2016 Jeep Wrangler Steering Problems

My 2016 Jeep Wrangler will buck and jerk when on the highway. I’ll be going a steady speed, not changing speed. I feel the car slow down and stomp on the gas but it goes all the way to the floor and nothing happens. When I try to go into the break down lane, the steering wheel locks up and won’t turn. Usually I take the key out then put it back in the ignition and it starts no problem. Recently, the engine has been stalling when I put the key back in the ignition. I usually have to take the key out and sit on the side of the highway for 5 minutes before starting it up with no problem. This has happened too many times than I’d like to admit. Take it to the shop, no codes come up. Sometimes the engine light will turn on when this happens, other times it doesn’t.

NHTSA ID

11748098

Incident

Jun 29, 2026

ABS module reported to dealer in February, 2025..They said was safe to drive. Then April 2025 the module went out.-Part has been on backorder since March 2025. It was taken to Key Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Marianna in March 2025. Jeep would not steer properly, the brakes were not normal and all the warning lights on dash were on. I could not drive. .

NHTSA ID

11723377

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

On September 2, 2025, while driving at 65 mph, I lost control of my vehicle three times. The traction control light came on each time, creating a serious safety risk to me and others. The issue appears to involve the airbag clockspring/steering column assembly, matching symptoms reported under Safety Recall 27B (RC-27B-24). My VIN is not currently included in the recall. Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram opened Case #94164354 and advised me to submit this so my VIN can be added. The part is available for inspection. My car is not drivable at this time due to the safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11685251

Incident

Sep 2, 2025

This vehicle is not suitable for driving, it has suspension, alignment, brake and speed problems. I was about to have an accident, I was going down an avenue and suddenly the wheels stopped and the car began to move from one side to the other and I lost stability of the steering wheel and the car, putting my life and the lives of my family (my girlfriend and my mother) at risk, luckily I did not cause an accident because there was no car in the side lane ... It is impossible to drive this car, the next day I took the car to a detailed inspection at a mechanical workshop specialized in Jeeps and indeed it has serious and serious problems with the car. There are images where the lights on the dashboard are on and the engine is also overheated ... For this reason, I decided to return the car to the dealer and file the report as evidence of this defective car and dangers to driving ...

NHTSA ID

11670711

Incident

Jun 30, 2025

Horn stopped working. Steering wheel controls stopped working. Airbag clockspring bad. Several lights on, on dash. Several dealerships claim even though there is a recall, my Jeep is not covered.

NHTSA ID

11657534

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

ABS module defect. Unable to obtain part for almost a year. March 16, 2024 vehicle started shaking violently. All dashboard lights started blinking. Was driving approximately 50 mph at the time. Tried slowing down, no matter the speed, shook so hard could not keep vehicle in lane.

NHTSA ID

11648910

Incident

Mar 16, 2024

The sway bar on the 2016 Jeep Rubicon sway bar engages and you lose ability to steer. This has happened on the expressway to us, several time. I have read about this issue, there was a class action lawsuit that did not go anywhere. This is very dangerous to the people driving and also to people around them. I

NHTSA ID

11536016

Incident

Jul 25, 2023

2016 Jeep Wrangler intermittently misfires then immediately loses power and dies. Also loses power steering at the same time. It almost caused an accident and is a big safety concern. Now I drive in the right lane in case I have to hurry and pull off the side of road. I turn the key off, but then start it right back up and it drives fine. But then will happen again random. No dash board warning lights ever come on. Been to the dealer twice- 1st time they updated pcm software, this time they changed spark plugs and coil pack. Help. *also, first started happening at 104,500 miles .. took to dealer for the issue, it is still happening and currently at 107,500; happens randomly whether at 25mph or 50 mph

NHTSA ID

11508891

Incident

Aug 30, 2022

This Jeep is a right hand drive wrangler. Airbag light, traction control light came on, and my horn quit working. Cruise control quit working, and then my antilock brake system was malfunctioning. I couldn't figure out why. So I went to both the Jeep dealership, and the local autozone where they scanned my Jeep for codes, and it's saying a bad clockspring. They said there is a known recall for 2016 models, but mine isn't included. They said to figure out why this Jeep is not included. . Why is my Jeep not included in the already known recall for the bad clock springs?

NHTSA ID

11498999

Incident

Dec 22, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the contact attempted to blow the horn and no sound came from the horn. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to steer and the controls on the steering wheel were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the steering column and the clockspring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under recall. The failure mileage was 13,000.

NHTSA ID

11498201

Incident

May 21, 2022

Mileage

13,000 mi

My airbag light is on all the time and my horn stopped working.

NHTSA ID

11482877

Incident

Sep 1, 2021

Track bar mount welds sheared of the axle housing at 70 mph after hitting a pothole. Vehicle shot to the right almost putting me into a guard rail. Would have been a terrible accident if I did hit said guard rail. No warning lamps or indicators.

NHTSA ID

11480987

Incident

Aug 23, 2022

2016 Jeep JKU 78,000 miles NOT driveable because front end wobbles and steering wheel vibrates. Increasing to 60 MPH stops the wobble. This happened to me twice and someone else driving my vehicle. Had new tires installed and front end aligned - thought it was fixed but then the problem became worse. I just got back home after a 20 mile drive and the shaking and wobbling was horrific. I did not feel safe in this vehicle. Upon returning home the right front wheel began smoking so I grabbed a fire extinguisher just in case. The right front wheel was extremely hot to the touch. After cooling off and no fire, I conducted a visual inspection of the right front brake caliper and noticed it had circular markings on caliper in 3 different areas. I am not going to drive this vehicle again until the dealership can fix it.

NHTSA ID

11460330

Incident

Apr 10, 2022

Power steering no longer works. Started at 41,000 miles. Replaced power steering pump and still doesn’t work. Mechanic thinks it’s probably the power steering box.

NHTSA ID

11436537

Incident

Aug 9, 2021

DEATH WOBBLE - THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE OWNING THE JEEP - PAID OUT OF POCKET FOR NEW TRACK BAR (DIDN'T FIX PROBLEM) - TOOK JEEP TO DOMINION OF BEDFORD (JEEP DEALER) THEY SAID THEY COULDNT FIND ANYTHING LOOSE ON FRONT END AND RECOMMENDED GETTING VEHICLE ALIGNED (PAID OUT OF POCKET TO DOMINION OF BEDFORD) - HAD VEHICLE ALIGNED (ALMOST $300, DIDN'T FIX PROBLEM) - TOOK JEEP TO A DIFFERENT MECHANIC AND THEY ADVISED NOTHING COULD BE FOUND THAT WAS LOOSE - EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN OPERATING AT HIGHWAY SPEED BECAUSE THERE IS VERY LITTLE CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND WHEN I'M ON THE HIGHWAY I CAN'T JUST SLOW DOWN WITHOUT POSSIBLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT - WE HAVE RECEIVED NO NOTICES FROM JEEP ABOUT THIS ISSUE OR WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM

NHTSA ID

11373729

Incident

Nov 4, 2020

Mileage

70,000 mi

RANDOMLY DRIVING ON THE ROAD AT VARIOUS SPEEDS THIS JEEP WILL SUDDENLY UNEXPECTEDLY BEGIN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND CAUSES THE DRIVER TO BE UNABLE TO SAFELY CONTROL THE VEHICLE. JEEP DEALERSHIP DOES NOT GUARANTEE IT CAN FIX THE PROBLEM BUT IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. OTHER MECHANICS ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND ARE UNABLE TO FIX IT. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES AT MULTIPLE SPEEDS ON THE CITY STREETS AND AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE HIGHWAY. IT HAPPENS WHEN DRIVING STRAIGHT AND IT ALSO HAPPENS WHEN TURNING. THIS VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED OR INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT YET BUT IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE

NHTSA ID

11373183

Incident

Nov 4, 2020

Mileage

73,000 mi

HAVE HAD TO HAVE MOST IF NOT ALL FRONT OF VEHICLE REPLACED WITH BALL JOINTS AND UPPER RIGHT AXLE THE LATEST. NOW I HAVE A DECA CODE 0198 FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND NOW THE VEHICLE IS RUNNING HOT.

NHTSA ID

11360110

Incident

Sep 15, 2020

Mileage

139,567 mi

CLOCKSPRING IS CAUSING THE AIR BAG LIGHT TO STAY ILLUMINATED. CLOCKSPRING CONTROLS TURN SIGNAL, FLASHERS, DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS, ETC. IF I HAVE AN ACCIDENT THE AIR BAGS MAY NOT EVEN DEPLOY. THAT IS A REAL SAFETY ISSUE TO ME AND SHOULD BE FOR ALL DRIVERS.

NHTSA ID

11360063

Incident

Jun 17, 2020

Mileage

49,000 mi

WHEN I CRANK MY VEHICLE AND PLACE IT IN DRIVE THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS COME ON AND THE BREAKING SYSTEM BEGINS TO LOCK DOWN THE BRAKES AND CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO JERK TO A STOP. THIS IS HAPPENING WHILE I AM ON THE PUBLIC ROADWAY. THE DOWNHILL BREAKING ENGAGES WHEN ALL OF THIS IS GOING ON. SOMETIMES IT WILL CLEAR ITSELF OFF AND THE VEHICLE OPERATES NORMALLY TILL THE NEXT DAY.

NHTSA ID

11354535

Incident

Sep 10, 2020

Mileage

109,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 JEEP WRANGLER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO SHAKE ABNORMALLY, AND THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER GOING OVER A MINOR BUMP IN THE ROADWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VIDEON CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM LOCATED AT 4951 WEST CHESTER PIKE NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA 19073, TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE STEERING DAMPER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS SIMILAR TO THE FAILURE LISTED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V201000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

NHTSA ID

11327474

Incident

Jun 5, 2020

Mileage

84,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE FRONT END STARTED TO SHAKE REALLY BAD, ALSO KNOWN AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE ON THE HIGHWAY AND ONCE ON A MAIN ROAD SINCE I HAVE GOTTEN THE JEEP 1.5 YEARS AGO. WHEN I MAKE TURNS IT WILL OCCASIONALLY SEEM LIKE THE STEERING STICKS A LITTLE THEN JERKS SLIGHTLY IN THE DIRECTION I TURNED THE WHEEL.

NHTSA ID

11256988

Incident

Apr 22, 2019

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ANYWHERE FROM 30 TO 80 THE STEERING WILL OSCILLATE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AFTER ENCOUNTERING MINOR BUMPS IN THE ROAD. AT TIMES THE OSCILLATIONS ARE RATHER VIOLENT. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I OWNED THE VEHICLE. IF YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF THE ISSUE ACCIDENTS COULD BE THE RESULT.

NHTSA ID

11243369

Incident

Jun 1, 2016

Mileage

1,000 mi

I FIRST EXPERIENCED THE "DEATH WOBBLE" WITHIN A YEAR OR SO OF PURCHASING MY NEW 2016 JEEP WRANGLER...VERY SCARY (SEEMS TO HAPPEN ON A ROUGH SPOTS IN THE ROAD, TRAVELING AT 45 MPH OR HIGHER).THE FRONT END WAS SHAKING SO BADLY THAT I THOUGHT I HAD A FLAT TIRE, OR THAT A WHEEL HAD FALLEN OFF. IT HAS NOW HAPPENED AT LEAST 8 TIMES, AND I NO LONGER DRIVE ON ANY INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. I TOOK IT IN TO THE JEEP DEALER TO HAVE THIS CHECKED OUT ON JUNE 27, 2017 WITH 31,237 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. THEY SAID THAT EVERYTHING LOOKED FINE. ALSO HAD THE TIRES ROTATED AND BALANCED TO SEE IF THAT WAS PART OF THE PROBLEM, BUT JUST WHEN YOU THINK THAT ALL IS OK, IT HAPPENS AGAIN. YOU ARE NEVER SURE WHEN TO EXPECT IT, AND IT IS UNNERVING. THE JEEP DEALER CLAIMED TO HAVE NOT HEARD OF THE "DEATH WOBBLE". I THINK JEEP IS HIDING THE FACT THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. YOU CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT IT IS LIKE UNTIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU.

NHTSA ID

11181069

Incident

Jul 8, 2016

Mileage

25,000 mi

JEEP DEATH WOBBLE - WHILST TAKING MY SON TO SCHOOL I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, I STUCK A SMALL POTHOLE WITH MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE. THE VEHICLE FRONT END BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AS THE STEERING WHEEL OSCILLATED ABOUT 6 INCHES BACK AND FORTH. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND NEARLY COLLIDED WITH CENTER MEDIAN AND VEHICLES TO MY RIGHT. SLOWING DOWN TO ABOUT 5 MPH CAUSED THE WOBBLE TO SUBSIDE. THIS WAS AN EXTREMELY SCARY EVENT AND COULD HAVE CAUSED INJURY/DEATH OF BOTH OF US HAD I LOST CONTROL. A DASHCAM VIDEO OF THE INCIDENT CAN BE PROVIDED IF NEEDED.

NHTSA ID

11139215

Incident

Oct 9, 2018

Mileage

30,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 JEEP WRANGLER. AFTER ACTIVATING THE TURN SIGNAL, IT WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE AUGUSTA CHRYSLER DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN MODULE NEEDED TO BE DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 16,000.

NHTSA ID

11011285

Incident

Jul 28, 2017

Mileage

16,000 mi