Brand new with drivetrain vibration ?

[Jbird2393]

Just traded my 20 in for a 24, yes it’s new and too good of a deal to pass up. Sports S auto max tow.
Noticed minor vibration when I got it, however now with 800 miles on it getting worse. Very noticeable around 30 MPH and deceleration. Definitely feels like driveline vibration and I already upgraded the tires as I planned to anyways just to illuminate that as their excuse.
Anyways, has anyone had this before I take it in and deal with all that dealership “service” headaches?

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[Gvsukids]

Just traded my 20 in for a 24, yes it’s new and too good of a deal to pass up. Sports S auto max tow.
Noticed minor vibration when I got it, however now with 800 miles on it getting worse. Very noticeable around 30 MPH and deceleration. Definitely feels like driveline vibration and I already upgraded the tires as I planned to anyways just to illuminate that as their excuse.
Anyways, has anyone had this before I take it in and deal with all that dealership “service” headaches?

What's the concern? Take it in and tell them the problem and take them for a ride if needed.

 

[Janster]

What exactly is the ‘vibration’?? Can you feel it in the steering wheel? Do you get the same vibration while in 2WD, 4WD, 4Auto, or 4lo? If you’re experiencing the vibration, does it go away if you step on the brakes?

Rotate the tires to see if the vibration changes.

 

[Hootbro]

Probably should have left it stock on the tires if you want them to drill down on the vibration issue quicker. They are going to point to your new tires and will want to charge you to check the re-balance on them

 

[Jbird2393]

What exactly is the ‘vibration’?? Can you feel it in the steering wheel? Do you get the same vibration while in 2WD, 4WD, 4Auto, or 4lo? If you’re experiencing the vibration, does it go away if you step on the brakes?

Rotate the tires to see if the vibration changes.

Tires have been rotated, had the same “vibration” with the tires that it came with. It’s more of a low frequency hum but also vibration with the hum, more noticeable around 30 MPH or deceleration. It can be felt a little in the steering wheel but I believe that’s more because everything in the driveline is what’s vibrating. I’ve had unbalanced tires, U joints in drive shafts, and wheel bearing failures all in the past on vehicles and this one definitely feels/ sounds more drive shaft related or something along those lines. The 2020 I had was a Manual with 95k on it and never had this so issue, they said I’ve never had the Auto till now either but I have put it in Manual shift and it doesn’t appear to be a certain gear. So far it’s only been in 2wd but I haven’t had it in 4WD aside from in 4Hi in the driveway just to make sure it works.

 

[Jbird2393]

Update! I took it in to the dealer (not the same one I bought it from) They said it should have never left the factory like it did. Both front and rear axles needs replaced one had 9 weights on it and the other had 11 on it. They said at most they should have 2 or 3. Nothing better than getting a new truck for it to sit now and wait a week for parts to come in but at least they found it and didn’t point blame on the tires or aftermarket front bumper.

 

[Jbird2393]

Both driveshafts not axles, not sure why I said axles

 

[Hootbro]

Update! I took it in to the dealer (not the same one I bought it from) They said it should have never left the factory like it did. Both front and rear axles needs replaced one had 9 weights on it and the other had 11 on it. They said at most they should have 2 or 3. Nothing better than getting a new truck for it to sit now and wait a week for parts to come in but at least they found it and didn’t point blame on the tires or aftermarket front bumper.

Weird that both would have excessive weights. Driveshafts are balanced off vehicle.

 

[Gladiatorx2]

I am familiar as I had this issue on a 2021 Sport S purchased new. I also had the same exact noise/vibration on a 2023 Sport S with Max Tow. It feels and sounds like a bad carrier bearing or u-joint.

It was like 60ish mph on both. I just lived with on the 2021 and traded it back in. On the 2023 dealer diagnosed it as a carrier bearing, which came with a new drive shaft. It did not fix it.

What is interesting is that both the 2021 Rubicon and the 2023 Rubicon did not have that issue and they had a lift and 37's.

I am guessing that the carrier bearing spacer that was added made the difference. It seemed to be harmonics/vibration in the driveline for sure.

 

[Jbird2393]

I have noticed it around 60 MPH also but more noticeable between 25 to 35. My 2020 Sports S 6 speed not 4.10 had no issues. When I got my new one at first I thought maybe flat spots in tires, different axle since it has the limited slip rear (or whatever they brand it as) on max tow or something and wasn’t that noticeable at first. It’s not the vibration that bothered me as much as the harmonics as it has a very low tone like someone is a few cars away bumping two 12s with the windows up.

 

[Jbird2393]

Weird that both would have excessive weights. Driveshafts are balanced off vehicle.

That is correct, they meant shafts that need balancing with ten weights should have never been installed on the line and marked as defective and not installed. If they have more than 3 weights then they are supposed to not be used.

 

[Gladiatorx2]

My first one (2021) had 3.73 and did it on stock tires from day one. The Max Tow (2023) did it with 4.10, that is the one that they installed the rear drive shaft. That did move the mph that the harmonics set in. It was cyclic....reminded me of the rumble strip on the side of the road, but not as loud.

It still puzzles me that neither of the Rubicon Gladiator's did it with lift kit and 37's. Carrier bearing spacer maybe? If you find out the problem please let us know. Since 2 of 4 of mine did it we are not alone!

 

[Hootbro]

That is correct, they meant shafts that need balancing with ten weights should have never been installed on the line and marked as defective and not installed. If they have more than 3 weights then they are supposed to not be used.

What I am getting at is the odds of two excessive weight balance drive shafts makes me think something else is at play here and is not by accident.

Not every vehicle comes off the assembly line perfect and they have a troubleshooting staging area they roll problem vehicles into before they leave the plant to troubleshoot and fix. Possible those driveshafts were installed in an attempt to fix a driveline vibe past the drive shafts themselves.

Just a hypothesis on my part as I am leery of multiple random errors aligning at the same time.

 

[Jbird2393]

My first one (2021) had 3.73 and did it on stock tires from day one. The Max Tow (2023) did it with 4.10, that is the one that they installed the rear drive shaft. That did move the mph that the harmonics set in. It was cyclic....reminded me of the rumble strip on the side of the road, but not as loud.

It still puzzles me that neither of the Rubicon Gladiator's did it with lift kit and 37's. Carrier bearing spacer maybe? If you find out the problem please let us know. Since 2 of 4 of mine did it we are not alone!

I will update you when I get it back from the dealer, they said both driveshafts will be in mid week so I should be getting it back Thursday I hope. Compared it to rumble strips is very accurate and a better comparison than mine guess will see if it solves it or not, just wanted to get it in before I did the 2.5 front level kit and they pointed to that right off the bat.

 

[Jbird2393]

What I am getting at is the odds of two excessive weight balance drive shafts makes me think something else is at play here and is not by accident.

Not every vehicle comes off the assembly line perfect and they have a troubleshooting staging area they roll problem vehicles into before they leave the plant to troubleshoot and fix. Possible those driveshafts were installed in an attempt to fix a driveline vibe past the drive shafts themselves.

Just a hypothesis on my part as I am leery of multiple random errors aligning at the same time.

Oh I get what you’re saying now. For my sake hopefully your hypothesis isn’t correct lol. If it is at least they did notice the vibration and already started down the path of fixing it so hopefully they can’t just throw up their hands and not correct it. That said one step at a time

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