Problems · by component

2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited steering problems

240 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited cite steering, 39% of all 619 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
240
39% of all complaints
Crashes
6
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
1
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the steering

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“At highway speed when hitting even a small bump or road irregularity, the Jeep experienced the notorious "death wobble". Oscillating shimmy and momentary loss of control. I discovered the steering damper was blown out on the track bar. After looking into the technical service bulletins, I found that I have the aluminum steering gear box described in TSB-08-074-20. I took my vehicle to the dealership to have this investigated and they agreed that the aluminum steering box caused the excessive force on the damper and steering components and needs to be replaced. However, since this is not covered under warranty, they are charging me for the repair of a well known and documented FACTORY DEFECT. I applied for goodwill repair and was denied. It is terrible that this should have been a recall and I am stuck paying the bill. But even more so, this is a SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE and is not a matter of if it will happen, but when it will happen. No one should be subject to losing control of their vehicle at highway speed due to a KNOWN DEFECT.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 2, 2026Steering, SuspensionODI 11775232
“When driving down the road, 55mph, I drove across some bumps in the road, and my steering, tires and the front of my Jeep started shaking violently. Couldn't hardly control it. Please help.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 31, 2026Steering, Suspension, WheelsODI 11761047
“These new Jeep Wrangles came from the factory with an aluminum steering box and Jeep has made 8 new steering boxes to try to fix the "wondering" steering issue but has not made any recalls. This is a safety issue because while driving down the road if you hit the smallest of bumps the Jeep will be sent into oncoming traffic in cases. They are impossible to drive on little 2 lane roads that has a lot of semi traffic as the semis naturally put low spots on the edge of the road and cause the Jeep to jolt to the right if you don't have death grip on the steering wheel. Something needs to be done to keep Jeep accountable for yet again putting these Wrangles on the road with steering issues.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 28, 2026SteeringODI 11753296
“On July 1,2026 , My 2020 Jeep wrangler jl sport died in the middle of traffic causing a safety issue. I was not able to start my jeep and move out of traffic. I was able to disable the transmission and roll out of the road. But it was very dangerous while cars were passing me and coming towards me. Also before I was able to disable to roll my steering column was locked. The cause of this safety issue is the set up of the batteries. A jeep has 2 batteries a main and underneath an auxillary battery. Without any kind of warning your battery can die caused by the drain of the auxillary battery on the main battery causing the main battery to just stop working without notice. This is the 2nd time this happened.I had to call a tow truck both times. 1st time 4/14/24, then on 07/02/2026 I had it towed to the same dealership as the time before. This is an on going issue with jeeps that have the 2 batteries. Not only is it unsafe but a costly issue.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 9, 2026Steering, Electrical system, EngineODI 11749434
“Driving downhill at 70mph on highway. crossed from #2 lane to #1 lane. I did not hit any potholes, I believe I just drove over the "bot dots". This started the "death wobble", the uncontrolled oscillations in the front suspension/tires. I had to take my foot off the accelerator and let the vehicle come down to about 35mph before the violent shaking stopped. I could reproduce this on my own by hitting potholes at speeds as low as 60mph. There were no warning lights on the dash before, during or after incident. Suspension was subsequently checked at an independent shop but they saw no "smoking gun" in the front end.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 13, 2026SteeringODI 11737639
“The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle was violently shaking. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred after driving over a bump in the road. The contact stated that the violent shaking felt like a tornado. In addition, the contact stated that the failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed steering damper. The contact was informed that the steering damper needed to be replaced. The vehicle ws not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 7, 2026SteeringODI 11736277

Showing 6 of 240 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.