Sign inCreate free garage
Research · Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD · 2 NHTSA variants

2009 Jeep WranglerRecalls, problems, MPG & safety

NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 650 owner complaints for the 2009 Jeep Wrangler. Most complaints involve air bags (175) and steering (108). The EPA rates it 16–17 mpg combined.

Check a VINAdd to my garage
Combined MPG
16–17mpg
EPA · 3 versions
NHTSA overall
—
Not rated by NCAP
Safety recalls
7campaigns
Latest Jan 2018
Owner complaints
650
Top: air bags
Fuel cost / yr
$3,800est.
EPA estimate, best version
01 —Recalls

Safety recalls

7 NHTSA campaigns · applies to some vehicles, check your VIN

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveFree remedy

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Chrysler is recalling certain 2009-2010 RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Chrysler is also recalling certain 2009 RAM 3500, RAM 2500, RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Air bagsReported Jan 9, 2018NHTSA 18V021000

Air bags: inflator module

Park It: do not driveFree remedy

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2012 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2012 Chrysler 300, 2006-2012 Dodge Charger, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Chrysler is also recalling 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2009 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2009 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2009 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2009 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2009 Chrysler 300, 2006-2009 Dodge Charger, 2005-2009 Dodge Dakota and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AZ, AR, DE, Washington D.C., IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Chrysler is recalling certain 2005-2008 RAM 2500, 2006-2008 RAM 3500, 2007-2008 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2008 Dodge Durango, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2008 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2008 Chrysler 300, 2006-2008 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2008 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or registered, in AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY.

Air bagsReported May 24, 2016NHTSA 16V352000

Air bags: inflator module

Free remedy

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Jeep Wrangler JK vehicles manufactured March 2, 2006, to August 13, 2010. The clockspring assembly may become contaminated with dust and cause the air bag circuit to fail.

Air bagsReported May 11, 2016NHTSA 16V290000
See all 7 recalls with remedies
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · All recall detailsNHTSA vehicle page
02 —Complaints

Owner complaints by component

650 complaints filed with NHTSA · Jan 2009 – Sep 2026
  1. Air bags175
  2. Steering108
  3. Suspension108
  4. Fuel/propulsion system105
  5. Power train66
  6. Electrical system56
  7. Fuel system, gasoline52
  8. Engine23
  9. Wheels20

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

By model year

Complaints for each Wrangler model year we’ve synced.

View as table
Model yearNHTSA complaints
1997411
1998265
1999217
2000270
2001170
2002108
20071,059
20081,255
2009650
2010686
2011485
2012835
2013657
2014658
2015479
2016462
2017312
20181,827
2019747
2020618
2021958
2022412
2023374
2024970
202583
20260
Crashes reported
13
Fires reported
19
Injuries reported
11
Deaths reported
0
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Full problem breakdownNHTSA vehicle page
03 —Common problems

What owners report most

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaints, by component

Air bags

175 reports5 crashes
“oN 5-22-26 I was involved in a MVA. I was in a head on collision. My airbags did not deploy. I suffered a brain bleed and now have an aneurysm thought to have been caused by the trauma. My head hit the windshield. The vehicle is in my warehouse and has not been tampered with since the accident. I feel that the airbag should have deployed and in the very least the seatbelt should have kept me from hitting the windshield.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 17, 2026Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11764877

Steering

108 reports1 crash
“THE JEEP HAS LESS THAN 40.000 IS AND IS NOT USED OFF ROAD. ABOUT 55MPH THE FRONT END GETS A OUT OF CONTROL WOBBLE. YOU HAVE TO SLOW WAY DOWN FOR IT TO STOP. IT HAS DONE A FEW TIMES BEFORE. THE LAST TIME IT WAS 4/29/20.THE TRACK BAR WAS REPLACED WITH OEM PART AND STILL DOES IT. IT SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH A LOT OF WRANGLER JEEPS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS A DESIGN FLAW. DOING SOME RESEARCH IT SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH JEEPS. THIS JEEP IT COMPLETELY STOCK WITH THE SAME TIRES IT CAME WITH NEW.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 3, 2020Steering, WheelsODI 11323129

Suspension

108 reports
“Hi.. My Jeep has the death wobble and that my Jeep is not included in the recall due ; according to the Jeep dealership. The recall has expired for my 2009 Jeep Wrangler. My kids and grand was in the car when my Jeep after hitting a bump started shaking in the middle of the highway. Please help me. I would get it fix on my own, but I can not afford it and this should not happen when it's a known issue and a safety issue. I can be reached at [XXX]. Thanks [XXX]”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 23, 2022SuspensionODI 11453697
All 2009 Wrangler problemsSend a problem to a mechanic on findmechanic.ai
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 27, 2026
04 —Key specs

Engines, transmissions & drive

3 versions rated by the EPA
EPA class
Sport Utility Vehicle - 2WD, Sport Utility Vehicle - 4WD
Engines
3.8L 6-cyl
Transmissions
Automatic 4-spd · Manual 6-spd
Drive
Rear-Wheel Drive · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

Towing, payload and dimensions aren’t in the EPA or NHTSA data, so we don’t list them.

Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026EPA listing
05 —Fuel economy

EPA fuel economy by version

City / highway / combined, annual fuel cost and CO₂
EPA
VersionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yrCO₂ g/mi
Wrangler 2WD
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.8 L · Rear-Wheel Drive
152017$3,800523
Wrangler 4WD
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.8 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
151917$3,800523
Wrangler 4WD
Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.8 L · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
151916$4,000555
  • Wrangler 2WD
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.8 L
    15 city · 20 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
  • Wrangler 4WD
    Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.8 L
    15 city · 19 hwy · $3,800/yr
    17
    mpg comb.
  • Wrangler 4WD
    Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.8 L
    15 city · 19 hwy · $4,000/yr
    16
    mpg comb.
Estimate your fuel costCost of ownership
Data from EPA fueleconomy.gov · synced Oct 27, 2026 · Fuel cost is EPA’s annual estimate (15,000 mi, 55% city)
06 —Safety

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings

2 tested variants
NHTSA has not published 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2009 Jeep Wrangler as of Oct 27, 2026.
Data from NHTSA NCAP Safety Ratings API · synced Oct 27, 2026Vehicle 5171Vehicle 5172
07 —Maintenance

Maintenance basics

General guidance, not the OEM schedule. Check your owner’s manual.
General guidance
ItemMilesTimeNote
Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi6–12 monthsFollow the oil-life monitor if fitted
Tire rotation5,000–7,500 miEvery oil changeCheck pressure monthly
Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi1–2 yearsSooner in dusty areas
Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi1–2 years
Brake fluid—2–3 yearsAbsorbs moisture over time
Coolant60,000–100,000 mi5–10 yearsLong-life coolants last longer
Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi—Iridium/platinum plugs at the long end
12V battery—3–5 yearsHeat shortens battery life
  • Engine oil & filter5,000–10,000 mi
    6–12 months
  • Tire rotation5,000–7,500 mi
    Every oil change
  • Engine air filter15,000–30,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Cabin air filter15,000–25,000 mi
    1–2 years
  • Brake fluid—
    2–3 years
  • Coolant60,000–100,000 mi
    5–10 years
  • Spark plugs60,000–100,000 mi
    —
  • 12V battery—
    3–5 years
Typical intervals for modern cars. Severe service (towing, short trips, extreme heat or cold) shortens them.
09 —FAQ

2009 Wrangler questions

How many recalls does the 2009 Jeep Wrangler have?

7 safety recalls as of Oct 27, 2026, according to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at a dealer. Check your VIN to see whether your car is included and whether the repair was done.

What are the most common 2009 Jeep Wrangler problems?

Owners filed 650 complaints with NHTSA. The most-cited components are air bags (175), steering (108), suspension (108). Complaints are unverified owner reports and aren't adjusted for how many cars were sold.

What MPG does the 2009 Jeep Wrangler get?

The EPA rates the 2009 Jeep Wrangler at 16–17 mpg combined, depending on engine and drivetrain (3 versions rated).

Data from NHTSA & EPA · synced Oct 27, 2026