IllustrationMY JEEP SPEWS OUT GASOLINE EVERY TIME I FILL UP AT THE PUMP. THE GAS COMES FROM THE TOP OF THE GAS TANK, AND IS A VERY DANGEROUS HAZARD. I AM STILL NOT ABLE TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING AFTER NUMEROUS TRIES. *TR
1998 Jeep Wrangler
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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
50–25K
1525–50K
1850–75K
1675–100K
17100–150K
5150K+
76 reports with mileage · 189 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 58 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. 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.
22 crash reports9 fire reports12 injury reports
What owners actually said
265 reportsMY 1998 JEEP WRANGLER OVERFLOWS WHENEVER I FILL IT UP WITH GASOLINE. EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS I WASTE MY MONEY AND IS FORCED TO WIPE UP THE EXCESS GAS BY THE STATION. *TR
FILL UP MY TANK AND THE PUMP STOPS. I PULL OUT THE PUMP HANDLE AND FUEL COMES BACK OUT OF THE GAS TANK. I HAVE TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO HOW FAR I DRIVE IN MILES AND WHEN I FILL UP LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF GALLONS GOING IN THE TANK. SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO THIS. *TR
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GOES OUT - SPEEDOMETER AND TACH, OR ALL OTHER GAUGES GO OUT, AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON. APPEARS TO BE MANY DOCUMENTED CASES OF THIS SAME FAILURE WITH THE WIRING HARNESS/INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PROBLEM SINCE 1998. NUMEROUS SERVICE BULLETINS BUT NO RECALLS! WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM AND IS THERE A RECALL…
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INSTRUMENT CLUSTER GOES OUT - SPEEDOMETER AND TACH, OR ALL OTHER GAUGES GO OUT, AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON. APPEARS TO BE MANY DOCUMENTED CASES OF THIS SAME FAILURE WITH THE WIRING HARNESS/INSTRUMENT CLUSTER PROBLEM SINCE 1998. NUMEROUS SERVICE BULLETINS BUT NO RECALLS! WHAT CAN BE DONE TO PREVENT THE PROBLEM AND IS THERE A RECALL FOR THIS? *TR
FRONT WINDSHIELD WIPERS ONLY WORK IN HIGH MODE WHEN COLD. WHEN WARM, ALL MODES WORK. RECENTLY DURING A SNOW STORM THE WIPERS STOPPED WORKING ENTIRELY. WHEN VEHICLE IS FIRST STARTED, THE WIPERS WILL WORK UNTIL VEHICLE IS WARMED UP AND THEN STOP AGAIN. *TR
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/GAUGES INTERMITTENTLY STOP FUNCTIONING WHILE DRIVING AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ALSO COMES ON. THERE IS NO WARNING, JUST A SHUT DOWN OF ALL GAUGES. I HAVE READ SEVERAL REPORTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM OCCURRING ON THIS SAME YEAR AND MODEL OF WRANGLER. I HAVE ALSO READ THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT FUNCTION WHEN THIS PROBLEM …
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INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/GAUGES INTERMITTENTLY STOP FUNCTIONING WHILE DRIVING AND THE AIRBAG LIGHT ALSO COMES ON. THERE IS NO WARNING, JUST A SHUT DOWN OF ALL GAUGES. I HAVE READ SEVERAL REPORTS OF THIS SAME PROBLEM OCCURRING ON THIS SAME YEAR AND MODEL OF WRANGLER. I HAVE ALSO READ THAT THE AIRBAG WILL NOT FUNCTION WHEN THIS PROBLEM OCCURS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM AND A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. WHAT WOULD BE THE REASON THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL TO CORRECT THIS? *TR
PURCHASED REPLACEMENT FRONT BALL JOINTS FOR JEEP WRANGLER(1985-1998) FROM AUTOZONE. NOTICED THAT THE TWO PARTS WERE DIFFERENT, BUT THE BOX HAD THE SAME PART NUMBER. ONE FIT PERFECTLY, BUT THE OTHER COULD ONLY BE INSTALLED IN A WAY THAT COULD CAUSE FUTURE SUSPENSION FAILURE. I WENT TO ANOTHER AUTOZONE STORE AND FOUND THE SAME TWO…
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PURCHASED REPLACEMENT FRONT BALL JOINTS FOR JEEP WRANGLER(1985-1998) FROM AUTOZONE. NOTICED THAT THE TWO PARTS WERE DIFFERENT, BUT THE BOX HAD THE SAME PART NUMBER. ONE FIT PERFECTLY, BUT THE OTHER COULD ONLY BE INSTALLED IN A WAY THAT COULD CAUSE FUTURE SUSPENSION FAILURE. I WENT TO ANOTHER AUTOZONE STORE AND FOUND THE SAME TWO DIFFERENT PARTS MARKED WITH THE SAME PART NUMBER, SO IT WAS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM. THE PART NUMBER IS FA1633. *TR
AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON WHILE DRIVING AND THE TACHOMETER/ SPEEDOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO... ALL OTHER GAUGES DISPLAY PROPERLY AND I HAD NO POWER LOSS.....IT WAS REALLY TENSE BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW HOW FAST I WAS GOING DOWN THE FREEWAY.... I CANNOT GET THIS REPAIRED BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A CODE TO CHECK (CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT CO…
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AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON WHILE DRIVING AND THE TACHOMETER/ SPEEDOMETER DROPPED TO ZERO... ALL OTHER GAUGES DISPLAY PROPERLY AND I HAD NO POWER LOSS.....IT WAS REALLY TENSE BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW HOW FAST I WAS GOING DOWN THE FREEWAY.... I CANNOT GET THIS REPAIRED BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A CODE TO CHECK (CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON) THIS HAS HAPPEN 5 TIMES SINCE OCTOBER 2007.... AFTER RESEARCHING I FOUND THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS PROBLEM..... *TR
MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. WATER PUMP LEAKED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, GAS TANK SEAL LEAKED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, SEATS RIPPED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, SUCTION CUP MARKS ON WINDOW - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, FRONT STABILIZER SHOCK LEAKED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, REAR WINDOW SEAL LEAKED - REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY TWO TIMES AND STI…
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MANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. WATER PUMP LEAKED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, GAS TANK SEAL LEAKED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, SEATS RIPPED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, SUCTION CUP MARKS ON WINDOW - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, FRONT STABILIZER SHOCK LEAKED - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, REAR WINDOW SEAL LEAKED - REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY TWO TIMES AND STILL LEAKS, INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILS - OUT OF WARRANTY NOT REPAIRED, RADIATOR FAILED - OUT OF WARRANTY FIXED AT MY COST, STABILIZER ARM FAILED BOTH SIDES TWICE - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY ONCE AND THE OUT OF WARRANTY FIXED AT MY COST, EXHAUST MANIFOLD FAILED - OUT OF WARRANTY - FIXED AT MY COST, CLUTCH FORK FAILED - OUT OF WARRANTY FIXED AT MY COST, LEAK UNDER THE DASH BOARD PASSENGER SIDE - FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. OF ALL THE PROBLEMS ABOVE... LOSS OF INSTRUMENT PANEL NEEDS TO BE FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDLESS OF IN OR OUT OF WARRANTY. LOSS OF GAUGES IS A DRIVING DISTRACTION AND CAN RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT. JEEP NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS MANUFACTURING DEFECT AS LONG AS THIS VEHICLE IS ON THE ROAD. *JB
MAIN EXHAUST HEADER FLANGE AT THE COLLECTOR CRACKED LEADING TO EXHAUST GASES ENTERING THE CAR. *TR
Official recalls
298V048000 · Seat Belts:front:anchorage
Mar 12, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE. THE FRONT SEAT BELT SHOULDER TURNING LOOP ANCHORS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND ARE NOT PROPERLY HARDENED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SEAT SHOULDER BELT TURNING LOOP ON THESE VEHICLES.
98V023000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:vacuum
Feb 10, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM RESERVOIR DIAPHRAGM CAN SPLIT OR TEAR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CAN CAUSE AN INCREASE IN ENGINE IDLE SPEED AND A LOSS OF POWER ASSIST DURING BRAKE APPLICATION WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE BOOSTER DATE CODE AND ANY BOOSTERS WITH THE SUSPECT MANUFACTURING DATE RANGE WILL BE REPLACED.
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.