Problems with 2006 Jeep Wrangler STEERING

Death wobble. vehicle will shake violently at times between 50-53 mph. condition will return to normal after decelerating to < 40 mph, most times. occasionally will have to come to complete stop.

2006 jeep wrangler. consumer writes in regards to vehicle exhibits severe/ violent vibration "jeep death wobble" issues. dealership has no solutions other than tire rotation and alignments. *smd the consumer stated the vibration was so severe, he had to slow the vehicle down, because it felt as though the vehicle was falling apart. *jb

Left rear brake locks wheel when emergency stop or wet pavement. no visible defect by 2 brake shops. happens when moving on dry or wet city streets.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 jeep wrangler. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart after running an errand. the contact also heard an abnormal noise. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering column prematurely fractured and needed to be replaced. the contact was uncertain of when the recall repair would be completed for several months. the manufacturer was notified. the nhtsa campaign number was unknown. the vin and failure mileage were not available.

The jeep has what has been termed the jeep death wobble. the jeep is all stock, not lifted at all. i have fired the parts cannon at the jeep...all the work has been performed by factory trained technicians using oe parts. i have changed the tires twice in 20,000 miles. the jeep gets a terrible wobble on the highway at 55mph (speed limit on 465 in indianapolis) and can only be brought under control by stopping the vehicle. even though i have never been in an accident caused by the excessive wobble, it is definitely not safe to come to a complete stop on the highway. it's not always easy to pull over to the side of the road on a busy interstate highway. the fuel filler neck often overflows when filling the fuel tank also. there was a recall on some jeeps for this same problem. however, the jeep dealership said my specific jeep doesn't qualify for the fixing of the issue. it is definitely not safe to have a fuel filler neck that doesn't stop the fuel nozzle from flowing.

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

While traveling across a bridge, at approximately 45 mph, after hitting a bump the stearing wheel started to wobble greatly. had to slow the vehicle to approx. 30 mph to get it to stop wobbling. when i increased speed the symptom did not happen again. i took the vehicle to a tire shop had had them ballance all wheels. when i left the shop when i reached 45 mph 10 minutes later the wobble occured again. *tr

I was traveling at about 45 mph on open road when the vehicle shook so bad i pulled off the road, because i had trouble hanging on to the wheel. i looked this up and it was called a death wobble. i bought the vehicle used in 2013 after trading in a 1999 wrangler that i never had such a problem with. i have replaced the stabilizer bar and stabilizer link bushings, track bar and bushings and still get a wobble but not as bad. there is certainly something wrong but no one is admitting it. why does it take someone getting seriously injured or killed to get the problem recognized and fixed.

After hitting a bump my jeep's steering violently shakes until i slow down. it feels like i may lose control of the vehicle. this has occurred on several occasions. it is very unsafe. the wheels were recently replaced and balanced which did not fix the problem. *tr

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

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?

Very randomly, the vehicle starts to shimmy violently. have seen this complaint on several websites. thankfully we have ben able to slow down and pull off the road. have been told there is no clear cut resolve to this issue without spending a lot of money because it could be various things. want to get rid of this vehicle before something tragic happens, but am afraid because of this, will not get what vehicle is worth and someone else might die not knowing the issue. from what i understand, the name for this condition is a "death rattle"

I borrowed my husband's jeep and as soon as i went above 50 the whole thing started shaking real violently. i had a hard time controlling it. i pulled over and called him. he said it's been happening for a few weeks and always takes back roads to avoid driving faster. i had to put on the hazard lights and cruise to the nearest exit. thank goodness my kids weren't with me because i wasn't strong enough to control it. it scared the daylights out of me. then i saw online it was a common problem(with modifications-too bad we never did any) but not a big enough deal to have a recall. let them drive it and see how quick it gets done. dangerous. they say it's an easy fix after you try half a dozen things. great! let me get my checkbook... *tr

When you reach approx. 48 miles an hour, the front end wobbles and you loose control of the vehicle. very dangerous, especially with children in the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 jeep wrangler. while driving approximately 55 mph over a bump in the road, the front of the vehicle shook violently without warning. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering damper needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the contact mentioned that the failure recurred several times. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 22,000. updated 11/09/15*lj, 03/28/18*jb *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

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 a jeep wrangler. the contact stated that while driving over 50 mph the front of the vehicle started to shake violently. the contact mentioned that he was unable to drive the vehicle at highway speeds. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 29,000 and the current mileage was 30,000.

While driving around 35 miles per hour on the interstate my vehicle began to shake. this shaking began to increase over a period of about 10 seconds. the entire vehicle was shaking violently at this point, requiring that i slow down in order to regain control of my vehicle. this shaking continued to occur whenever i accelerated about 35 mph on a random basis. *tr

When my 06 jeep wrangler hits a road bump at approx 50 mph at times violent shaking occurs and last until i slow to about 30mph. the jeep is nearly uncontrollable. *tr

While driving the jeep wrangler on a smooth pavement @ 55mph the steering wheel began shaking violently and the entire vehicle was shaking. it seemed as if both front wheels were loose. i immediately braked, pulled off the highway to a complete stop. upon finding nothing loose i proceeded down the highway, upon reaching 55mph the vehicle repeated the shaking. i have replaced the track bar, steering dampener, front brake rotors, brake pads, new tires, wheels checked with calipers,and 2 alignments. i still cannot exceed 55mph without the violent shaking. *tr

When i first bought the 2006 jeep wrangler, and drove it home, when i got up to between 50-55 mph, the whole front end of the jeep shimmied or wobbled violently. i looked up the problem online to find out if this was a common complaint, and exactly what the call what my jeep was doing. this is when i found out what it was doing was called, "the death wobble". i then took the jeep back to carmax where i bought it used, and showed the carmax mechanics what i had printed out from on line. they then, and i quote, fixed the problem. well this fix only lasted about a 2 years and it is now back to doing this death wobble again. apparently the "fix" was not a permanent one, and of course my 2006 jeep is no longer under the 12 month limited warranty any longer. i need to know if there was ever a safety recall on this problem at the manufacturer's expense, obviously this is a design flaw, which i have found out that supposedly can be permanently fixed. the problem for me is, i can't afford the cost to do the fix. thank you for your time. *tr

I bought my jeep in november 2006 with 600 miles on the odometer. it is a stock vehicle with no after-market additions, has not been driven off-road at all and has never been in an accident. recently, while driving at 55 mph on a paved highway, violent front end vibration occurred for no apparent reason that almost caused me to loose complete control of my vehicle. my mechanic has replaced the steering damper, shock absorbers, bushings, steering rods, etc. violent vibrating has continued. on google i have since found out about "jeep death rattle" or "jeep death wobble". apparently jeep dealers are uninterested in the phenomenon because it is only discussed on google. since this is a well known phenomenon among jeep owners i am wondering why the nhtsa hasn't required jeep to issue a recall to find a solution for these vibrations and come up with a fix for the problem. by ignoring this problem nhtsa is allowing a dangerous condition to persist thus endangering jeep drivers and others on the road. ## vin passed ## 2006 jeep wrangler 2 door 4x4 ##. *tr

This vehicle was purchased on 31 december 2011. the following month i experienced a severe steering shimmy traveling between 55 and 60 mph. either increasing or decreasing speed ends the severe wobble of the front wheels and steering wheel. if i am not able to increase or decrease speed the wobble would continue. during the wobble the vehicle does not respond to steering commands and is therefore very dangerous. this problem has continued to occur many times at the above speed and can be recreated on a regular basis. i have acquired the jeep tsb, but it does not provide the repair process information. in speaking with other owners the "so called" fix is to replace the steering dampener. no owner, online or in person, has reported this to stop the problem from occurring. please acknowledge and report what can be done to eliminate this problem. i like this vehicle and would like to keep it but, in this condition i am hesitant to have other family members operate the vehicle. i also do not wish to pass the problem to the next owner. *tr

Now that have forced chrysler to recall jeep models for airbag problems how about forcing jeep/chrysler to recall and fix jeep for the "death wobble". i first experienced this last year. at about 50mph the vehicle began to shake violently. i thought i was in a blender. i checked the internet and jeep forum and found this to be a common problem with jeep wranglers. i even checked with the jeep dealer here in oklahoma and was told it could be the ball joints, steering cylinder and/or even worn tires. he even acknowledged the problem. my mechanic said the ball joints were good... the tires just ok. but steering cylinder would probably need replacing. so i paid $145.00 to the jeep/chrysler dealer for a new steering cylinder. turns out the one i purchased was much bigger then the one i replaced. it still shook a little until i replaced the tires at another $650.00. this needs to be investigated. i hope you will look into this. please before someone gets hurt and maybe already has. thanks *tr

The vehicle shakes violently at speeds of 50mph or above. the shaking does not stop and i must immediately stop the vehicle which has almost caused major accidents. this first incident occurred two years ago, i have replaced the shocks, steering stabilizer, upper and lower ball joints, all four tires and have had it properly aligned. the problem will stop for a few months then suddenly happen again. after doing further research i realized this is called the death wobble and that i am not the only jeep owner to experience this. this violent shaking is a serious safety hazard and is not being addressed by jeep / chrysler as a warranty or recall issue. *js

Between 45-55mph 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 randomly although more consistent. i have had a steering cylinder replaced but it has not fixed the problem. the wobbling is just getting worse. i do not believe this vehicle has had any suspension modifications. it is a serious situation that needs to be addressed by chrysler. *tr

We own a 2006 jeep wrangler x with around 60,000 miles on it. it started a terrible wobble in the front end that is called "death wobble" i have done multiple repairs and replacements of parts to no avail. i called the local chrysler dealership for advice their answer was to replace the steering stabilizer. i stated that this had already been done their response was " i don't know what to tell you then." this problem occurs at 50 miles per hour and when it begins the vehicle must come to complete stop to end the wobble. the jeep has been in the shop multiple times for this problem and no fix has been found. i have rotated the tires twice and that works for about a week and the problem returns. the tires have been rebalanced twice also. i have replaced all the shocks, the steering stabilizer, and it has been realigned two times. this is a major problem for many people as can be seen if "death wobble" is searched on google. there is no known repair for this problem and chrysler continues to ignore it. *tr

2006 jeep wrangler and the death wobble. jeep has know about this condition for some time now and since my warranty is up and they could not find the problem before it was up, i am now stuck with it or pay alot of money for a issue that should have been addressed years ago by jeep. every time i hit a small bump in the road at 60mph the jeep goes out of control and shakes the vehicle until you can come to a complete stop in the road and then its fine. all you have to do is google jeep and death wobble and you will see how many complaints are out there. *tr

2006 jeep wrangler. not lifted. severe "death wobble" between approx. 40-50 mph. this issue is prevalent and dangerous enough to warrant recall. jeep should fix this design issue immediately before loss of life occurs. the nhtsa must force the issue immediately, as jeep has known about the design flaw since approximately 1997. why has this not been addressed/resolved? *tr

My 2006 jeep wrangler shakes so bad it is scary. at 45-65 mph and for no reason start shaking violently. i spent $1600.00 on new parts. new shocks, new rims,new steering damper,new tracking bar. new camber,new bushing, new control arms. nothing works. i must pull off the highway to make it stop. this jeep is dangerous!!!! *tr

For me, this problem has not resulted in a crash or injury. however it could lead to the above if not resolved by the manufacture. problem is, when driving my 2006 jeep wrangler and a bump is encountered, such as a pot hole, a man hole cover, expansion joints etc. the front wheels go in to a very severe left to right oscillation. to recover from this one must come to almost a complete stop. a little hard to do at 60mph in the middle of the freeway. chrysler says that the fix is a new steering damper, at the owner's expense. this is a known issue among the jeep community, called "the death wobble".i believe this is too much of a safety issue for the manufacture to resolve at their expense via a recall. someone is going to get killed. *tr

Driving a 2006 jeep wrangler unlimited at speeds from 45-55 mph causes death wobble where the vehicle shakes violently and steering is unable to be controlled. nothing has been done to correct; yet, if you google the problem it is serious and rampant. happens every time that speeds reach 45-55 mph. updated ivoq 10/22/10 *tr

The front end wobbled severely at 50 miles per hour causing a loss of control. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 jeep wrangler. while driving approximately 45 mph over a bump in the road he felt vibrations in the steering wheel and the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the tires were balanced and rotated. the failure continued to occur whenever he drove approximately 45 mph over a bump. the failure and current mileages were 20,000.

I bought a used 2006 jeep wrangler unlimited. i have taken this car to the dealership for service four times for excessive shaking when driving at speeds around 50 mph. the entire vehicle shakes until i either speed up or slow down. there is no way to control the jeep while it is shaking! i have had all the "possible causes" checked, replaced or balanced including: tires, front end alignment, shocks, stabilizer, brakes, rotors (twice). the shaking may go away for a short time but then returns. (this wrangler was not included in the brake recall earlier this year.) *tr

2006 jeep wrangler -- bought used with less than 30k miles on it. wobble at about 55mph, intermittently. mine was solved by replacing the stabilizer bar, had nothing to do with tires, although the first time it happened, i thought i had blown a tire. gas tank filling -- same problem, the pump doesn't shut off unless you pump the gas slowly. first few times, spewed gas all over the jeep, myself and the pavement. now i listen as the tank fills and slow the fill as i know it's starting towards full. with the slowing, the pump does shut off but it's a good idea to have some idea how much gas the tank will take at certain fuel readings. *tr

I want to report an issue with my jeep wrangler 2006. i bought this car from jeep in annapolis maryland jeep 2006 with 9,343 miles on it. two months later it began shaking uncontrollably at 50-55 mph. only at this speed. this is very scary when it happens and have almost gone off the road. the only way to stop it is to accelerate to higher speed or to slow down. i took it back to the dealer where i purchased the vehicle and they did a an alignment. the shaking stopped and 1 month later it started again. a year later, of just putting up with this i bring the jeep back to the dealer. they tell me that the cause is from worn tie rods and steering damper worn. if this is the cause of the shake then they should have told me this a year ago. i think the worn parts are a result from the shake. not the cause. either way , the jeep now has 26,000 miles and i'm already being told to put 2000 dollars into it for worn parts. these parts are wearing prematurely because of the shake but no one can determine the cause. if i had bought the car new , i could have used the lemon law but unfortunately, i bought it with low mileage used. this is a very dangerous situation and wondering if it will take a death for someone to recall these like the problem with toyota accelerator. its very frustration, and the average person does not have the time or money to fight something like this. i have seen so many people with the same complaints on the internet. something should be done. *tr

Car has a bad clunking noise in the steering box. only has 15000 on the vehicle, many other people i have talked to on jeepforum.com have the same issue. when turning the wheel from side to side you hear a constant clunking noise from the front end, always being traced back to the steering box. all front end components are in perfect shape, as told by a mechanic. *tr

Severe vibration in front wheels/steering at 55 mph. ceases as speed is increased past 60 mph or decreased.. tire balance and alignment have no effect. vehicle is totally stock and has aprox. 26,000 miles. internet research indicates that this is a common problem. vibration is severe enough to almost cause loss of control. this has been an ongoing problem for the last year. *tr

My jeep experiences what's known as the "death wobble." it has happened for years, but i had always been told that my tires were out of balance, or that i needed a front wheel alignment. those fixes would help for a couple of months, and then the shake would return. just in the last 6-8 months did a mechanic actually tell me about the wobble, what really seems to cause it, and that it's a known issue with jeeps. my jeep is stock, with no modifications, but i still get the wobble. it occurred 3 times this morning on the 5 freeway in san diego county, each time at speeds between 55-68 miles per hour. the front end of the jeep shakes violently, and the only way to stop the shaking is to come to a complete stop. luckily, i've always been able to pull over safely to the shoulder of the freeway. a few months ago it happened, and a co-worker was following me in a different vehicle. he said my front tires were actually smoking because of the way the tires moved on the freeway. *tr

Uncontrollable wobble in front axle/wheels and shaking of steering wheel.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 jeep wrangler. while traveling at speeds of 50 mph, the front end of the vehicle began to vibrate abnormally. the vehicle was not diagnosed and there were no prior warnings. the failure mileage was 35,000 and the current mileage was 36,000. updated 07/26/10. *lj the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer. upon inspection, they stated the belts in the tires had separated, the front rotors were warped and the steering dampener failed. updated 08/06/10*jb updated 11/19/10. *lj updated 11/24/10

Traveling at 55 mph hit a slight bump on the road and the front end started wobble from side to side. the steering wheel shook side to side very quickly. the only way to get this to stop was to slow down to a speed of approximately 40 mph.

Driving down a city road and 45-50 miles the jeep shook so hard had to pull over. we towed it to brookings or and had the front end aligned 00 . in the fall we traveled to oklahoma and we were driving jeep on a freeway and @ about 55 it started that shimmy again, so we brought new tires for it. we just took it back to tire shop 2 weeks ago for another alignment 00, service guy told us we should check with any recalls on our jeep. never could get rid of the shimmy! would be happy for a fix. *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

Have a 2006 jeep wrangler with 24,000 miles which is experiencing front wheel shaking at about 40-45 mph and when braking. alignment, tires, etc. are good with no aftermarket modifications done to suspension. this appears to be a very common problem with wranglers and is even called and known as a "death wobble." no crashes, but dealer will charge to investigate and fix. as mentioned, this appears to be a very common problem with wranglers, therefore, isn't it a manufacturing flaw that jeep needs to take responsibility for? *tr

2006 jeep wrangler: at about 10,000 miles, i noticed that a shudder started to develop in my front end and would vibrate up through the steering wheel at around 45 mph. it does not always occur at 40 mph usually between 40 and 60 after hitting a bump. now, at 22,000 miles, i have a violent shudder between 40 and 60 mph, that it feels like i am about to lose control of the vehicle. my wife was driving on a major highway and hit a bump at about 55 and almost lost control of the vehicle. it was so bad that she had to brake in order to avoid hitting the car in the lane next to her. this seems like an incredibly dangerous situation. i have taken the jeep to the jeep dealer service department the acted like this was not unusual and called it the "death wobble" (nice name for it) and they replaced the steering damper. the vehicle still occasionally shakes at various speeds and sometimes when braking and sometimes it acts "normal" this vehicle is 100 % stock from the dealer(not lifted and original 215/75-15 tires and has had no modifications, and has not been off roading. i believe the problem still exists and the replacement damper is just temporarily masking the problem( not very successfully either). after searching the internet it is obvious this is not an unusual occurrence and needs to be addressed i guess this wont become a big issue for the chrysler or the government until there are numerous injuries or fatalities. its a shame that manufacturers wait until the problems really escalates before they are addressed (like toyota). *tr

2006 jeep wrangler sport brake rotors: warped at 6k miles, turned by dealer, 8k miles, rotors replaced, 15k rotors turned by independent shop, 20k rotors replaced - and diagnostics shop found that the proportional valve was not set properly, leaving front brakes to do 75 percent of stopping, causing excessive heat/warp. this problem caused violent shaking of jeep during slow down - i nearly lost control on many occasions - very very dangerous. now i'm having trouble with the death wobble - steering is dangerous at 52 mph loss of control. this vehicle has 25,700 miles on it. don't buy jeep, don't buy dangerous. *tr