Ball Joint Problems of Jeep Wrangler - part 1

When vehicle hits a bump, it vibrates so driver is unable to control vehicle until it is brought to a complete stop. Investigation online points to "death wobble" as described by other Jeep owners. Happens on both city streets and highway. Took to local Jeep dealership, replaced ball joints, happened again a week later. Called dealership again, they don't seem to have an answer for us. Literally afraid to drive vehicle without a definite fix or answer.

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This happened twice on the same day. Vehicle was in motion at approximately 60 miles per hour entering highway when a bump was hit front end started to shake and shimmy all the way through the steering wheel. Almost had to completely stop the vehicle to get the shaking to stop. This is called the Jeep death wobble. I had received a recall from fiat Chrysler of America several months earlier to have my vehicle steering stabilizer replace. After a lot of research on this particular problem I think the vehicle manufacturer should be held liable for all front end damage done for the life of the vehicle in relation to this problem in engineering. I have seen many places where they say this problem will ruin your ball joints and your other linkages in your front end. They should inform the consumer of this problem at time of purchase.

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Death wobble experienced daily several times a day. I hit a bump or uneven patch of road and death wobble begins it usually starts at 35- 40 mph. I sometimes have to slow all the way to 20 mph to make it stop. I have replaced u joints, rear drive shaft, ball joints, tires, steering stabilizer, tie rods, gotten wheel balances many times, replaced drag link and all bushings. Nothing has helped so far.

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Improperly tightened ball joints. They were loose and made a clicking noise when steering.

While driving at highway speed the Jeep wanders all over the road requiring constant steering correction and sometimes requiring extra force to be put on the steering wheel. Upon my own investigation there is a TSB out for this but it does not fix the problem I also took the time to inspect my steering components and found that the ball joints were not torqued to specifications they were only hand tight.

At 34,000 miles I started to experience a rotational vibration in the front end of my vehicle and the drivers front suspension started to get louder over a couple weeks so I took the car to a dealership, they diagnosed it as the ball joints were worn and they said it was still loud due to tires age (which were rotated with every oil change at approx 4,000 miles). The tires were not worn due to age but instead cupped due to damaged suspension component, the dealership that I had the vehicle serviced at on 12/15/2016 at 32,534 miles found the tread depth to be at 8/32 or greater. I took the vehicle in a few days later back to the dealership that did the repair and they found the tread depth to be at 9/32.

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Tl the contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 55 mph over a bump in the road, the vehicle violently vibrated until it came to a complete stop. The vehicle was currently at fred martin superstore (3195 barber rd, barberton, OH 44203, (330) 753-4444) to have the ball joints, tie rods, steering damper, and universal joints replaced for the second time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000. The VIN was unknown.

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Driving vehicle over 60mph resulted in multiple episodes of the death wobble within a 3 week period of time. Vehicle was purchased at used car dealership and state inspection was performed on the day of purchase. Within 24 hours of having the vehicle, I experienced the first encounter. I was driving down a hill at approximately 60mph and the steering felt shakey and the wheel began to wobble. It subsided as I slowed down. The next day, this occured on a major interstate at 65mph and car was towed to a Jeep dealership. I was informed the ball joints should never have passed inspection along with the fuel system. I took the car back to the dealer and he claimed to have fixed the problem. Within 3 days of getting the Jeep back, once again the wobble occurred at a speed of 65mph and I almost lost control of vehicle. This vehicle should not be on the road. The dealer returned a portion of my purchase price and I returned the Jeep. The Jeep is now back on the lot for sale.

While going appx. 55-70mph, on several occasions, go over a bump in road (does not have to be a big bump) veh. Starts shaking, steering wheel has been jerked out of my hands. Have to come to a complete stop and does not matter where. Veh. Pulls extremely hard not wanting to go forward. Many youtube videos have also been documented on this. Maybe if I marked a traffic accident or death caused by this, Jeep would do something. I have completed a fix that has been good now for several months. Replaced ball joints, added to steering shocks to keep steering forward, replace both tie rods, front end alignment, new shocks (all 4). Have paid out my part on keeping my Jeep serviced. But, Jeep still has not answered this complaint now for years. Expand question: when did this happen. It has been an ongoing problem since I bought it new in 2007. Jeep dealership could not find anything wrong.

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When driving at about 50 mph right front tire hit a pothole repair/bump. This threw my front end into major osscillation/wobble. I had to slow down to 35 before it would stop. Since that first time it has progressively gotten worse. Now it's happening once a day and it is very dangerous when at highway speeds and in traffic. I have replaced shocks and ball joints which hasnt worked. Actually gotten worse.

Tl-the contact owns a 2009 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds over a bump, the front of the vehicle began to shake tremendously. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that tie rod end bolts, trac bar bolts and the ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired . The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,000. The VIN was unavailable. Oo.

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I was on the highway and all of a sudden my airbag light came on. Didn't know what was going on so I pulled over. I thought maybe it was just a one time thing but I traveled over 1000 miles with it dinging every little while. When I got to my destination the light was still coming on and I was told it was a spring and would cost 400. 00 to 500. 00 to fix. I feel that it is not my responsibility to fix since it is a safety issue. But not only that I also had to get the ball joints replaced, both upper and lower which cost over 1000. 00. I was told by the mechanic that Jeep does not put grease fittings on them so that they eventually go out. This could cause a very serious accident and these issues need to be resolved by the company before someone get hurt or worse killed. I love my Jeep but all these issues are really disturbing. One other issue I noticed is I am always having to check the oil which is usually low. Not sure what that is but I know others have complained about this.

I have a 2010 Jeep jk unlimited 4x4. I bought the vehicle used from a local dealer in July of 2013, with approx. 10k miles on it. At about 18k miles, I began experiencing the common dreaded "death wobble". I was driving down a country road with my children in the back seats. All of a sudden, while hitting a small bump in the road, the steering wheel began rapidly moving back and forth and the frontend of the vehicle was shaking violently. I quickly stopped the vehicle, checked on my now frightened children, then go out to examine my vehicle. I couldn't find anything obvious, like tie rods or ball joints. So, I slowly drove home. I went over the entire front end. Couldn't find anything. After reading a lot of forums on the matter, I found I am one of many Jeep owners that have/are fighting this same issue. I went ahead and put on a new steering stabilizer, and trackbars, as these are claimed to be the most common issues (even though mine looked fine and had no play). I continually have had the problem and have had it to shop for an alignment, tire rotations, and checking the balancing on the tires. The shop said tires and alignment were fine. We found that there was some play in the sector shaft where the pitman arm connects to the steering gearbox. Some guys are saying they have replaced theirs 3 times in 30k miles. I don't offroad, my vehicle isn't exposed to harsh conditions, where one could expect mechanical failures. I currently have 26k miles on mine, and have been trying to find out the cause, meanwhile throwing $$ and parts on it to try and find the issue. After researching and seeing the large amount of owners fighting death wobble and the component failures which cause it, I feel Chrysler should be held accountable to some level. I think they should be recognizing the problem and the large scale of it, and offering some type of solution to fix the issue.

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I had death wobble from poorly made parts. Steering stabilizer is was to small to handle everyday driving and the ball joints are junk. 600 bucks later I figured it out since the dealership didn't want to deal with the issue and talking to mechanic friends it's a common replacement since the company uses cheap parts. Also have lots of issues with the esp, egr valve, false codes from egr and O2 sensors. And today my air bag light came on and has gone off. And every single time I get gas it's spills out all over the place and the throw out bearing whines which I was told is also junk and can fail right from purchase to over 100,000 miles. It would be very nice if Chrysler would fix the cheap parts made for the Jeep jk model. Just look at forums you with find thousands of people complaining about this model of Jeep.

Cpsc: i1440019a. 2009 Jeep Wrangler xl. Consumer stated that around 32,000 miles, his vehicle developed what is called the "death wobble", uncontrolled shimmy at highway speeds which only resolves by braking and coming to a near stop. After great effort, Chrysler reimbursed the consumer $849. 07 of the $ 1793. 47 he paid to have the entire front end rebuilt. The dealer replaced the steering damper with an updated assembly which required different hardware, to fix the problem. The consumer filed a complaint with Chrysler for reimbursement, for $336. 67. They reimbursement him for the parts only. The consumer continued to experience problems, so the dealer did a complete examination of the vehicle, and found all 4 ball joints and drag link were out of specifications.

In August 2013 my Jeep Wrangler began to develop an unpredictable, uncontrollable, violent shimmy at highway speeds. Sometimes a small bump or a lane change would set an event off. Shimmy did not stop without hard braking and coming to a near stop. Commonly referred to as "death wobble". The first attempt at repair, mileage 30,381, was to replace the factory installed steering damper with a upgraded steering damper. The new steering damper required different hardware to install. My cost, $366. 77 which Chrysler reimbursed the cost of parts @ $266. 77. I am $100. 00 out of pocket for labor costs to replace this defective part which was installed at the factory! the problem of uncontrolled shimmy was not fixed! the second attempt to repair my vehicle, mileage 32,982, was to balance and rotate all tires. The problem was not fixed! the third attempt to repair my vehicle, mileage 33,902, involved replacing all four defective ball joints and a defective drag link assembly. Cost to me, $1793. 47. Chrysler eventually reimbursed the cost of parts @ $849. 07. On this repair I am out of pocket $944. 40 labor costs to replace defective parts as installed at the factory! I have filed a complaint with the better business bureau (case #9919310) and the case is still ongoing. No vehicle operated under normal conditions should have to have major components, which affect vehicle control and safety, fail and need replacement at less than 34,000 highway driven miles! I do not read anywhere on my service receipts stating the parts that have been replaced carry any warranty. I am very concerned that genuine Jeep parts are of the same quality as originally used by Jeep to manufacture my vehicle, and will fail again within the next 30,000 to 35,000 miles, if not sooner!.

At certain speeds, my front end shimmies on the road. I took the Jeep into a dealership in early April to address the vibration and they changed out the ball joints. They said they could find no evidence of the vibration. I picked the Jeep up and it was still there. I scheduled a follow up appointment with them but, on the 9th of April, I was driving on I 495 in washington DC and the vehicle began shaking so bad that I had to pull over and get off the road. I thought I was going to be flung into a guardrail or another vehicle, it was shaking so bad. I called Jeep and they opined that I had screwed something up with an aftermarket install for a suspension. However, my Jeep is completely stock. I have not altered anything on it and certainly hadn't added a suspension. I have checked around and apparently, this problem is pretty rampant. The violence of the shaking is extreme and I am surprised somebody hasn't lost control and died over this already. I am a large man and it took all my strength to get the thing under control and into a safe area where I could decrease speed. I sincerely hope you will look into this matter before someone gets hurt. , thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

It was a dry sunny late morning when I was driving on a colorado interstate at approx. 65mph. I went over a rough patch of road and the steering wheel started to shake from side to side. I thought it was just the rough road but it did not subside after passing back onto smooth road, in fact it got worse. The shaking did not stop until I slowed down under 10mph. This happened four more times on this trip, always after hitting a bump at 50mph or faster. After a little research I determined the symptoms were consistent with a well know problem, "death wobble". My 2008 Jeep Wrangler unlimited x is 4 years old, has 30k miles on it and is completely stock and well maintained. It has the stock 32" goodyear sra tires on 17" rims, filled to 35 psi. I checked the torque on the track bar and the bolts were to spec at 125 lb/ft. I took the Jeep to a local shop where they determined the ball joints were bad as well as the steering stabilizer. Those have been replaced with aftermarket components and so far there have been no further occurrences. That was about 3k miles ago and I have tested the Jeep at highway speeds with a severe bump which did not induce death wobble. My first experience with death wobble was in the left lane on a crowded highway; it is amazing that I was able to maintain control and did not cause a major accident just by having to slow down to such a slow speed in the left lane. I have seen Chrysler's comments on the non-existence of death wobble due to inferior engineering/design of the steering components and can tell you they are wrong when they say it happens only on lifted vehicles. This is highly irresponsible of them to not take this seriously when it is so easy to find so many people with this problem.

The contact owns 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving approximately 10 mph, the contact heard a grinding noise in the front end of the vehicle and could not control the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnostic. The technicians stated to the contact that the front ball joints were fractured, causing the axle to fracture as well. The technicians stated that the axle was on backorder and not available for repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 38,534.

The steering wheels and front wheels started shaking violently after hitting a mild bump and that was the first give in a costly ball joint replacement on a stock unabused Jeep Wrangler. It cost over $1400 to fix through 4 wheel parts. The dealer refused to acknowledge a problem and suggested the tires were simply unbalanced as the problem for the shake that nearly caused serious wreck.

Now that have forced Chrysler to recall Jeep models for airbag problems how about forcing Jeep/Chrysler to recall and fix Jeep for the "death wobble". I first experienced this last year. At about 50mph the vehicle began to shake violently. I thought I was in a blender. I checked the internet and Jeep forum and found this to be a common problem with Jeep Wranglers. I even checked with the Jeep dealer here in oklahoma and was told it could be the ball joints, steering cylinder and/or even worn tires. He even acknowledged the problem. My mechanic said the ball joints were good. . . The tires just ok. But steering cylinder would probably need replacing. So I paid $145. 00 to the Jeep/Chrysler dealer for a new steering cylinder. Turns out the one I purchased was much bigger then the one I replaced. It still shook a little until I replaced the tires at another $650. 00. This needs to be investigated. I hope you will look into this. Please before someone gets hurt and maybe already has. Thanks.

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At hwy speeds when a bump is hit the front end and entire vehicle shakes violently like the front tires are going to fall off. This occurs just about every time a bump is hit. Onlyway to stop it is to slow to 15 to 20 mph creating a traffic hazard. Ball joints, steering damper, front end parts, new tires to no avail.

While driving down a stretch of us-61 north of gonzales, la. A phenomenon known as "death wobble" occurred on my 2007 Jeep Wrangler unlimited. After taking it to a local shop that have come to discover that the track bar has come loose and stated that this is a common problem and that Jeep refuses to address it. I was told to keep an eye on the front suspension because the violent shaking likely could have messed up ball joints and other equipment.

I am the second owner of a completely stock 2007 Jeep Wrangler with about 56,000 miles on it. I have an intermittent problem, commonly referred to as "death wobble". This issue can occur for no apparent reason and is related to some sort of harmonic imbalance with the front axle assembly. Recommended "solutions" include replacement of the steering stabilizer, checking for slop in the track bar mounting points, including the bushing on the track bar itself, bad ball joints and finally tire "cupping" or imbalance. The issue happened while DE-accelerating from 70 to 55 m. P. H. And changing from the middle to right-hand lane on westbound I-94 in st. Clair shores, mi. In addition to the lane change and DE-acceleration, I was also engaged in a sweeping left-hand turn prior to my exit from the freeway at exit 225. This situation is not only unacceptable but unsafe for any driver of this or any other Jeep Wrangler. I understand the challenges of securing a live axle to a vehicle with the suspension travel that Jeep owners expect of their vehicles, but for this to occur on a smooth highway is scary. My wife was in the vehicle, and now flatly refuses to ride or drive in the vehicle, and has forbidden my children to ride in it as well.

My 2007 Jeep wranger unlimited x 4x4, which is all stock and was purchased new, has developed the appropriately named "death wobble" which consists of violent shaking of the front end and steering wheel when hitting even a minor bump or depression in the road at speeds in excess of 45 mph. The shaking is so severe that one believes you feel as though you are about to die due to loss of control of the vehicle. The only way to stop the shaking is to come to an abrupt stop. Inattentive drivers may not be aware of what is happening and this may cause an accident as the Jeep driver is forced to brake. My warranty has expired and when I contacted the Jeep dealership, they acted as though they had never heard of this. I took it to an independent mechanic who stated this was a rather common occurance and that it would cost about $1700 to fix with replacing u-joints, and adding a stablizer bar. From on-line testimonials, I am learning that this is simply a bandaid fix and that the ball joints and steering dampener need to be replaced for a true fix. I cannot believe that with as many problems as have been reported that Chrysler-Jeep has not issued a recall. I have parked my Jeep for now while deciding what to do. My conscious will not allow me to trade it or sell it with the defect that I am aware of. I guess Chrysler-Jeep does not share my values. Why hasn 't there been any litigation over this issue? where are all the lawyers when you need them??.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that when driving 70 mph or more over a road bump, the front end of the vehicle would shake extremely hard causing the contact to momentarily lose control of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer replaced the steering dampers, tires and the ball joints but to no avail. The failure persisted and the manufacturer was contacted in regards to the failure. The manufacturer advised that they were unaware how to remedy the failure. The contact stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000.

I own a 2007 Jeep Wrangler and I have now gone thru 4 sets of ball joints and the Jeep currently has less than 45k miles. This is a major safety issue that I know many other Jeep owners are having the same issue.

"death wobble" 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-door: unable to drive vehicle due to violent shaking starting at 50 mph regardless of road conditions, bumps or potholes. Jeep serviced at 35,000: steering damper and left side ball joints replaced (under warranty). Problem solved for the time being. At 60,000 (no longer under warranty) we have the same problem, violent shaking between 50-60 mph. Looks and feels like the front wheels are falling off. It is incredibly unsafe.

Tl-the contact owns a 2007 Jeep Wrangler sahara. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph the vehicle started to shake violently. The contact mentioned that whenever the vehicle drove over a bump it became uncontrollable until it slows down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who repaired both ball joints twice but the vehicle continued to shake violently. The manufacturer was notified who stated a representative would return his call within 24 hours. The failure mileage was 40,000 and the current mileage was 74,000. Pmb.

I have been experiencing the "death wobble" in my Jeep, and it is terrifying. When driving anywhere from 40-65 mph, the front end will occassionally begin to shake violently and it feels as if the vehicle is out of control. The only way to stop it is to immediately slow way down and try to get off the road (difficult in many conditions). I recently took it in to the Jeep dealership and they "fixed" the problem by replacing the ball joints, the steering damper, and the front shocks ($1,700). It seemed to be ok for about 2 1/2 months, but it has happened again several times in the last two weeks. I can't afford to buy a new vehicle at this time, but the "death wobble" is a very dangerous condition (especially when going 60 mph down the highway!), and I don't know what to do.

2007 Jeep Wrangler unlimited, 44,000 miles, all the ball joint went bad. Jeep began to shake at higher speeds and I almost lost control of vehicle.

Brake light has been in forever, had checked, not an issue but. . . Began noticing on highway. Not so severe to have to stop to regain control. About a year ago iit happened at lower speeds, as few as 35mph, any uneven surface, bump, texture or level change sets it off. Tapping or use of the brakes. "death wobble" occurs. A slight tremor radiating from steering column then through the entire Jeep. So intense that it feels like the tires are turning sideways, maintaining control, steerin and braking extremely difficult. Regular braking does not help. Hars brake only. Haven't come to complete stop. I've always stopped, put back into park and turned it off. Thinking maybe some sort of reset may occur. It helps me to reset my own self anyways! very scary! especially if in a vendor curved part of roadway. . Brake light still on even after inspected (?) took into shop. Mechanic said ball joints needed replaced. Death wobble went away for a few weeks and it's back. Prior alignments~ only regular adjustments required. I tried to pay attention after this 'fix' and determined that braking (even just a tap) starts it and any surface change in the road older Jeeps had a simply fix, tightened a bolt on steering colum. My son is in training, did a visual inspection of the steering colum. Says seemed to me some extra play, nothing like a bolt loose but dark out, multiple components along column, unsure without a lengthier inspection. Nothing by sight. We stopped driving and took it in for inspection/replacement of front end balljoints. Tires have an unfamiliar pattern of wear. Using factory recommend tires, size and pressure. Very little off road. Mostly driven for in town/ highway driving. I hope this helps. Very very scary when this happens. Oh I've tried to outrun. Doesn't work. Lately I've shifted to 4thbeing and can usually regain control. .

2004 Jeep rubicon ball joint failure.

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Driver side front ball joint came apart.

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Purchased replacement front ball joints for Jeep Wrangler(1985-1998) from autozone. Noticed that the two parts were different, but the box had the same part number. One fit perfectly, but the other could only be installed in a way that could cause future suspension failure. I went to another autozone store and found the same two different parts marked with the same part number, so it was not an isolated problem. The part number is fa1633.

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