Death wobble is an uncontrollable shaking of your entire vehicle, during which it feels like the driver might lose control at any second.
If you experience death wobble, let off the accelerator and allow the truck to slow down until the vibration stops, then immediately proceed to a safe place where the vehicle can be inspected before continuing on. Even just one death wobble incident can cause permanent—and dangerous—suspension or steering damage.
Typically, loose steering or suspension parts cause a death wobble. It can also be due to tire inflation issues, misaligned wheels, or an incorrectly installed lift kit.
The best way to get through a death wobble is to stay calm. Keep your hands firmly on the wheel and do your best to hold on tight while the vehicle shakes. Let off the gas and allow the vehicle to slow down naturally—don't speed up or hit the brakes.
But no, not all Jeeps have the death wobble! In fact, despite the class action lawsuit currently ongoing, there have only been around 700 reports of death wobble in Jeeps since 1995.
Something as simple as a tire's misaligned camber or toe could cause enough vibration to trigger the wobble again. One thing many people do is install a new steering stabilizer, but this is not a permanent fix. Jeep steering stabilizers can temporarily get rid of death wobble, therefore masking a more serious problem.
There's a common misconception that death wobble only occurs on lifted or modified Jeep Wranglers. However, this simply isn't the case. Wrangler death wobble can occur on stock vehicles because of the nature of its suspension setup.
In most cases, the death wobble will occur when driving at speeds of at least 45 miles per hour and can be triggered by hitting a bump or pothole. Some of the most common causes of the death wobble include poorly installed suspension parts or loose or damaged steering components.
The death wobble is caused by loose, damaged, or misaligned parts in your Jeep's suspension or steering system. Due to the mechanical defect in your car, the parts can shake loudly or violently when you travel at high rates of speed or on rough terrain.
While the infamous Jeep “Death Wobble” may be a bit of a misnomer, as the violent shaking that's been reported for years by certain Wrangler and Gladiator owners has reportedly not resulted in any actual deaths, one campaign to get the automaker to rectify the problem is finally coming to an end.
A death wobble is when your car shakes, wobbles or vibrates while you're driving. It's used to describe serious shaking and vibrating that occurs particularly at high speeds.
Owners of Jeep Wranglers are familiar with the infamous term “Death Wobble,” and yet despite repeated complaints over the years to Chrysler, the problem continues in 2021 models.
Death wobble happens in Jeeps, 4x4s, and trucks when rapidly rotating steering wheel components cause your steering wheel to move rapidly from side to side. This causes your vehicle to feel like it's about to fall apart and you want to hold onto the steering wheel for dear life.
Worn wheel bearings may contribute to death wobble as well and are very easy to test. Jack up one of your Jeep's front wheels and grasp the tire at the 12- and 6-o'clock position, then wiggle the tire. If you feel movement, then you most likely have a worn wheel bearing. Check the other side as well.
The most prevalent cause of vibration is problems with your wheels or tires. The potential problems include improper wheel and tire balance, uneven tire wear, separated tire tread, out of round tires, damaged wheels and even loose lug nuts.
Worn ball joints and unit bearings are also a significant cause of death wobble.
Why Are My Tires Still Vibrating After My Wheel Balancing Service? Wheel balancing is one of the best solutions for vehicle vibrations, but imbalances aren't the sole cause for a shaky ride. For example, if you still feel tire vibrations after a wheel balancing service, you may be dealing with tire runout.
A tank slapper is when the handlebars wildly oscillate. They are also called speed wobbles or death wobbles and, as the latter name implies, they can be lethal.
Formerly, Jeep's standard warranty was for three years or 36,000 miles. If you have already paid for the repairs to fix your Jeep's death wobble, it will reimburse the owners. To get the reimbursement, you need to go to Jeep's website and fill out the information included.
“Death wobble,” primarily associated with the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator, can apparently happen in any vehicle with a solid front axle.
Death Wobble Explained
The Death Wobble tends to occur when you hit a bump or round a curve while driving at highway speeds. When this happens, the shaking can become so violent that the whole front end of your Jeep feels like it's moving around on the road.
The fix is free for owners.
According to a report from the Detroit Free Press, the automaker has a fix, and it is already informing owners about the free repair. Jeep will replace the steering damper – a stabilizer – with a new piece designed to mitigate better any vibrations that come through the front suspension.