What breaks most · 1990 to 2026 model years
Jeep Wrangler problems by year
Owners have filed 15,651 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Jeep Wrangler across model years 1990 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2018 for steering complaints, 2021 for electrical system complaints and 2008 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 1996, 1991 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2021, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 1996, 1991, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 156511990 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20181814 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 518454 fires · 400 injuries · 20 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 42kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 261Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 79 | 6 | 7 | Fuel system (18) | |
| 76 | 4 | 8 | Fuel system (16) | |
| 77 | 6 | 6 | Fuel system (22) | |
| 108 | 9 | 5 | Fuel system (23) | |
| 151 | 14 | 4 | Fuel system (36) | |
| 202 | 27 | 3 | Parking Brake (54) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 401 | 32 | 7 | Engine and cooling (109) | |
| 265 | 23 | 6 | Electrical system (58) | |
| 213 | 15 | 5 | Electrical system (53) | |
| 251 | 17 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (70) | |
| 170 | 17 | 7 | Body and structure (38) | |
| 108 | 15 | 6 | Body and structure (26) | |
| 98 | 8 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (22) | |
| 192 | 17 | 3 | Steering (67) | |
| 650 | 10 | 2 | Fuel system (346) | |
| 730 | 7 | 3 | Fuel system (355) | |
| 556 | 15 | 10 | Steering (138) | |
| 873 | 15 | 9 | Air bags (309) | |
| 371 | 9 | 7 | Air bags (103) | |
| 686 | 15 | 11 | Fuel system (159) | |
| 485 | 13 | 11 | Air bags (145) | |
| 833 | 22 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (282) | |
| 649 | 14 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (229) | |
| 652 | 21 | 4 | Engine (322) | |
| 468 | 15 | 3 | Engine (126) | |
| 459 | 28 | 5 | Brakes (119) | |
| 309 | 19 | 5 | Brakes (75) | |
| 1814 | 22 | 14 | Steering (1115) | |
| 734 | 9 | 9 | Steering (443) | |
| 606 | 16 | 12 | Steering (238) | |
| 909 | 20 | 15 | Electrical system (302) | |
| 383 | 13 | 15 | Electrical system (162) | |
| 342 | 11 | 14 | Electrical system (183) | |
| 680 | 10 | 11 | Engine (398) | |
| 60 | 3 | 4 | Electrical system (35) | |
| 9 | 1 | 3 | Fuel system (3) |
What fails on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 61% |
1115 | 9 | Shop steering parts for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 19% |
342 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 15% |
266 | 2 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler |
| Unknown or other | 12% |
210 | 0 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
173 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 5% |
98 | 3 | Shop engine parts for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
97 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler |
| Wheels | 3% |
61 | 2 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Any time I am over the speed of about 55 mph, and hit any type of bump, the steering wheel starts to shake violently. I have to slow down to about 40 mph to make it stop. I almost got rearended by an 18-wheeler yesterday on the interstate.
-
There is a known urgent recall with no remedy after 1 month to over 1 million vehicles. Crystar, Mopar, and FCA have done nothing to update owners on when repairs can be made. The website to "Request to be notified when parts become available" does not work.
-
Headlights stopped working. The Headlights are controlled by a computer. No relay, fuse, or anything that can be fixed at a parts store. We had to wait days for a computer to show up.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Jeep Wrangler years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2018, 2021, 2008 carry the most filings on the Jeep Wrangler. The 2018 alone has 1814 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Jeep Wrangler problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 1115 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Jeep Wrangler problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Jeep Wrangler complaints that include mileage is about 42,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.