Problems · NHTSA complaints

2009 Jeep Wrangler problems

Owners filed 650 complaints about the 2009 Jeep Wrangler with NHTSA between Jan 2009 and Sep 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (175).

Complaints
650
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
13
Reported by owners
Fires
19
Reported by owners
Injuries
11
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  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
  10. Electronic stability control (esc)16
  11. Structure15
  12. Vehicle speed control14
  13. Service brakes12
  14. Visibility/wiper10

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
200916
201041
201162
201263
201389
201493
201582
201668
201736
201820
201931
202017
20216
202210
20234
20243
20252
20267

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

Air bags

175 reports5 crashes5 related recalls
“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

Fuel/propulsion system

105 reports
“When filling my tank, it spits gas back out of the nozzle. I’ve been told in several forums that this is a warranty issue and is to be replaced by a dealership for free. The item that needs to be repaired is a fuel filler tube. I don’t wanna spend the money on buying the part myself if this is something that is covered by the dealership through the factory. This happens every time I fill the tank and has been an ongoing problem for over a year almost 2 years. I have to fill it very slowly with gas as well. I cannot fill it fast as it will stop automatically. The part number is 52060489AH”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 28, 2024Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11632876

Power train

66 reports1 crash2 fires
“The manual transmission malfunctioned, it is available for inspection upon request. My safety and others are put at risk due to the transmission not accepting first gear when in 1st gear, and it “pops” out of gear unexpectedly, leaving me and others in the middle of an intersection. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by dealers, the manufacturer knows about the problem, to my knowledge. There were not any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the failure. This issue happens very frequently, and happens to thousands of others with this Jeep. And it’s extremely dangerous.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 11, 2024Power trainODI 11607848

Electrical system

56 reports7 fires
“Turned on ignition and wipers and headlights turned on with no control, car ignition beeped constantly, all dash lights illuminated, all gauges stopped working (speedometer, fuel, tachometer, temperature) and there was a clicking noise on the transmission. Had to drive home hoping my electrical system wouldn’t shut down while driving home. Narrowed down to faulty TIPM.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 27, 2025Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiperODI 11669688
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.