Steering column or shaft failure on the 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4
Only 7 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When steering column or shaft failure gets reported
There are 9 reports of steering column or shaft failure on the 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4, 7 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 85,000 miles. It is the 14th most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 78,000 miles | — | — |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $600–$2,500 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
This mode is classified as critical, which means a failure can leave the car unable to stop, steer, or stay out of the way of traffic. It is weighted accordingly in the risk score.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 3 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2009, at a median of 65,000 miles, and latest on the 2007 at 80,000 miles.
By volume the 2008 carries the most reports, with 32; the 2007 has 9. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I have noticed an increase in give / leeway in the steering column at approx 15,000 miles. The problem increased to the point where there is a popping felt through the steering wheel as well as both the accelerator and brake pedals when light pressure is placed on the front wheels while turning (turning at low speeds through traffic circles, going over uneven pavement while turning, small bumps in the road, etc). The feedback felt continues to get worse until the point it feels unsafe to operate the vehicle. I have had the vehicle back into the only 2 jeep dealerships within a 90 mile radius of my place of residence more than 3 times. At first the front end sway bar was replaced, to no avail. The 2nd time the steering column shaft was replaced, with only a short term alleviation of the problem. At first when the shaft was replaced, the steering felt as new (tight, with good control, and no feedback). After less than another 5,000 miles on the new shaft, the problem has returned and continues to get worse (currently at 23,000 miles). After speaking with the service manager at a local jeep dealership, he has indicated there is no…
I have noticed an increase in give / leeway in the steering column at approx 15,000 miles. The problem increased to the point where there is a popping felt through the steering wheel as well as both the accelerator and brake pedals when light pressure is placed on the front wheels while turning (turning at low speeds through traffic circles, going over uneven pavement while turning, small bumps in the road, etc). The feedback felt continues to get worse until the point it feels unsafe to operate the vehicle. I have had the vehicle back into the only 2 jeep dealerships within a 90 mile radius of my place of residence more than 3 times. At first the front end sway bar was replaced, to no avail. The 2nd time the steering column shaft was replaced, with only a short term alleviation of the problem. At first when the shaft was replaced, the steering felt as new (tight, with good control, and no feedback). After less than another 5,000 miles on the new shaft, the problem has returned and continues to get worse (currently at 23,000 miles). After speaking with the service manager at a local jeep dealership, he has indicated there is no…
On february 26, 2015, due to unknown exhaust noise, my 2007 jeep wrangler was evaluated by jim at daves automotive in visalia, ca. During this eval. Jim reported both exhaust manifolds (stock) were cracked and emitting exhaust. Additionally jim reported that due to the faulty exhaust manifolds that both were missing bolts which were forced out of their location due to the faulty manifolds. After contacting the dealership lampe dodge jeep in visalia, ca they informed me this problem was common and the reason they kept the manifolds in stock. Additionally, in january we had the clock spring in the steering column repaired at lampe and requested they evaluate the door locking mechanism which only worked intermittently. They reported they keep the tipm module in stock to repair this problem which was common in the jeep wranglers and other models.
Also reported on the 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4
Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure
Other fuel system problem
Other electrical problem
Other steering problem
Other suspension problem
Other engine problem
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 9 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 9 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does steering column or shaft failure happen on the 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4?
Across 7 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 80,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is steering column or shaft failure on the 2007 Jeep Wrangler 4-DR 4X4?
9 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 8.3 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed