Jeep Grand Cherokee Vibration

jdejeephemi

If anyone has this same problem please let me know. I bought my jeep in august and immediately noticed a vibration problem. I brought it to NTB and had them check the balance of the tires. They claimed they were out of balance but when i driove off i had the same vibration. When i brought it to the dealership they said the drive shaft was to blame and they replaced the drive shaft. drove home and noticed the same problem once again. Brought it back to the dealer....to make a long story short i have had my jeep in and out of the shop for months and still no solution. This only happens on the highway traveling 70-80mph. at 60 it fine at 100 it fine. What should i do and who should i speak to? Presently i am waiting for a "special tool" to come in to measure vibration within the vehicle and see if it is within reason. my passenger seat will move at least 1" from the vibration. I am very tired of this problem. please help.

tidester

If you want feedback from other owners it's best to post in the main Jeep Grand Cherokee discussion or Jeep Grand Cherokee: Problems & Solutions.

tidester, host

jdejeephemi

WHERE DO I DO THAT?

tidester

Just click on the links I provided in my earlier post - that will take you directly to those forums.

tidester, host

dhfinley

Have the same problem -- did you get any answers?

jdejeephemi

no not yet i have been trying to get my jeep in the dealership for the last week but haven't been able to get a loaner car yet. I would have it checked out at your local dealership, but let me know what they find out.

dhfinley

I am taking it in today. The vibration doesn't sound as bad as yours -- my seat doesn't move -- but it is annoying and makes the feel of driving the car very unpleasant. Everytime you step on the gas, if rumbles and vibrates.

ed108

I have it too on my Commander with the HEMI. At around 70 it kicks in. Annoying as hell. Too bad because besides that the Jeep's a great drive.

jdejeephemi

Well i am bring it back to the dealer...again on this coming wednesday. I will let you know what i find out. You too have the chrome plated rims right? I have heard a rumor that the rims are what is defective. Jeep will not admit it just yet but the former service manager said that when the regular aluminum rims were installed the vibrations went away. Let me know at what speeds the vibrations is felt. Mine is very strong around 75mph but at 85mph the ride is completely smooth and enjoyable. Love the Jeep Hate the Vibrations.

dhfinley

The low pitched rumbling and vibrations startsat 70 mph, worst at 75mmph, gone by 80mph. Definitely worse when going uphill, when they can start at 60 - 65. The dealer replaced the driveshaft -- no change at all. I have a Laredo and I think the wheels are aluminum. Any other ideas? I also like the jeep, but the vibrations are annoying.

jdejeephemi

Hey that is exactly what i dint want to hear. I have had my drive shaft replaced three time and each time i have driven away with the same problem. I am sick of the vibration and the last thing the service department told me was that just might be a characteristic of the jeep. But i have driven a GC 4.7L and it is a great drive. No vibration at all....something is definitely wrong with the 5.7L motors then. Like I said before i will let you know what i find out but if you hear anything let me know. Thanks

Dave

dhfinley

I have a 3.7 L engine. Also, the vibration is the same even when the car down shifts at 65 - 70 mph. That's what makes me think it's in the drive-train, and not the engine.

ccrispe

I have had my drive shafts replaced twice and the parts will fail every 10-15k miles. they have gone to a composite drive shaft that is all one piece. They have to replace both drive shafts at the same time to do it right. This is a real problem.

jdejeephemi

who told you this information? I returned from the dealership today and found out two tires were "out of round" and i am addressing that problem tomorrow. if that doesn't fix the problem then the owner, Jeff Archer of Archer Jeep in Katy Texas, personally said he would take my jeep until the vibration was gone. I finally feel like i am getting somewhere.

jdejeephemi

have you had any luck with your vibration? I have now found out that two of my tires were out of round. if this fixes the problem i will let you know if not my HEMI is going back to the shop until it is fixed according to the owner of the dealership, jeff archer. let me know.

ccrispe

As soon as they replace my drive shafts the vibration will stop the dealer I go to said this has been the issue on at least 3 limited jeeps and now is starting to happen in the Camander as well. the vibration will be between 60 and 80 with a spike in the 70 mph range and you will not always feel a vibration in the wheel of the gear shift. if you pull the shaft off of the car you will feel a hard spot as you rotate the shaft that is how you will prove the issue to the dealer. Hope this will help

jdejeephemi

hey thanks for the info can you give me some names and dealerships you did speak to. I am in the process of changing two tires since they claim it is the tires that is causing the vibrations. this is it as far as i am concerned. if the tires dont fix it i will be going to the corporation to resolve the problem. If you do know any other people with the same problem please let me know. I would like to set up a log of all people who are having problems with there jeeps. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:

ccrispe

Medved dodge is the dealer I went to in castle rock colorado. it took five trips to the dealer before we found the problem. I only know this has been the problem with several other jeeps because of the service department. Make sure they order both drive shafts because they always go out at the same time. I do have the wheels that they say they have problems with. I am no expert but if the tire will balance the wheel should not have any problems. :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:

jdejeephemi

thank you for your response now just to make sure you do drive a 2005 jeep grand cherokee 5.7L hemi? i will take all this information to the dealership on monday. i do have a feeling that the tires will not solve the problem...so i am covering all my bases before i visit the dealership again. i too have been in and out of the dealership eight times in the last 10 months. I have heard that the corporation has resolved this problem by putting the individual in another vehicle. but the dearlership did not tell me why they did so. also do you have any names of the people you did speak to at the dealership? this is just to put each dealership in contact with each other if it comes to that. once again thank you for the information

john everett

ccrispe

2005 Grand Cherokee 5.7 hemi My service manager is John if you have any questions. I will be picking up my jeep today from the second time they replaced the drive shafts. Have you heard about the cars being lemon law? I was going to start down this path I do not want to replace drive shafts every 10,000 miles

jdejeephemi

no i haven't heard about a lemon law on them just yet but i do suspect something will eventually come to hand. the best thing we can do is get as many people as possible who do have the vibration problem together. it is much easier to address a problem with a group than one by one. would you have the number to the dealership? i would like to talk to john and see if he could offer any other rememides that my dealership may not see. also have you had any seal fail on you? my differential seal went out and i was speaking with another independent mechanic who said that a bad drive shaft will put extra wear on the pinion gear in the rear differential. just a thought to think about.

ccrispe

The number for Medved is 303) 688-3137 so you can refer any questions to them. The vibration will wear the seals out very fast as well as the bearings and the Transfer Case. I have been lucky so far but I have a feeling it is because I caught it so fast and have staid on top of it.

jetsetdfw

What was the outcome? I too have this problem. I purchased a 2005 JGC Ltd, used about a week ago. Noticed on the drive home after purchase that it vibrated and shook at 70 mph. I assumed it was a balance issue (Original Goodyear Wrangler tires had 15K mi). Balance did not correct the problem, dealer said the tires were the problem. Replaced with Michelin's, problem is much less severe, but still present. I do have the chrome rims and wonder if the tires would balance if the rims are the culprit (as previous postings had expressed). I can't "live" with this problem, I sure hope the dealer in Plano can fix the problem by either replacing the drive shaft or replacing all or some wheels. I have a feeling I am going to have a "battle" on my hands. I will not accept the response... That's normal for this vehicle. I'll report after I take to dealer on Sat 08/05/06.

jdejeephemi

Well i can tell you that two of my tires were bad and after i did replace them the vibration (for the most part) went away. But i assume i am not completely out of the woods with this issue. I am going to put more miles on my car and see if the vibration comes back. It "could" be that the vibration actually caused the tires to go bad in the first place....long shot ..but who knows. I do have a vibration still but it is not nearly as bad. Did you realize that goodyear would have warrentied the tires? After i left the dealership i went to the goodyear store and they warrentied my tires at about 75%. I paid 43.96 per tire with 25K on them. My dealership also said they would pay half the price for the tires. Let me know what the dealership has to say, i am interested.

jetsetdfw

I did figure that Goodyear may offer me some money toward replacement of the same tire. I really wanted Michelin though because I feel like they have a smoother, quieter ride. So I figured the warranty avenue would do me no good. My service guy at the Jeep dealer told me on the phone that he had this same problem with another JGC owner recently and the chrome wheels were the problem. I am anxious to see if Jeep will admit to this issue and pay for new wheels. I sure hope the problem is the wheels and not the drive shaft. I am not sure that I would not prefer aluminum wheels anyway.

jdejeephemi

well one thing i do know is that JGC have had alot of problems and after i do drive a few 1000 miles on new tires i will be able to comment further about the vibrations. hopefully they are gone....but i also know from experience the drive shafts are faulty.

jetsetdfw

I have noticed that the shimy/vibration is not consistent. If I hit cruise control set at 70 MPH, the vibration comes and goes. It is always present but gets better, then worse. This probably points to a drive shaft problem (guessing). Seems to me that if the chrome rims were faulty, it would be a consistent problem.

jdejeephemi

I agree with you about the rims. my vibrations always started around 73MPH and went to about 85MPH. But my problem could be driven through. If I did 90MPH the vibration wopuld be gone. This alone lead me to the rims/tires. Like i said in the past two of my tires were bad and now (so far) my vibration has quit. I am still going to put a few miles on the tires to see if something mechanical with the jeep is actually causing the vibration and tires to premature. Will let you know if anything changes.

Dave

tcrockett

My 2005 V8 also vibrates badly at speeds in excess of 75mph. I was driving from VA to Fla and could barely hold on to the steering wheel. The speed limit in VA is 65 so I don't notice it anymore but I did take it in upon my return from Florida. They told me the tires were out of balance. I have not driven at that speed again to know if the problem continues.

jdejeephemi

Any dealership that is willing to help you out should be able to spot the problem. It took me only 10 months to find out the problem was within the tires just because the dealership was too lazy and didn't care to correctly diagonise the problem. once i took it to another dealership they pointed out my problem within 30 minutes. afterwards i went straight to a goodyear dealership and even with 25K on my tires they warranted the two bad tires. I was out of pocket 44 bucks each, but it was better then the 198 each they do cost. I am starting to see a problem with the goodyear tires and not the jeep.

ccrispe

I had the vibration that would get better and then worse at 70. They thought it was the tiers my jeep after balancing the tiers we ruled them out. I had the drive shafts replaced and the problem was gone. I also noticed on a long trip it will get worse the longer you drive. I test drove a 2006 dodge charger brand new and the drive shaft was bad it had the same vibration. The guys at the shop could not believe it.

badcherokee

I live in Canada but have the same problem with a 2005 Grand Cherokee. Have had drive shaft replaced, wheels balances, tranny rebuilt and various other tests. Problem occurs at 120km which is about 70MPH so it seems there is a problem out there, but maybe it is only noticeable at the higher speeds. Road trips are not great. I too love the jeep hate the vibration. It is a challenge as I have been in and out of the dealer as well and we seem to be at an impasse.

jetsetdfw

I am happy (and quite relieved) to report that the resolution was as simple as properly balancing the wheels. The Cadillac dealer where I purchased my pre-owned '05 JGC 3 weeks ago had balanced the wheels THREE TIMES and had done it wrong each time. They failed to put outside weights on the wheels (they used inside weights only). The Jeep dealer diagnosed the problem, charged me $59.95, and I was on my way to a smooth ride at highway speed! My advice... be sure your wheels have outside balance weights, make sure the balance is done by someone that knows how to balance properly (like the Jeep dealer).

podedwards

I have been around the world with with vibration from tire problems. Here is the bottom line-modern tires form scalloped spots very easily-once they start-there is no solution but to get new tires. Prevention is rotating the tires every 3000 miles and balancing every 6000 miles. The process is very slow-so don't wait until you feel the vibration-it's too late then.

IF YOU HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH TWO-REST ASSURED THE OTHER TWO ARE GOING THE SAME WAY-REPLACE THEM!

With this solution I have maintained a smooth ride and long tire life on suvs, vans, trucks and sports cars. It may be a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] but it is the solution.

dhfinley

OK, makes sense -- except, one question: If it's a tire problem, why is the vibration only felt and heard going uphill, not down?

podedwards

The problems I had with scalloped out tires leads me to think that it could the flexing out the tires under strain going up hill but the problems occur at different speeds and under different conditions. I keep my tires almost maxed out on psi and balanced and rotated frequently. Since I have been doing this on all my vehicles-I have had no scalloping out or the vibraation is causes.

Jeep does have software that can be downloaded to prevent a type of harmonic distortion in the axles. It's kind of like what happens when people walk in step crossing a bridge-there is a vibration caused by harmonics. The software repvents the axles from doing this.

Go to the site below for the info-hope it helps!

http://www.wkjeeps.com/tsb/tsb_wk_2100506.pdf

bob_graham

I have an 05 Limited AWD 5.7 Hemi. Jeep factory upgraded tire and suspension package. It has 23,500 miles. I started noticing some noise / vibration from the rear at about 58 to 68. Goes away above 68. it gets worse the longer you drive.

I also noticed that it has gotten worse in the last few days while on a long trip It also seems to make the sound when accelerating uphill in high gear.

Has anyone got to the bottom of this problem. I set up an appointment for next Tuesday 9/5 at a dealer.

FYI, I know the Goodyear tires were bad. I rotated them to the front and the car pulled to the right. I had new Michelin Latitudes 255/60/17 installed replacing the factory 245/65/17 Goodyears. They make the car handle great, very quite and smooth, but I still have the drivetrain vibration.

As far as balancing, the tire shop said it is very tricky to balance rims with the chrome cover upgrade as the balance equipment spacer does not fit very well against the chrome cladding.

I would concur with others, the vibration makes an otherwise great truck seem like a real piece of junk.

I noticed the TSB here however that is for the SRT 8, Is there a bulletin for the Limited 5.7 AWD?

The software aspect seems most reasonable for this AWD system. The actual failure of the seals ETC are probably the result of the bad code.

I also had a vibration noise in the front end during hard downhill braking. I went to Stellen Group in Torrance CA and got the slotted and drilled rotors with new pads. This made a big difference. It seems like the brake issues on Jeeps never go away. I have an 01 and we upgraded the brakes on it and never had a problem again.

bob_graham

Does this look familiar? It is for the International model but the conditions look the same.

http://www.wkjeeps.com/tsb/tsb_wh_1600105.pdf

bob_graham

I have new tires and I'm still getting the vibration. The shop double checked the balancing and they did mention that the rims with the chrome cladding are tricky to balance. It appears there is a special spacer for the balancer that only the factory and the some dealers have.

It just seems odd with so many having this issue that there is no real clear solution.

jackr30

:lemon: I have been a jeep customer for over 15 years having 2 jeep cherokees. I have a 05 limited hemi quadradrive. I have vibration between 70- 80mph. Took to dealer 3 times. First balanced 2 tires(goodyear LS on aluminum, standard on limited, not the chrome ones), didn't help. Had rear drive shaft replace(showed dealer copy of this forum and requested both, would not cooperate only replace rear. Made it worse. Took in the third time( # of times required to submit for lemon law) was told IT IS ILLEGAL TO DRIVE OVER 70MPH IN STATE OF FL SO WE CAN NOT TEST TO VERIFY PROBLEM, basically with a guilty look and not looking me in the eye, the dealer said tough live with it. This is the same dealer that had given me decent service for the last 5 years. I called the Chrysler hot line and registered complaint 4 days no returned phone call after they said I would receive one. Called again spoke with rude customer service rep to ask when I would be called and how I was going to get them to back their vehicle . He said the file was closed and that I would not get a call from the regional service manager whom he would not give the the name of and furthermore it was chryslers policy not to test vehicles over the speed limit .

The company that touts Hemi, Performance, Trail rated, Daytona R/T race chargers and they won't back their cars over 70MPH. Why do they design them to go over 70MPH. They either back their product or they don't, obviously they don't. The smug customer service rep then dared me to lemon law the vehicle stating you won't win . Well I would be silly not to try. I really only want to get my vehicle fixed and have chrysler back their product. Too bad chrysler chose to take this route. I'm really learning to like my wife's 4 runner that I have not had to replace a drive shaft in after 4M miles on and Toyota actually backs their cars.

In summary I believe this vibration is a huge problem, further than the drive shaft. I believe the entire Quadradrive 2 system has problems and damnler chrysler is covering it up or in better words trying not to cover it. Notice the drivetrain warrantee is no longer 7 years as it was in 05. wonder why? They know they have a problem and even though it is supposed to be covered, it isn't with their new policy. If the fix is the drive shaft why would you ave to replace it every 15M miles as other have. It is a design flaw with the quadradrive"supposedly trail rated" system. It would be amazing to me if this car could even make it down a path much less a trail. I find it amazing that the high level model, at a high level of cost, gets such low level,cusotmer service,warrantee and backing, it says something about the vehicle and the company. A jeep just isn't a real jeep any more. They have lost a loyal customer and many more if I can help it.<img src=" :lemon: :lemon:

jdejeephemi

Hey Bob Believe me i feel your frustration but i can tell you this. My jeep doesn't vibrate anymore. After taking it to the same dealership over 8 times they continued to tell me it was a "characteristic" of the jeep. THAT IS NOT CORRECT!!! I took my jeep to another dealership and within 30 minutes they narrowed it down to the tires. If you are located in Houston, Texas take your jeep to Spring JEEP on I-45. They are the only ones who correctly diagonise my problem. Also Goodyear will warranty the tires and prorate them. On my jeep they found two tires being "out of round" and prorated my tires. I spent "out of pocket" 40 bucks per tire when they retail for around 180. Not bad. I also had 22,000 miles on the two tires goodyear warranted. If you have any questions let me know.

dhfinley

In my case, it's not the tires. They were rebalanced, rotated -- no difference. The vibration occurs only going up hill or with acceleration at 70 - 80 mph. It's getting worse. At my 6th visit to the dealer, I went out on the road with one of the dealer's senior mechanics, and he said, "bring it in, we'll have a look, it's drive train vibration." That's next week. If they can't fix it, I'm trading it in for a Toyota. Been a Jeep owner since '85. I think I'm done.

guest

Switch the tires! I went through the same problem for over 8 months. Balancing the tires has nothing to "flat spots or heavy spots in the tires", the problem will continue. I have had multiple drive shafts put in, front and rear, and nothing changed. Until I simply replaced the tires. This problem is very common with Goodyear tires, hence the reason the dealership will not warranty the tires. Hope this helps, but dont let Goodyear sway you opinion on a Jeep. What jeep is it that you do have? I am assuming it is an 05 or 06 JGC limited w/5.7L HEMI. If not burn the jeep. Goodyear will warranty the tires. Good luck! Let me know if you do have the tires replaced, If you need anything please let me know i can give you a reference if anyone gives you a hard time about not replacing the tires. They will do it.

dhfinley

If the guy can't fix it this time, I will try to get them to replace the tires. What did you tell them to get them to do it?

jdejeephemi

What i did was take it to the Jeep dealership and they were the one who noticed two of the four tires that were out of round, Then i took it to a Goodyear dealership who again checked the tires. Once they noticed the tires were bad the called Goodyear and prorated the bad tires. Depending on how many miles are on them Goodyear will replace all four tires for free. But since i had 22K on them I was able to get each tire for 40 bucks. not bad since the retail price is around 180. Are you located in texas? I can give you the number to the Goodyear dealership that i worked with if you think it will help.

dhfinley

In NY. Jeep is a 3.7L GC Laredo. How did they "notice" they were out of round?

bob_graham

I may be vibration free. As I mentioned I replaced the tires. Americas tire could not get them properly balanced.... they seem to struggle with the chrome clad option. After 3 attempts they got the Michelin Latitudes 255X60X17 balanced.
Seemed like the vibration was much better. But then the Jeep started drifting left and right on the freeway. Had the alignment checked. it was off a little. Still drifted LEFT AND RIGHT.

I have a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with Michelin Cross Terrain 255X60X17 and they have been perfect. Went to Americas Tires and told the manager the story. Of course he wasn't buying and said drifting was normal on the freeway.

He would not do a full exchange for the tires. I had to give them another $312. They installed them and off I went.

Next the Jeep starts vibrating/shaking from 65 to 75 MPH. So the new tires were out of balance. Went to another America's Tire, told the story and they reluctantly balanced the tires again. I asked them to check them first, they did not. Guess what,the vibration is now 68 to 73 MPH after the re-balance.

So I figure I'll give it one more try at Les Schwab. Tell the manager the story and he seems like he really wants to solve the problem, even though I did not buy the tires there. He say's let's do re-balance on the road force machine. $21 / tire to do this.

This machine checks the quality of the rims and the tires. They also checked the balance on all 4 tires first - they were all out of balance. The rims and tires checked out good. Balanced the tires on the road force machine. They even double checked one tire by removing and re-installing on the machine. Handed me the keys and said go test drive and please call us to tell us if its fixed.

So I take Jeep out on a country road - hit 70 MPH and its as smooth as silk.......

The lessons I learned.

1. America's Tire / Discount Tire seems to have gotten too big and no longer seems to want to provide the service they use to - I'm done with them - Too bad since I have 9 cars and trucks
2. Chrome Clad wheels on 05 and 06 Jeep Grand Cherokee's require latest generation balancing equipment - I think older machines push out against the chrome covers
3. Do not use inside wheel weights - use the traditional weights on the edge of the rims
4. Goodyear tires may not be the problem -perhaps the tires get screwed up because the balancing is just slightly off
5. Michelin Latitudes DO NOT BELONG ON THIS JEEP they are really for luxury and cross over types
6. Michelin Cross Terrains work great
7. Michelin and America's Tire/Discount Tire sucks - They did not want to listen, saw me as a trouble maker and did not want to make things right.
8. I'm going to call Michelin direct and see if I can get somewhere directly with them. For all I know AT/DT never even called them.
9. I'm not crazy, even though everyone tried to make me believe that I was.

Now we'll see how long things go smooth. The only problem I have left is I hear a click sound on the left side at low speeds and the dealer does not seem to be able to find the cause. This started while on a long trip.

So 2 months and $1300 worth of tires and balancing I think the issue is solved.....

guest

That is Great to hear! I too had problems with my JGC 5.7L and for eight months the dealer could not find the problem. Finally I found the problem in the tires and Goodyear did pro-rate my tires and offered me a heavy discount. I feel like I finally have the Jeep I wanted to purchase and not a rolling vibrator.

jazznotes

Last note by Bob is correct. Had same issue with dealer. Replaced tires & balance multiple times at dealer. Found that they had to order new cone for road force balancer for the chrome clad wheels. Since then, no problems - The problem now is the cost of balance in the future! Finding issue earlier might have saved the original tires, but by the time the problem was found they were badly cupped. Not a good experience!

podedwards

I have had no problem with my 2006 5.7 Jeep Grand Cherokee's tires until my last rotation & balance at the dealer. When I picked it up and got up to 70 m.p.h, it vibrated badly-took it back to the dealership-asked the service writer to ride with me and he felt it. Let it with them & picked it up and it was only a little better. Took it to a Goodyear dealer who balanced the tires with the "road force" machine and now it is smooth as glass at any speed.

The tires are in great shape and I'll get lots more miles out of them.

I expressed my disappointment to the dealer and told them the solution I found. It is a good dealership that dropped the ball on this problem.

It's still, by far, the best vehicle I have owned.

bob_graham

latest update

I now have 29800 miles on the Jeep. Just had the 30K service. The Jeep is still driving perfect no vibration. So it appears that the road force process with the correct cone is mandatory to avoid this problem. Funny thing, I have a new 06 Dodge Ram Laramie 4X4 with 20's and the chrome clad rims. Started having the same vibration issue. Took it to Les Schwab had the road force done and the vibration was gone. In this case I got the problem fixed before the tires were destroyed.
I've only had 1 other problem with the Jeep, the side curtain airbag hardware started to rattle. Dealer had to remove the headline and tighten the brackets, they also added some type of tape to the headliner to stop the rattles. I was told this was the first Jeep they saw with this problem however they had seen the problem on the Magnum - man wagon.