NHTSA Complaint #10606827 — 2010 JEEP WRANGLER

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT APPROX 45MPH, THE JEEP BEGAN TO SHAKE/JUMP UNCONTROLLABLY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. WE TOOK IT INTO THE JEEP DEALER FROM WHOM WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. HE TIGHTENED THE TRACK BAR (??) AND REPLACED THE STEERING STABILIZER. WE EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT WE WERE BEGINNING A CROSS COUNTRY TRIP, SO HE SHOULD CHECK EVERYTHING. A WEEK OR SO LATER, WE BEGAN THE TRIP FROM FLORIDA TO CALIFORNIA. TWO DAYS INTO THE TRIP (EAST TEXAS), WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WE EXPERIENCED THE SHAKE AGAIN. WE HAD TO TOP THE VEHICLE AND TOOK IT TO THE NEAREST JEEP DEALERSHIP, DRIVING ON SIDE STREETS AT MINIMAL SPEEDS. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS. THERE WERE ALREADY TWO JEEPS IN THE SHOP WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND WHILE WE WERE THERE, ANOTHER PERSON CAME IN WITH THE SAME ISSUE. WE THEN CONTINUED OUR TRIP. TWO DAYS LATER, IN CALIFORNIA, WE AGAIN EXPERIENCED THE SHAKE WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. AGAIN, WE TOOK THE CAR TO A JEEP DEALER WHO SAID WE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE STEERING STABILIZER. WE TOLD HIM IT HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE. HE NOTED THAT THE STABILIZER THAT COMES AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT WITH THE JEEP IS NOT ROBUST ENOUGH AND THAT MOST JEEPS WILL EXPERIENCE THIS PROBLEM IF NOT UPGRADED. WE ALSO REPORTED THIS SEQUENCE OF EVENTS TO JEEP. WE HAVE SINCE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ON THE INTERNET AND HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM IS KNOW AS "DEATH WOBBLE" AND SEEMS TO BE QUITE PREVALENT. *TR