2008 JEEP WRANGLER Complaints

SUBMISSION FROM CONSTITUENT RE 2008 JEEP WRANGLER AIR BAG SYSTEM PROBLEMS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AS HE WAS DRIVING. HE INVESTIGATED THE PROBLEM AND LEARNED THERE WAS AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION PRIOR TO ISSUING A RECALL. ON MAY 9, 2012, THE CONSUMER WENT TO THE DEALER, FOR AN UNRELATED PROBLEM AND REQUESTED A DIAGNOSIS FOR THE AIR BAG PROBLEM. THEY REPORTED ON THE INVOICE, THE CLOCK SPRING MECHANISM HAD FAILED AND THE REPLACEMENT COST WAS $800.

WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY GOING AT A SPEED 55MPH OR HIGHER, THE CAR WILL GO OVER A SMALL BUMP WHILE ON A SLIGHT HILL OR TURN, AND BEGIN TO VIOLENTLY SHAKE THE CAR, ONLY STOPPING WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN SLOWED TO A STOP - REQUIRING THE VEHICLE TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY TO STOP THE SHAKING. DUE TO THE VIOLENT WOBBLE, THE CAR IS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL, AND FEELS AS THOUGH IT COULD CREATE A SIGNIFICANT ACCIDENT AT HIGH MILE PER HOUR SPEEDS, OR CONCERNS ABOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT ON THE HIGHWAY DUE TO THE VEHICLE NEEDING TO PULL OFF IN ORDER TO STOP THE WOBBLING. INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS WHEN ANY TYPE OF INCLEMENT WEATHER EXISTS. HAVE HAD TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY SEVERAL TIMES IN ORDER TO STOP THE VIOLENT SHAKING, MAKING THIS DRIVER EXTREMELY FEARFUL TO DRIVE ON THE HIGHWAY. THIS VEHICLE IS STOCK, NO ALTERATIONS DONE. *TR

I TOOK MY VEHICLE INTO JOHN ELWAY GREELEY CO. MAY 16, 2013 TO HAVE THE SAFETY LIGHT FOR MY AIRBAGS DIAGNOSED. THEY FOUND IT WAS THE CLOCK SPRING THAT HAD BEEN RECALLED IN 2007 RIGHT HAND DRIVE VEHICLES BUT MY VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE A RECALL ON THIS PARTICULAR PART. THE PART IS DEFECTIVE AND IN BACK ORDER STATUS WITH NO AVAILABILITY DATE. I HAD TO PAY FOR THIS PART TO GET ON THE WAITING LIST FOR A PART THAT HAS NO AVAILABILITY DATE. IN THE MEAN TIME MY VEHICLE IS NO LONGER SAFE BECAUSE THE AIRBAGS WITH NOT DEPLOY IF FOR SOME REASON I AM IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

A VITAL SAFETY SYSTEM AIRBAG COMPONENT MALFUNCTIONED (CLOCKSPRING). CURRENTLY, THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS ITEM (NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER: PE11019</SPAN> 11V528000), BUT IT IS FOR RIGHT HAND DRIVE VEHICLES ONLY. IT IS MY, AND MANY OTHERS, BELIEF THAT THIS SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO LEFT SIDE DRIVE VEHICLES AS WELL, SEEING AS HOW THERE ARE MANY MORE ISSUES BEING NOTED. AS A CONSUMER, I UNDERSTAND ALL ABOUT WARRANTIES AND THE FACT THAT NOTHING LAST FOREVER, BUT HOW CAN YOU NOT WARRANTY A PART THAT IS VITAL TO THE VEHICLE'S SAFETY SYSTEM WITH LESS THAN 100,000 MILES ON THE CAR, AND THERE ALREADY IS A RECALL ISSUE WITH THIS COMPONENT? *TR

WHEN I ARRIVED HOME AND WAS IN THE CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY, I SET THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. SOMETHING SNAPPED, AFTER WHICH THE BRAKE CLEARLY CEASED TO FUNCTION (I COULD NOT SET IT). FORTUNATELY THIS DID NOT HAPPEN IN A SITUATION WHEN I ACTUALLY NEEDED TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, BUT I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS HAPPEN WITH ANY VEHICLE I EVER OWNED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT 25 MPH THE AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED WITH A CORRESPONDING CHIME. THE LIGHT COMES ON AN OFF AND THE CHIME SOUNDS RANDOMLY. THROUGH RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON AND IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH JEEP WRANGLERS AND SPECIFICALLY TO THE CLOCKSPRING BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. APPARENTLY MY AIRBAG MAY OR MAY NOT WORK IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. *TR

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF RANDOMLY. AFTER SOME RESEARCH THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND IT HAS EVEN INITIATED SOME RECALLS BUT FOR OTHER YEARS. THE PROBLEM STEMS FROM A BAD CLOCKSPRING WHICH WOULD PREVENT THE AIRBAG FROM DEPLOYING IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE AIR BAG CLOCK SPRING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE WAS REPORTED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

ON 5/15/13 I PURCHASED A 2008 JEEP WRANGLER X FROM WALSER SUBARU IN BURNSVILLE MN. AT APPROXIMATELY 8:50PM I WAS HEADING HOME FROM COMPLETING THE TRANSACTION WITH THE DEALER. I WAS ON I-35W NORTH GOING AROUND A LONG EASY LEFT CORNER IN THE ROAD WHEN I HIT A ROUGH AREA IN THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SHAKING HARD LEFT AND RIGHT. I IMMEDIATELY GRASPED THE WHEEL AS FIRMLY AS POSSIBLE AND SLOWED THE VEHICLE TO APPROXIMATELY 45 MILES AN HOUR BEFORE THE SHAKING STOPPED. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE NEXT EXIT AND INSPECTED THE TIRES AND WHEELS THINKING I HAD A FLAT OR A LOOSE WHEEL. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME WITH NO OTHER OCCURRENCE OF THE INCIDENT. THIS MORNING 5/16/2013 AT APPROXIMATELY 7:40AM I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND HAD JUST MERGED OFF OF I-35W SOUTH TO 280 SOUTH. I AGAIN WAS IN A SLIGHT BEND IN THE ROAD THIS TIME TO THE RIGHT AND HIT A ROUGH AREA OF ROADWAY. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MILES AN HOUR WHEN AGAIN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND I HAD TO GRASP THE WHEEL FIRMLY AND SLOW UNTIL THE SHAKING SUBSIDED. I'VE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THE VEHICLE IS GOING IN FOR INSPECTION AT WALSER CHRYSLER JEEP IN HOPKINS MN AT 1:45PM 5/16/13. I ALSO DID A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF RESEARCH ONLINE TODAY AFTER THE SECOND EVENT AND IT APPEARS THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM ON 2007-2013 JEEP WRANGLER JK MODELS. IT IS MOST COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS "DEATH WOBBLE" THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDE SPREAD AND VERY DANGEROUS FLAW IN THE JEEP JK DESIGN AND ONE THAT NEEDS TO BE CAREFULLY INVESTIGATED FOR SAFETY OF ALL THOSE ON THE PUBLIC ROADWAYS.

ON THE 2008 JEEP WRANGLER (LHD) DASHBOARD, THE AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHES ON EVERY OTHER MINUTE WITH A CHIME, AN INDICATION THAT THERE IS SOMETHING MALFUNCTIONING OR INTERFERING WITH THE VEHICLE'S AIRBAGS.THIS HAS BEEN A RECURRING ISSUE AND CONCERN FOR MANY 2008 JEEP WRANGLER (LHD) OWNERS, INCLUDING MYSELF, AND HAS BEEN SHOWN TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO BE CAUSED BY A FAULTY CLOCKSPRING WITHIN THE VEHICLE'S STEERING WHEEL. THIS FAULTY CLOCKSPRING IS THE CULPRIT FOR POTENTIAL AIRBAG FAILURE IN THE 2008 JEEP WRANGLER (LHD) DURING AN ACCIDENT OR PREMATURE DEPLOYMENT WHEN SIMPLY DRIVING AROUND. DAIMLER CHRYSLER HAS REFUSED TO ADDRESS THE SAFETY CONCERN OF THEIR FAULTY CLOCKSPRING THAT CAN CAUSE FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE'S AIRBAGS FROM PROPERLY DEPLOYING." *TR