2004 Jeep Wrangler 26k miles.
Roadtrip last week.
Cruising along about 65mph...slight change in road surface.
Violent vibration Left front..slowed down to 35 and it stopped.
Wifes ride.. said it happened to her about 6 weeks ago(she forgot to advise)
Did not happen again rest of the trip.
No tire wear visable.
Any clues ?

Do a google search on "death wobble in jeep". Yucky name to give it but thats what they call it. I had a Wrangler and it never happened to me thank God. It has happened to me on my motorcycle while driving at high speeds, I slowed down quick too. Good luck!

Was it a vibration or a wobble. There is a condition called "death wobble" Scarey as heck. Check your balancing and alignment these are are critical.

I had that same problem with my 2000 Wrangler. I replaced the steering stabilizer shock, and the problem went away. They're not too expensive, and worth the try.

Thanks...looked at the videos it is the "Death Wobble" w/o doubt.
I will see if it's under warranty...thanks very much.

Replacing the steering stabilizer doesn't really fix the problem it just kind of hides the real problem.

Not on a jeep, but years ago I had a 1972 ford F-100 that did the same thing. I think I was hauling a motorcycle and it was impossible to even hold the wheel! I came to a stop, started out again and it was okay. Never done it again and I never found out what caused it.

Good luck with the warranty, after a year they don't cover anything.

Check out a couple of Jeep forums and search for death wobble and you'll find plenty of threads outlining causes and solutions. Try here - TJ Jeep Wrangler Forum - Jeep Wrangler Forum - it's specific to your model. I've found several answers to issues on my '05 and my son's '99 on that forum.

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

I had a 2001 Dodge Ram PU. Jeep is a Chrysler product too. I joined several Dodge forums, most before warranty was up. I just wanted a handle on what was going on with that junk pile. Death wobble was a frequent topic, as I recall with 4 WD. Steering stabilizers seemed to be the fix. I kinda think it was a band aid on a harmonic imbalance problem.

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SOS USA

On those solid front axles, balance is critical to keep death wobble away. Get both front wheel&tire assys balanced by a good tire shop.

Check the outer axle shaft U-joints for any play, should have none.

Replace the shimmy damper, they are only $26. The damper covers up or prevents death wobble (depending on your point of view). They have been used on beam front axles and 4 X 4 front axles for decades, for a reason.

The front driveshaft out of balance can kick it off as well. These can be checked and rebalanced at a driveshaft shop.

Get everything back in balance and you should be fine.

I know I'm late on this but I've had XJs for about 450,000 miles worth. The current one is now my daughters and has 201,000. You have experienced the dreaded death wobble as others have stated. New shocks, a new steering damper, a really good dynamic wheel balancing and make sure the front wheel bearings are pre-loaded properly. What's that, it a four-wheel drive? Never mind the front wheel bearing thing then. Mine have all been 2wd and manual trans. I have no use for 4wd, on or off the road.

Russ

These do have front wheel bearings, but they are sealed and "lubed for life". They can cause problems as well and should be inspected for play. They are replaced as a unit, similar to what you would do on a front wheel drive car.

Wheel Bearing

Front spring bushings if its a leaf sprung vehicle.

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ken
SWCA #1959

Wranglers are coil sprung. Tj's that is

Buy a Ford!

It has been 2 years since I had to fix mine, and all the possible trouble areas are starting to be remembered.

Front end alignment (really just toe-in). Any play in steering box or tie-rod ends. Ball joints.

Basically if something is loose, and an event occurs (like hitting an uneven patch of pavement, pebble, dead squirrel, etc) a divergent oscillation is initiated, and the wheels try to tear the front off the Jeep (what it feels like, anyway).

edit to add: SOME Wranglers are coil sprung, late 80s and early 90s sat on very nice leaf springs.

My wife's wangler developed the "wobble" a few months back. Same symptoms as your's. If you hit a good bump it would start t"the dance" that didn't go away until you slowed way down. Before I replaced the steering damper I took it to a tire shop for tire balancing and rotation. That took care of the problem.

One other suggestion - wit only 26,000 miles, I bet it still has the original tires. Although the tread may look OK, they're 7 years old and have probably suffered a lot of oxidation and other damage/deterioration of the sidewalks, structurally weakening them. Probably time for a new set of tires, along with new steering stabilizers.

Maybe it's because I'm a retired technician, but why haven't you had it checked for loose parts and other obvious problems first? Not every repair shop is crooked, and very few problems can be tackled by DIY nowdays beyond the really simple stuff. Death wobbles can always be traced back to worn parts, etc. There are no inherent flaws in the design of the XJ. Check for worn out parts. Check you tires for broken belts, or under pressure. Under you really abuse it 26,000 miles is a little early to replace wheel bearings.

"There are no inherent flaws in the design of the XJ."

The Jeep in question is a TJ. And I think there are no inherent design flaws there either.

I stand corrected. And you are right about no flaws in the TJ as well.