WhiskeyMan

Ok, my wife has an '09 JK completely stock with about 16k (Km) on the clock...

She was complaining about how the truck doesn't handle well through the corners on the highway and how it tends to wander... Having driven it many times before I told her it was fine. (she was used to her small FWD car that handled like a go cart... The JK took some getting used to for her)

But I recently had to drive it on the highway... and HOLY CRAP!!!

It seriously felt like I had drank 10 beers before hittin the road. This thing is damn near impossible to keep in a straight line! Every litttle bump dip or even slope in the road and this thing wanders!

Having driven this thing on a 4hr trip through winding mountain roads last summer, I KNOW it was not like this before....

And I dunno, maybe it's just me, but the steering feels "loose". There seems to be a large on center spot in the steering. has there been any problems with the steering boxes or P/S systems?

And through the corners it's even worse. Anything faster than about 90Km/h feels unsafe...

Is this normal, Or should I take it in (I think so)?


This thing handles like something that has 200k on it. Not like a one year old truck.

Not being a jeep guy myself, are there any major causes to this? Is this normal? I was thinking of putting a lift and some 33's on it for her, but it would be a death trap if I did....


I just don't want the dealer to BS me and tell me it's normal. (I know they will, and I know it's not normal.... And if it is, they will have one less Jeep owner.)

ronjenx

If the dealer tells you there is nothing wrong, take it to a front-end specialty shop and get their opinion.
If it was good before, and is now directionally unstable, something has changed with the alignment.

The loose area in the center of the steering suggests the steering box may need adjustment. Make sure you show this detail to the dealer. It may cause the ESP to kick in, which would feel like the Jeeps wants to wander as it tries to correct.

MoridinTX

First check the toe in, should be around 1/8".

After that check for worn components, anything with play in them.

Any more than that and others will have better answers

Hiball

Definately take it in, it's covered under warranty. If the problem is as you say I don't think they will try to BS you.

Weeds

Check the track bars to see if they are loose!

spinlock

Unless some joint has worn out because it wasn't torqued properly at the factory, it is probably just an alignment issue (Caster or Toe).

db09JKU

When you describe the problem, say something along the lines of safety, as you have mentioned, you don't feel that you or your wife is safe driving. This truly could be a safety concern if something has failed.

JKinLB

For what it's worth, I found mine handling sloppily, all of the sudden one day. It rolled more than normal when turning, changing lanes, etc. Having driven it on trails and even on the road before with the swaybars disconnected, I had a feeling it was somehow related. Turns out one of the swaybar links had lost the bolt that held it in place. I was, essentially, halfway disco'd. Try looking at the swaybars links where they connect to the swaybar itself.

JK-Blue

The same thing happened to me on a car a few years ago, makes a huge difference in handling.

WhiskeyMan

Yeah I'm gonna poke my head under and see if I can see anything until I can get in in to the dealer...

But yeah, it feels almost as if there is NO sway bar. At slow speed if you give the wheel a slight crank quickly in each direction the body rolls a LOT... Almost like death wobble... the whole truck rocks back and forth, and not just a little

Something is up...