Death wobble on New 2022 Gladiator Sport S

[Murdoc319]

Dealership said it was a faulty stabilizer, must be standard response. Of course there is a national shortage. 2 weeks later said they got one. Going back next week to get it changed.

Indeed - Happened to me back in March at ~4000 miles. Started with just rough patches of highway that were a lane wide and probably 10-20ft long, then more frequently with rougher bridge expansion joints, etc.. They replaced the stabilizer and it was good for another 4k. now at 8k it's happened again. I now have the leverage to push for more than that fix, but I'm worried about the true root cause and what else could be being damaged with this recurring nonsense. Never had this issue on my 2 door JK that was decently modified, but had stock steering. Having this on a completely stock, low mileage JT is frustrating.

Sponsored

 

[Trebuchet57]

I have my vehicle back from the dealership. They said the "steering damper fount to be weak on road test". So the steering damper has been replaced.

Reading on other posts, I'm not sure if this is a long term fix. But time will tell I guess.

This is what I went with. The DW progressively got worse. It took 20 minutes to change out. The original damper is a piece of crap!
Fox Shox PS Stabilizer IFP 98524173 $167

 

[PuddleJumper]

After that, rebrand the dealership, dub yourself "For the People" and have every Wrangler/Gladiator PDI include a complete front end torque, camber and toe inspection. Focus on customer satisfaction instead of bottom line, be honest and do a little more than your customers expect. People will come for hundreds of miles to buy from you.

I would

 

[Gladiatorx2]

The Sport S that I purchased new in 2022 did this as well It started first bump that I hit. That was at 7 miles. When I got home and looked under it both front shocks were leaking fluid. Dealer said the first appointment available was 6 weeks out. So, upgraded the shocks myself. Pr

 

[CEB Blue]

Drove to dealership to get Stabilizer replaced, 270 mile RT. Local dealer was months out for anything. Experienced DW eight times on way to dealer, trip back, no DW, steering felt tighter.
Understand the stabilizer is not the root cause of DW and it is still under warranty. Beside I don't have Big $$$ to throw at it right now. Marked the milage and will see how long it lasts.

 

[Murdoc319]

Update on mine, dealer had it for a week, said they went through everything and found play in the steering box, replaced it.
I’m grateful they went through all the steering components and an alignment and did not stop at the steering stabilizer.
A little concerned they didn’t replace the stabilizer and that the root cause may still be out there
I’ve heard some stock ball joints may have a defect that is not detectable by the standard prybar method, debating changing these out proactively with an all metal version

 

[DennyInDayton]

I would file a complaint with the NHTSA. If they get enough similar complaints they can require Jeep to issue recalls and further look into the problem. We had a Durango that had fuel tank vent problems that made it spit about a quart of gas out after fueling. It had enough similar complaints with injuries that a recall was ordered and we had it fixed for free about a year after we filed. People have to file reports for it to happen.

Here is where to file:
https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

 

[Murdoc319]

I spoke to the best offroad shop in my city about this this morning, specifically whether adding some MC Baller Joints would be worthwhile insurance. They said although it's a solid upgrade, it's likely not the issue based on what they've seen for a low mileage, mostly stock JT, such as mine.

They said every short arm JL/JT they've worked on will get DW on a normal road without the steering stabilizer, that the geometry of the stock JL/JT seems off and the stock stabilizer just cannot deal with large shocks. They recommended a Falcon SS and truly thought it would solve the issue, masking bad geometry perhaps, but not bad parts.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I spoke to the best offroad shop in my city about this this morning, specifically whether adding some MC Baller Joints would be worthwhile insurance. They said although it's a solid upgrade, it's likely not the issue based on what they've seen for a low mileage, mostly stock JT, such as mine.

They said every short arm JL/JT they've worked on will get DW on a normal road without the steering stabilizer, that the geometry of the stock JL/JT seems off and the stock stabilizer just cannot deal with large shocks. They recommended a Falcon SS and truly thought it would solve the issue, masking bad geometry perhaps, but not bad parts.

This is the best off road shop in your city? They do not understand death wobble at all.

 

[JTGuy]

My dealer service knows my JT and told me to ditch the factory SS so I got a Fox ATS and now mine drives like it's on rails. I never had DW and now I never will.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

My dealer service knows my JT and told me to ditch the factory SS so I got a Fox ATS and now mine drives like it's on rails. I never had DW and now I never will.

Since you’ve never had death wobble, have you seen videos of it? A shock isn’t going to stop it.

 

[Murdoc319]

This is the best off road shop in your city? They do not understand death wobble at all.

I'm not new to jeeps and was a bit surprised myself, i definitely get where you're coming from.

They're definitely a credible shop that does a ton of top notch work. The discredit to the steering stabilizer root cause theory is that it shouldn't be necessary 'for a properly set up system' , arguing that the system is not set up properly from the factory may be valid, but there are likely too many variables among the DW reporters to prove / disprove that it's a factory issue.

They're not arguing that DW is preventable outside of a SS, I think that they're theorizing that short of re-doing the front end geometry, the only way to prevent the stock geometry from resonating over rough roads is a better SS.

If i knew why stock JL/JTs are having DW with low miles, i would share it, but i don't, just sharing the feedback I got from a trusted shop

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

I'm not new to jeeps and was a bit surprised myself, i definitely get where you're coming from.

They're definitely a credible shop that does a ton of top notch work. The discredit to the steering stabilizer root cause theory is that it shouldn't be necessary 'for a properly set up system' , arguing that the system is not set up properly from the factory may be valid, but there are likely too many variables among the DW reporters to prove / disprove that it's a factory issue.

They're not arguing that DW is preventable outside of a SS, I think that they're theorizing that short of re-doing the front end geometry, the only way to prevent the stock geometry from resonating over rough roads is a better SS.

If i knew why stock JL/JTs are having DW with low miles, i would share it, but i don't, just sharing the feedback I got from a trusted shop

I’d be interested to know what they think is wrong with the stock setup. The drag link and track bar are parallel and they are very close in length. And if there were issues here, you’d have a case of bump steer, not death wobble.

What seems to me to be the most common cause of death wobble is loose suspension links. Arms, track bar, bushings, loose bolts. Or you have a tire problem that can’t be handled with stock suspension links/bushings.

 

[JTGuy]

.
[/QUOTE]

Since you’ve never had death wobble, have you seen videos of it? A shock isn’t going to stop it.

I had a 2014 JKR lifted that drove so well that I thought I could remove the steering stabalizer. Big mistake. I got the DW on the freeway and thought I was going to die. Put it back on and had no problems.

 

[arosen1997]

I had a 2014 JKR lifted that drove so well that I thought I could remove the steering stabalizer. Big mistake. I got the DW on the freeway and thought I was going to die. Put it back on and had no problems.

My steering stabilizer on my JT has been damaged beyond functioning for the last year and I've had zero death wobble issues. Though I also regularly check my paint markings on my suspension bolts so I know if they have shifted or loosened

Sponsored