99 Jeep Cherokee Sport, "Death Shake" Whats the Problem?

Question

I have a 99 jeep cherokee and i have a question about this problem im having with it. Everytime i hit a small bump my tires shake really really bad. I was on a state highway one time and i was going about 70, everytime i hit a bump my wheels would shake out of controle to the point where i have to hit my brakes and slow down so they stop shaking. Does anybody know what could be wrong?

Answer 1

Go around and tighten all of your lug nuts.
If they are all tight already, you had better check out you tie-rod ends.
You might also need a wheel balance.

And get that thing fixed right away.

Answer 2

You don't say whether the shake is verticle, horizontal or both. If the shake is up and down I would look for an out of round tire or some sort of harmonic imbalance. If the car shakes back and forth as if it wants to change lanes it is probably steering. In either case or some other case, if I were faced with that situation I would put the vehicle up on jack stands and go over the suspension and steering with a fine tooth comb. I think you have something loose; perhaps a spring perch, a shackle, a "U" bolt, a tierod end, something in the steering box or any of a number of other things. If you know what I am talking about go over the vehicle from end to end. If you are not absolutely certain you can do this, take it to someone who can. BTW, you need to have the suspension unloaded to check these things. You would be surprised how much slop you can hide by putting 1500 pounds of weight on it.

While you have it up in the air check every universal joint and constant velocity joint as well.

Good luck. And get that thing fixed, it will not get any better and it might get you killed or worse, it might leave you alive and kill a kid.

Answer 3

Well the basic way the main comp communicates with the other comps in the vehicle and visa versa is via the bus.I'd check all the fuses both inside and under the hood bec one fuse could cause such problems or it could be a faulty comp or faulty or bad wiring or a bad connection.Since the dash or cluster is controlled by the body control module=BCM I'd want to check for any fuses mentioning the BCM but again check all the fuses I'd put the ignition in the run position and check both sides of each fuse with a 12 volt probe or voltage meter.If you can't find any fuses gone have it scanned and work from there bec it could be a faulty comp. Hope that helps and best of luck.By the way some of the U pick auto wreckers might have jeeps like yours that you can pull the comp from quite cheap but be sure the vehicle you take it from has the exact same engine , transmission and dash and the same features example yours has cruise control be sure that the vehicle you remove the comp, especially if it's the BCM has cruise control too.

Answer 4

id say the front end is in need of some new parts take it to the shop for repairs or jack it up and grab the tire and shake it side to side and look under it when doing so.... what moves a lot is bad part... like tie rod or drag link. then shake tire up and down will be ball joints or upper or lower control arm brushing or wheel bearing shop should fix it

Answer 5

Hello,I've had the same problem with several Cherokees over the years.The cause was a worn out steering damper,it seems to happen to them all.In case you don't know what it is.it's the horizontally mounted shock absorber under the front.One end connects to the chassis and the other end connects to the steering linkage.It prevents the steering from going wild like you describe.It's fairly easy to change,most auto parts stores carry them and it doesn't cost very much.

Answer 6

It's called bump steer. Get a front end alignment before it eats your tires off. Probably a bad tie rod end

Answer 7

Bad steering linkage
Bad wheel bearing
Loose lugnuts
Bad struts
It could be a number of things. If you take it in for a front end ailment and they find anything wrong with it you just had your front end checked for FREE

Answer 8

You need to have a tire shop inspect the front suspension, it may be the ball-joints or controll arm bushings. Something is loose.

Answer 9

I could guess but if you want to find out for sure call your local tire shop and have them check out your front end.Often they'll do it for free or a really small fee.

Answer 10

Tie rod ends. Take it to a reputable mechanic, have him put it on a life and tell you which ones are toasted......