RoadVitals

2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-Dr 4X2 Suspension Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the suspension system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Suspension reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Nov 17, 2016
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
23%
of 35 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Jeep Wrangler 4-Dr 4X2 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming suspension

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

SteeringSuspension
Filed Nov 17, 2016

WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, ALONG WITH TWO TODDLERS IN THE BACKSEAT, AT 50 MPH, WITHOUT WARNING, THE SUSPENSION BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. AS II HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN MY LIFE, MY FIRST INSTINCT WAS TO APPLY THE BRAKES, AS I HAD ABSOLUTELY ZERO CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. WRONG MOVE! THIS CAUSED THE JEEP TO HOP, AND SKIP , I ALSO LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER. I THEN BEGAN TO PRAY FOR MY BABIES, WHO HAD BEEN ASLEEP IN THE BACKSEAT. I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM BRAKES, AND FOUGHT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL UNTIL I COULD CRAWL TO A STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!!! I WAS SO SHAKEN UP, THAT I FEAR FOR MY TEENAGE SON, WHO I SHARE THIS VEHICLE WITH. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, AND SOME EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, I CANNOT BELIEVE THESE VEHICLES ARE ALLOWED ON THE ROAD! THEY ARE A HAZARD TO SO MANY INNOCENT LIVES. THANK GOD, THERE WAS NOT ANY INCOMING TRAFFIC, ON THE HIGHWAY AT THIE TIME. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE! TAKE ACTION PLEASE!!!

NHTSA ID
10926590
Incident
Sep 16, 2016
Mileage
135,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed May 14, 2013

THE "DEATH WOBBLE" HAS OCCURRED AT MULTIPLE SPEEDS, TYPICALLY ON HIGHWAY. I HAVE SOME VIDEO RECORDING OF THIS HAPPENING EVEN AT SPEEDS OF 35-50. VEHICLE BEGINS SEVERELY SHAKING AND IS NOT SAFE AT ALL - DRIVER NEARLY LOSES ALL CONTROL. CAN BE INDUCED BY BRAKING, BY ROAD BUMP, OR APPARENTLY JUST RANDOM ONSET. REPLACED TIRES AND HAD SUSPENSION WORK DONE AND STABILIZER SHOCKS REPLACED TWICE. THIS HAS HELPED BUT NOT ELIMINATED THE PROBLEM AND I EXPECT IT TO DETERIORATE ONCE AGAIN. ONCE DEATH WOBBLE OCCURS, IT CAN BE RESOLVED BY EITHER SLOWING DOWN OR SPEEDING UP. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND ONE OF TWO KNOWN JEEP DEFECTS THAT THEY REFUSE TO CORRECT, WITH THE SECOND PROBLEM BEING THE FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS THAT POP OUT OF GEAR. VERY DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER! *TR

NHTSA ID
10511927
Incident
Nov 1, 2012
Mileage
100,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Jan 8, 2013

DEATH WOBBLE IS NOW OCCURRING ON THIS JEEP, AS WITH NUMEROUS OTHER JEEP ALREADY REPORTED TO THIS WEBSITE. NOT MUCH ELSE TO ADD, EXCEPT IT'S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10491919
Incident
Dec 31, 2012
Mileage
38,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistanceSteering+1 more
Filed May 9, 2012

MY 2008 JEEP SHAKES VIOLENTLY WHEN IT HIT A ROUGH PATCH OF ROAD. THIS HAS HAPPENED 10 TIMES TO ME THE FIRST TIME WAS 4/06/2011 THE MOST RECENT TIME WAS 3/26/2012. I HAVE REPLACED THE DAMPER BAR (3) TIMES, ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS. I HAVE TAKEN MY JEEP TO GLENDALE AND SOUTH COUNTY JEEP IN ST. LOUIS, MO AND THEY TELL ME I NEED TO REPLACE THE DAMPER BAR AND GET NEW TIRES. [XXX] FROM CUSTOMER CARE AT CHRYSLER HAS BEEN VERY NICE BUT NOT VERY HELPFUL. I AM NOT CONVINCED THIS IS THE PROBLEM SINCE READING THAT MANY OTHER JEEP OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. I HOPE THE US GOVERNMENT STEPS UP AND HELPS. PLEASE HELP BEFORE SOMEONE GET KILLED. I LOOK FORWARD TO SOMEONE CONTACTING ME SINCE JEEP FEELS THEY DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ID
10457962
Incident
Apr 6, 2011
Mileage
42,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Apr 27, 2012

JEEP SHAKES VIOLENTLY AT SPEEDS OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR; ALSO KNOWN AS A DEATH WOBBLE. WE EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM 1 YEAR AGO. THE STEERING STABILIZER WAS CHANGED BY THE DEALERSHIP. ALMOST EXACTLY A YEAR LATER, APRIL 2012, WE EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM AGAIN. I PERSONALLY CHANGED THE STEERING STABILIZER AGAIN, BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED THE NEXT DAY. WE RETURNED THE JEEP TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY CHANGED THE TIE-ROD AND ALIGNED THE VEHICLE'S FRONT END. TWO DAYS LATER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED. WE HAVE RETURNED THE JEEP TO THE DEALER AGAIN, AND THEY ARE SAYING THAT IT IS NECESSARY TO REPLACE THE STEERING STABILIZER AGAIN. THAT WILL BE THE 4TH STABILIZER ON THE VEHICLE IN A YEAR. IT SEEMS THERE SHOULD BE SOME OTHER UNDERLYING ISSUE WITH THE PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10456638
Incident
Mar 18, 2011
Mileage
35,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Dec 9, 2011

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THE "DEATH WOBBLE" IN MY JEEP, AND IT IS TERRIFYING. WHEN DRIVING ANYWHERE FROM 40-65 MPH, THE FRONT END WILL OCCASIONALLY BEGIN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND IT FEELS AS IF THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF CONTROL. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP IT IS TO IMMEDIATELY SLOW WAY DOWN AND TRY TO GET OFF THE ROAD (DIFFICULT IN MANY CONDITIONS). I RECENTLY TOOK IT IN TO THE JEEP DEALERSHIP AND THEY "FIXED" THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE BALL JOINTS, THE STEERING DAMPER, AND THE FRONT SHOCKS ($1,700). IT SEEMED TO BE OK FOR ABOUT 2 1/2 MONTHS, BUT IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. I CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY A NEW VEHICLE AT THIS TIME, BUT THE "DEATH WOBBLE" IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION (ESPECIALLY WHEN GOING 60 MPH DOWN THE HIGHWAY!), AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. *TR

NHTSA ID
10439185
Incident
Mar 9, 2010
Mileage
35,000 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Sep 26, 2011

WAS DRIVING BETWEEN 50-55 MPH CAR WAS SMOOTH RIDING, HIT SMALL BUMP IN ROAD AND RIGHT FRONT TIRE SEEMED TO WOBBLE AND BOUNCE UNCONTROLLABLY. STOP VEHICLE CHECKED TIRE AND BUSHINGS ALL WAS GOOD DROVE HOME FINE. NEXT DAY SAMETHING AT 45MPH AND DIFFERENT ROAD. VERY DANGEROUS AND JEEP SHOULD REPAIR, HOWEVER NO ONE KNOWS THE EXACT PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID
10427244
Incident
Sep 20, 2011
Mileage
55 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Jun 21, 2011

DRIVING AROUND 40 - 50 MPH, HIT A SLIGHT BUMP AND VEHICLE BEGINS SHAKING VIOLENTLY. STEERING WHEEL SHAKES, ENTIRE JEEP FEELS OUT OF CONTROL. YOU MUST COME ALMOST TO A COMPLETE STOP BEFORE THE SHAKING SUBSIDES. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME YOU HIT A SLIGHT BUMP GOING 40+MPH. DEALER SAID IT WAS AN ALIGNMENT PROBLEM AND "FIXED IT". IT IS BACK AT THE DEALERSHIP. WE WERE ON A 6 LANE FREEWAY TODAY WHEN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. WE GOT IT STOPPED ONCE AND WITHIN A MINUTE, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. HAD AN 18 WHEELER BEEN BEHIND US AT THE TIME WE WOULD PROBABLY HAVE BEEN HIT. AS IT WAS, A PRIVATE VEHICLE HAD TO SWERVE AROUND US. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULDN'T BE OCCURRING IN A 2008 JEEP WITH 24,000 MILES AND NO MODIFICATIONS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10407768
Incident
Jun 21, 2011
Mileage
24,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .