Death Wobble

Hey Rudy, Curious if this Jeeps been modified to any extent? Maybe Check caster angles to make sure they’re in specs.

Have you checked the front end with the wheels on the ground and have an assistant turn right to left slightly to check all front end components?

Make sure there is no play in the Trac Bar. Check it with the full weight of the vehicle on the tires and have someone move the steering wheel back and forth while someone else watches for movement at each end.

Check for a bent wheel.

Every time I get one of these with this issue I replace the loose components and the problem is still there. I almost always end up having to replace the tires to get the wobble to go away. Usually I have another vehicle I can swap tires with to confirm they are the cause.

hi has this jeep been lifted? does it have BIG tires, the other guys already asked the other important questions. hope you can find the problem.

Hi Rudy, something like this? youtube​.​com/watch?v=ncTgYl…

Also forgot to mention, most dodge and jeep vehicles that are modified suspensions and large tires have that problem.

With Jeep on the ground, have assistant move steering wheel back and forth while you observe and “feel” the tie rod sockets for any looseness. With vehicle on lift, turn wheel to outer lock and rotate the tire to check the outer u-joints for any binding. The tire should rotate without any resistance. Also look for any rust at the u-joint dust boots.

Most of the time death wobble in these Jeeps are caused by the track bar. I highly recommend you check this on the ground while someone turns the wheel back and forth looking for any movement in any components and especially the track bar. Since the track bar was just replaced make sure they torqued the bolt on the passenger side properly. I often see these under torqued and you will see with…

Adjust the toe to zero. This is a common issue.

Does it have ABS and ESC? I have a 2015 Ram Promaster 1500 and it experiences a similar conditions in a right turn. correct me if I am wrong but does the braking and electronic stability control work hand in hand. If the ESC thinks that the right conditions exist and a correction is required from the ABS. Turn off the ESC and try the symptoms again at 50 mph. the magnetic strip and the ABS…

We had same issue on ‘06 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. We replaced both loose track bar bushings. Still had death wobble at 40-50 mph. Replaced the tires and no more death wobble. Customer later sold the Jeep and the new owner came to us about 6 months later with complaint of death wobble. Everything in suspension and steering was still tight. Suggested to replace the tires. He had them replaced and…

All of the things mentioned, plus, see if there is any up and down play in tie rods. We had an issue several years ago where there was no side to side movement, but could fairly easily move them up and down.

We had a utilitu with a very bad Wobble after a lot of messing around and having the wheels balanced we removed the tyres to find one had almost a liter of Tyre repair gunk in one wheel, not a common fault but somthing to consider.

We have chased this problem for years, and eliminated it with new tires also. We recently had a F250 in the shop with the same problem, it was a friends truck and I wanted to fix it, not just send it down the road with new tires. We did everything. New ball joints, track bar bushings, shocks, and lowered the caster 1.5 degrees. All these made it better but it was not great until we replaced the…

Hi Rudy, I would be critical about shocks. Have a helper follow you and get up to speed while talking via mobile phone. I've seen wheel dribble like a basket ball due to a bad shock. Bad shocks do not always leak. Of course rotate tires and see if anything changes as well. I've played the new tire game before and think it masks the issue for only a short time. Look across the tire treads…

Hmm, in heavy duty I have not paid a lot of attention to shocks when looking for a vibration cause. Mainly because they were optional for a long time. Figured it was just a ride thing. I might need to rethink that.

We have had good luck finding loose parts checking on ground vehicle running assistant holding down brakes and Working the steering wheel slow sweep then agressive side to side.

Hello, Rudy. How big are the tires?

Once all the mentioned items have been checked or replaced? Pay attention to the trailing arms aka control arm bushings. Center bolt bushing may be elongated.

Hello, Rudy! Death Wobble occurs when a solid front axle shifts sideways in relation to the frame. Each time the axle shifts position, the front wheels are steered slightly left or right, which creates the Death Wobble. In short, the Death Wobble occurs when the front wheels are rapidly changing direction. Offset wheels and big tires contribute to Death Wobble because the tire centerline falls…

If all other components mentioned here have been dry park checked and alignment, especially caster, are in spec take a close look at the steering box for play, pitman shaft wear and mounting points. I have even seen frame cracks under the mount points.

Good point, Randy. Most conventional steering boxes should, at the very least, have an over-center adjustment performed. Frame cracking can be a real issue if the Jeep sees a lot of off-roading use…

Rudy, We have fixed so many of these things. I have not read anybody else's comments so I will be repetitive for certain. We have learned that these need a wholistic approach. There are no silver bullets. They have had a few problem parts over the years but generally the following components are the wear issues that contribute to this problem the most - Track arm - Bushings - Worn Steering…

Good points about the caster angle and tire wear, Donny…

Thanks for getting back to us, Rudy…

Hopefully it doesn’t reoccur after the tires wear a bit.

Everytime ive run into “ death wobble” that wasnt a suspension related issue . It always had good year tires . Ive noticed over the past few years that good years take alot more weight to balance even when the are brand new . Then with other brands . Dont make them like they used to i suppose