2005 Jeep Wrangler Suspension Problems

Your Wrangler's frame has severe rust that has eaten through from the inside out, causing the transfer case mounting bolts to pull through while driving—which happened during a driveway departure but could have been dangerous on the highway. The windshield frame and passenger rocker also have rust damage with holes that allow water to leak into the vehicle, causing the floor to rust from the inside out. Addressing this will likely require frame repair or replacement, rust treatment, and sealing of water entry points.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND DRIVING OVER A BUMP, THE FRONT TWO WHEELS STARTED TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE SWAY BAR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

I'VE ENCOUNTERED THE TERM OF THE DEATH WOBBLE IN THE JEEP I PURCHASED. I WAS WONDERING IF THERE IS SOME KIND OF RECALL ON THESE TYPES OF VEHICLES. I RECENTLY PURCHASED THE JEEP AND HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT MUCH. TRYING TO FIX PROBLEMS BUT IT WILL BE EXPENSIVE. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE INSIDE LANE AT OR ABOUT 43MPH ON A STATE HWY WHEN IT HIT A VERY SMALL BUMP IN THE ROAD. ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER MY 2005 JEEP WRANGLER BEGAN SHAKING VIOLENTLY CAUSING ME TO LOSE MY GRIP ON THE STEERING WHEEL BEFORE I COULD REGAIN CONTROL, NEARLY STRIKING ANOTHER VEHICLE TRAVELING ON THE OUTSIDE LANE. THE SHAKING WAS SO VIOLENT I THOUGHT MY JEEP WAS LITERALLY GOING TO FALL APART AND/OR FLIP OVER. I WORK OUT OF TOWN AND WAS FORCED TO RETURN HOME AND TAKE MY WIFE'S TRUCK. *TR

AFTER I HAD MY TIRES ROTATED AND WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 45 MPH THE FRONT END BEGAN TO SEVERELY SHIMMY. IT OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE ONLY WAY TO GET IT TO STOP WAS TO DECELERATE. I HAD THE DAMPENER AND TIRES REPLACED (THEY WERE WORN UNEVENLY) TODAY. I HAVE MAJOR CONCERNS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE LONG TERM. THERE ARE MANY ANECDOTAL REFERENCES ON GOOGLE CONCERNING THIS BEING A MAJOR PROBLEM (GOOGLE SEARCH WRANGLER "DEATH WOBBLE." ) ONE STORY INDICATED THAT THERE WERE A LIMITED NUMBER OF FORMAL COMPLAINTS TO YOUR ORGANIZATION SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I ADDED A COMPLAINT AS THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT FOR AN UNSUSPECTING DRIVER. I WILL UPDATE THE RESULT OF THE REPAIR IN TERMS OF WHETHER IT RESOLVES THE INCIDENT OR NOT. *JS

DEATH WOBBLE AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 55 AND 60 MPH.L *TT

I LOVE MY 2005 JEEP WRANGLER BUT I'M AFRAID IT'S GOING TO KILL ME OR CAUSE A MAJOR ACCIDENT. HITTING A BUMP OR ROUGH PATCH AT SPEEDS OVER 50 CAN TRIGGER A "DEATH WOBBLE." THE TIRES SPIN SIDEWAYS- UNCONTROLLABLY- AND THE CAR LITERALLY JUMPS AND SHIMMIES OUT OF CONTROL. IF I'M LUCKY I CAN GUIDE IT OFF THE FREEWAY TO A STOP. THIS HAPPENED A YEAR AGO AND I HAD MY TIRES ALIGNED, WHICH HELPED FOR A WHILE. IT STARTED AGAIN, SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO ALIGNED MY TIRES AND REPLACED MY STEERING DAMPER. JEEP KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM- THERE'S A REPLACEMENT PART AVAILABLE FOR NEWER MODELS. I DRIVE CONSERVATIVELY, AND NEVER OFF-ROAD, AND HAVE NOT MADE ANY MODIFICATIONS TO THE FACTORY PARTS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS AND COMMON COMPLAINT- JEEP SHOULD BE MADE TO RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED!! HOW CAN THERE HAVE BEEN NO ACTION TO DATE WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS! *KB

I BOUGHT A 2005 SE SPORT JEEP WRANGLER ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS I HAVE NOTICED VIBRATIONS INCREASING IN THE STEERING WHEEL AND JUST IN THE PAST MONTH THE SHAKINGS HAVE BECOME EXTREMELY VIOLENT BETWEEN 52-60 MPH, CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO PULL OVER AND STOP ON THE INTERSTATE. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND HAVE HAD THE BRAKE PAD REPLACED, NEW SHOCKS, NEW ALIGNMENT, TIRES ROTATED, TIRES BALANCED, ROTORS REPLACED AND THE ENTIRE FRONT END CHECKED. THE SHAKING IS STILL PRESENT AND I CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP REPLACING ONE THING AT A TIME WHEN NOTHING SEEMS TO HELP. THE VIOLENT SHAKING IS OCCURRING CONSISTENTLY EVERY TIME I REACH 52 MPH NOW AND I AM SCARED TO DRIVE IT ON THE INTERSTATE OR HAVE MY FAMILY DRIVE IT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO GO OR WHO TO TALK TO TO HELP ME GET THIS FIXED WITHOUT COSTING ME MY ENTIRE MONTHS SALARY OR MORE. MY TIRES ALSO APPEAR TO BE WEARING WRONG DUE TO THE SHAKING, WHICH WILL COST ME MORE MONEY TO REPLACE. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THIS "DEATH WOBBLE" AND AM FINDING THAT IT IS VERY COMMON. WE NEED SOMEONE TO HELP US SO NO ONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED AND SO WE AREN'T PAYING OUT OF POCKET FOR A TECHNICAL ERROR. *TR

2005 JEEP WRANGLER SHAKES VIOLENTLY AFTER HITTING ANY MINOR BUMP WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH OR ABOVE. THE VEHICLE MUST COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE THE SHAKING WILL STOP. TIRES HAVE BEEN REPLACE, WHEEL ALIGNMENT WHICH STOPPED THE SHAKING FOR A FEW MONTHS. THE SHAKING IS BACK AND NOW THE STEERING STABILIZER ARM IS BEING REPLACED JUST TO SEE IF THAT WILL STOP THE SHAKING. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS TRYING TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON A FREEWAY. *TR

WE OWN A 2005 JEEP TJ WRANGLER. WHEN HITTING A BUMP IT SHAKES VIOLENTLY AND YOU HAVE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE IT WILL STOP. I HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM AND FIND THAT IT IS VERY COMMON WITH THIS YEAR AND MODEL OF JEEP. WE HAVE REPLACED THE STEERING DAMPER, SWAY BAR ENDS, TRACK BAR BUSHINGS, ALL NEW SHOCKS, BRAKES AND ROTORS, TIRES BALANCED AND ROTATED SEVERAL TIMES WITH NO AVAIL. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE AND WE CANNOT SEEM TO GET ANY ANSWERS. THE JEEP HAS 60,00 MILES ON IT AND IS COMPLETELY STOCK WITH NO MODIFICATIONS ON IT. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS DRIVE, BUT MY ONLY VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTATION TO MY JOB. MY WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER SUSPENSION AND STEERING SO EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE HAS BEEN AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THIS ISSUE CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS WRECK AND FOR A YOUNG DRIVER COULD BE FATAL. CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS SITUATION. WE ARE STUCK WITH WHAT WE HAVE, AS WE ARE STILL PAYING ON IT. WE CAN GET NO ANSWERS, EXCEPT KEEP REPLACING PARTS WITH BETTER QUALITY ONES. WHICH BRINGS THE QUESTIONS UP, WHY DID THEY USE LESS THAN GOOD QUALITY WHEN IT WAS BUILT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP WRANGLER. WHENEVER THE CONTACT DRIVES OVER 40 MPH, THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE SHIMMIES. AS A RESULT, HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 54,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE FRONT END WOULD SHAKE SO SEVERELY THAT THE CONTACT WOULD HAVE TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR IT TO STOP JERKING UP AND DOWN. THE VEHICLE WOULD OPERATE NORMALLY ON OCCASION; HOWEVER, IF HE DROVE OVER A BUMP, THE SHAKING WOULD OCCUR. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY TEN TIMES, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE WHEN THEY TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HIM TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. THEY ALSO STATED THAT THEY WOULD SEND A REPRESENTATIVE TO THE DEALER TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE, BUT THEY NEVER DID. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 21,437 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5. UPDATED 10-30-08 *BF UPDATED 10/31/08. *JB

2005 JEEP WRANGLER RIGHT SIDE TIRE WEAR OUT UNEVENLY. *CW THE CONSUMER STATED SHE HAD TO PURCHASE 3 SETS OF TIRES. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING VIOLENTLY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SHAKING OCCURS MAINLY ON THE HIGHWAY OR WHEN EXITING THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT PULL LEFT OR RIGHT. SHE MUST GRIP THE STEERING WHEEL FIRMLY ONCE THE SHAKING BEGINS. THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED TO TORQUE THE FRONT END AND TO HAVE THE BRAKES INSPECTED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 37,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER HE ACCELERATES OVER 50 MPH OR APPLIES THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE SHAKES VIOLENTLY. THE STEERING WHEEL JERKS IN A RAPID MOTION FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AND OCCASIONALLY CAUSES HIM TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE CONTACT REPLACED ALL FOUR TIRES IN AN ATTEMPT TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 27,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000. *UPDATED 12/12/07 *BF UPDATED 12/12/07

2005 JEEP RUBICON UNLIMITED HAS UNCONTROLLABLE VIGOROUS FRONT END SHAKING. VEHICLE BEGINS TO SHAKE AFTER HITTING ROAD PATCHES, SEAMS, AND ANY OTHER TYPE OF BUMP AT SPEEDS OF 30 + MPH. SHAKE IS SO VIOLENT THAT VEHICLE MUST BE STOPPED TO RESUME REGULAR DRIVING. VERY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND UNSAFE FOR PASSENGERS AND OTHER MOTORISTS DEALER IS GOING TO REPLACE CAMBER BOLTS AND STEERING DAMPENER BUT PARTS ARE ON NATIONAL BACKORDER WITH AN INDEFINITE TIME FOR REPAIR. FIRST INCIDENT WAS IN JUNE AND IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE THEN. IT IS DRIVEN ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS ONLY, DUE TO THE "DEATH WOBBLE". *TR

SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE 2005 JEEP WRANGLER 2 DOOR I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT VIBRATION WHEN I HIT A BUMP AT ABOUT 30-35 MPH THAT S TARTS SHAKING THE VEHICLE SO VIOLENTLY I HAVE TO SLOW DOWN TO BELOW 5 MPH. THE JEEP JERKS ALL OF THE ROAD OUT OF CONTROL UNTIL I SLOW DOWN. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED SEVERAL PARTS ON THE SUSPENSION. THE DEALER IS KINGS JEEP 513-774-5333. I HAVE ALSO SEEN ON WEB AT THIS ADDRESS HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=VQVKG2LP4R4 . THIS PROBLEM MAY LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL AND OR A DEATH. JEEP NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS AS IT APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH OTHER JEEPS TOO.*AK

2005 JEEP WRANGLER FRONT BRAKES WERE SEVERELY WORN AND BALL JOINTS NEED REPLACING. *TS ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** *JB

AT 3611 MILES,I TOOK MY 05 UNLIMITED WRANGLER BACK TO THE DEALER. I COMPLAINED ABOUT EXTREME BUMPINESS AND PARTIAL CONTROL LOSS WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS AND RAILROAD TRACKS. ALSO THE REAR GLASS RATTLES, AND THE WIPER GETS STUCK IN BETWEEN THE TIRE RACK. THE DEALER SAID THAT HANDLING WAS NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE VEHICLE. THEY REPLACED TIRE MOUNT BRACKET AND ADJUSTED REAR GLASS. SO FAR I HAVE TAKEN THIS VEHICLE TO 2 DIFFERENT JEEP DEALERSHIPS 5 TIMES, FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS AND IT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. *NM