general problems of the 2005 Jeep Wrangler

Keep wobble almost caused head on collision afraid to drive vehicle over 55 mph.

My Wrangler has sever rust damage on the frame, windshield frame, passenger rocker, and firewall. The frame has rotted from the inside out and caused the transfer case mounting bolts to pull through. The vehicle was in motion when this happened but luckily I was pulling out of my driveway and not on the highway headed to work. The windshield frame rust caused holes that allowed water to leak inside the vehicle causing the floor to rust from the inside out as well. These issues continue to happen again and again with each new revision to this model. When and what will it take for the company to be held accountable to their negligence?.

At 45-50 mph the steering wheel shakes violently. It has the "death wobble".

Jeep death wobble - mine too, over 50 mph, random wobble other times drives smooth, bumps do initiate it not always though, read all the complaints on NHTSA, stabilizer is key to resolving the issue and steering damper. I believe this design promotes accelerated wear of these parts which is why there are reports of it coming back after a year or so. I'm surprised there is no dealer fix for this, admitting the need for heavier steering components. I'll be getting after market heavy duty just to drive on the street. The fuel issue is another one that should be recalled, had to go through 300 plus entries here to find answers to the opda problem. Mine has not started with the fuel issue but at least I will know what it is when it does occur.

While in motion on a country road, comming out of some turns the front end/stearing suddenly began shaking hard rendering the vehicle unable to control. The vehicle then began to swerve until hitting an enbankment and rolling multiple times.

Violent front end vibration / wobbling known as "death wobble".

When reaching speeds of 55 miles per hour the Jeep shakes to a point of almost losing control of the vehicle until the Jeep reaches a speed of 65 - 70 mph then settles down.

This is second time this has happened; it has happened to me at least 4 times since 11/30/2013. I was accelerating, and when I hit about 50mph, my left tire hit a small pot hole. My front end began shaking violently; my steering wheel was literally bouncing in my hands and I could not actively control the Jeep. The shaking would not stop until I slowed down to about 5 miles per hour on a busy roadway. I almost caused an accident. This Jeep has a shimmy/wobble that occurs on some bumps. Some lead to the "death wobble," and others do not. The shaking is so intense that the front end felt like it was going to come apart. I have new tires, and the vehicle was just purchased used from the dealership, after having received a full service. I took it into the Jeep dealership that confirmed that everything looked ok, and the bushings were fine.

I've encountered the term of the death wobble in the Jeep I purchased. I was wondering if there is some kind of recall on these types of vehicles. I recently purchased the Jeep and haven't driven it much. Trying to fix problems but it will be expensive.

I was driving on the inside lane at or about 43mph on a state hwy when it hit a very small bump in the road. Almost immediately after my 2005 Jeep Wrangler began shaking violently causing me to lose my grip on the steering wheel before I could regain control, nearly striking another vehicle traveling on the outside lane. The shaking was so violent I thought my Jeep was literally going to fall apart and/or flip over. I work out of town and was forced to return home and take my wife's truck.

Was on vacation in alaska when we started to get the Jeep death wobble ( shimmy) . We tried wheel balance as I thought maybe we lost a wheel weight. Still shimmying. Installed a new steering dampener and this helped a little. Still shaking at around 55 to 60 mph. Ended up buying 4 new tires and that seems to have helped but there is always a slight shimmy in the steering wheel. Nothing like b/4 thou when you would have to slam the brakes on to get it to stop shaking. Waiting for it to start again.

I have a 2005 Jeep Wrangler unlimited. . . While driving on the highway hitting a speed of about 62 my Jeep starting shaking so violently that I thought I was going to loose my front end! the steering wheel felt like it was going to come off in my hands and that my tires were ready to fall off as well! this was very very scary since I had my grandchild in the Jeep with me! I paid over $800 to have the suspension rod/tie rods replaced. Then shortly thereafter, my Jeep would not start. A little pin in the steering column broke and the that part is not sold separately so I had to have the whole steering column replaced. . . About another $600.

Death wobble at speeds between 55 and 60 mph.

I love my 2005 Jeep Wrangler but I'm afraid it's going to kill me or cause a major accident. Hitting a bump or rough patch at speeds over 50 can trigger a "death wobble. " the tires spin sideways- uncontrollably- and the car literally jumps and shimmies out of control. If I'm lucky I can guide it off the freeway to a stop. This happened a year ago and I had my tires aligned, which helped for a while. It started again, so I took it to the dealer who aligned my tires and replaced my steering damper. Jeep knows about this problem- there's a replacement part available for newer models. I drive conservatively, and never off-road, and have not made any modifications to the factory parts. This is a dangerous and common complaint- Jeep should be made to recall and fix this problem before people are killed!! how can there have been no action to date with so many complaints!.

Was driving over 50 miles per hour when I hit a little bump and my whole front end of my Jeep started to shake violently, I thought the wheels were going to come off, I could bearly control the steering wheel to make it to the side of road, I have had less violent ones but they are becoming more frequent now, I just went to dealer and they said my steering damper will have to be replaced for 255. 00 , I have been reading all the complaints about this " death wobble" and all the work that people are having done only to have the issue come back, I do not want to waste money on all the things that they will try and replace only to find its not the real issue. Please help!.

After I had my tires rotated and was traveling about 45 mph the front end began to severely shimmy. It occurred several times. The only way to get it to stop was to decelerate. I had the dampener and tires replaced (they were worn unevenly) today. I have major concerns about the safety of the vehicle long term. There are many anecdotal references on google concerning this being a major problem (google search Wrangler "death wobble. " ) one story indicated that there were a limited number of formal complaints to your organization so I wanted to make sure I added a complaint as this condition could cause an accident for an unsuspecting driver. I will update the result of the repair in terms of whether it resolves the incident or not.

I bought my 2005 Jeep brand new off the lot. Within a year I began to notice the "death wobble". I had been a very moderate driver, and had less than 10,000 miles on the vehicle. When I took the Jeep to the dealer, they replaced the stabilizer arm, which the warranty covered, but the problem remained. The dealer then rotated and balanced my tires and adjusted my alignment. They charged me over $200 for that. This seemed to mask the problem for about a year, then the "death wobble" returned. I took the Jeep to a different dealership where I was promptly sold 2 new tires (stock uniroyal tiger paws @ $104 each) and a steering dampener. Total cost this time was well over $500. This took care of the wobble for about a year. Now the wobble is back, and I'm wondering what to do. I can't afford another dealer to fleece me again, and I hear Jeep isn't acknowledging this wide-spread problem. They should issue a recall. In the meantime though, I love my Jeep and want it fixed. I don't want it to kill me or anyone else. Does anyone know of anything that can be done to resolve this problem? I can't afford $200-$500 every year on band-aid solutions.

Hello, I own a 2005 Jeep Wrangler unlimited. While driving on the highway, trying to "maintain" the proper speed limit, my Jeep will develop a death wobble to the front end. This erratic and almost uncontrollable behavior occurs at anywhere from 55 to 60mph. After trying to research the solution to this problem, I have noticed multiple other Jeep owners having the same issue. My Jeep is my daily driver, and also is used to transport my 4 and 5 year old kids around. Due to the economy I can not afford to purchase another vehicle, nor will I sell these problems to someone else. I am surprised there hasn't been more highway related incidents/fatalities due to this issue. Any help will be greatly appreciated in solving this issue. Dealerships are no help and I cant afford to replace the whole front end just to end up with the same problems. Thank you for your time in this matter, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Paris rent a car rented 2 @2005 Jeep Wranglers that had bald tires, bad brakes and inproper steering while visting st. Johns, virgin island. Paris rent a car, p. O box 1155, cruz bay, st. John vi 00831.

2005 Jeep Wrangler shakes violently after hitting any minor bump while driving 45 mph or above. The vehicle must come to a complete stop before the shaking will stop. Tires have been replace, wheel alignment which stopped the shaking for a few months. The shaking is back and now the steering stabilizer arm is being replaced just to see if that will stop the shaking. This is very dangerous as it can cause accidents trying to come to a complete stop on a freeway.

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.

I have researched "death wobble" in Jeep Wranglers extensively and found that not only is this a wide spread problem, but Jeep completely denies it's existence. What happens is at 40-70 miles per hour a harmonic action starts the front end vibrating and will cause a severe shimmy, to the point where the vehicle needs to be slowed or stopped. This has happened on the freeway and streets, both with hair raising results and near miss accidents. I have replaced tires, shocks, stabilizers, springs. This will fix the problem for a short time but eventually it comes back. Under warranty they fix a couple things which masks the problem, but it still will return. This is a design flaw, Jeep issue and they will not repair or acknowledge this problem. The designers need to come up with a fix, with a recall and soon before people are killed.

Death wobble violent shaking of steering wheel with after market parts I have spent thousands of dollars trying to fix the problem and it still death wobbles Jeep need to reimburse people for this if I would have been told this by a disclosure of some sort when I went to purchase the Jeep I would have not purchased it.

2005 Jeep rubicon unlimited has uncontrollable vigorous front end shaking. Vehicle begins to shake after hitting road patches, seams, and any other type of bump at speeds of 30 + mph. Shake is so violent that vehicle must be stopped to resume regular driving. Very dangerous conditions in heavy traffic and unsafe for passengers and other motorists dealer is going to replace camber bolts and steering dampener but parts are on national backorder with an indefinite time for repair. First incident was in June and it has happened several times since then. It is driven on an as needed basis only, due to the "death wobble".

The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Wrangler. While driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle engages in a "death wobble" (uncontrollable shaking) caused by steering suspension failure. The dealer replaced the steering dimpler, but the problem still exists. The current and failure mileages were 9,617. The VIN is unknown.

At 3611 miles,I took my 05 unlimited Wrangler back to the dealer. I complained about extreme bumpiness and partial control loss when going over bumps and railroad tracks. Also the rear glass rattles, and the wiper gets stuck in between the tire rack. The dealer said that handling was normal characteristic for the vehicle. They replaced tire mount bracket and adjusted rear glass. So far I have taken this vehicle to 2 different Jeep dealerships 5 times, for the same problems and it has not been resolved.

Email from constituent requesting that NHTSA investigate the Jeep Wranglers in reference to a problem called the "Jeep death wobble" caused by a defective steering dampener. The dealer informed the consumer that the steering damper needed to be replaced on her vehicle.

2005 Jeep Wrangler right side tire wear out unevenly. The consumer stated she had to purchase 3 sets of tires.