Problems with 2018 Jeep Wrangler STEERING

My new (first owner) 2018 jeep wrangler (jl) unlimited sport developed violent, sudden front-wheel transverse oscillations (forceful, terrifying vibrations) at approximately the 7,000 odometer mark. this condition was repeatedly induced at hi-way and freeway speeds (40-70 mph) when a slight imperfection was encountered. examples of sufficient imperfections include freeway irregularity, transitions at overpasses, slight potholes, and similar disturbances. the vehicle would enter a violent left-to-right shaking evidenced by a steering wheel that was difficult to retain a grip on, terrified passengers, and dangerous circumstances due to having to slow to approximately 35-45 mph to allow the vibrations to subside and control to be regained. on daily commutes on the freeway (110 n, 405, i5, 10e) this would occur routinely 3-6 times. two jeep dealerships (downtown los angeles, and scott robinson in torrance [both southern california dealerships]) were unable to resolve the issue. the first reported that the vehicle was functioning properly, and the second was non-responsive to request for help.

Vehicle is unstable at all speeds. jeep is almost impossible to keep in drive lane and darts back and forth. i have to keep both hands on the steering wheel at all times to correct drifting and stay out of the dead spot in the center of the steering wheel. i do not feel safe driving this vehicle on paved roads.

There is a dead spot in the steering. you must move the steering wheel 1/2"-1" to the left or right before it will activate based off of the steering input. i initially thought it was part of the typical jeep setup until i read many other owners in the jeep jlu forum complaining about the same issue. i've called (3) different dealers who indicated that they had not heard of the issue. i've provided a link to a facebook video from one of the forum members so that you can see how much play is in the steering input at 70 mph. i was driving in a severe rainstorm recently and began to hydro-plane and didn't feel like i had the proper amount of input to steering that would allow me to recover without jerking the wheel. this amount of play in the steering makes it difficult to correctly adjust if an immediate input is needed without over correcting. https://www.facebook.com/groups/jeepwranglerjl/permalink/1014060645441660/ this has has been ongoing since the day i tool delivery of the vehicle. i currently have approx. 2480 miles on the vehicle.

Steering wheel requires constant adjustment to keep the vehicle in a straight line even on a flat road

Takata recall over steering play in steering front outer tire wear after only 3k miles in motion on highway

Loose steering, dead spot in steering wheel, drifting, excessive steering wheel corrections to keep vehicle in the lane, sometimes outside temperature changes steering characteristics, i feel this is a major safety issue as these problems almost caused me an accident driving at highway speed's and as a result of vehicle wondering i was pulled over by police officer for a vehicle wondering, i've owned a lot of jeeps never had this type of problem, i feel this could be dangerous for certain drivers, it happens most on perfectly smooth pavement in a straight line, in rough roads it seems to be ok windee roads is ok only in a straight line at highway speed's you cannot keep the vehicle in the lane.

Steering has a substantial dead-zone in the middle where turning the wheel does nothing. on top of that, at highway speeds its difficult to keep the vehicle in a straight line, you constantly have to correct to keep it driving straight. driving the vehicle on highway speeds seem downright dangerous.

There is a lot of play in the steering. it is unsafe to drive over 55mph. you have to turn the wheel 2 inches to the right and back to the left to stay straight on the highway.

There is something wrong with the steering on this new jeep wrangler. there is 2-3 inches of play in the steering wheel and it is very difficult to stay in my lane on the highway. this is a very unsafe vehicle over 55mph. this is not normal.

The steering has a very large dead spot where steering input results with zero resistance or steering change. i can move the steering wheel at least 2 inches with zero reaction from the jeep, both at speeds and not moving. at highway speeds it is downright scary as it drives like an old 70's jeep/truck. every tiny correction requires substantial seesawing of the steering wheel to correct. this issue has been well documented on jlwranglerforums.com with no real fix from jeep. this is extremely dangerous...just imagine taking a curve at 60 mph on a two lane road with a large truck/semi going the opposite direction, this is extremely difficult to keep the jeep in the lane. side winds and pavement irregularities also wreak havoc. this issue has been present since the first day driving the jeep home from the dealer. it now has over 2,000 miles .

New jl sahara has serious play in the steering wheel making it a constant battle to get the car to track straight. you have to constantly make adjustments to keep the vehicle in your lane. i was pulled over for 'erratic driving' on a 45mph city road on the first day of ownership. i have not been pulled over in 10 years prior to this. there is a full 1" of loose play in the wheel when driving at any speed. the track will not adjust in that 1" range so you get a 'shakey' effect trying to steer accurately. this is my 3rd wrangler model and something is obviously wrong. it is not a "jeep thing" as my tj and jk models did not have this type of play in the steering. fca is aware of this issue and need to stop sales and issue an immediate recall before someone dies.

I took delivery of this new vehicle in early june 2018. since first driving it, i am experiencing way too much "steering play" at the center position of the steering wheel at speeds above 40-50 mph, especially when driving on perfectly straight and smooth highways. at times it is quite difficult to keep the vehicle on a reliable straight path; too much frequent steering input is required to stay comfortably centered in my lane. i've had several "white knuckle" driving events in perfect driving conditions (sunny, dry, good road, no excessive speed) -- all due to the vague steering and constant need to correct and re-correct a straight-line steering path when driving above approximately 40-50 mph. i have had a jeep dealer inspect the vehicle. the dealer adjusted the wheel alignment, but otherwise pronounced it ok. the wheel alignment did nothing to correct the problem. i have had this "wandering steering" problem on multiple occasions while driving this vehicle. i am indicating today's date in the "when did this happen" section of your form.

I had just purchased the vehicle and was driving it home on the freeway, when i noticed the vehicle wandering all over the road. there was at least one inch of free play/dead space in the middle of the steering travel where steering input did not result in corresponding turning effect. this caused continual correction and over-correction. it was a frightening experience to say the least. it was especially bad in windy conditions or when passing large trucks.

The steering gets stuck at various times when turning to the left. my family was exiting a highway on our right, taking the off ramp to another highway on our left. the vehicle did not want to turn to the left in the curve of the off ramp. it took significant force to keep it from hitting the side of the on ramp (which was on an elevated highway) then over corrected from this significant force and put us into the next lane barely missing other cars. on another occasion we were not able to turn to the left when merging lanes almost causing another accident.

There is excessive play in the steering wheel, which progresses as the speed increases. it becomes very difficult to keep in the lane on the highway. the vehicle "wanders" and requires constant steering corrections. exact vehicle is a jeep unlimited wrangler (jlu) sahara 2018

The steering is extremely loose and vague on center. there is no movement with the wheels in relation to steering input for 1.5 inches on either side of center. this results in constant correction and over-correction cycles to try to maintain lane position. the problem is noticeable at 45mph, and is significantly worse at highway and interstate speeds (70mph). bumpy or windy conditions make the control problems worse. the problem becomes more unsafe on curvy roads with heavy traffic where i am unable to maintain speed with other vehicles and it's very difficult to remain within lane markings.

There is too much play in the steering wheel (need to move steering wheel too far before vehicle reacts). also, the vehicle tends to "wander" and does not track in a straight line (especially at highway speeds). i have to make constant steering corrections to stay in my lane. the problem is especially noticeable when traveling along curves as the vehicle starts to sway erratically back and forth with these adjustments. driving the vehicle takes too much work and seems unsafe. i have taken it to the dealership twice for this issue. the first time, i was told that nothing was found and that other similar models drove the same. the second time, some adjustments were made, but it was still found to be "in spec." this is my 5th jeep wrangler - none of the others felt this unsafe to drive. i suspect there may be a problem with the 2018 jl redesign.

This is a brand new vehicle. the steering is loose. there's a dead spot when the wheel is centered. it is very difficult to drive especially speeds over 50 miles per hour because the steering wheel has play in it before the wheels actually turn.

The steering is very loose especially at highway speeds. i constantly need to correct my steering to stay in my lane. i can move my steering wheel about 2" either left or right without any response. i have deflated my tires to 34psi and i have replaced the steering stabilizer with an after market one trying to resolve this issue. i have 6k miles on it and it has done this from day 1. i mentioned this to my dealer and they said "its a jeep thing, that's the way they drive". well i have owned 2 other jeeps before and they did not handle like this. this makes it very fatiguing to drive for long distances.

When driving at speeds over 50+ mph and hitting a bump in the road, the steering wheel will shake violently until speed is reduced to below 40 mph. the dealer has serviced it twice trying to add a dampener however this does not fix the problem. dealer now says the problem most likely can't be fixed.

There is an issue with the steering control system on 2018 jeep wrangler from the factory. the issue requires constant steering effort to keep the vehicle in lane at highway speeds. the vehicle wanders around all over the lane above 65 miles per hour. there should be a recall for this vehicle, because it is unsafe to drive on the highway. the following video illustrates the problem: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v75cd60u9my1quwad3xscwy-prpucltx/view link to other owners, who have encountered the same issue: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/steering-feels-like-it-has-play-and-drifts.3691/

Jeep steering is very vague, constantly drifting left then right. need to keep correcting the seering wheel.

There is excessive play in the steering wheel, causing constant corrections for straight highway driving, and the vehicle wanders all over the lane. constant attention is needed to go strait. if looking away for a second, i have found myself drifting into an entirely different lane.

Vehicle has an unusually large "dead" spot when the steering wheel is on center. vehicle requires constant small corrections to remain in the center of a lane when driving at highway speeds, and road irregularities or wind gusts can cause abrupt (but small) changes in direction requiring a quick response from the driver to maintain the desired direction. off-center the steering control appears fine, particularly at lower speeds.

The steering on a brand new jeep wrangler jl rubicon is very loose with a dead spot at the top. it is extremely challenging to maintain a lane when driving, especially at highway speed. under hard braking the vehicle will pull one way or the other because it feels like nothing is keeping the front wheels straight, correcting it is scary as the vehicle sways significantly.

The steering on a brand new jeep wrangler jlu sport is very loose with a dead spot at the top. it is extremely challenging to maintain a lane when driving, especially at highway speed. under hard braking the vehicle will pull one way or the other because it feels like nothing is keeping the front wheels straight, correcting it is scary as the vehicle sways significantly.

I have posted in another thread about the steering issue, but i wanted to update you all as well. i picked up my new jlu rubicon over a month ago and after limited driving (200 miles), it sits in the driveway. the dealer tightened up the steering box, but that was not the fix. it is simply dangerous to drive at speed on the highway. what exactly happens is when you try to make a small steering input, nothing happens. so you add a little more input and it over corrects leading you to try to correct in the other direction which makes it overcorrect in the other direction. now you have to fight it to keep it in its lane, its like driving on a snow covered road. so yesterday i asked the service manager to call his jeep rep and this is his reply: "yes it is steering gear, steering chuck. there is no sense replacing with the same one they have that they are using on the assembly line. they need to have a updated one first, or we are not accomplishing anything at all. i am on it with the t/a for chrysler.......waiting on his response. chrysler is very aware of the concern now." so jeep is aware and swapping out the steering box seems like it's not the fix. i'm not real happy that they are not publicizing this to new jlu owner. i don't know what a steering chuck is, but evidently it needs to be updated. this is an ongoing problem which started right when i took delivery and continues to today. i have since dropped the jeep of at the dealer and will not pick it back up until the problem is solved.

Steering has big deadspot in middle where you turn the wheel and it doesn't actually turn the tires/vehicle. it's more noticeable above 60mph. it causes the vehicle to be all over the lane and can be scary at times as it will sometimes cause me to get too close to other vehicles in next lane over. this is not for a single date. it happens all the time.

The jeep will not hold a line. it wanders or drifts thus causing constant movement of the steering wheel to maintain travel in desired direction. i.e. if traveling straight, the steering wheel requires constant input. the same applies in a smooth curve. speed of vehicle seems to not be a factor. i took delivery on 6/12/2018 and noticed the issue same day. i scheduled an appointment with the dealer and delivered it to them on 8/01. a new steering box has been ordered but i have not retaken possession of the vehicle at this time. thanks, (xxxx) parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Terrible steering, drifts way, way too much. there is approximately 1' of play to left and right. it is difficult to stay in lane. dealership doesn't know what to do. vehicle has less than 3000 miles, it's a 2018 jeep wrangler jl. this is an unsafe driving condition that's needs a repair or solution to correct before people are seriously injured.

Loose steering, vehicle drifts and wanders while driving, constantly needing to correct steering to go straight

The steering has about 2 inches of play side to side and on the highway at 70 mph it can change lanes on me and takes constant control all of the time. took it to the dealer and they said yes it has play but that is normal. that can't be correct as other vehicles have no play at all. someone is going to get hurt someday if you don't tell them to fix this.

The vehicle has excessive play in the steering. as a result, the vehicle wanders and excessive steering wheel travel is required to bring the vehicle back to the center of the lane. this occurs when the vehicle is in motion and when traveling at both city and highway speeds. it is a constant struggle to keep the vehicle centered when traveling. the issue is worse when traveling on slightly uneven or above normal road crown. the steering wheel can be centered, or crooked to either side. this demonstrates the excessive play in the wheel.

Steering is loose and hard to control on highway. steering wheel locked up/froze while taking a left turn on highway preventing operator to correct vehicles direction. vehicle moved into outer lanes where a collision could have occurred. steering had beame stiff and using a large amount of force would not correct steering wheel. soon after, steering wheel tightened again at low speeds when making a slow left turn onto highway center lane.

Steering wheel has a large dead spot causing the driver to constantly move the steering wheel left and right to keep the wrangler going straight.

The steering is loose. you constantly have to correct to the left or right to keep the jeep tracking in the lane of travel. there is also a "dead spot" about 1/4 to 1/2 to the left and right where if you turn the steering wheel there is no movement from the front wheels. this happens at all speeds.

The jeep wants to wander. it is next to impossible to hold a straight line while driving. it is most notable at highway speed. constant correction is needed to stay in your driving lane. i previously owned three jeep jks, 2007, 2012 and 2015 models and did not have this problem.

Vehicle is unbelievably unstable while driving. darts back and forth and is almost impossible to keep in single lane. must keep both hands on wheel at all times and be 100% focused on keeping vehicle in single lane. cannot be considered safe.

The jeep wanders and drifts at highway speeds...steering is bad!!! i get the wandering and the dead spot and floating feel when on long straight aways doing 50+ mph. it's a cause and effect because of the unresponsiveness of the steering, so you overcorrect causing you to go side to side in the lane. thus making it almost impossible to keep it going straight and requiring you to drive with two hands on the wheel. my tires were at 44 psi. aired them down to 38 psi. did not help because the steering at higher speeds is just sloppy and unresponsive with a good 1 inch plus of play in the wheel. i also tried the rough country steering stabilizer. it did nothing to help the wandering. it was actually worse then stock. in fact i got a lot more bounce on the tires when i hit a bump or hole in the road, so i put the stock steering stabilizer back on. it seems that it takes the computer a few seconds too long to receive the input from the steering wheel. i'm no engineer or mechanic and i'm not too smart (lol) but i can tell you there is an issue with the software and steering box (gear). like i said, i have had numerous jeeps and trucks and i have been a police officer for over 20 years, so have a ton of driving experience and i have never had any vehicle with this steering issue. this is a serious safety issue especially at higher speeds on major highways, where you feel it and deal with it most. jeep and fca need to get there [xxx] in gear and fix this issue asap before there is a fatality. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Bought the vehicle may 2018. after driving for a week brought back to dealer in regards to loose steering and a dead spot that i could move the wheel 3 inches before the tires would move. dealer said it was a jeep thing. this is my 4th jeep wrangler and none of my previous models had the issue. they said it was designed to be that way. after another month i brought it back complaining of the same problem and that i saw forums that stated others were having issues. once again, told it is the way that jeeps handle. i took the jeep to a 4 wheel drive place for an alignment. after alignment the vehicle had the same issue. i have since put on leveling kit and 35 inch tires. when i brought it back to jeep because i heard of a software patch and new steering box that was suppose to fix steering. dealer said that because i put on 35 inch tires that there is nothing they can do. i now have 27k miserable and dangerous miles on the vehicle. i see that jeep jl as almost 1k of complaints about the steering. it is a safety issue when you cant keep in your lane!

While driving the posted speed limits, on any street, i am constantly fighting with the steering wheel jerks out of my hands, even though i had several professionals look at my tires, wheels, suspension components, tie rods, stabilizer bar, steering dampener, ball joints, etc. my jeep has this massive death wabble, where i constantly have to fight the steering wheel! on 15+ different times (it does not matter if i am driving on a hwy 70mph, secondary st's 40mph, 5-lane st's at 50mph, or while driving in a subdivision at 25mph), just trying to turn my jeep becomes a huge challenge, even on a good day! i believe that my electric power steering is also defective too, the steering wheel violently jerks me into oncoming traffic, & into others lanes without any warnings! i finally contacted 'synergy manufacturing' who told me that all of the steering components on the jl's are nothing but cheap garbage, that all needs to be replaced! they have a replacement kit, which fixes the problems, for less than $1,200! which sounds like a bargain, if it means that my family remains safe, compared to being killed in yet another fca death trap! also, one's fire retardant blanket (under the hood), is falling apart! i only have 1,800 original miles on it, its never even been off road yet! i've gone to 7 different jeep dealers, & nobody has any new replacement parts, & all of their customers need to get in line before they shall even look at my jeep! i would expect a flawless running & driving jeep jl wrangler unlimited rubicon, after spending well over $60,000!!! can you please help me? all one has to do, is search any of the jeep jl forums, search youtube, e.g., & one shall see thousands of exactly the same complaints! never again fca, you lost me as a customer, its a miracle that my family & i aren't dead!!!

We bought this jeep suv in may 2018 and from the acquisition date we noticed a pronounced and dangerous shaking of the wheels, steering wheel. and body of the vehicle every time a road bump or uneven pavement is encountered when driving 55 mph and above. for the shaking to stop we have to slow to unsafe speeds below 50 mph on the highway.

At highway speeds of 50 or more the steering has 3"s of play in it turning the steering wheel without making the vehicle actually move in that direction. this makes it hard to stay in my lane and it is tiring making corrections every second. my jeep dealer looked at it and said everything is tight and gave it back to me as could not find anything wrong. really?

While driving at highway speed the jeep wanders all over the road requiring constant steering correction and sometimes requiring extra force to be put on the steering wheel. upon my own investigation there is a tsb out for this but it does not fix the problem i also took the time to inspect my steering components and found that the ball joints were not torqued to specifications they were only hand tight

Excessive wandering if vehicle while driving. constant steering correction is needed but the steering wheel has excessive play so it constantly over corrects. excessive movement in the steering wheel with little movement of the tires.

Steering nearly locks up while driving in hot weather. driving on windy roads the wheel fights me while turning only to let go causing me to swerve. it's the worst on hot days with the truck fully warmed up (mid 80's, ac on). the steering issue happens in both directions but feels like stronger resistance going left. also had a scare when the wheel got stuck going back to center after making a right turn. this almost forced me into the woods with my daughter in the truck. changing lanes and gentle curves on the highway are also scary. i've had the truck for less than 2 weeks and i'm getting increasingly more nervous to drive it. summers coming, meaning lots of hot days and that's when it's bad. has happened several times already.

Having issues with steering completely locking up when driving. notice the effect when driving fast and slow. also, you can hear a click from the steering column when turning past the center alignment.

At random times when driving vehicle it feels as if my jeep is floating over the road and in and out of my lane. i notice it more as higher speeds. when i try to compensate it feels like the steering is all over the place and you have to over correct to get it to respond. it can be very scary. took it to dealer and had it checked out. they had over inflated the tires. they corrected tire pressure but it still happens at random times. they said it checks out fine. i feel like it an accident waiting to happen. other jeep owners have driven my vehicle and they agree that it is not normal. i know it has electronic steering. it feels like a loss of steering control at times.

Power steering appears to be momentarily locking up or failing while the vehicle is in motion at speeds over 30 mph. have experienced the issue numerous times while driving on roads which curve to the left. the steering wheel suddenly becomes very stiff and nearly impossible to turn to the left. then, all of a sudden, it releases causing the vehicle to swerve to the left. this has happened on city streets going 30-50 mph and on highways going 60-75 mph. said occurrences happened several times in the last month, the last one being yesterday on 5/23/18.

My new 2018 jl model jeep wrangler unlimited sport with less than 3,000 miles has had the steering wheel lock up 4 times now while driving and the wheel will not turn. incredibly dangerous and someone is going to get into a very bad accident. i have read on the jeep forums and this is happening to others with the new 2018 jl models this has happened all 4 times with vehicle in motion and at different speeds!!! 20 mph the lowest and at 70 mph not good if you can't turn wheel it's only a matter of time!!!