2008 JEEP WRANGLER Complaints

AS PER MY ASE CERTIFIED MECHANIC HAS DIRECTED ME. MY AIRBAG LIGHT HAS STARTED TURNING ON AND OFF AND CAUSING THE CHIME SEVERAL TIMES A DAY DUE TO A CLOCKSPRING IN THE STEERING WHEEL GOING BAD. THIS IS A KNOWN RECALL FOR PREVIOUS YEARS INCLUDING THE 2007 MODEL (1YR DIFFERENCE). I'M AFRAID THAT IN AN ACTUAL CRASH THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY OR THAT IT WILL AT ANY RANDOM MOMENT. *TR

2008 JEEP WRANGLER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE "DEATH WOBBLE" AND CONSUMER ALSO SEEKS REIMBURSEMENT. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE INCIDENT HAPPENED ON A BACK ROAD. THERE WAS A MINUTE WHERE THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL. THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS DRIVING 45 MPH AND HAD NOT GONE OVER ANY BUMPS. THE CONSUMER IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY REPLACED A LEAKING STEERING DAMPER.

CLOCK SPRING FAILURE IN MY 2008 LHD JEEP WRANGLER HAS CAUSED MY WINDSHIELD WIPERS TO RANDOMLY TURN ON, MY TURN SIGNALS AND HEADLIGHTS TO ONLY FUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY, AND MY GAUGE CLUSTER FLICKERS WHEN ANY OF THE ABOVE TRIGGER. *TR

EVERYTHING IS NORMAL AND WORKING, YOU TRY TO START THE CAR AND THERE IS A CLICK THEN NOTHING. I THEN MOVE THE SHIFTER TO NEUTRAL AND START THE CAR THEN MOVE SHIFTER BACK TO PARK. THERE ARE NO CODES BEING REGISTERED IF YOU PLUG IN A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND I'VE HAD SEVERAL COMPETENT MECHANICS CHECK IT OUT TO NO AVAIL. THIS IS HAPPENING .TO MANY OTHER PEOPLE AND ISN'T AN ISOLATED INCIDENT, WHICH IS WHY I'M REPORTING IT. IT APPEARS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE, A GROUNDING ISSUE TO BE SPECIFIC. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT AND CHIME GO OFF AND ON WHILE DRIVING FOR NO REASON. HAPPENS EVERY FEW MINUTES WHILE DRIVING. IT HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER SIX MONTHS. *TR

DEATH WOBBLE 2008 WRANGLER 2ND REPAIR, STILL NOT FIXED. FIRST TIME I NOTICED IT IN 2010, LESS THAN 25000 MILES. I ASSUMED IT WAS THE ROAD CONDITION. WHEN I REALIZED THAT IT WOULD HAPPEN UNDER VARIOUS ROAD CONDITIONS, I NOTED OTHER FACTORS REALIZING THAT IT SEEMED TO OCCUR AT APPROXIMATELY 57 MPH. AT FIRST THE VIBRATION WAS JUST ANNOYING AND INTERMITTENT. THEN IT GOT WORSE AND I WAS SCARED BECAUSE IT SHOOK SO VIOLENTLY AT 57 MPH. I THOUGHT THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO ROLL SPONTANEOUSLY. IN MARCH 2010, TOOK IT TO A DEALER; THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T RECREATE THE PROBLEM SO COULDN'T FIX IT. I CALLED ANOTHER DEALER AND THE SERVICE TECH (IN 2010) MENTIONED, "JEEP WOBBLE"- I GOOGLED IT AND FOUND VERY LITTLE INFO- JUST SOME JEEP OWNER BLOGS THAT DESCRIBED EXACTLY WHAT I FELT. THE DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM (UNDER WARRANTY) BY REPLACING THE STEERING COLUMN SHOCK (OR SOMETHING). SINCE I HAD IT REPAIRED, I STILL EXPERIENCED THE NORMAL, MINOR VIBRATION THAT HAPPENS AROUND 55 MPH. RECENTLY (JAN 2013) THE DEATH WOBBLE RETURNED WITH A VENGEANCE. REGARDLESS OF ROAD CONDITIONS, AT 57 MPH IT SHAKES SO BADLY THAT IT FEELS LIKE I WILL LOOSE CONTROL. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WILL REPLACE THE SHOCK AGAIN AND THEY MENTIONED THAT THE PART HAS BEEN IMPROVED WITH BRACKETS OR SOME SUCH. OF COURSE, AT 57000 MILES, IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND I HAD TO PAY THE $230 FOR THE REPAIR. THE TECH TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AND I WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO REPLACE IT AGAIN IN ANOTHER 25000 MILES. I CALL BS! THE JEEP HAS NEVER BEEN OFF-ROAD, NEVER MISTREATED, ALWAYS MAINTAINED. NEITHER DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER EVER MENTIONED THIS TSB DURING THE 2013 REPAIR. WHEN I PICKED IT UP, IT WAS NOT FIXED. JEEP CO. HAS AGREED TO REIMBURSE ME FOR ALL BUT $100 (DEDUCTIBLE) BUT WHY DO I HAVE TO KEEP PAYING FOR REPAIRS ON A KNOWN ISSUE? VIBRATION IS SO BAD, IT COULD CAUSE ME TO WRECK. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 JEEP WRANGLER SAHARA UNLIMITED WITH 50,000 MILES AND PURCHASED NEW. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING "DEATH WOBBLE" OR AN UNCONTROLLABLE SHAKING IN THE FRONT END OF MY VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY BUT GENERALLY AT SPEEDS OF 40 MPH AND HIGHER. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY MECHANIC WHO INSPECTED THE FRONT END, TIRES, BRAKES AND ALIGNMENT WHICH ALL WERE FINE. I LATER WENT TO THE JEEP DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER WHO SAID I HAD "DEATH WOBBLE" BUT COULD NOT GIVE ME A DEFINITIVE CAUSE OR COST TO REPAIR. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ON-LINE, I DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM THAT JEEP HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR YEARS HTTP://WWW.JEEPZ.COM/FORUM/SUSPENSION/29510-WRANGLER-DEATH-WOBBLE-WHAT-CAUSES-HOW-FIX.HTML. MY VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY STOCK WITH NO MODIFICATIONS AND I DO NOT USE IT OFF-ROAD. ADDITIONALLY IT IS VERY WELL MAINTAINED AND I HAVE HAD NO ACCIDENTS OR MAJOR REPAIRS. HERE IS A VIDEO OF MY EXPERIENCE: HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=7PEN1IT91Z0 I HAVE READ THAT CONGRESS ADDRESSED THIS WITH JEEP AND JEEP HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL BULLETIN HTTP://EDITORIAL.AUTOS.MSN.COM/BLOGS/AUTOSBLOGPOST.ASPX?POST=BB1D0352-F579-4468-B24F-60869E95D02F BUT THAT IS ALL. PLEASE ADVISE AS TO WHAT I CAN DO TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. I LIVE IN NYS. DOES THE "LEMON-LAW" APPLY HERE? *TR

DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF MY VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT AND CHIME CAME ON. THE WARNING LIGHT NOW COMES ON AND CHIMES INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING. RESEARCHING THIS ISSUE ON LINE SHOWS THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT JEEP HAS HAD IN OTHER MODELS, BUT FOR SOME REASON WONT ADMIT TO IT IN THIS YEAR OF VEHICLE. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT STARTED GOING OFF, (RED LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND CHIMED), INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH AND CONTINUED TO DO SO AT ALL SPEEDS - COULD HEAR CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM STEERING WHEEL WHEN TURNING. TOOK VEHICLE TO ALLEN SAMUELS DEALERSHIP IN HOUSTON, TX AND THEY REPLACED THE CLOCK SPRING - ("STEERING ANGLE INTERNAL FAULT REPLACED STEERING ANGLE SENSOR/ CLOCK SPRING." - $286.75 PART + $104.00 LABOR) CALLED JEEP AND CHRYSLER TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOT ONE THAT APPLIED TO MY VIN. DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THIS: HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/CARS/PROBLEMS/RECALLS/RESULTS.CFM?SEARCHTYPE=QUICKSEARCH&RCL_ID=11V528000&SUMMARY=TRUE : CHRYSLER ISSUED A RECALL ON 5,000+ RIGHT SIDE DRIVE MODELS (POSTAL SERVICE) RANGING FROM A MANUFACTURING DATE OF FEB. 1, 2007 TO OCTOBER 10, 2011 ON NOVEMBER 2, 2011, BUT DID NOT RECALL THE PART ON LEFT SIDE MODELS (MUCH MORE COMMON, OF COURSE). I TALKED TO THE PARTS DEPARTMENT AT ALLEN SAMUELS TODAY (2/16/13) AND THEY SAID THAT THE SAME PART NUMBER IS USED FOR BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE DRIVE MODELS, CURRENTLY (PART #5156106AC) - MY GUESS IS IT WAS THE EXACT SAME PART USED IN BOTH TYPES OF VEHICLES. SOUNDS TO ME LIKE CHRYSLER KNEW THEY SCREWED UP AND ONLY ISSUED A RECALL ON GOVERNMENT ISSUED VEHICLES SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE MUCH MORE PREVALENT LEFT SIDE DIVE MODELS AND UNCLE SAM WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF. WHEN SPEAKING WITH JEEP CUSTOMER CARE I TOLD THE SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE THAT I HAD DONE SOME RESEARCH AND HAD FOUND A RECALL - SHE TOLD ME "WELL, YOU CAN'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ ON THE INTERNET."... LAST TIME I EVER BUY A CHRYSLER MADE VEHICLE AGAIN... *TR

DEATH WOBBLE ON A 2008 JEEP WRANGLER. VEHICLE HAS A PREDICTABLE VIBRATION BETWEEN 55-60 MPH. ON ONE OCCASION, THE VEHICLE SHOOK SO VIOLENTLY THAT IT TOOK THE STEERING WHEEL OUT OF MY WIFE'S HANDS. SHE WAS GOING AROUND 55 MPH AROUND A CURVE. ON A SECOND OCCASION, I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO TAKE AN EXIT RAMP. SLOWING FROM 75 MPH TO AROUND 60 MPH AND ENTERING THE EXIT RAMP CURVE, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS ALMOST SHAKEN OUT OF MY HANDS. ON A THIRD OCCASION, AT AROUND 60 MPH ON A STRAIGHT ROAD WITH NO BUMPS, THE JEEP BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND AGAIN PULLED THE STEERING WHEEL OUT OF ANOTHER DRIVERS HANDS. THE MINOR VIBRATION HAPPENS EVERYDAY BETWEEN 55-60 MPH. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS NOTHING IS WRONG. I HAVE REPLACED THE STEERING STABILIZER WITH A RANCHO HEAVY DUTY STABILIZER. VIBRATION WENT AWAY FOR ABOUT 500 MILES. I RELIGIOUSLY DO A 5 TIRE ROTATION AND BALANCE. NO CHANGE. I HAVE HAD A 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT COMPLETED. NO CHANGE. JEEP WILL NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THEY SAY IF THERE IS A VIBRATION TO HAVE THE TIRES BALANCED AND THE FRONT END ALIGNED. WHEN I TELL THEM THAT HAS BEEN DONE, THEIR REPLY IS THAT IT WAS NOT COMPLETED PROPERLY AND THEY WOULD DO IT FOR $300. I AM GETTING TO THE POINT OF SELLING OR TRADING IT IN SINCE I CANNOT FIX THE ISSUE. I AM ALMOST READY TO TRY TO REPLACE BALL JOINTS, BUT AT 47,700 MILES AND NO SUSPENSION OR ENGINE MODIFICATIONS. THE JEEP HAS NEVER BEEN OFF-ROADED, NEVER BEEN MISTREATED. WHAT NOW? JEEP ALSO OFFERED TO REPLACE THE BALL JOINTS, PITMAN ARM, TIE ROD ENDS, SWAY BAR END LINKS, ETC. FOR A NICE SUM OF THE $2500. OUCH. *TR