IllustrationTHE ENGINE STALLS WHEN SHIFTING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE TWICE, AND SAID VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW FUEL RAIL. *AK
1997 Jeep Wrangler
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Jeep Wrangler do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 265.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Wrangler years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 71 of 401 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
32 crash reports5 fire reports19 injury reports
Power Train complaints
53 reportsWHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS CRACKED, AS WAS THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. ALSO THE CRANK SENSOR HARNESS AND THE TPS WERE MELTED AGAINST THE MANIFOLD. THE DASH LEAKED WATER AND THE BRAKE SHOES/LINING AND RACK AND PINION SET NEEDED REPLACING. THE DRIVERS SIDE SEATBELT WOULD NEVER RETRACT AND THE DASH LEAD WATER EXTENSIVELY CAUSING THE RESST…
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THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS CRACKED, AS WAS THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. ALSO THE CRANK SENSOR HARNESS AND THE TPS WERE MELTED AGAINST THE MANIFOLD. THE DASH LEAKED WATER AND THE BRAKE SHOES/LINING AND RACK AND PINION SET NEEDED REPLACING. THE DRIVERS SIDE SEATBELT WOULD NEVER RETRACT AND THE DASH LEAD WATER EXTENSIVELY CAUSING THE RESSTR-BLOWER TO GO OUT. THE RADIO WAS ALSO BROKEN FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS
WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE AT 65MPH, FRONT END OF DRIVE SHAFT FELL OUT. LUCKILY IT DID NOT FLIP VEHICLE. BENT THE DRIVE SHAFT IN HALF.
WHIKE DRIVING AT 65MPH ON INTERSTATE TRANSFER CASE CAME APART AND FRONT DRIVESHAFT FELL OUT. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED,WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON, WASHER SQUIRTED, DASH LIGHTS CAME ON. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG BUSTED THE WINDSHIELD, AND THE FACE OF THE PASSENGER. HER JAW IS BROKEN IN THREE PLACES AND HER FOUR UPPER TE…
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WHIKE DRIVING AT 65MPH ON INTERSTATE TRANSFER CASE CAME APART AND FRONT DRIVESHAFT FELL OUT. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED,WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAME ON, WASHER SQUIRTED, DASH LIGHTS CAME ON. THE PASSENGER AIR BAG BUSTED THE WINDSHIELD, AND THE FACE OF THE PASSENGER. HER JAW IS BROKEN IN THREE PLACES AND HER FOUR UPPER TEETH WERE REMOVED FROM THEIR SOCKETS. SHE REQUIRED EXTENSIVE RECONSTRUCTIVE SURGERY, AND IS STILL IN THE HOSPITAL. NOOTHERS OBJECTS OR VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED. THE DRIVER BEAT THE AIRBAG DOWN AND SAFELY PARKED THE CAR IN THE MEDIAN. WHY DID AIRBAGS DEPLOY AND WITH SUCH FORCE? *AK
WHEN DRIVER WAS PULLING OF FROM A STOP, THE GEAR SHIFT LEVER CAME APART IN THE DRIVER'S HAND. THE DEALER/MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
INSTRUMENT PANEL: ALL INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES ARE DRIVEN BY A MICROPROCESSOR, SUCH THAT IT TELLS THE PANEL WHAT THE GAUGES SHOULD READ. WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CPU FAILS, ALL GAUGES; FUEL/TEMP/OIL/VOLT AND TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER AN D ODOMETER) FAIL SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS IS DISCONCERTING AT BEST, HIGHLY DANGEROUS (SAY IF ONE WE…
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INSTRUMENT PANEL: ALL INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES ARE DRIVEN BY A MICROPROCESSOR, SUCH THAT IT TELLS THE PANEL WHAT THE GAUGES SHOULD READ. WHEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL CPU FAILS, ALL GAUGES; FUEL/TEMP/OIL/VOLT AND TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER AN D ODOMETER) FAIL SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS IS DISCONCERTING AT BEST, HIGHLY DANGEROUS (SAY IF ONE WERE ON A FREEWAY) AT WORST. ALSO, TRANSMISSION: THE 5-SPEED TRANSMISSION USED WITH THE 4.0L HAS MAJOR PROBLEMS SHIFTING INTO SECOND WHEN COLD. JEEP'S ANSWER FOR YEARS HAS BEEN "THEY ALL DO THAT" YET THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO USE THE SAME TRANSMISSION AND HAVE NO FIXED FOR THE PROBLEM TO THIS DATE. *AK
TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY FAILED. YH
WHILE DRIVING AT 55MPH DOWNSHIFTED AND THE SHIFTER WOULD NOT RELEASE FROM FIFTH TO FORTH, PULLED OUT OF GEAR AND COASTED, VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO ANY GEAR AT ALL. DEALER CONTACTED AND WAS NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, AWAITING A NEW TRANSMISSION FOR VEHICLE. PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
GEAR SHIFTER CAME OUT OF ITS HOUSING AS THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN, DUE TO WEAK LOCK, REPLACEMENT OF BOTH UPPER AND LOWER LEVEL SHIFTER.
Official recalls
398V046000 · Air Bags:frontal
Mar 10, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG 'CLOCK SPRING' WIRING HARNESS CAN BREAK WHEN TURNED TO THE 'FULL LOCK' TURN POSITION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY INCREASING THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCK SPRING IN THESE AIR BAGS.
97V080000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
May 16, 1997
THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.
96V060000 · Air Bags
Apr 8, 1996
THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (AECM) SOFTWARE CONTAINS AN ERROR WHICH CAN DELAY THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN CERTAIN CRASH SITUATIONS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: DELAYED DEPLOYMENT CAN CAUSE INCREASED INJURY TO FRONT SEAT VEHICLE OCCUPANTS IN A COLLISION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE ON THESE VEHICLES.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.