i was driving my cherokee down the road yesterday and i hit this bump and it made the front end of the truck wobble like crazy,felt like death wobble...that was the first time it ever happened and the last time too,...is it the steering stabilizer or something else? any input is greatly appreciated

 

search death wobble, u will find everything u need.

 

I would agree, I had the same problem and jumping on here saved me easily a grand in random repairs that some shops suggested.

 

Do you travel that direction often? Try to make it happen again, if you can't, check your rig anyways. If you can get it to happen again, have a buddy look out the window and look at the front axle and make note of how it is wobbling. It will give a real good indication of where to look first.

 

How do you plan on getting a good look by hanging out the window??

 

i know what death wobble is,but my truck never did that before..it was the first time it happened...ive actually hit that bump a few times(cant avoid it) and it never happened the other times i hit it

 

Steering and suspension components wear over time.

It could be ball joints, any bushing, sway bar links, etc.

Lots of things to check.

 

im gonna try hanging out the window or the door while im driving to check it out

 

Just to let u know if your gonna hang out the window take off your seat belt first. It locks up and u will hang yourself trying to peer out the window. That's what happened to me. Also how is he supposed to see what's wrong all the causes have the same effect? Death Wobble...........

 

lmao...im just gonna drive it till it happens again,i guess ill worry about it then

 

Please don't hang out the window. Its dumb, not safe, and probably not legal.

If you really wanna get a look at whats going on, just have someone drive ahead of you with a back seat passanger who's watching your front end.

Everyone leave their sealtbelt on while driving.

 

Completely agreed

 

Possible causes of DEATH WOBBLE. Isolating death wobble is a process of elimination and the root cause is not always obvious.

Until you figure this out, keep an extra pair of underwear on hand in case you soil yourself when it feels like your Jeep is dismantling itself.......!!!

Note: It can oftentimes be due to a combination of things!
--------------------------------------------------------

-Front tires out of balance (try swapping fronts to rear; see if symptoms change)
-Improper lug nut torque on wheels
-Front alignment out of spec
-Loose track bar
-Worn track bar bushings
-Worn track bar end
-Bad bushings/joints in control arms
-Worn/damaged steering stabilizer (not generally a cause in and by itself)
-Worn/damaged shocks
-Worn/damaged tie rod end
-Bad U Joint
-Bad ball joint
-Loose frame mount
-Steering box loose
-Bad front hub assembly

 

i was only joking about the hanging out the window

 

thats pretty helpful,thank you...what about bald tires,would that do anything?