Problems · NHTSA complaints

1998 Jeep Wrangler problems

Owners filed 265 complaints about the 1998 Jeep Wrangler with NHTSA between Jan 1998 and Feb 2023. The most-cited component is electrical system (58).

Complaints
265
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
22
Reported by owners
Fires
9
Reported by owners
Injuries
15
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system58
  2. Engine and engine cooling52
  3. Air bags45
  4. Power train33
  5. Suspension26
  6. Structure25
  7. Seat belts16
  8. Visibility16
  9. Steering15
  10. Fuel system, gasoline14
  11. Service brakes, hydraulic13
  12. Vehicle speed control11
  13. Equipment8
  14. Fuel system, other6

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
199831
199957
200020
200134
200225
200319
200418
20054
20064
20075
20083
20092
20104
20115
20128
20131
20144
20158
20162
20174
20181
20193
20201
20211
20220
20231

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Electrical system

58 reports6 fires
“AIRBAG LIGHT COME ON AND SPEEDO AND TACH STOPS WORKING. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND THIS IS OCCURING ON NUMEROUS JEEPS OF THIS YEAR. WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL? IF SOMETHING ISN'T DONE ABOUT THIS I WILL BE GETTING A LOT OF JEEP OWNERS TOGETHER AND FILING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!! IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM. I JUST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND AFTER RESEARCHING THIS ITS HAPPENING TO THE MAJORITY ON THIS YEARS WRANGLERS”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 16, 2021Electrical system, Air bagsODI 11408403

Engine and engine cooling

52 reports
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE PARKED, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND FROM THE SIDE OF THE ENGINE, AS IF AIR WAS ESCAPING THROUGH THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD WAS FRACTURED AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED AFTER THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED A SECOND TIME. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 87,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 21, 2012Engine and engine coolingODI 10448812

Air bags

45 reports12 crashes
“MY SON WAS KILLED WHEN THE 98 JEEP WRANGLER LOST CONTROL AND FLIPPED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SINCE THIS VEHICLE WAS BUILT IN 1998. MANY COMPLAINTS SINCE THE YEAR OF 1998 AND NO RECALL OR FIX? *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 5, 2012Air bagsCrash reportedODI 10454229

Power train

33 reports3 crashes
“REAR DRIVE SHAFT SHEARED IN TWO AT A WELD JOINT LOCATED BETWEEN THE SHAFT MAIN TUBE BODY AND UNIVERSAL JOINT PART. THE FAILURE APPEARS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN IMPROPER WELD SEAM (WELD ON APPARENTLY A THIRD OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE SHAFT TUBE APPEARS NOT TO HAVE BEEN COMPLETED). I DON'T KNOW IF THE WELDING PROCESS WAS DONE MANUALLY OR BY MACHINE AND IF BY MACHINE HOW MANY OTHER SHAFTS ARE SIMILARLY AFFECTED. I WILL MAIL A MORE COMPLETE COPY OF A WRITE-UP OF THE INCIDENT AS WELL AS PHOTOGRAPHS (I SENT CHRYSLER. I CONTACTED CHRYSLER AND THEY HAVE NOT FOLLOWED UP ON THE INCIDENT (OTHER THAN A VOICE MAIL ACKNOWLEDGING RECEIPT OF A LETTER FROM ME AND THEY WOULD LOOK INTO THE MATTER. THAT HAS BEEN CLOSE TO 5 MONTHS OF NO RESPONSE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 9, 2014Power trainODI 10563546

Suspension

26 reports3 crashes
“I HAVE A 1998 JEEP WRANGLER. I'VE OWNED MY JEEP FOR 15 YEARS. IT HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT. WE WERE CHANGING THE SHOCKS A FEW WEEKS AGO AND NOTICED SEVERE RUST DAMAGE. THE FRAME IS RUSTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. IT'S SEVERE. YEARS BEFORE I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A 2 LAND RD AND HAD TO PRESS MY BRAKES HARDER THAN I USUALLY WOULD DUE TO A CAR PULLING OUT IN FRONT OF ME. AT THAT MOMENT I BLEW A BRAKE LINE. I COULD NOT GET MY VEHICLE STOPPED. LUCKILY IT'S A 5 SPEED. I GEARED DOWN AS FAST AS I COULD AND MANAGED TO PULL IT OFF THE MAIN ROAD ONTO A HILL TO GET IT STOPPED. AFTER INSPECTING MY VEHICLE I FOUND SEVERE DAMAGE. THE MOTORS MOUNTS ARE BARELY THERE. THE PART WHERE THE FRAME MOUNTS TO THE BODY IS ACTUALLY MISSING ONE DUE TO RUSTING COMPLETELY OUT. EVERY SINGLE BOLT AND NUT IS RUSTED. EVERY SINGLE SQUARE INCH OF THE FRAME IS RUSTED. THE PROBLEM IS THAT JEEP POORLY DESIGNED THE FRAME WITH SIDE HOLES FOR WATER AND DIRT TO ENTER BUT DID NOT DESIGN IT WITH DRAINAGE HOLES ON THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME. WATER AND DIRT ENTER AND NEVER LEAVE. IT'S EXTREMELY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I'VE READ THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE AND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 5, 2019Suspension, Structure, Service brakesODI 11165433

Structure

25 reports2 fires
“JEEP WRANGLER FRAMES RUST FROM INSIDE OUT DUE TO MOISTURE GETTING IN THROUGH UPPER PART OF FRAMES WHERE THEIR ARE HOLES AND SETTLING TO LOWER PART OF FRAME WHERE THEIR ARE NO DRAIN HOLES. THEIR MAY HAVE NOT BEEN AN ISSUE IF JEEP HAD JUST PUT IN DRAIN HOLES IN LOWER PART OF FRAME. IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN 1997 THROUGH 2006 JEEP WRANGLERS. I HAVE THIS ISSUE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 10, 2020StructureODI 11348467
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.