2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4x4Jil McIntosh Anyone whos spent time behind the wheel of a Jeep Wrangler has heard about the dreaded death wobble. For some, it inhabits the same mythical dimension as Thanos and Freddy Kreuger, while others swear by (and at) their Jeeps propensity to exhibit steering wheel shake after hitting a road hazard.It is important to understand that Wranglers are equipped with a solid log of a front axle, meaning it can display wildly different handling characteristics than a traditionally sprung car or crossover vehicle. Longtime fans of the brand are well aware of this but, thanks to an explosion in popularity, Jeep has been welcoming many new customers to their house, not all of whom are as well versed in the quirks of a Wrangler especially if theyre trading out of a CR-V or RAV4.Now, it seems, Jeep is trying to get ahead of the issue. Those in the know over at the Detroit Free Press have reported FCA execs have announced a solution, one which takes the form of a new steering damper, also known as a stabilizer. Tech compliance officer Mark Chernoby told the Freep that the original damper had a tendency to form air bubbles within the units oil, particularly in cold weather. This reduced the parts ability to do its job namely, preventing the sort of issue about which customers are complaining. The new steering damper, produced by the same supplier as the old one, is said to be designed to let its oil move more freely, helping it quash steering vibrations more quickly. In a quote to the Free Press, Chernoby refused to throw that supplier under the bus, saying We steer away from any kind of blame game or even open discussion on suppliers even on safety recalls. For that, Chernoby gets the Driving.ca Pun of the Year award.The company quietly issued a customer satisfaction campaign in June aimed at addressing this problem. Targeting certain Wrangler JLs in the 2018 and 2019 model years, campaign code V41 attends to several components in the Jeeps steering system, including the steering damper. The fix is not VIN-specific, meaning it should apply across the board on this model. Perhaps unsurprisingly, all but three of the parts involved in this campaign are labelled as being of limited quantity. Just two of the parts were labelled as such the last time your author looked about one month ago. This speaks to FCA completing the campaign for those who ask for it, using up their parts bin in the process.FCA says it will send notifications to Wrangler owners offering to install the new damper if they wish. Jeep has also said theyll be building Wranglers with the new part going forward.It must be noted that, despite the colloquial name of death wobble, the company says there have been no known fatalities associated with the
Origin: Jeep announces fix for ‘death wobble’