So something strange is going on with my steering. Lately when I hit a good bump or pothole on the road my tires go out of control and wobble back and forth insanely and I have to slam on my breaks to get it to stop. This seems to be getting worse as well. I almost drove off the road the other day because of it. Now I have to avoid bumps at all costs or go really slow and straight over them. Does anyone have any idea as to why this could be? There is also a slight wobble in my tires when just driving. It is so slight I cannot feel it but i can see it just a bit. My somewhat uneducated guess is perhaps my steering stabilizer shock is bad....it is old and has been through a lot as well as being dented from when the lift was installed because the mechanics did not trim away anything so it hits stuff when flexed out. Also my power steering is leaking from the gear...so Idk if this is going bad, but my steering seems to work fine.... Its just this insane wobble, like almost side to side, when I hit a good bump. Please help....

 

I am no expert but you might start by reading through these two threads... Could be Death Wobble (DW). Just a lead for you to run down...

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...es-and-Wobbles

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/show...trol-arm-bolts

Hope this helps

 

Sounds like "Death Wobble" <-- Search it out on here...

1. Is your Jeep lifted? If so, check to see that your trackbar is tight at the axle/frame end.
2. Ball Joints?
3. Running aftermarket wheels? If so, did you removed the "rotor retaining washers"?
4. Stock stabilizer could have been masking the problem and now it's completely killed
5. Tires crazy out of balance?
6. Good luck


EDIT: My guess is the trackbar has came loose... it needs to be insanely tight with the jeep sitting on the ground...

 

Sorry to hear this, but you have been welcomed to a thing called "Death Wobble"... type it in the search box, you will find an insane amount of people have had it, and there are multiple things that can cause it, so get your reading glasses out.

best of luck, hopefully it's a painless diagnosis and fix!

 

Doesnt Death Wobble happen at all times, including when you are just driving down the road? Mine is completely fine when just driving, even at high speeds. Also i did just have my tires balanced and an alignment done, and i thought it may fix it, but didnt...., it did however stop the regular driving wobble. I guess I will read up then...

 

Not typically. Death wobble usually requires some kind of action to kick it off. Usually something like a bump, or a hole in the road, or something like that. I've had death wobble before in one of my jeeps so I made double sure my JKU wouldn't encounter it.

 

You've got DW, for sure. It is always set off by bumps (or expansion joints). Never while driving smooth and flat. You need to start diagnosing and correcting it TODAY because it's eating up your suspension piece-by-piece. It's not your steering stabilizer. Read the links that others have posted above.

 

It would always happen to me when I hit a bump that was at an angle or just on one wheel. It almost seemed like it was a tuning fork, it would take the bump and just start wobbling like crazy. The only way to stop it was to hit the brakes and come to a stop or near stop, then it would drive fine. It will not wobble all the time, but when it does you should be able to look out your window and see the tires wobbling around. I had to replace my upper ball joints to fix it and have the alinement done by a 4 wheel drive shop. It has not returned since. Good luck with it and your right, it is kind of scary.

 

Here's what it looks like from the outside:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwiv23dLhMY

 

Just a thought from right field, but have you checked your tire pressure too? If its way too high, it causes some control issues on bumps. Just my 2 cents!