Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has come up with a solution to the Jeep Wrangler’s infamous ‘death wobble’, but has stopped short of issuing a recall.
For years, the Jeep Wrangler’s solid front axle has meant that imperfections in the road can cause drivers to suddenly experience significant steering wobble when traveling at high speeds. The intense ‘death wobble’ is the subject of a lawsuit in federal court in Detroit.
The car manufacturer claims to have come up with a solution to the issue which involves fitting a new steering damper or stabilizer. However, FCA continues to insist that the steering wobble is not a safety issue and as a result, it is not issuing a recall for its popular off-roader. Instead, Wrangler owners will be able to head to the local Jeep dealer and receive the new steering damper free of charge in a campaign which FCA dubs a “customer satisfaction note.”
Also Read: FCA Hit With Class-Action Lawsuit Over Jeep Wrangler ‘Death Wobble’
In a statement, chief technical compliance officer for FCA, Mark Chernoby, said the death wobble is an issue of resonance.
“If you bang it with that frequency it’ll just sit there and keep going forever. It won’t slow down, it won’t dissipate, and that’s essentially what we’re talking about here with the vibration in the new Wrangler,” he said. “When you hit a bump in the road, if everything is just right, this suspension can set off that resonance and what we started seeing is as soon as it got cold this past fall, early winter, we started seeing complaints.”
Lawyers behind the ongoing lawsuit call FCA’s resolution a “Band-Air fix” and believe the wobble “can only be remedied by substantial revisions and repair to the suspension,” The Detroit Free Press reports.
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