Hit a Bump on Highway, Whole Truck Started to Shake

[Sazabi19]

Yes sorry. I was in a Renegade for 4 days while they were ordering parts. They close at noon on Saturdays and in IN we can't sell cars on Sunday so they closed. I got my truck back on Tues with a new steering stabilizer and they performed the whole of the new steering TSB. I originally asked if they could do just the software portion and I would check on how that did for my steering before I asked for a new steering box. Since I had death wobble they gave me a new steering box as well just to make sure. I'm all fixed right now, it hasn't happened again even on some decently large bumps, let's hope it doesn't.

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[Jeeperjamie]

Most of the time it's the track bar. Check the torque specs on it and make sure there is zero movement. Have someone turn the wheel side to side to see if you see any movement. Most of the time it's the track bar or wore out ball joints that are the issue. Trackbar issue normally is just it not being tight enough. Contrary to what people who drive Jeep's say the stock Trackbar will last a while before needing to be replaced.

 

[Sazabi19]

Most of the time it's the track bar. Check the torque specs on it and make sure there is zero movement. Have someone turn the wheel side to side to see if you see any movement. Most of the time it's the track bar or wore out ball joints that are the issue. Trackbar issue normally is just it not being tight enough. Contrary to what people who drive Jeep's say the stock Trackbar will last a while before needing to be replaced.

I'm not familiar with that part of the vehicle. The only thing I've ever done with a car is replace brake pads, everything else I do under warranty or let dealership do so they have record of it. When I went in I did ask if they could check torque on all the steering bits, they said they would double check everything after repairs were made. I'm hoping they did so. I just checked to make sure my stabilizer was torqued correctly, that's all.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I'm not familiar with that part of the vehicle. The only thing I've ever done with a car is replace brake pads, everything else I do under warranty or let dealership do so they have record of it. When I went in I did ask if they could check torque on all the steering bits, they said they would double check everything after repairs were made. I'm hoping they did so. I just checked to make sure my stabilizer was torqued correctly, that's all.

Steering stabilizer 100% will not cause a death wobble issue. It could cause you to feel the road more in the steering but you can remove it and drive and not get death wobble.

 

[remlemasi]

I’ve been working on a friend’s JT to try to identify a similar wobble when he hits sharp bumps. After checking the torque on everything (multiple times) and swapping in some of my suspension parts (we’re both lifted 3”), I finally checked his steering stabilizer. It had a dead spot in it as if it wasn’t completely filled with fluid. This spot had ZERO resistance. I swapped in a spare I had laying around and he hasn’t experienced the wobble again yet. It looks like Jeep may need another stabilizer recall...

Interesting! That could very well explain the reasoning behind the TSB I mentioned. I was very skeptical that the stabilizer replacement would address my vibration issue but looks like there is some logic to it. Here it is so you don’t have to dig in the other thread:

I saw the service tech’s screen and there was a bit more info, which described the conditions, such as hitting a road irregularity at around 50-60mph then slowing down to 10-15mph to make it go away.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

Interesting! That could very well explain the reasoning behind the TSB I mentioned. I was very skeptical that the stabilizer replacement would address my vibration issue but looks like there is some logic to it. Here it is so you don’t have to dig in the other thread:

I saw the service tech’s screen and there was a bit more info, which described the conditions, such as hitting a road irregularity at around 50-60mph then slowing down to 10-15mph to make it go away.

It's not going to correct Death Wobble. It may address a vibration or feeling the road but it's not going to correct true death wobble. It may mask the problem for a while which in return will cause the original problem to wear completely out and also cause your steering stabilizer to wear out prematurely. It is just a mask and the cheapest way they came up with to keep customers from returning with the same issue. If it keeps you driving for 12-18 more months happy then you might get out of warranty and it not be their problem. They can buy the Steering Stabilizers for $30.

 

[Jeeperjamie]

I’ve been working on a friend’s JT to try to identify a similar wobble when he hits sharp bumps. After checking the torque on everything (multiple times) and swapping in some of my suspension parts (we’re both lifted 3”), I finally checked his steering stabilizer. It had a dead spot in it as if it wasn’t completely filled with fluid. This spot had ZERO resistance. I swapped in a spare I had laying around and he hasn’t experienced the wobble again yet. It looks like Jeep may need another stabilizer recall...

Or they might want to fix the real issue instead of throwing on a mask to cover it up

 

[ShadowsPapa]

That TSB is on the NHTSA site - I found it there, but don't have the issue so did not download it.
I

 

[remlemasi]

It's not going to correct Death Wobble. It may address a vibration or feeling the road but it's not going to correct true death wobble. It may mask the problem for a while which in return will cause the original problem to wear completely out and also cause your steering stabilizer to wear out prematurely. It is just a mask and the cheapest way they came up with to keep customers from returning with the same issue. If it keeps you driving for 12-18 more months happy then you might get out of warranty and it not be their problem. They can buy the Steering Stabilizers for $30.

I agree that the replacing the steering stabilizer will not correct death wobble. This is because, as I’ve mentioned in my previous post, we are not describing death wobble. It is a different issue. A very loud vibration and violent shaking coming from underneath the vehicle. During the event, the truck still tracks straight and there no sense of a “loss of control.” It occurs when the vehicle goes over some sort of road irregularity (e.g. rumble strips) at around 50-60mph and doesn’t go away until you slow down to around 15mph.

Replacing the steering stabilizer has now been shown to help three of these identical issues in three separate vehicles, one of which exhibited some dead spot in the stabilizer travel. I was not able to inspect mine as it was done at the dealer.

 

[Renegade]

Or they might want to fix the real issue instead of throwing on a mask to cover it up

I agree with you in theory, which is why the stabilizer is the last thing I checked. I remeasured everything and checked the torque on every bolt at lest 3 times. I swapped in my own RK track bar, my adjustable control arms, and my tires and wheels, all separately and in combination in order to try to identify the problem. Nothing individually or combined eliminated the wobble until I discovered the bad stabilizer. So far, it seems to prevent the wobble.

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