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2004 Jeep Wrangler

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2004 Jeep Wrangler do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 265.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

164 reports with mileage · 28 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Steering. Review the 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 59 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports7 fire reports9 injury reports

Suspension complaints

59 reports
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65,000 miles · Jun 16, 2012
SteeringSuspension

VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE SUSPENSION WHEN I REACH ABOUT 55 MPH, USUALLY ON THE NYS THRUWAY. IN ORDER TO STOP THE SHAKE I NEED TO SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 40 MPH. VERY DANGEROUS AND UNNERVING, ESPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC. BROUGHT TO MY MECHANIC WHO STATED HE SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. REPLACED AND BALANCED TIRES. WAS FINE BUT THEN ,AS…

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VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE SUSPENSION WHEN I REACH ABOUT 55 MPH, USUALLY ON THE NYS THRUWAY. IN ORDER TO STOP THE SHAKE I NEED TO SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 40 MPH. VERY DANGEROUS AND UNNERVING, ESPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC. BROUGHT TO MY MECHANIC WHO STATED HE SAW NOTHING WRONG WITH MY VEHICLE. REPLACED AND BALANCED TIRES. WAS FINE BUT THEN ,AS NOW , UNEXPECTEDLY GOES INTO CONVULSIONS. I FEEL VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN DRIVING MY VEHICLE, WHICH IS MY SOLE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION. IS THERE A RECALL? I AM NOT AWARE OF ANY. WOULD REALLY LIKE TO RESOLVE THIS SITUATION. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SEVERAL YEARS. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10461972

75,000 miles · Jun 14, 2012
SteeringSuspension

FRONT END SHAKES VIOLENTLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, USUALLY WHEN THE JEEP IS APPROACHING 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. FEELS LIKE THE JEEP IS GOING TO EXPLODE. PUTTING ON THE BRAKES, AND PRAYING, AND DOWN SHIFTING FROM 5TH TO 4TH, AND PRAYING, AND EVENTUALLY SLOWING DOWN TO BELOW 40 IS THE ONLY THING THAT ALLOWS THE VEHICLE TO STOP S…

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FRONT END SHAKES VIOLENTLY. THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE, USUALLY WHEN THE JEEP IS APPROACHING 50 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. FEELS LIKE THE JEEP IS GOING TO EXPLODE. PUTTING ON THE BRAKES, AND PRAYING, AND DOWN SHIFTING FROM 5TH TO 4TH, AND PRAYING, AND EVENTUALLY SLOWING DOWN TO BELOW 40 IS THE ONLY THING THAT ALLOWS THE VEHICLE TO STOP SHAKING. THIS APPARENTLY HAS BEEN REPORTED MANY, MANY TIMES, AND IS KNOWN AS THE "DEATH WOBBLE". IS THERE A GOVERNMENTAL COVER-UP ABOUT THIS? HOW IS THIS KNOWN ISSUE ALLOWED TO GO UN-ADDRESSED?

NHTSA ODI #10461731

45,000 miles · Jun 2, 2012
SteeringSuspension

STEERING WHEEL SHAKES, MOST RECENTLY MADE WHOLE VEHICLE SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. HAS NOT BEEN OFF ROAD OR ALTERED IN ANY WAY. LADY DRIVEN ONLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10460367

Mileage unknown · Apr 13, 2012
SteeringSuspension

I OWN A JEEP WRANGLER X 2004. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE JEEP "DEATH WOBBLE" ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS IN THE PAST YEAR. THIS PAST SUNDAY BEING THE WORST. I HAVE HAD MY ENTIRE FRONT END REPLACED WITH NO RESULTS. I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR ANSWERS AND EVERY SUGGESTION THAT I HAVE FOUND HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE ON MY JEEP. WE HA…

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I OWN A JEEP WRANGLER X 2004. I HAVE EXPERIENCED THE JEEP "DEATH WOBBLE" ON NUMEROUS OCCASSIONS IN THE PAST YEAR. THIS PAST SUNDAY BEING THE WORST. I HAVE HAD MY ENTIRE FRONT END REPLACED WITH NO RESULTS. I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING THE INTERNET FOR ANSWERS AND EVERY SUGGESTION THAT I HAVE FOUND HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE ON MY JEEP. WE HAVE SPOKEN WITH A JEEP MECHANIC THAT WE KNOW AND HE STATED THAT IT IS A "KNOWN PROBLEM" AND THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. AT THIS POINT I AM EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED AND I AM LOOKING FOR ANSWERS. I HAVE FOUND A WEBSITE FOR CONGRESSWOMAN ESHOO AND I AM AWARE OF THE REQUEST FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS MATTER. PLEASE, I HOPE THAT YOU ARE TAKING THIS MATTER VERY SERIOUSLY. THIS IS A VERY SCARY AND DANGEROUS PROBLEM THAT IS OCCURING IN JEEPS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10455094

39,978 miles · Mar 12, 2012
SteeringSuspension

LIKE SO MANY, I'VE NOW EXPERIENCED THE INFAMOUS 'DEATH WOBBLE.' THE VEHICLE STARTS TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AFTER HITTING A BUMP AND BECOMES ESSENTIALLY UNABLE TO BE CONTROLLED. ALL YOU CAN DO IS BRAKE HARD AND HOPE TO STAY IN YOUR LANE/ON THE ROAD AS YOU DECELERATE. AFTER SPENDING MANY HOURS ON THE INTERNET AND AT THE PLACE WHERE …

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LIKE SO MANY, I'VE NOW EXPERIENCED THE INFAMOUS 'DEATH WOBBLE.' THE VEHICLE STARTS TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE AFTER HITTING A BUMP AND BECOMES ESSENTIALLY UNABLE TO BE CONTROLLED. ALL YOU CAN DO IS BRAKE HARD AND HOPE TO STAY IN YOUR LANE/ON THE ROAD AS YOU DECELERATE. AFTER SPENDING MANY HOURS ON THE INTERNET AND AT THE PLACE WHERE I PURCHASED IT, THINGS ARE NO BETTER. THIS SEEMS LIKE AN OBVIOUS DESIGN FLAW AND RENDERS THE VEHICLE UNSAFE. JEEP SEEMS TO HAVE NO INTEREST IN FIXING THE PROBLEM AND IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT NOBODY HAS BEEN KILLED BECAUSE OF IT. I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THIS AS I NOW HAVE AN UNSAFE AND UNUSABLE VEHICLE THAT NOBODY SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO FIX. THERE IS A TSB OUT REGARDING THIS ISSUE, BUT JEEP KEEPS THAT INFORMATION 'SECRET'. I CANNOT IMAGINE WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL, IF I KEEP DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, IT'S NOT A QUESTION OF 'IF' I'M GOING TO WRECK IT, IT'S A MATTER OF 'WHEN' IT'S GOING TO OCCUR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10451121

30 miles · Jan 9, 2012
Suspension

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER DRIVING OVER A SLIGHT ROAD BUMP AT 55 MPH OR MORE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE SWAY BAR LINK AND DAMPER WERE…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER DRIVING OVER A SLIGHT ROAD BUMP AT 55 MPH OR MORE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE THE SWAY BAR LINK AND DAMPER WERE REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE MALFUNCTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30.

NHTSA ODI #10442882

23,762 miles · Dec 18, 2011
SteeringSuspension

MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF VIOLENT VIBRATION IN THE VEHICLE FRONT END, INCLUDING THE STEERING WHEEL AND FRONT WHEELS, ARE OCCURRING AFTER HITTING A MINOR POT HOLE IN THE ROAD. INCIDENTS OCCUR AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS, NORMALLY 45 - 55 MPH. THE DRIVER MUST REDUCE SPEED TO NEAR ZERO IN ORDER TO RECOVER SAFE AND EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF THE VEH…

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MULTIPLE INCIDENTS OF VIOLENT VIBRATION IN THE VEHICLE FRONT END, INCLUDING THE STEERING WHEEL AND FRONT WHEELS, ARE OCCURRING AFTER HITTING A MINOR POT HOLE IN THE ROAD. INCIDENTS OCCUR AT HIGHWAYS SPEEDS, NORMALLY 45 - 55 MPH. THE DRIVER MUST REDUCE SPEED TO NEAR ZERO IN ORDER TO RECOVER SAFE AND EFFECTIVE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE DEFECT APPEARS TO BE THE WELL-KNOWN AND MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE IN JEEP WRANGLER VEHICLES KNOWN AS "THE DEATH WOBBLE". I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW FROM A JEEP DEALERSHIP AND HAVE HAD IT PROFESSIONALLY MAINTAINED PER THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT IT. MY SPOUSE AND I HAVE BOTH EXPERIENCED THIS DEFECT SEVERAL TIMES IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, MOST RECENTLY ON DECEMBER 15, 2011. AT THIS POINT, WE'VE HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED SEVERAL TIMES AND REPLACED A NUMBER OF COMPONENTS ON THE VEHICLE, INCLUDING THE STEERING DAMPER, FOUR SHOCK ABSORBERS, AND ALL 4 TIRES., IN ADDITION, THE SUSPENSION HAS BEEN INSPECTED NUMEROUS TIMES IN THE PAST 3 YEARS. GIVEN THE SHEAR NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS BY OTHER OWNERS, I FEEL THAT THIS IS AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURER DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE ACKNOWLEDGED AND CORRECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10440323

54,279 miles · Nov 7, 2011
SteeringSuspension

THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE OCT 18, 2011. THE JEEP EXPERIENCED THE "DEATH WOBBLE" WHEREBY THE JEEPS' WHEELS SUDDENLY BEGAN TO WOBBLE TO THE POINT THAT ONE ALMOST MUST SLOW DOWN IMMEDIATELY. THE CONDITION APPEARS TO BE QUITE COMMON WITH THE JEEP WRANGLER. PORTABLE RECEIVED VIA U.S. MAIL. A PORTION OF THE COMPLA…

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THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE OCT 18, 2011. THE JEEP EXPERIENCED THE "DEATH WOBBLE" WHEREBY THE JEEPS' WHEELS SUDDENLY BEGAN TO WOBBLE TO THE POINT THAT ONE ALMOST MUST SLOW DOWN IMMEDIATELY. THE CONDITION APPEARS TO BE QUITE COMMON WITH THE JEEP WRANGLER. PORTABLE RECEIVED VIA U.S. MAIL. A PORTION OF THE COMPLAINT WAS ILLEGIBLE. 02/28/12 UPDATED 02/28/12 *BF

NHTSA ODI #10449868

16,710 miles · Oct 5, 2011
SteeringSuspension

STEERING WOBBLES AT SPEEDS 40 TO 55MPH AND IS ESPECIALLY WORSE AFTER HITTING A BUMP. THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY AND NOT ONCE IN A WHILE. VERY SCARY WHEN YOU HAVE NO CONTROL BECAUSE IT SHAKES SO BAD. IT ACTUALLY GIVES YOU LITTLE OR NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. HAVE HAD TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED THE STEERING DAMPER REPLACED. HAVE H…

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STEERING WOBBLES AT SPEEDS 40 TO 55MPH AND IS ESPECIALLY WORSE AFTER HITTING A BUMP. THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY AND NOT ONCE IN A WHILE. VERY SCARY WHEN YOU HAVE NO CONTROL BECAUSE IT SHAKES SO BAD. IT ACTUALLY GIVES YOU LITTLE OR NO CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE. HAVE HAD TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED THE STEERING DAMPER REPLACED. HAVE HAD IT LOOKED AT SEVERAL TIMES AND NO ONE REALLY KNOWS WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT. IT IS A LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION AND FEEL THAT NOTHING WILL BE DONE ABOUT IT UNTIL SOMEONE IS ACTUALLY KILLED. LOOKING AT BLOGS THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED THE SAME THING KNOWN AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10428846

56,000 miles · Sep 25, 2011
SteeringSuspension

MY 2004 WRANGLER RUBICON HAS A VIOLENT WOBBLE/SHAKE AT 55-60 MPH. THE WOBBLE IS SO VIOLENT I HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY BRAKE AND IT STOPS AROUND 40. I HAVE HAD IT ALIGNED AND BALANCED. I WAS CONSIDERING POURING MORE INTO THE REPAIR BUT AFTER READING ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS I FELL IT IS NOT WORTH THE EFFORT. THE JEEP IS STOCK AND I A…

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MY 2004 WRANGLER RUBICON HAS A VIOLENT WOBBLE/SHAKE AT 55-60 MPH. THE WOBBLE IS SO VIOLENT I HAVE TO IMMEDIATELY BRAKE AND IT STOPS AROUND 40. I HAVE HAD IT ALIGNED AND BALANCED. I WAS CONSIDERING POURING MORE INTO THE REPAIR BUT AFTER READING ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS I FELL IT IS NOT WORTH THE EFFORT. THE JEEP IS STOCK AND I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. I AM GOING TO APPROACH THE DEALER BUT SINCE IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY I HAVE THE FEELING IT IS GOING TO BE IN VAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10427084

Official recalls

1

04V048000 · Equipment:other:labels

Feb 3, 2004

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A RECENT SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING ERROR, THE TIRE, WHEEL, AND INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION WAS INADVERTENTLY OMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE CERTIFICATION LABEL.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THE VEHICLE OWNER WOULD NOT BE AWARE OF THE TIRE, WHEEL, AND INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION FOR THEIR VEHICLE.

Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CORRECTED TIRE CERTIFICATION LABEL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 1, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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