2012 Jeep Wrangler: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1275 complaints
1275
Total Complaints
42,000mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN
Top Issue
35
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

17,350 25th Percentile
42,000 Median Mileage
69,950 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN
278
STEERING
203
ENGINE
170
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
146
AIR BAGS
126
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
51
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
42
SERVICE BRAKES
41
VISIBILITY/WIPER
30
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
30

Severity Assessment

35
Crashes
28
Fires
46
Injuries
6
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH 'ELECTRONIC RANGE SELECT' ALLOWS A DOWNSHIFT WITH A MOVE OF THE SHIFT LEVER TO THE LEFT WHEN IN 'D' DRIVE. A MOVE TO THE RIGHT UP-SHIFTS. ACCIDENTAL DOWNSHIFTS OCCUR FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF 'HAIR-TRIGGER' NATURE OF SHIFT LEVER CONTROLS. THE SLIGHTEST, BARELY PERCEPTIBLE MO..."
"AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITH 'ELECTRONIC RANGE SELECT' ALLOWS A DOWNSHIFT WITH A MOVE OF THE SHIFT LEVER TO THE LEFT WHEN IN 'D' DRIVE. A MOVE TO THE RIGHT UP-SHIFTS. ACCIDENTAL DOWNSHIFTS OCCUR FREQUENTLY BECAUSE OF 'HAIR-TRIGGER' NATURE OF SHIFT LEVER CONTROLS. THE SLIGHTEST, BARELY PERCEPTIBLE MO..."
"THIS VEHICLE HAS AUTO STICK SHIFTING WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. FOR UPSHIFTS MOVEMENT ALL THE WAY TO THE RIGHT, HITTING THE END OF TRAVEL IS REQUIRED THE MAKE A SHIFT UP IN GEAR SELECTION. ON DOWN SHIFTS, JUST TOUCHING THE SHIFT HANDLE AND BARELY APPLYING PRESSURE ACTIVATES A DOWNSHIFT. NO MOVE..."

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

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