I have seen comments from people (flyroddin) about towing a jeep. I have a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude. IT ALSO does shake intermittently when I go over a rough spot in the road at slow speeds. I have to come to a complete stop (blocking traffic) and then proceed and it is fine. First time I thought I blew a tire and I also checked everything and found nothing that a novice would know. Now I just stop and it is fine on restart. I just had the Jeep to a dealer and complained and he said it WAS not the Jeep. I did have a 2008 Jeep Liberty and used the same Roadmaster setup and no problem for 4 years. Any help would be nice. Jeep runs fine otherwise when not towing. Zski in Florida

This section is for Tow Vehicles.....vehicles used to TOW rv's with...You may get more information in the section called "Dinghy Towing"....That's section discussing RV's towing a vehicle, or a "Toad"......I would think information about towing the Jeep could be found in the Owners Manual. But even if you leave it on this forum, odds are you'll get some answers that may help...Jim

being the owner of an 08 Jk I have heard of but not experienced the "death wobble" as it is referred to. There are numerous articles written about this across the internet. Forums directly pertaining to Jeeps is a good place to start. Apparently some years and some Jeeps had incorrect bolts inserted in some suspension parts. Also tires and lift kits may affect this. My researchhas shown some owners have sought out every available remedy to no avail. Front wheel alignment is another cause. Let us know what you find out.

Hmmm, hadn't heard of death wobble pertaining to the Jeep's....but never had any reason to frequent a Jeep forum...Have owned Jeep's since 79'....the last several being a 2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude, (had it for about a year and a half), before that, I had a Jeep Compass and now have a 2015 Jeep Cherokee Limited....never had an issue like the one the OP is speaking of...Have owned Jeep Grand Cherokee Limiteds, Patriots, and again, one's mentioned above...In fact, according to Consumers Report I should have steered clear of Jeeps , due to how bad they are.:h..and I never had the first issue with any Jeep I've owned from 79 through now....but, if nothing else, post made me aware of a possible issue...

I've owned Jeeps for over 40 years. Sounds like it's definitely a death wobble. It's not as common on Cherokees as on Wranglers, but it happens. It's usually caused by worn bushings, worn tie rod ends or draglink ends, or some of each. Basically, when these parts get worn, even a little bit, there is enough looseness in the front end that death wobble occurs. There should be videos showing how to check a of these components. Otherwise, go to a good four wheel drive shop - dealers almost never have the experience to diagnose or fix this problem. I generally have to replace the bushings In the upper and lower control arms every 40,000 miles or so, and rebuil the tie bar and drag link ends every 50,000 to 60,000 miles. The reason for your Death wobble can be hard to find unless you know what to look for, but it's usually not too hard to fix.

PRodacy wrote:I've owned Jeeps for over 40 years. Sounds like it's definitely a death wobble. It's not as common on Cherokees as on Wranglers, but it happens. It's usually caused by worn bushings, worn tie rod ends or draglink ends, or some of each. Basically, when these parts get worn, even a little bit, there is enough looseness in the front end that death wobble occurs. There should be videos showing how to check a of these components. Otherwise, go to a good four wheel drive shop - dealers almost never have the experience to diagnose or fix this problem. I generally have to replace the bushings In the upper and lower control arms every 40,000 miles or so, and rebuil the tie bar and drag link ends every 50,000 to 60,000 miles. The reason for your Death wobble can be hard to find unless you know what to look for, but it's usually not too hard to fix.You're addressing Jeep's that have quite a few miles on them...OP would have to tell us how many miles he has on his 2014 Jeep....My 2014 Jeep had 21,000 miles on it and no problems. Again, never heard of death wobble on a Jeep Wrangler, or Cherokee..really wasn't aware, but does it happen earlier than the 40, 50, 60K you're speaking of or is it something that develops over time with mileage adding up? Heard of it on some Ram trucks that were like that straight off the dealers lot, though I've never had that issue either with the 3 I've owned....

shakey towing of jeep cherokee | Good Sam Community

roam1
Explorer
Jul 19, 2015
Towed my 2014 Trail Hawk about 10,000 miles now with surge brake ready brake
Never experienced this issue
Knock on wood!
chryslermastert
Explorer
Jul 10, 2015
there is no camber caster alignment for this jeep, if found to be out you must shift the cross member. This is a net build unit.
chryslermastert
Explorer
Jul 10, 2015
1 speed transfer case

Recreational towing is not allowed. These models do not have a NEUTRAL (N) position in the power transfer unit.

NOTE: This vehicle may be towed on a flatbed or vehicle trailer provided all four wheels are OFF the ground.

CAUTION!:

Towing this vehicle with ANY of its wheels on the ground can cause severe transmission and/or power transfer unit damage. Damage from improper towing is not covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

Parent topic: RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND MOTORHOME, ETC.)
chryslermastert
Explorer
Jul 10, 2015
2 speed transfer case
The power transfer unit must be shifted into NEUTRAL (N) and the transmission must be in PARK for recreational towing. The NEUTRAL (N) selection button is adjacent to the power transfer unit selector switch. Shifts into and out of NEUTRAL (N) can take place with the selector switch in any mode position.

CAUTION!:

•DO NOT dolly tow any 4WD vehicle. Internal damage to the transmission or power transfer unit will occur if a dolly is used when recreational towing.

•Tow only in a forward direction. Towing this vehicle backwards can cause severe damage to the power transfer unit.

•The transmission must be in PARK for recreational towing.

•Before recreational towing, perform the procedure outlined under “Shifting into NEUTRAL (N)” to be certain that the power transfer unit is fully in NEUTRAL (N). Otherwise, internal damage will result.

•Failure to follow these procedures can cause severe transmission and/or power transfer unit damage. Damage from improper towing is not covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

•Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on tow bar on your vehicle. The bumper face bar will be damaged
Tinyandthegang
Explorer
Jul 05, 2015
lryrob9301 wrote:
Biocruiser wrote:
Does anyone have a fix for this? Now that it happened once I am a bit worried it might happen more regularly.

If it was mine I would take the Cherokee to a good alignment shop and have them align the vehicle with as much positive castor as could be adjusted into the front suspension regardless of specifications. The condition you are experiencing is called "Bump Steer" and is caused by the front steering not being dampened by pressure from the power steering system and too little castor. Castor is the main alignment setting that affects steering stability thus the more castor the more the front wheels will tend to remain straight instead of oscillating back and forth.

What he said. Needs as much positive castor as possible.
lryrob9301
Explorer
Jul 05, 2015
Biocruiser wrote:
Does anyone have a fix for this? Now that it happened once I am a bit worried it might happen more regularly.

If it was mine I would take the Cherokee to a good alignment shop and have them align the vehicle with as much positive castor as could be adjusted into the front suspension regardless of specifications. The condition you are experiencing is called "Bump Steer" and is caused by the front steering not being dampened by pressure from the power steering system and too little castor. Castor is the main alignment setting that affects steering stability thus the more castor the more the front wheels will tend to remain straight instead of oscillating back and forth.
Biocruiser
Explorer
Jul 05, 2015
We just had this occur for the first time with our 2015 Cherokee Trailhawk. We went over a rough patch in the road at 40 mph and the motorhome started rocking back and forth. A quick glance in the rear camera showed the Jeep swaying back and forth pretty violently. I slowed down and pulled over to check things over, thinking I had a flat. All looked ok so we took off again with no further issues. This was the first and only time it happened to us in about 2000 miles of towing.

We have a Readybrute tow bar which has an integrated surge brake. I thought the brake might be the problem so I removed it for the remainder of the tow. I'm also wondering if the wide attachment points on the Cherokee Trailhawk might be the cause of the problem (Blue Ox baseplate). This Trailhawk has a wider attachment than the Limited or Latitude, but I guess that problem occurs on all 3 models so maybe not.

Does anyone have a fix for this? Now that it happened once I am a bit worried it might happen more regularly.
ButWhatDoIKnow
Explorer
Jun 11, 2015
I have also experienced this problem.

It rocks my 15,000 MH back and forth. It will not stop until you bring the coach to a complete stop.

My research has found that it involves different coaches (Gas and rear diesel), different brands of towbars, different brake systems. It happens under different conditions (interstate, city, straight road, turning, etc.)

The only constant is the 2014-15 Jeep Cherokee.

I have filed a complaint with www.nhtsa.gov/
If you have this problem, please file a complaint so they know it isn't an isolated incident.

I have towed in 46 states. I have had a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Wrangler and Liberty. These are different vehicles. They are basically a rear wheel drive platform. The Cherokee is a front wheel drive platform. (I don't think that Chrysler/FIAT had this vehicle properly sorted-out for use as a dinghy.)

Thanks,
John
et2
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015
There are many of us towing them without any issue as they came from the factory. Towed our liberty for two years without a issue and our Cherokee Trail hawk without any issue. All that being said I made sure our tow bar is level to the jeep and the slop removed from the hitch points ( which was huge). Another thing to check is the hitch receiver and its connection to the frame.
klutchdust
Explorer II
Apr 24, 2015
If a vehicle wobbles at a certain speed how would the tow bar cause or correct that. What does the tow bar have to do with that? Does the vehicle do it when just being driven? How would pulling a vehicle have an

effect on the steering verses it being pushed by the rear wheels? IF it were mine I would have it aligned by a shop that deals with off road jeeps and big ass lifted trucks. They understand suspensions more than

the guy following figures he is reading from a book. Forget about the dealers, they are going to deny anything is wrong.