Which Jeep Wrangler years should you avoid?

2021, 2018, 2012 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Jeep Wrangler model year measured over an identical 60-month window.

What is the best year for the Jeep Wrangler?

2017 is the best-scoring Jeep Wrangler model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 66.9 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

How many recalls does the Jeep Wrangler have?

61 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Jeep Wrangler model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

Which Jeep Wrangler years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2021, 2018 and 2012 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Jeep Wrangler Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2021 vs model median 3.1×

Model median3× median

Electrical 233

Steering 211

Engine 177

Avoid

2018 · 2021

Best

2011 · 2017

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

The Wrangler’s flagged years cluster around the JL generation launched for 2018, and the complaint mix is consistent across all of them: electrical first, steering second, engine third. The 2021 model year records 31 filings involving a fire, a high count for a vehicle of this volume.

The steering reports are the ones with a name attached. Owners describe a violent side-to-side oscillation of the front axle after hitting a bump at speed — the phenomenon Jeep owners call death wobble, a known behaviour of solid front-axle vehicles that becomes pronounced when steering damping or suspension components are worn or out of specification. NHTSA examined the issue and Chrysler issued a revised steering damper. It is a handling characteristic rather than a single failed part, which is why it recurs across several model years rather than one.

The median odometer reading at complaint is about 18,000 miles, so these are early-life reports. 2011 and 2017 — both late in the previous generation — record the Wrangler’s lowest rates in this dataset.

Reviewed Claude, 10 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Jeep Wrangler
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.94×	372	C
2011	0.67×	249	C
2012	1.76×	813	F
2013	1.42×	624	D
2014	0.84×	324	C
2015	0.80×	254	C
2016	0.87×	294	C
2017	0.69×	230	C
2018	3.98×	1,936	F
2019	1.67×	778	D
2020	1.06×	469	D
2021	3.07×	1,245	F
2022 P	1.66×	641	F
2023 P	1.52×	587	D
2024 P	5.19×	1,785	F
2025 P	0.42×	128	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2018 F 1,936 reports · median 7,000 mi

Steering 966

In motion over 45mph, the jeep will suddenly experience a steering wobble that causes almost complete lack of control. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Suspension 288

The contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. In addition, the electronic stability control warning indicator illuminated. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Electrical 111

The contact owns a 2018 jeep wrangler. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of engine power and all the warning indicators illuminated. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

27 crash · 34 fire · 20 injuries

2021 F 1,245 reports · median 18,000 mi

Electrical 233

Brand new 2021 jeep wrangler backup camera isn't working the day I purchased it. Just got a black screen when I put the vehicle in reverse from a parked position. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Steering 211

Wandering steering above 30 MPH won't track straight, excessive play in the wheel. Ordered from dealer went to the shop for steering issues at 52 miles and back again 2 weeks later, just picked it up from the dealer and… owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Engine 177

Vehicle is brand new and the check engine light came on only after 300 miles. Dealer diagosed the problem with o2 sensor failure and valve cover defect. The vehicle ran very rough and felt like it was about to stall. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

34 crash · 31 fire · 13 injuries

The best year for the Wrangler

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2017 is the best-scoring Wrangler model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 66.9 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2011 at 0.67× this model’s median, against 0.69× for 2017.

Best-scoring model years
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2017	0.69×	230	C
2011	0.67×	249	C
2015	0.80×	254	C

Recalls

61 campaigns on record, 6 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
18V332000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING	2018	4,815,661
16V352000 Park it	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2012	4,648,270
19V018000 Park it	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2016	1,413,222
26V363000 Park it	STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP	2021–2025	1,076,999
16V290000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010	388,532
18V021000 Park it	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2013	328,177
25V741000 Park it	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY	2020–2025	320,068
20V191000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2019, 2020	319,610
14V631000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2011–2013	313,772
10V236000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC	2010	287,653
24V111000	VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM	2021–2024	199,143
16V734000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE	2016, 2017	182,743

+ 49 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 18,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Jeep Wrangler years should you avoid?: 2021, 2018, 2012 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Jeep Wrangler model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Jeep Wrangler?: 2017 is the best-scoring Jeep Wrangler model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 66.9 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Jeep Wrangler have?: 61 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Jeep Wrangler model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Wrangler

Complaints in window: 1,245
Severity-weighted: 1,795.5
Model median (weighted): 585
vs model median: 3.07×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 21
Open investigations: 3

Score 0 F