"How reliable is the 1998 Jeep Wrangler?"

"Based on 401 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Jeep Wrangler has a median complaint mileage of 71300 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Jeep Wrangler?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Jeep Wrangler is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 401 total complaints filed."

1998 Jeep Wrangler: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 401 complaints

401

Total Complaints

71,300mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

30,000 25th Percentile

71,300 Median Mileage

99,945 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SUSPENSION

STRUCTURE:BODY

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRANSMISSION GRINDS GEARS WHEN ENGAGING SECOND GEAR ON ACCELERATION."

"THE WELDING OF THE VEHICLE CAUSED WATER TO LEAK UNDER THE DASH, WHICH DAMAGED THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. MAY HAVE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE AIR BAG SYSTEM ALSO. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED ABOUT THE PROBLEM. REPLCEMENT PART, PLASTIC WATER DESLECTOR MELTED, CAUSING A FIRE. *AK"

"WHILE DRIVING IN THIRD GEAR, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SWINGED TO THE LEFT THEN TO THE RIGHT CAUSING THE DRIVER TO LOOSE CONTROL AND ROLL OVER."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

AIR BAGS 28 complaints

25th: 41,125 mi Median: 60,000 mi 75th: 84,000 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH 23 complaints

Median: 55,000 mi

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 complaints

25th: 64,212 mi Median: 73,500 mi 75th: 112,500 mi

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE 19 complaints

25th: 36,500 mi Median: 50,000 mi 75th: 57,000 mi

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16 complaints

25th: 111,000 mi Median: 146,000 mi 75th: 165,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 59 TX: 41 PA: 18 SC: 17 GA: 16 NC: 16 NY: 16 OH: 16 MI: 15 FL: 15

Who Files Complaints?

51.1%

Original Owners

48.9%

Second+ Owners

Jeep Wrangler — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	105	120,000	PARKING BRAKE:CONVENTIONAL	6
1991	100	115,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE	5
1992	100	137,000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY	7
1993	134	96,500	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	10
1994	184	120,000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	17
1995	259	90,000	PARKING BRAKE	36
1997	548	74,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE	46
1999	262	68,512	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE	16
2000	311	91,912	POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION	24
2001	235	89,000	STRUCTURE:BODY	25
2002	139	62,792	STRUCTURE:BODY	22
2003	130	26,895	SUSPENSION	11
2004	281	47,000	STEERING	27
2005	756	49,450	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	12
2006	852	36,000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE	9
2007	791	61,800	STEERING	22
2008	1251	64,500	AIR BAGS	25
2009	492	51,600	AIR BAGS	10
2010	898	49,500	FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	26
2011	672	53,325	AIR BAGS	16
2012	1275	42,000	POWER TRAIN	35
2013	1027	50,000	POWER TRAIN	24
2014	830	47,000	ENGINE	32
2015	632	37,200	ENGINE	21
2016	618	36,450	SERVICE BRAKES	37
2017	405	22,500	SERVICE BRAKES	25
2018	2566	6,700	STEERING	38
2019	1036	5,500	STEERING	16
2020	745	1,219	STEERING	25
2021	1414	18,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	39
2022	556	18,500	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	28
2023	511	13,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	16
2024	1221	14,500	ENGINE	18
2025	87	-	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	4

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28