10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,462 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Jeep Wrangler steering problems

steering problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Jeep Wrangler:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2008 Jeep Wrangler Owner Comments (Page 3 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #115

Dec 152014

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 132,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving home from work on a state highway, even though posted speed limit was 65mph, traffic was heavy and I was forced to slow down to around 50 to 53 mph. When speeding back up to 55 mph my Jeep sahara shook violently and uncontrollably, I thought my vehicle was going to shake apart, I hit the brakes and went down to 50 mph (thank god no one was close behind me and did not hit me) and the shaking/wobble stopped. As traffic picked back up and I was able to speed up to 60 mph, there was no real problem (a slight shake as I past 55 mph), but as soon as I had to slow down to 55 mph the vehicle started to shake/wobble uncontrollably again. It appears if I accelerate from 0 to 55 mph I get the violent shaking/wobbling but if I go from 0 to 60-65 mph, I do not really experience the violent uncontrollably shaking, just a slight shake at the 55 mph going to 60-65 mph. If I slow down from 60-65 mph to 55 mph I get that same violent uncontrollable shaking/wobbling. This happens everyday - not randomly! I found even on non-highways, where speed limits that allow 55 mph, I get the same violent shaking. This is my only vehicle and I depend on it to get to and from work every weekday. I have read the forums and I have checked the tire pressure, it has no effect on the shaking/wobbling. I have never taken it off-road, I don't even put it in 4 wheel drive. My son has his own Jeep that he has work on for years and he looked at my Jeep (things like steering components, ball joints, tires, steering damper, etc.) all the things Jeep owners have posted on these forums and have paid dearly for at the dealership and everything seems ok. I recently found from a Jeep forum that this is called the 'death wobble'.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #114

Feb 272015

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 25,920 miles
Typical "death wobble" that I was unaware of until researching this morning. Very scary and with only 25,000 miles an no off roading on this Jeep, this should not happen and certainly not something I should have to pay to repair!

- Fairfield, CT, USA

problem #113

Nov 052012

Wrangler

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 45 to 65 mph, the front end of the vehicle shook violently out of control and caused the suspension to become unstable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the tires needed to be balanced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the steering damper, but the failure recurred two days after the repair was performed. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Harford, PA, USA

problem #112

Mar 022013

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 28,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hit a small bump in the road while driving 70 mph, this caused violent vibrations in the front end that wouldn't stop until I almost stopped. If I hadn't had a good grip on the wheel I would have lost control of the vehicle. This has happened 4 times since and at speeds as low as 55mph. Checked with dealer and they said it would require replacing one part at a time till the problem is corrected. This would be very expensive and you would never know if it was fixed. This is very dangerous as you never know when it is going to happen. Twice I was going 70 with a tractor trailer close behind. Yesterday I was in heavy traffic in the middle lane going 70 with a tractor trailer behind me when the front end started to vibrate and bounce. I couldn't get over so I had to almost stop in the middle lane in rush hour on I-10. This problemis referred to as the death wobble. It is very scary and could cause an accident or even a roll over if you don't have a good grip on the wheel. (vehicle is not lifted & front end had just been aligned before first incident).

- Buckeye , AZ, USA

problem #111

Jan 182011

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 63,000 miles
Turning steering wheel while driving, airbag dash indicator illuminates and warning tone activated. Return steering to center and indicator light extinguishes. Warning light illuminates and tone activates sporadically when steering wheel is turned but with increased frequency over the period of 2011-2012. In 2013, the airbag dash indicator remains illuminated regardless of steering wheel position or vehicle movement. In latter-half of 2014, the horn has failed to work.

- Pueblo, CO, USA

problem #110

Dec 172014

Wrangler

  • 53,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 mph, the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably and the speed independently decreased. The contact also stated that the vehicle very difficult to steer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

- Florence, SC, USA

problem #109

Dec 012014

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 46,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving down us rt. 60 headed back to phoenix Arizona. During my time traveling down the road doing approximately 55-60 mph I ran over train tracks and immediately my Jeep began shaking uncontrollably. I was able to pull over my vehicle to stop violent shaking. I have looked into this on the internet and it seems to be a common problem referred to as, " death wobble. "this is the second time this has happened to me. I have owned the vehicle for 5 months. It was purchased at a Chrysler dealership.

- Tolleson, AZ, USA

problem #108

Aug 162013

Wrangler

  • 37,000 miles
Upon getting up to speed around 45 miles per hour, front end of vehicle starts shaking uncontrollably if even a slight bump is hit on the roadway. It is the so called "death wobble" so often talked about on the internet and in Wrangler forums. Mechanic replaced steering dampener which minimized the problem but it still continues to happen sometimes. Mechanic cannot find anything else that is loose with the suspension.

- Kihei, HI, USA

problem #107

Sep 242014

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 31,810 miles
Was driving around 50 mph front end started to shake so hard it was hard to hang on to steering wheel, hit the brakes hard, once vehicle almost stopped it stopped shaking, wife was with me and said she would never ride in it again. Seems like Jeep would man up, I'm not the only one with this problem.

- Corunna, IN, USA

problem #106

Aug 012014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 109,000 miles
While driving on the highway, the airbag light goes on and off intermittently. The horn also does not work at all. I took it to the local mechanic to have the horn fixed, and was informed it was a bad clock-spring. Chrysler has extended the warranty for the rh 2008 Wrangler and all 2007 Wrangler, but the warranty for the LH 2008 Wrangler, like mine, has not been extended to be replaced. This is a major safety issue as the horn does not work, and I am unsure if my airbag will deploy, if needed. There is clearly an issue as there are a flood of complaints. It is time for the NHTSA to step in and get this taken care of. I don't feel I should have to pay $500 to have the clock-spring fixed when it is an obvious issue across the line in the 2007 and 2008 models. I should also mention that I have also experienced the "death wobble" which is what was the initial issue which had me take the Jeep into the shop. Over this past year, the Jeep would just start shaking violently at about 55 mph every once in a while. This last time, I pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the Jeep and tried again, only to have it start shaking violently again. This is a major issue that needs addressed. I could have been killed as there were vehicles on the freeway all around me. I could barely control the vehicle to pull it off the road. The mechanic replaced the steering stabilizer, the calipers, and the rotors to alleviate the problem. Interestingly, when I walked in to talk to them, they knew exactly what it was as they have had similar complaints that needed repairs for the same vehicle and problem from other customers. This was a $350 repair. I point this second issue out so other Jeep owners will know what to have repaired if Chrysler does nothing.

- Morehead, KY, USA

problem #105

Feb 032014

Wrangler

  • 41,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving on highway and experienced sever "death wobble" relative to the steering. The Jeep was uncontrollable and dangerous to pull over. It has happened on numerous occasions.

- Painesville, OH, USA

problem #104

Jan 152014

Wrangler

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 55 mph, the entire front end of the vehicle shook violently. The contact decelerated to 40 mph in an effort to cease the shaking. An independent mechanic replaced the tires; however, the failure recurred when the vehicle was driven more than 55 mph. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic again and had the steering damper replaced twice, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000

- Ardmore, OK, USA

problem #103

May 132014

Wrangler

  • 71,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 42 mph, they hit a pot hole and the vehicle veered out of control. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the steering damper failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 71,000.

- Grand Rapids , MI, USA

problem #102

May 092014

Wrangler

  • 108,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler sahara. The contact stated that all of the components on the steering wheel failed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000 and the current mileage was 108,179.

- Grant, MI, USA

problem #101

Jan 132014

Wrangler

  • 23,000 miles
Death wobble. The front end vibrates violently that can and will cause accidents.

- Cranford, NJ, USA

problem #100

Mar 032014

Wrangler

  • 42,000 miles
I have a 2008 Jeep Wrangler unlimited X with 42,000 miles. The vehicle has been babied except for one off-road weekend last fall. The death wobble just started about two months ago when applying brakes over 55 mph. Mostly front-end wobble. It happened sporadically and only at speeds around 60 mph. I took it to my mechanic and he replaced the rotors. Just a few days later, the wobble returned, but much worse, and with no braking applied. The whole car violently shook. I returned the vehicle back to my mechanic. He did some research and eventually installed a new steering damper, a bigger one than the original part. I am hopeful the problem will be fixed. In researching this matter and reviewing the various blogs, including this site, I cannot believe that Chrysler Jeep is not doing anything about it. While there has been no reports of death, that is just fortuitous. Something needs to be done about it. Not a coincidence that so many operators are experiencing the same problem with the same model.

- Annandale, VA, USA

problem #99

Feb 222014

Wrangler

  • 31,231 miles
Driving home on a Saturday evening accelerating up to 55 mph once the vehicle hit 48-50 mph the front end began to shake/vibrate violently slowing down did not stop the vibrations I needed to pull off the road and come to a complete stop. The above repeated 3-4 times during the course of the trip. Took the vehicle to the dealership the following Monday and was told by the dealership that I experienced the "death wobble" they replaced the steering damper and rotated the tires. I have driven approximately 1,000 miles since that service appointment and am now experiencing the "death wobble" again, I am already out $1,200 for the initial repair attempt. The steering damper replacement appears to have only masked the problem for a short amount of time and is not a fix but a patch job which is likely resulting in further damage to other portions of the steering/suspension system. There are several reports of this both in your system and throughout the internet something is clearly wrong with these vehicles and it needs to be addressed. The complete loss of vehicle steering control during the shaking is going to get someone killed and it seems like that is what all the regulators are waiting for before taking any action to get this issue fixed.

- Germantown, MD, USA

problem #98

Dec 122012

Wrangler

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that when driving over any road bump or uneven road surface at speeds of 45 mph or above, the vehicle would shake violently. The contact was not able to regain control of the vehicle until braking to a complete stop. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacture were both made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 65,000. The current mileage was 85,000.

- West Fork, AR, USA

problem #97

Mar 062014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
I was driving home from work and when I exited from the highway, my airbag light came on. It proceeded to come on and go off over the next 15 min on the rest of my drive home. This seems to be a faulty clockspring, which leads to a faulty airbag. This should be covered under the extended 10 year/150,000 mile warranty that covers the 2007 lhd and 2008 RHD Jeep Wrangler. Whether the steering is on the right or left side of a vehicle should not make a difference when it comes to driver safety.

- Columbia, MO, USA

problem #96

Mar 062014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 94,300 miles
Air bag light came on. Was caused by a defective clock spring. This is a known defect on the Wrangler since recall was done on 2007 Jeep Wrangler and 2008 RHD Jeep Wrangler.

- Doylestown, PA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?