general problems of the 2008 Jeep Wrangler - part 2

I was just driving down a paved residential road on a slight decline about 40 mph and it started wobbling and shaking the entire car. I felt like I was going to lose control and couldnt swerve over since there was traffic. I applied the brakes lightly, but not too much since there was other vehicles behind me that I didnt want to slam into me from behind if I suddenly braked too hard. Even while applying brakes the Jeep was still wobbling violently. Violently! seriously thought I was going to cause a wreck. Finally the Jeep stopped wobbling where I pulled over and checked if my tires were lose or anything. Everything was fine on the outside. When I came home I wanted to see if anyone else had this issue, and turns out it even has a name called the "death wobble". My Jeep is a 2008, with 40,000 mile. This Jeep is rarely used. This is unacceptable. Not only the Wrangler, but many other vehicles as well. Chrysler seems to deny that any issues exist concerning the "death wobble". Please help.

Over the last month or so, the air bag light goes on and off at random times. Sometimes it will not come on at all and other times it will go on and stay on. Also, over the last few days, I've noticed a 'shaking' while driving, starting around 50mph.

I was traveling on a busy highway at a speed of 65 miles per hour when out of the blue the Jeep started to shake uncontrollably. To make matters worse, I had a semi right behind me hauling a gas tanker. Fortunately for me I was traveling in the speed lane which is adjacent to the emergency run off the lane. I let my foot of the gas and rolled/trembling off the highway into the emg lane till I came to a complete stop. After catching my breath and my heart. I proceeded to get out of the car to check and see if there was something wrong with the front end axle. I did not see anything problem so got back in the Jeep and drove off. I drove about another 50 miles that night and was not able to duplicate the problem at any speed. So a couple of days later I took the Jeep in to see my service advisor at planet Dodge in doral, FL. After a brief description of the symptoms and what happened, the service advisor calmly said it's a common problem called "the death wobble". So I am now having to drop off this Jeep in order to get a diagnosis and have the problem repaired. I hope it never happens to anyone; especificaly my mother who often drives the Jeep. This is a very very dangerous condition which will eventually cause accident and may even cause fatalities. There needs to be a class action suit filed against the manufacturer. Or at the very least a recall.

I was traveling on a busy highway at a speed of 65 miles per hour when out of the blue the Jeep started to shake uncontrollably. To make matters worse, I had a semi right behind me hauling a gas tanker. Fortunately for me I was traveling in the speed lane which is adjacent to the emergency run off the lane. I let my foot of the gas and rolled/trembling off the highway into the emg lane till I came to a complete stop. After catching my breath and my heart. I proceeded to get out of the car to check and see if there was something wrong with the front end axle. I did not see anything problem so got back in the Jeep and drove off. I drove about another 50 miles that night and was not able to duplicate the problem at any speed. So a couple of days later I took the Jeep in to see my service advisor at planet Dodge in doral, FL. After a brief description of the symptoms and what happened, the service advisor calmly said it's a common problem called "the death wobble". So I am now having to drop off this Jeep in order to get a diagnosis and have the problem repaired. I hope it never happens to anyone; especificaly my mother who often drives the Jeep. This is a very very dangerous condition which will eventually cause accident and may even cause fatalities. There needs to be a class action suit filed against the manufacturer. Or at the very least a recall.

Typical "death wobble" that I was unaware of until researching this morning. Very scary and with only 25,000 miles an no off roading on this Jeep, this should not happen and certainly not something I should have to pay to repair!.

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably and the speed independently decreased. The contact also stated that the vehicle very difficult to steer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

I was driving home from work on a state highway, even though posted speed limit was 65mph, traffic was heavy and I was forced to slow down to around 50 to 53 mph. When speeding back up to 55 mph my Jeep sahara shook violently and uncontrollably, I thought my vehicle was going to shake apart, I hit the breaks and went down to 50 mph (thank god no one was close behind me and did not hit me) and the shaking/wobble stopped. As traffic picked back up and I was able to speed up to 60 mph, there was no real problem (a slight shake as I past 55 mph), but as soon as I had to slow down to 55 mph the vehicle started to shake/wobble uncontrollably again. It appears if I accelerate from 0 to 55 mph I get the violent shaking/wobbling but if I go from 0 to 60-65 mph, I do not really experience the violent uncontrollably shaking, just a slight shake at the 55 mph going to 60-65 mph. If I slow down from 60-65 mph to 55 mph I get that same violent uncontrollable shaking/wobbling. This happens everyday - not randomly! I found even on non-highways, where speed limits that allow 55 mph, I get the same violent shaking. This is my only vehicle and I depend on it to get to and from work every weekday. I have read the forums and I have checked the tire pressure, it has no effect on the shaking/wobbling. I have never taken it off-road, I don't even put it in 4 wheel drive. My son has his own Jeep that he has work on for years and he looked at my Jeep (things like steering components, ball joints, tires, steering damper, etc. ) all the things Jeep owners have posted on these forums and have paid dearly for at the dealership and everything seems ok. I recently found from a Jeep forum that this is called the 'death wobble'.

My Jeep keeps doing a death wobble on the highway today I took my 68 year old mother to airport and it did it going 55 on way back did it at 60 and I lost my transmission vfluid on 476 had to be towed.

I was driving down us rt. 60 headed back to phoenix arizona. During my time traveling down the road doing approximately 55-60 mph I ran over train tracks and immediately my Jeep began shaking uncontrollably. I was able to pull over my vehicle to stop violent shaking. I have looked into this on the internet and it seems to be a common problem referred to as, " death wobble. "this is the second time this has happened to me. I have owned the vehicle for 5 months. It was purchased at a Chrysler dealership.

Passenger side brakes come on automatically , almost caused me to loose control in right hand turn ! is there a recall on this ?.

Airbag lamp illuminates whenever turning indicating a faulty airbag clockspring. This error is a common occurrence every time vehicle is in motion. This compromised circuit is a safety hazard to driver in the event of an accident preventing the airbag from deploying.

Clock spring faulty, generating warning light, possible failure.

When driving on the expressway at a speed of approximately 70 mph, the left front tire struck a small pot hole, the front suspension began shaking violently, removing drivers grip on the steering wheel. After regaining wheel grip, driver began rapid deceleration while steering off to the shoulder. Shaking subsided around vehicle speed of approximately 40 mph and then a complete stop was achieved without incident. No traffic was immediately present at the time. Nothing was found during initial inspection on roadside and vehicle drove properly after resuming cautiously.

Was driving around 50 mph front end started to shake so hard it was hard to hang on to steering wheel,hit the brakes hard, once vehicle almost stopped it stopped shaking, wife was with me and said she would never ride in it again. Seems like Jeep would man up, I'm not the only one with this problem.

On the 2008+ Jeep Wrangler (lhd) dashboard, the airbag warning light flashes on periodically with a chime, an indication that there is something malfunctioning or interfering with the vehicle's airbags. This has been a recurring issue and concern for many 2008+ Jeep Wrangler (lhd) owners, including myself, and has been shown time and time again to be caused by a faulty clockspring within the vehicle's steering wheel. This faulty clockspring is the culprit for potential airbag failure in the 2008+ Jeep Wrangler (lhd) during an accident or premature deployment when simply driving around. Daimler Chrysler has refused to address the safety concern of their faulty clockspring that can cause failure of the vehicle's airbags from properly deploying.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler 2-door 4x4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle hit a bump and the steering wheel and the front tires vibrated without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000. The VIN was unavailable. Sg.

While on my normal daily drive home from work, the airbag warning dash lamp illuminated with chime. Since then it has been constantly turning on and off and chiming with the turning of my steering wheel. Which I believe is directly related with the well known clock spring issue that hundreds of similar Jeep models have been experiencing for several years. Upon reading the multiple complaints regarding this issue, its not a matter of if, but when will this part fail. . .

I was driving around 35 mph, my air bag light began to flash and then it stopped. It began to flash on and off every couple of minutes. I shut off the engine for a few minutes, then started driving again and the air bag light started flashing and ringing. After I researched the problem online, it appears to be a faulty clock spring. There is a 2007 recall and a 2008 recall for right side driving vehicles. But nothing for 2008 Jeep Wrangler left side driving vehicles. I called Chrysler and had to file a complaint due to them not fixing the issue under warranty or recall. The total amount for the repair is $500+. There are numerous complaints about this air bag issue and nothing is being done.

While driving on the highway, the airbag light goes on and off intermittently. The horn also does not work at all. I took it to the local mechanic to have the horn fixed, and was informed it was a bad clock-spring. Chrysler has extended the warranty for the rh 2008 Wranglers and all 2007 Wranglers, but the warranty for the lh 2008 Wranglers, like mine, has not been extended to be replaced. This is a major safety issue as the horn does not work, and I am unsure if my airbag will deploy, if needed. There is clearly an issue as there are a flood of complaints. It is time for the NHTSA to step in and get this taken care of. I don't feel I should have to pay $500. 00 to have the clock-spring fixed when it is an obvious issue across the line in the 2007 and 2008 models. I should also mention that I have also experienced the "death wobble" which is what was the initial issue which had me take the Jeep into the shop. Over this past year, the Jeep would just start shaking violently at about 55 mph every once in a while. This last time, I pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the Jeep and tried again, only to have it start shaking violently again. This is a major issue that needs addressed. I could have been killed as there were vehicles on the freeway all around me. I could barely control the vehicle to pull it off the road. The mechanic replaced the steering stabalizer, the calipers, and the rotors to alleviate the problem. Interestingly, when I walked in to talk to them, they knew exactly what it was as they have had similar complaints that needed repairs for the same vehicle and problem from other customers. This was a $350. 00 repair. I point this second issue out so other Jeep owners will know what to have repaired if Chrysler does nothing.

While driving downhill on an improved multi-lane highway, and braking as needed, the front end of the Jeep began to shake violently. This is the third episode of this extremely unsafe behavior. The first two episodes involved accelerating between 50 and 55 on an interstate highway on-ramp. All instances required immediate deceleration and/or modest braking and/or needing to come to a complete stop to arrest the violent shaking and regain normal steering control. Research yields information that this is a known occurrence with Jeep Wranglers and may be the result of substandard engineering and design. See "Jeep Wrangler -death wobble".

On the 2008 Jeep Wrangler (left hand drive) dashboard, the airbag warning light flashes on every other minute with a chime, an indication that there is something malfunctioning or interfering with the vehicle's airbags. This has been a recurring issue and concern for many 2008 Jeep Wrangler (left hand drive) owners, including myself, and has been shown time and time again to be caused by a faulty clockspring within the vehicle's steering wheel. This faulty clockspring is the culprit for potential airbag failure in the 2008 Jeep Wrangler (left hand drive) during an accident or premature deployment when simply driving around. Daimler Chrysler has refused to address the safety concern of their faulty clockspring that can cause failure of the vehicle's airbags from properly deploying.

Tl-the contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that a pot hole was hit while he drove at approximately 42 mph and it caused the vehicle to severely wobble out of control. The failure was experienced several times. The dealer performed a diagnostic which located the failure at the steering damper. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 71,000. Li.

After I shifted into 5th gear going appx. 50 mph front rt tire shimmied then lt front tire at equal 1 to 2 second intervals until the shimmy got so bad I could not control steering and had to decelerate to pull of to side of road. I had to lift myself off seat and lean into steering wheel with my all my weight to steer Jeep safely to side of road. About 1 week before my incident my daughter, 22 yrs of age, had same problem during morning rush hour. Same speed while accelerating.

The clockspring on my 2008 left hand drive Jeep has broken causing my airbags to no longer function. I have a valid Chrysler warranty until 85,000 miles. My Jeep is currently being serviced at the dealership to replace the broken clockspring which will cost $563. This part is not covered under my Chrysler warranty which makes no sense at all. My warranty covers electrical components but the clock spring falls under "safety" components which are not covered. How safety components are not covered is way beyond me! there was a recall in the 2007 Jeep Wrangler clockspring and the issues obviously spread to 2008 as well. I cannot afford the $563 so I am putting it on my credit card so I can drive a safe Jeep. The fact that Jeep is making consumers pay (substantially) for their negligence is completely unfair and thus the reason for this complaint.

This morning, March 7, 2014, on the way to work on a very busy road, my Jeep started to shake so bad, I had to pull to the side of the road or risk hitting someone. I calmed down, and returned to driving and it started again! it was the "death wobble" that I have experienced before but this is the first time it has happened twice in a row in such a short time. I have changed tires, had 2 different mechanics look at my Jeep and they can find nothing wrong, but there is something wrong!! please help!.

Air bag light came on. Was caused by a defective clock spring. This is a known defect on the Wrangler since recall was done on 2007 Jeep Wrangler and 2008 rhd Jeep Wrangler.

I was driving home from work and when I exited from the highway, my airbag light came on. It proceeded to come on and go off over the next 15 min on the rest of my drive home. This seems to be a faulty clockspring, which leads to a faulty airbag. This should be covered under the extended 10 year/150,000 mile warranty that covers the 2007 lhd and 2008 rhd Jeep Wranglers. Whether the steering is on the right or left side of a vehicle should not make a difference when it comes to driver safety.

Clock spring is bad causing the air bags not to work.

Commonly called "Jeep death wobble". Driving on a straight road at approximately 45 mph my steering wheel started to shake slightly, then became worse. Within about 5 seconds my wheel was shaking so badly that I couldn't hold the wheel. I did all I could to slow and pull the vehicle onto the shoulder. I found nothing wrong and went back on my way with no further issues. My vehicle is a stock Jeep with the only difference being newer tires (stock size) that are in good condition.

I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler unlimited x with 42,000 miles. The vehicle has been babied except for one off-road weekend last fall. The death wobble just started about two months ago when applying brakes over 55 mph. Mostly front-end wobble. It happened sporadically and only at speeds around 60 mph. I took it to my mechanic and he replaced the rotors. Just a few days later, the wobble returned, but much worse, and with no braking applied. The whole car violently shook. I returned the vehicle back to my mechanic. He did some research and eventually installed a new steering damper, a bigger one than the original part. I am hopeful the problem will be fixed. In researching this matter and reviewing the various blogs, including this site, I cannot believe that Chrysler Jeep is not doing anything about it. While there has been no reports of death, that is just fortuitous. Something needs to be done about it. Not a coincidence that so many operators are experiencing the same problem with the same model.

While driving my 2008 Jeep Wrangler at speeds of 50 mph or greater and hitting a pothole, small bump, or when crossing a bridge, the Wrangler suddenly shakes violently. It becomes very difficult to steer, and must come to a complete stop in order to stop the shaking. This occurred more than 20 times in a 4 hour period. One incident almost caused an accident, as I tried to slow down and pull over in busy city traffic with a very small berm. I continued my drive at speeds of 40 mph or less, which reduced the number of incidents, but it still happened. I was fearful to move quickly, be in front of other cars or hit potholes, so driving was stressful and slow. I maintain the vehicle regularly, and have replaced the tires. This has happened before, but today was so often, it was difficult to drive the vehicle. I love my Jeep, but am very concerned about this problem. I am now considering purchasing a new vehicle.

Driving home on a Saturday evening accelerating up to 55 mph once the vehicle hit 48-50 mph the front end began to shake/vibrate violently slowing down did not stop the vibrations I needed to pull off the road and come to a complete stop. The above repeated 3-4 times during the course of the trip. Took the vehicle to the dealership the following Monday and was told by the dealership that I experienced the "death wobble" they replaced the steering damper and rotated the tires. I have driven approximately 1,000 miles since that service appointment and am now experiencing the "death wobble" again, I am already out $1,200 for the initial repair attempt. The steering damper replacement appears to have only masked the problem for a short amount of time and is not a fix but a patch job which is likely resulting in further damage to other portions of the steering/suspension system. There are several reports of this both in your system and throughout the internet something is clearly wrong with these vehicles and it needs to be addressed. The complete loss of vehicle steering control during the shaking is going to get someone killed and it seems like that is what all the regulators are waiting for before taking any action to get this issue fixed.

Hit small bump on expressway causing 2008 Jeep Wrangler unlimited to shake violently like the wheels were loose. I had to immediately get off the expressway to check wheels. This could have caused an accident by the initial reaction is to slow down and would have caused a chain reaction (crash). After inspecting vehicle shaking had stopped.

Driving on highway and experienced sever "death wobble" relative to the steering. The Jeep was uncontrollable and dangerous to pull over. It has happened on numerous occasions.

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 55 mph, the entire front end of the vehicle shook violently. The contact decelerated to 40 mph in an effort to cease the shaking. An independent mechanic replaced the tires; however, the failure recurred when the vehicle was driven more than 55 mph. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic again and had the steering damper replaced twice, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.