2014 6.4 Hemi 2500 Death Shake

[Brad Davis]

I was driving on the highway today 100km/hr and the truck hit a rough patch then dam near shook the steering wheel out of my hands even though I was back to smooth pavement, had the same feeling as hitting washboard on a dirt road, the shake stopped after I pulled to the side and dropped below 70km then it was fine. This is the second time it has happened. Anyone else experience this?

 

[McBroom]

I haven't had any problems with my truck. But I'm thinking a loose shock but on the front. Probably the right side as that side takes more of the abuse.

Added mine is an 18 2500 4x4 with 26K mules on it
Blue Mule

 

[JohnnyMac]

I had a 2014 (6.4 4x4) with about 50k miles on it when I sold it, and drove it on the pristine, super smooth roads of Alaska (yes sarcasm) and never felt any death wobble or shake. Like @McBroom said, I'd crawl underneath and take a look at the shocks and also check the ball joints.

 

[COAinPaso]

And every steering linkage connection.

 

[McBroom]

Another thing I just thought of is a busted cord in a tire and the balance weights. Lugnuts?

Blue Mule

 

[RedneckHippy]

My 03 did this, just check for worn front end components, ball joints, wheel bearings, steering linkage, I had to fix a couple of those issues to stop mine, may also consider those steering braces. I think I bought the BDS one at the time.

 

[NewBlackDak]

Have you had the steering linkage recall? If not, yours could be loose and ticking time bomb.


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[buckeyexx]

I know this is on an older one but just got a work truck out of the shop for the same issue. We have an 09 3500 Cummins that I could not figure out the issue. Had it in there three times trying to figure it out. Here is what was done.

1. Ordered a new rough country steering brace. Had it installed and thought the problem was solved only to come back a month later. Had a death wobble that would damn near send you into the next lane. Had to slow down to under 40 mph to stop it.

2. Sent in and told me to the tires were under inflated because they couldn’t figure out what the problem was as everything was right and looked good. So aired the tires up to I think 60 psi. Didn’t solve it obviously.

3. Had a new track bar installed thinking maybe that was the issue but it wasn’t. While they had it the third time they realigned the front end pushing the camber forward beyond factory spec. So far seems to have corrected the problem but time will tell.

Not sure how much the 09 differs from a 14 in the front end but I think they are very similar.


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[stevenP]

Mine was the belts in the front tires broke (junk nexens). It was a instant, sudden thing that just happened as I was driving the truck one day.

 

[Brad Davis]

Some good ideas to start looking at, tires seem fine with no visible issues and weights and lugs are all in place, first time it happened I thought it was a road issue but now that its happened again there's definitely more to it, I've got a call in to the dealer to check my recalls and go from there. I'll say it was pretty violent when it happened so something's gotta be off somewhere.

 

[Halligan]

Classic case of Death Wobble. Do an internet search and you'll find plenty of info.

Is your suspension stock?

How many miles on the truck?

Over sized tires or aftermarket wheels?

If your suspension is all stock, or even if it's not and your miles are getting high it could be time for a front suspension rebuild. I'd replace everything including ball joints, tie rod ends, track bar bushings, steering stabilizer, shocks, and the drag link. Good luck.

 

[csuder99]

3. Had a new track bar installed thinking maybe that was the issue but it wasn’t. While they had it the third time they realigned the front end pushing the camber forward beyond factory spec. So far seems to have corrected the problem but time will tell.

I assume you meant caster ? Camber can't be adjusted on a solid front axle unless using special balljoints.

DW can be a caster problem, it's fairly common with coil sprung Jeeps using cheap non-adjustable lift kits. The axle 'rolls' a bit due to the control arm geometry, causing reduced caster.

 

[buckeyexx]

I assume you meant caster ? Camber can't be adjusted on a solid front axle unless using special balljoints.

DW can be a caster problem, it's fairly common with coil sprung Jeeps using cheap non-adjustable lift kits. The axle 'rolls' a bit due to the control arm geometry, causing reduced caster.

Yes your absolutely correct it was the caster. Thank you for that correction. Didn’t even realize I put that even after reading it before I posted it.


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[tron67j]

Another thing I just thought of is a busted cord in a tire and the balance weights. Lugnuts?

Blue Mule

I had this once, felt just like described at higher speeds. Rotated to back to see if problem shifted, which it did.

 

[RamCares]

I was driving on the highway today 100km/hr and the truck hit a rough patch then dam near shook the steering wheel out of my hands even though I was back to smooth pavement, had the same feeling as hitting washboard on a dirt road, the shake stopped after I pulled to the side and dropped below 70km then it was fine. This is the second time it has happened. Anyone else experience this?

Hi @Brad Davis,

We certainly understand why this may be concerning! If you work with your dealer to address this, we suggest contacting Canadian Customer Care to have this documented. You may find their contact information by clicking on the following link and scrolling down to the "Canada" tab: https://www.fcagroup.com/en-US/footer/Pages/contacts.aspx.

Mark
RamCares