I’ll never forget the first time I experienced the dreaded death wobble in my CJ-7.
I was approaching 45 mph on a flat dirt road when all of a sudden I began experiencing a deafening front-end vibration that simultaneously made it hard to hold onto the steering wheel. It felt like I was going to lose control of my rig.
Needless to say, it was terrifying.
When you experienced it for the first time, you probably recognized immediately that it was the dreaded Jeep death wobble (like I did).
The experience gives you the sensation that you’re going to careen out of control — even though your vehicle is still going in a straight line.
Death Wobble, the horrible front end vibration that starts when one wheel (usually the right) hits a bump around 40-50 mph, is the worst possible downside to having a coil-sprung vehicle with a track bar setup. Vehicles affected by this design are the Jeep Cherokee XJ, the Grand Cherokee ZJ and WJ, Jeep Wrangler YJ, TJ, and JK, and also include Ford and Dodge trucks and early Ford Broncos.
— Source
Co způsobuje zakolísání Jeep Death?
While the symptoms of death wobble are easy to recognize, the causes are not.
Whether or not your Jeep will experience the death wobble depends on a variety of factors, including:
- the age and model of your Jeep
- your steering & suspension parts and configurations
- your wheel balance
Typically occurring between 45 and 55 mph, death wobble is caused by one or more problems with the front end or tires. That’s part of the problem. Drive train and suspension systems are so complex nowadays, it can be tough to pinpoint what caused the death wobble.
— Source
The Death Wobble Fix That Worked for Me
After I experienced death wobble, I immediately began tinkering under the hood for any obvious signs of loose wiring or misaligned parts. Pretty quickly, however, I realized I wasn’t going to be able to solve the problem on my own.
Because my CJ-7 is a vintage model, and because I’m not particularly mechanically inclined, I took it to a local auto shop I trust.
They started by testing my Jeep’s steering and front-end suspension system for any signs of play.
- replaced the steering stabilizer with a heavier-duty aftermarket component
- upgraded the worn steering and suspension parts (my joints and tie-rod ends, in particular)
- aligned the steering within specifications
- rebalanced the wheels
Despite these fixes, however, my CJ7 was still experiencing mild shaking at higher speeds on the road. A return trip to my mechanic determined new internals for my steering box were also in order.
The result? So far, so good!
Co byste měli dělat
Because one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to fixing the Jeep death wobble, I’ve come up with a checklist of components to hone in on to address the issue head on.
Whether you aim to fix the problem on your own (there are plenty of YouTube videos that may address your particular model) or take it to a professional, these steps should help:
- Check all your steering components — including your tie-in rods, upper and lower ball joints, track bar mounting, bracket bolts, steering box brace, and track bar ends
- Check your front-end alignment (ensure that the caster and toe-in are set correctly)
- Make sure your tires are not overinflated (around 30 psi is recommended for stock tires)
- Make sure there’s no slop in your hub bearings
- If you have suspension lifts over 3 inches, consider replacement parts made specifically for lifted vehicles
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Tuto diskuzi hrdě sponzoruje:
Senior Member
Založen: Jan 2014
All my Jeep Cherokee Death Wobble Research
Hello — I have done hours of research on the Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee Death Wobble issue. I’m looking for some comments from vehicle owners to either confirm or dispute what I’ve found.
I’m attaching a PDF upload that I created — sorry, it’s blurry. In the PDF I have captured the page from multiple owners manuals for both vehicles (Cherokee / Grand Cherokee).
Here is a summary.
- 2015, 2016 — No mention of wiring kit = THEY WERE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM
- 2017, 2018 — mentions the Mopar flat tow wiring kit requirement = THEY WERE PUSHING THE WIRE HARNESS FIX
- 2019, 2020 — No mention of wiring kit = JEEP FIXED THE PROBLEM
- 2021, 2022 — I did not download these yet, but assume they will be same as 2019-2020
(several blank pages — keep scrolling through PDF to get to Grand Cherokee)
- 2018, 2019, 2020 — no mention of wiring harness (problems started in 2016) = THEY WERE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM
- 2021 — mentions the Mopar flat tow wiring kit requirement = THEY WERE PUSHING THE WIRE HARNESS FIX
- 2022 — No mention of wiring kit = JEEP FIXED THE PROBLEM
The main question I’m looking to get answered is.
Do you own a 2019 or newer Jeep Cherokee with no wiring harness mod AND you have experienced the «death wobble».
| jeep-cherokee-towing-research.pdf (2.90 MB, 82 views) |
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Senior Member
Založen: Mar 2012
Location: Florida panhandle
Příspěvky: 1,227
The answer to your question will not REALLY answer your question. I have a 2014 TH, no wiring kit installed and never had a death wobble. A 2019 owner could answer the same way.
A wiring kit was not required in 2014 manual but has been updated to require one now. With Jeep’s track record on this problem, you could easily land in the same boat (Jeep ) later down the road (when Jeep finds out they were wrong )
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Senior Member
Založen: Jan 2015
As Gatorb8 stated no guarantees with prior good experience, however in my experience the pre 2019 models for sure are susceptible to the wobble without the flat tow harness installed. I towed a 2015 Cherokee Trailhawk for a lot of miles (probably >35k) over some very bad roads through Alaska including the Top of the World highway before getting my first wobble. I had successfully towed my Trailhawk before the wobble susceptibility became known and had rationalized that I had a �good� one and didn�t opt to install the flat tow harness. I also had installed a Quiet Hitch to take out movement between the tow bar and the hitch receiver as others had recommended to prevent a wobble and periodically tightened my tow bar to remove slop from it as well. Then in Newfoundland I experienced my first low speed wobble followed soon thereafter by a frightening high speed wobble. I installed the flat tow harness and never experienced another wobble for as long as I owned the car. In my experience, the probability for a wobble in a pre-2019 Cherokee without the flat tow harness increases as the vehicle suspension and tires wear and once the first wobble occurs they will likely reoccur soon thereafter. I know from first hand experience that a high speed wobble is a violent and dangerous occurrence that I would never want to repeat and urge pre-2019 Cherokee owners to reconsider installing that harness if they haven�t already.
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I bought a 2020 Cherokee Trail Hawk. The dealer charged me $750 to install the wiring harness because he thought it was still required. I used it twice flat towing and ran my battery down both times. Researching it here, I discovered the harness wasn’t required and haven’t used it since. I have never experienced the death wobble in about 8k of flat towing with or without the harness.
I do love the Cherokee Trail Hawk. It is a great vehicle to flat tow and drive. I have the turbo version which gets a bit better gas mileage and is sure fun to drive, both on road and off.
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Senior Member
Připojit Datum: listopad 2016
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Původně odeslal wfcentral
Do you own a 2019 or newer Jeep Cherokee with no wiring harness mod AND you have experienced the «death wobble».
Yes, 2019 Cherokee Trailhawk Elite.
No Mopar harness installed. No occurrences of «Death Wobble» in 17,600 miles towed. (Edited correct milage)
Tow gear installed by me:
Blueox baseplate
Invisibrake
Brakelight relay
Spínač brzdových světel
Charge line
Signal line to coach dash for brake application
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Toad — 2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
2017.5 Forester 3051 -7/14/2020
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Připojit Datum: srpen 2004
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I’ve got a 2014 Cherokee TH and have never had the Death Wobble. Now saying that I did make them install the wiring kit when they came out with it for free because I bought the car just for Toad use and the manual did not state it needed it when I bought it. The kit was installed after I did a coast to coast trip and I never had any issues with the Wobble.
What most don’t realize is the wobble can be fixed by properly installing your tow bar and base plates. You need to ensure that yo are not lifting the front end of the Toad up when traveling. You also need to stop the sway in the tow bar. A Quiet hitch will fix this. The one Base plate that has not had issues from what I’ve gathered is the Roadmaster one that has the bar that connects the 2 pieces together. Many people have had issues with other brands because they are only attached to the front frame pieces and don’t complete the triangle. They have had them destroy the frame of the car due to the undulations that can occur in the tow bar. Basically they begin to move up and down independently of each other and tear off the front of the frame.
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Vysloužilý námořní ponorkář
2014 Itasca Sunstar 35F; 5-hvězdičkové naladění; Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk z roku 2014
Senior Member
Založen: Jan 2015
Původně odeslal SuperGewl
I’ve got a 2014 Cherokee TH and have never had the Death Wobble. Now saying that I did make them install the wiring kit when they came out with it for free because I bought the car just for Toad use and the manual did not state it needed it when I bought it. The kit was installed after I did a coast to coast trip and I never had any issues with the Wobble.
What most don’t realize is the wobble can be fixed by properly installing your tow bar and base plates. You need to ensure that yo are not lifting the front end of the Toad up when traveling. You also need to stop the sway in the tow bar. A Quiet hitch will fix this. The one Base plate that has not had issues from what I’ve gathered is the Roadmaster one that has the bar that connects the 2 pieces together. Many people have had issues with other brands because they are only attached to the front frame pieces and don’t complete the triangle. They have had them destroy the frame of the car due to the undulations that can occur in the tow bar. Basically they begin to move up and down independently of each other and tear off the front of the frame.
The revised Blue Ox baseplates for the Cherokees do �complete the triangle�. The original design Blue Ox baseplate, at least for the Trailhawk, did not. Each individual baseplate tower is now connected at the front of each tower to the Cherokee structural bumper which performs exactly the same function as the crossbar on the Roadmaster baseplates, i.e., connects the two towers together to prevent independent lateral and vertical motion. The fact of the matter is that the 2014 through 2018 Cherokees are extremely susceptible to dangerous and damaging wobbles. Conditions such as suspension and tire wear change over time which increases the probability for a wobble. Eventually, the odds are good that increased wear will align with just the right road conditions (most likely roughness like potholes, bridge transitions, combined with a left or right turn) to induce a wobble. All Cherokees are wobble free until the first time one occurs. The prudent thing to do is to utilize the manufacturer�s fix to prevent wobbles. This fix has been demonstrated to preclude wobbles (as long as it has been correctly installed and is functioning) even in those vehicles that have previously experienced multiple wobbles. I personally experienced this — took the actions described by Supergewl and was wobble free for over 35k miles of towing and convinced myself that my car was not susceptible. Then I quickly experienced 2 wobbles, the second of which was a violent and dangerous high speed wobble. The wobbles did not recur in my vehicle after installation and use of the flat tow harness which aligns with the total experience base of the flat tow harness.
