Jeep Wrangler “death wobble” lawsuit and recall

That's right, dampers are not the cause of DW. DW is a trait of solid axles and the replacement damper with a different material bushing is just a band-aid to try to dampen out most occurrences of DW. It's not going to cure it.
 
But now every new Jeeper in the known universe who gets death wobble, or even a front end shimmy, is going to rush out and purchase the most expensive and elaborate steering damper they can find. Any discussion of what is happening and how to cure it is going to have to deal with "but, but, FCA said so!". Fiat Chrysler hasn't done anyone any favors here. All they've done is throw the cheapest bandaid they could find at the problem in the hopes it goes away.

Can you imagine trying to explain the importance of perfect tire balance and doing a dry steering test to your average soccer mom or the legal system?
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
That's right, dampers are not the cause of DW. DW is a trait of solid axles and the replacement damper with a different material bushing is just a band-aid to try to dampen out most occurrences of DW. It's not going to cure it.
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I am inclined to think that the jl has a steering box issue that is seperate from DW, otherwise they wouldn't issue a recall.

I bet DW will still exist for those who truly have it.
 
“FCA says the vibrations are easily corrected by simply slowing down and all functions of the vehicles remain active.”

Because that’s reasonable after you purchase a new vehicle....🤦‍♂️

And I agree that explaining the causes of DW in a court is an uphill battle.
 
It's really a shame that the majority of Americans can spend so much time online with social media but can't spend a few minutes searching about doing a dry steering test on a vehicle that they paid $35k or more for.

My kids are always asking me some stupid general knowledge question and my response is "you have that damn phone in your hand all day. Look it up! Don't be a dumbass with a smart phone."
 
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I’m relatively new to Jeepology, had a stock 84 Cj8 that was a great truck and now have my semi stock Tj, but I’ve always thought that the lift kits and oversized tires had a lot to do with the creation of DW. Enlighten me.
 
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Baltimoreed said:
I’m relatively new to Jeepology, had a stock 84 Cj8 that was a great truck and now have my semi stock Tj, but I’ve always thought that the lift kits and oversized tires had a lot to do with the creation of DW. Enlighten me.
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I would think it does, not to long ago a saw this ridiculously lifted wrangler with big tires, before he got on the freeway he wasn’t even going fast and the wheels looked like they were dancing side to side it was horrible I had to slow down because I thought the wheels were going to fall out.
 
qslim said:
I haven't read into the lawsuit at all. Do these DW complaints come from completely stock Wranglers?
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A majority of people/consumers these days are often not educated in their purchases. Much less, the effects that the bigger tires, Chinese wheels, and lift kits will have on their factory fresh JK/JKL/JL/JLU.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if some of those complaining do in fact have lifts or oversize tires.

And in FCA's defense, start small and see what that does for customers/owners. Im sure the Jeep engineers gave the brass a few options/solutions. The brass and bean counters likely went with the cheaper, least intrusive route first.

Can you imagine what comes through the door at the Jeep dealer on a daily basis when it comes to complaints? Regardless, I hope these owners get fixed up and leave the service department happy.
 
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That's right, dampers are not the cause of DW. DW is a trait of solid axles and the replacement damper with a different material bushing is just a band-aid to try to dampen out most occurrences of DW. It's not going to cure it.
Click to expand...
There is no cure for the DW that dampeners are design to DAMPEN out on specific issue, that is why jeep spends the extra 2 dollars per jeep to add the factory steering damper on factory jeeps with factory parts.

If the bean counters could convince Jeep that the dampeners were not needed, they would not be on a "from the factory" jeep wrangler to begin with.
 
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