIONS, BUT I STILL GET THE WOBBLE. IT OCCURRED 3 TIMES THIS MORNING ON THE 5 FREEWAY IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY, EACH TIME AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 55-68 MILES PER HOUR. THE FRONT END OF THE JEEP SHAKES VIOLENTLY, AND THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THE SHAKING IS TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. LUCKILY, I'VE ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO PULL OVER SAFELY TO THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY. A FEW MONTHS AGO IT HAPPENED, AND A CO-WORKER WAS FOLLOWING ME IN A DIFFERENT VEHICLE. HE SAID MY FRONT TIRES WERE ACTUALLY SMOKING BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE TIRES MOVED ON THE FREEWAY. *TR