2006 Jeep Wrangler

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED AND SHOOK WHEN THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER A BUMP. THE CONTACT HAD TO HOLD THE STEERING WHEEL AGGRESSIVELY, SLOW DOWN, AND STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE SHOCKS AND TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE PARTS WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000.

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT A SPEED OF ABOUT 55-60 MILES PER HOUR. I DROVE INTO A CURVED PART OF THE INTERSTATE THAT VEERED TO THE LEFT AND WHEN I TRAVELED THROUGH IT, THE WHOLE JEEP BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I SLOWED DOWN TO PULL OVER AND WHEN I REACHED ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR, THE SHAKING STOPPED. I ASKED A MECHANIC ABOUT IT AND HE SAID THAT THIS "DEATH RATTLE" IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH JEEPS. WE CHANGED THE TIRES AND THE STEERING DAMPER. THIS SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM FOR A WHILE BUT A YEAR LATER THE SHAKING CAME BACK. I DID SOME INVESTIGATING ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THE DEATH WOBBLE AND FOUND OUT THAT THE CAUSE CAN BE ONE OR MORE OF A NUMBER OF THINGS ON THE FRONT END. I HAD THE TRACK BAR CHANGED AND THAT HELPED ABOUT 80%. NOW, 8 MONTHS LATER THE SHAKING IS BACK. I UNDERSTAND FROM THE INTERNET THAT THIS DEATH WOBBLE PROBLEM IS RAMPANT ACROSS THE COUNTRY WITH DIFFERENT JEEP OWNERS. YET CHRYSLER WILL NOT ADMIT THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. IS THERE ANY RECOURSE OTHER THAN ME SPENDING HUNDREDS TO THOUSANDS OF MY DOLLARS TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT IS OBVIOUSLY THE FAULT OF CHRYSLER?

I PURCHASED THE WRANGLER IN ABOUT OCTOBER OF 2009. SINCE THEN, THE FUEL TANK OVER-SPILLS WHEN IT IS FILLED AT THE GAS PUMPS. IT CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE PAINT AND TO THE PLASTIC WHEEL GUARD. OF GREATER CONCERN IS DEATH WOBBLE. THE FRONT END VIOLENTLY SHAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FROM TIME TO TIME. THE VEHICLE IS HARD TO CONTROL. I MADE ATTEMPTS IN 2013 AND 2014 TO FIX IT, ONLY TO HAVE THE PROBLEM RETURN. IN 2013 THE STEERING DAMPER AND STEERING STABILIZER BAR WAS REPLACED. IN 2014, THE TIRES WERE REPLACED AND ALIGNED. THE PROBLEM RETURNED THIS YEAR, AND IS AT ITS WORST. *TR

CAR BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE WHEN I HIT A POTHOLE ON THE FREEWAY GOING 65MPH. SEAT BELT PINNED ME TO SEAT SO I COULDN'T SAFELY TURN AROUND TO CHANGE LANES TO GET OFF FREEWAY. IT WAS DARK OUTSIDE AND VERY DANGEROUS. THIS PROBLEM IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET AND KNOWN AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. IT WAS TAKEN THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED RIGHT AFTER IT HAPPENED. THEY REPLACED THE STEERING STABILIZER, BUT 5 WEEKS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN. DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR I HAVE ONLY OWNED FOR 7 MONTHS. *TR

SINCE MY PURCHASE OF MY 2006 JEEP WRANGLER, AT THE SPEED BETWEEN 50 TO 60 MPH, THE FRONT BEGINS TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. I CANNOT CONTROL THE AUTO - I CANNOT STEAR IT, I CANNOT STOP THE SHAKING. IT IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS. WHY ARE YOU FOLKS ALLOWED TO SELL THIS PRODUCT TO THE PUBLIC? THIS NEEDS TO BE RECOGNISED BY THE MANUFACTURING / DESIGNERING CONCERNS AT JEEP. GENTLEMEN... PLEASE BE MEN AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS FAULTY PRODUCT. YOU ARE PUTTING THE CONSUMER AND OTHERS TRAVELING ON THE ROADWAYS IN LIFE AND DEATH DANGER. THIS IS AMERICA!!!! NOTHING MORE NEEDS TO BE SAID. YOU ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, NOW... TAKE CARE OF IT. *TR

SINCE PURCHASING MY 2006 JEEP WRANGLER UNLIMITED, I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH SEVERE FRONT-END INSTABILITY (SHIMMY AND SHAKING) WHEN THE VEHICLE TRAVELS APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES PER HOUR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER PURCHASE, I SPENT HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON FRONT-END WORK, TIRE BALANCE, AND TIRE ROTATION WORK, IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, DESPITE A SLIGHT INITIAL REDUCTION IN THE PROBLEM, THE SHIMMY AND SHAKING RETURNED SOON AFTER THE WORK I HAD DONE, AND HAS BECOME PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THIS ISSUE IS SO COMMON THAT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN ONLINE JEEP COMMUNITIES HAVE NAMED THE CONDITION, "DEATH WOBBLE.," SINCE THE ISSUE CAN RENDER A VEHICLE VIRTUALLY UNDRIVABLE. I FEAR FOR MY PERSONAL SAFETY, AND FOR THAT OF MY WIFE AND YOUNG CHILDREN WHEN WE TRAVEL IN THIS VEHICLE. MY REQUEST IS THAT CHRYSLER STOP DENYING THAT THERE IS A DANGEROUS, POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING CONDITION INVOLVING MULTIPLE JEEP PRODUCTION YEAR MODELS. I REQUEST THAT A SOLUTION BE ENGINEERED AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IN THE INTEREST OF MY FAMILY' SAFETY, AND THE SAFETY OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. *TR

MAKE : JEEP MODEL : WRANGLER YEAR : 2006 MANUFACTURER : DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION SERVICE BULLETIN NUM : 1900306 OR 215088 DATE OF BULLETIN: AUG 30, 2006 NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10020334 COMPONENT: STEERING SUMMARY: STEERING SHIMMY. [XXX] EVERY TIME I DRIVE MY VEHICLE, WHICH HAS ONLY 23K MILES, THE CAR STARTS TO SHAKE AND SHIMMER AT 54-55 MILES PER HOUR. MANY TIMES IF THE ROAD IS NOT EVEN I HAVE A FEELING THAT THE JEEP WILL GO OUT OF CONTROL. I HAVE TO GRAB THE STEERING WHEEL W/BOTH HANDS TIGHTLY WHENEVER I AM AT THE 54-55 SPEED. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE I OWNED THE VEHICLE. I THOUGHT FOR THE LONGEST TIME THAT IT WAS THE ROAD CAUSING THIS. I HAVE THIS VEHICLE AS A SECOND CAR AND DO NOT AT ALL FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR NOW. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

AT AROUND 45MPH MY FRONT WHEELS STARTS TO WOBBLE BACK AND FORTH VIOLENTLY CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO HIT THE BRAKES TO GET THE SHAKING TO STOP. THE STEERING WHEEL ALSO WOBBLES BACK AND FORTH MAKING IT HARD TO STEER. THIS IS A HAZARD AS IT HAPPENS IN TRAFFIC AND COULD CAUSE ME TO BE REARENDED. ALSO A DRIVER COULD PANIC AND WRECK AS A RESULT. VEHICLE HAS NO SUSPENSION MODIFICATION. TIRES HAVE BEEN BALANCED AND VEHICLE HAS PROPER ALIGNMENT. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE PHENOMENON KNOWN AS "DEATH WOBBLE". *TR

ON FRIDAY, 07.27.12, WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE/WOBBLE WILDLY, AND I THOUGHT THAT I HAD A BLOWOUT IN THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. I PULLED OVER ON THE SHOULDER, BUT, TO MY SURPRISE, THE TIRE WAS FINE, AND I COULD SEE NO VISIBLE PROBLEMS. I PROCEEDED DOWN THE HIGHWAY, BUT, AFTER ABOUT A MILE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE/WOBBLE WILDLY AGAIN (ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLY), TO THE POINT WHERE I LITERALLY THOUGHT THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WAS FALLING OFF. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I DROVE SLOWLY ALONG THE SHOULDER, EXITED THE HIGHWAY AT THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY, AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER MAKING SURE THAT THE LUG-NUTS WERE TIGHT, I DROVE (VIA CITY STREETS, TO MINIMIZE SPEED) BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WHEEL BALANCING. THAT SAID, WHEN I HIT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE'S RIGHT FRONT END STILL WOBBLES. IN THE INTERIM, I DID SOME GOOGLE'ING, AND I FOUND THAT NUMEROUS OTHER (?DEATH WOBBLE?) CASES HAVE BEEN REPORTED NATIONWIDE (INCLUDING HUNDREDS TO THE NHTSA). CHRYSLER HAS ISSUED MULTIPLE TSBS, AND THERE IS A MAINTENANCE NOTICE ACKNOWLEDGING ?STEERING VIBRATION? (A MONUMENTAL EUPHEMISM; THE ISSUE GOES WAY BEYOND A SIMPLE VIBRATION) ON THE JEEP WEBSITE. IN SHORT, CHRYSLER IS WELL-AWARE OF THE EXISTENCE AND SEVERITY OF THIS PROBLEM. THE MATTER HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY A SAN FRANCISCO TV STATION (KGO-TV), AND EVEN TWO MEMBERS OF THE U.S. CONGRESS WHO SENT INQUIRIES/COMPLAINTS TO BOTH CHRYSLER. DESPITE ALL OF THE FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS, PUBLICITY, AND REQUESTS FOR ACTION, THE NHTSA HAS DONE NOTHING. THIS IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW/DEFECT, AND THE NHTSA NEEDS TO FORCE CHRYSLER TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL. JEEP OWNERS NEED TO BE MADE AWARE OF THE EXISTENCE/POSSIBILITY OF THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION, AND CHRYSLER SHOULD INCUR THE COSTS OF ITS DIAGNOSIS AND CORRECTION. *TR