The two house Democrats, Anna Eschoo, a ranking member on the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and Henry Waxman, a ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, have asked Chrysler to begin a "outreach campaign" to tell owners about "death wobble." The Democrats also want the automaker to "suggest methods to repair and prevent the problem," reports the Detroit News.
Until the first-generation Jeep Liberty arrived in 2001, all modern Jeeps were equipped with solid front and rear axles. Although solid axles offer robust off road ability, the automaker has phased them out almost entirely over the last decade on its SUVs. Only the decidedly off road-oriented Wrangler continues with the suspension design, which offers substantial articulation for rock crawling.
The two California Democrats requested that NTHSA perform a formal investigation of 2005 through 2010 Wranglers in April, but the government agency rejected their proposal. Just why their proposal included those specific model years is unclear since that stretch doesn't span two full model runs. The Wrangler gained a full coil-sprung solid axle suspension in 1997 and then it was redesigned with a similarly configured but all-new setup in 2007. The current Wrangler's suspension is essentially unchanged from the bodystyle's 2007 introduction.
Now, the Democrats hope that Chrysler will take on "death wobble" on its own. Eshoo and Waxman have penned a letter to Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne suggesting that the automaker should use a "customer satisfaction campaign" to alert owners.
In response to the lawmakers' initial proposal, NHTSA says it has received 402 complaints from 2005-2010 Wrangler owners, two of which led to "possible relevant crashes."
Chrysler has responded to the Democrats' request by acknowledging the existence of the problem but stating that it is "often linked to poorly installed or maintained aftermarket equipment."
The move could have major implications for Chrysler's Mopar accessory division, which offers dealer or owner-installed kits capable of lifting the current Jeep Wrangler between two and four inches above factory height.
