NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Vehicle has been experiencing electrical failure that dealers have been ,so far, unable to diagnose..when the electrical failure occurs we experience a loss of steering.
Cannot put car in drive from park position. “Service Shifter” light s up along with Abs, start/stop, All lights on dash light up while driving or in park, no power steering, all displays flickering, can not move vehicle. While in park, can not engage shifter,
The clutch plate has failed on my 2018 Jeep Wrangler. I brought it into the dealer to take a look at it when I was experiencing the clutch slipping while shifting into first gear and also the "Service Auto Start Stop" indicator illuminating. Once the indicator illuminated, it also prevented by cruise control from working. After the dealer conducted troubleshooting of the issue, they told me that it was due to a safety recall on the clutch plate but that parts were unavailable. This appointment took place on August 4th, 2023. I was told that this issue could lead to a fire, so I have not been driving the vehicle since then. As of October 31st 2023, they still do not have the necessary parts to fix the issue. In the meantime, I've had to arrange for alternate transportation which cost me ~$3,700.
The oil housing unit has cracked and has to be replaced. The Jeep is currently in the shop and they discovered that it is made of plastic and cracked. I had oil pouring out when I took it to the shop. After doing some research, apparently this is a problem with Jeeps.
Experienced what people are calling the "death wobble"
The power steering with no warning, just quits, working, get warning signs that the ABS is not working, included with the traction control.
Customer Satisfaction Notification [XXX] Steering Damper The 2018 Jeep Wrangler is experiencing what many are calling "The Death Wobble" due to the fact that when driving at speeds exceeding 50 MPH or so, the vehicles steering system begins to shake uncontrollably. We purchased the vehicle for my son preowned on May 4, 2023 and at that time it seemed to be working fine. However, a couple of months later when I was teaching my son how to drive the shake started and its gotten progressively worst ever since. At first we thought it needed an alignment but that didn't help much. We then took it in for another alignment at Firestone where they reported the wobble and advised me that many Jeeps of that year were being recalled for the Steering Damper issue. I called the FCA Service number (1-800-853-1403) and opened case number [XXX]. I was told that I must take the vehicle to a Jeep Service Center which I did immediately that same day. The Jeep Dealership confirmed the issue and its severity, advising me to call the recall center again. Today when I called FCA again they refused to let me speak to a manager and told me the case had been closed. They refused to help me with this issue based on a technicality. It seems our Jeep is a JK Unlimited and they recalled the JL of that same year (2018-2019). The death wobble looks and feels terrifying because you can lose control of your vehicle. My son is a new driver so this is even more worrisome to me. I've read that many accidents have already occurred due to this issue. However, no one at the FCA is helping me with this widely known issue and I do not know what to do. We simply can not afford the $4,200 bill to fix it and by driving it I am putting the driver and other innocent bystanders in danger as well. Please advise on what I can do next. Thank you for your time and consideration. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The sensors, in particular the blind spot warning, randomly light up and stay on until the vehicle is turned off. Radio and navigation system randomly shuts off, and check engine light goes on and off randomly. While driving at night, my entire dash flashed a red warning that there was no oil in the vehicle. I immediately pulled over at a gas station. It was dark, I couldn’t see, and it was 2am in a town I was unfamiliar with. I added 1 quart of oil ( I couldn’t really see the dipstick). The warning light went off, and the check engine light came on. I went 30 minutes to my destination and had the car towed to the dealership the next day. They said it was an o2 sensor, and that there was TOO MUCH oil in the vehicle so they drained it and did an oil change. I picked it up, drove less than 5 miles, and the check engine light came back on. I immediately returned to the dealership. They had it for several days before telling me that I had to replace the Catalytic Converters (2 of them) because I had overfilled the oil. They deemed it my fault. Since then the sensor problems continued, and the check engine light would randomly go on and off. Now it’s at the dealership again because it was leaking oil after an oil change. The dealership, and inspector from my extended warranty are saying that it has a blown engine because there was too little oil (in spite of NO SENSOR going off warning that the oil was low). Extended warranty inspector wants me to authorize a complete engine tear down for further inspection ($7000) and the dealership says I should just replace the engine ($11,000).
My local Jeep dealership in Hampton, Va (Winners Circle) believes the ABS control module has failed. While in drive my Jeep would not move forward, the hazard lights would not turn on, the analog speedometer failed to display speed, and power steering is lost. Several lights are illuminated: check engine light, service electronic stability control, and service shifter. The shop foreman (Ryan) and the service manager (Wesley Ward) have confirmed these issues via diagnostics and during multiple test drives. To my knowledge my ABS control module has not been inspected by anyone.
While operating the vehicle, I lost Power Steering, Stability Control, Anti-Lock Brakes and when I was able to stop, the transmission was put into park and I was unable to shift gears. Dealership informed me that this is a known issue related to the Can Bus Connector located behind the glove compartment, which apparently controls all of the safety systems. There were multiple indicators lit on the dashboard along with a check engine light. Dealership is replacing the connector.
While driving vehicle will randomly have multiple warning lights on display suddenly appear (ABS, check engine, stability control, traction control, etc.) and speedometer would either go to 0 or read blank. In some instances power steering also cut out causing vehicle to swerve or jerk without warning. Spouse was scared to drive it when this happened and pulled over to have it towed. Did not want to have the vehicle suddenly swerve or lose control and hit cross traffic or pedestrian on side walk. This issue would then suddenly resolve itself and return to normal state. On some occasions, when vehicle was started, it would not shift out of park at first, but then would correct itself and allow it to be shifted out of park and driven. When check engine light was active, had codes checked and none were active, only stored. Indicated ABS sensor or ABS module errors. Was able to have Chrysler Dealer check into and after 5 days of troubleshooting, they worked with Chrysler Engineering to determine that there was a star CAN connector that was malfunctioning. Installed part 68321746AA for $84 and labor of $527 to resolve issue.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 55-60 MPH, the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost power steering and braking functionality. Additionally, the vehicle lost motive power, and went into LIMP Mode. The windshield wipers also disengaged. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to turn off the vehicle after several attempts. The contact stated that he restarted the vehicle after 30 minutes, and the vehicle responded as needed. The warning lights were no longer illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to the computer system. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.
Driving along at highway speed. lost power steering. All lights lit on dash. center LCD screen was giving warnings that all systems had failed. Anti lock brakes, gear selector, can bus systems, audio and GPS systems. Fortunately i was driving on a straight highway. I've looked into this issue. Its called the Christmas tree event. As all problem lights on dash light up. It looks like the fix is replacing 2 CANBUS ports behind glove box.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated driving 30-35 MPH, the ABS warning light, the check engine warning light, the traction control warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The odometer became inoperable. The vehicle lost power steering functionality and shifted into Accessory Mode. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond while attempting to drive. Additionally, the vehicle failed to shut off as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle remained in Accessory Mode for 15 minutes and restarted independently. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The vehicle was taken several timed to the Ford dealer where it was purchased; however, the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The Jeep dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle in to their location for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, he became aware of an abnormal burning odor inside the vehicle. The contact stated that her husband stated that the gear shifter was inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with clutch failure and that the clutch needed to be replaced. The contact stated that that she received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) and was informed by the dealer that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Paint is bubbling causing rust-
All the lights on the Jeep came on. Locked up nearly had a wreck. Had to be towed. Now dealership is saying its the motor. Everything shut down. This is not the first time the jeep has shut all the way down. This is very dangerous. We had replaced the starter, and battery and spark plugs and box. The jeep worked for a day then the second starter burned up .
ALL KINDS OF CODES CAME ON JEEP LOCKED UP COULDNT STEER ALMOST WRECKED. HAD TO TOLL NOW DEALERSHIP SAYS ITS THE ENGINE AFTER SAYING IT WAS THE STARTER
All the warning lights turn on tachometer stops working and sometimes it looses power steering. I was driving about 45mph when all the warning lights turned on and I lost power steering. I had to pull over luckily it was when going straight. Very scary took to dealer they said they could not replicate picked up car 3days later happened again
I get the "death wobble" if I hit even a small bump on a smooth highway at speeds above 50 mph. The dealer says this is normal and nothing to worry about, which is crazy. The vehicle has just over 40,000 miles and has been maintained in full compliance with the manufacturer's warranty. The dealer said they could try replacing the steering damper but that it wasn't likely that it would fix the issue, again saying it's a normal condition with this vehicle. The wobble is extremely dangerous in the rain or any kind of slick road, pretty in heavy traffic. These vehicles need to be recalled so this can be fixed.
Both the Right and Left sun visors broke within a few weeks. The plastic retainer breaks allowing the sun visor to dangle in the driver’s field of vision. The visor now dangles by 12 volt visor feed lamp that could cause short. Factory price to repair - $80 for both parts. There are so many of these broken that there after market “hack” repair brackets sold on ebay and other sites to hold up the visor.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving approximately 65–70 MPH, shifting from fifth to sixth gear, an abnormal burning odor was detected. The Auto START warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the clutch plate was burned. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and was referred to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.
There is paint bubbling on all 4 doors near the hinges and bottom of the door, as well as the hood of the vehicle.
My JEEP STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, would not charge AND WOULD NOT CHANGE GEAR from park. I have less than 52,000 miles
When I hit a bump of any size my Jeep starts shaking uncontrollably. The first time it happened I had a panic attack because I had no idea what was going on and feared for my life. I pulled to the right side of the road and came to a complete stop for it to stop shaking. Everyone’s safety around me could me at risk including mine since sometimes I don’t know when it’ll happen and I can’t take my hand off the steering wheel to try and see to move over to the right side of the road. It happens very often. First time was I believe in March 2023.
Vehicle shakes violently on Highway at about 65mph. Has happened multiple times.
The clutch on my jeep is acting up and there is a recall for it. But Jeep states they have no fix and are not able to tell me when they will come up with one. I feel they should just let aftermarket companies replace their defective clutches since they aren't really worried about the few folks with clutch issues. So currently I am driving a ticking timebomb. Once my transmission gets hot from the clutch it will cause a fire which Jeep is all aware of. This is a major safety issue. Imagine a car catching fire while driving on the highway. That would cause a massive pile up for sure.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated after parking and turning off the vehicle, she saw smoke exiting from the hood. The contact stated she removed her two infants from the vehicle before locating the fire extinguisher she had available in the vehicle. The contact stated the fire extinguisher was broken but was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher that was provided by a school bus driver that was in the area. The fire department did arrive at the location after the fire was extinguished and filed a fire report. The contact was not aware if the police deputy at the scene filed a police report. The contact stated she burned her right middle finder while extinguishing the fire but did not seek medical attention for her injury. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,800.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that when the gear shifter was shifted, the clutch failed to perform as intended. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V028000 (Power Train). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but was unable to confirm when parts would be available. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, there was an abnormal banging sound coming from underneath the floorboard. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled, and smoke was coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact stated he was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed and determined that the transmission case was cracked open and severely damaged, and the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. VIN tool confirms parts not yet available.
My wife was driving her Jeep to work this morning and a warning message came on the info screen stating the vehicle was shutting down soon and to safely pull over. She only had a two minute warning which was not enough time to pull over to a safe place without risking injury from being hit from another vehicle. The Jeep ended up and powered down within the two minutes of receiving the warning which caused loss of engine power, no power steering and no power brakes. This seems to be a pretty dangerous combination. It literally left her in the roadway. We had the batteries checked and they are ok. The vehicle did start back but the warning light came on again so it is parked until we can get it towed to the dealership. Researching it online it seems to be a common issue with the 2018 JLU. She currently has 117,000 miles on the Jeep.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while he was sitting at a stop light, the service shifter warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the service shifter was inoperable, and the vehicle would not move. The contact stated he turned the vehicle off and back on but the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failed service shifter and the service shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that in addition, the vehicle had a corrosion failure. The contact stated that the engine fan continuously came on, and it prompted the contact to check the antifreeze level. The contact stated when he removed the antifreeze container's top he noticed a rust bubble on the opening of the container. The contact stated he inspected the vehicle and noticed corrosion on all the door hinges, the bottom of the door frames and the tailgate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was advised that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
Vehicle starts throwing codes and power steering quits working...
Electrical going haywire. While in drive it just wouldn’t do anything the gear shift “D” was blinking so I rolled to a safe place (thank god I was not on the freeway) turned it off then back on again apparently this is now a known problem not only for 2018 some were 2019 & 2020…… please investigate
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence, where she parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for a diagnostic test. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and attempting to shift into drive(D), the gear shifter seized. The vehicle responded as needed after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer received remote assistance from Jeep engineers. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the messages "4WD Disabled", "Parking System Disabled", "Park" and other unknown messages were displayed. The traction control warning light, the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who cleared the codes, but could not duplicate the failure. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the windshield wipers engaged independently, the fuel gauge fluctuated up and down. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle lost power steering functionality. The brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the residence of the contact's daughter. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the TPMS and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000. The contact stated the vehicle couldn't be diagnosed and out of pocket for rental and repairs for the vehicle.
There is a missing weld on the lower passenger rear control arm bracket that looks like a manufacture defect. I recently started hearing a clanging noise and brought it to the mechanic. I was not put at risk of safety (for the tie being). The problem has been confirmed and looked at ONLY by a mechanic. There were no warning lights. How do i get the welding fixed? the dealer will not help me repair it.
- There was a recall issued in Feb'23 related to the clutch on manual transmissions, however a remedy has yet to be announced as of 9/28/2023 - Started experiencing issues with clutch in May'23. Clutch would slip while switching gears, gears would grind while shifting, engine would rev while maintaining gear, as the clutch/gears would slip in & out. No warning lamps or messages alerted related to this issue. - Took vehicle to dealer for inspection in May'23, dealer confirmed the clutch disc and release bearings were worn and the pressure plate and flywheel had hotspots and potential cracks, which is what was called out in the recall - dealer replaced flywheel clutch assembly, pressure plate and release bearing in Jun'23 - submitted expenses per recall guidance for reimbursement, but told by company that reimbursements will not be processed until remedy has been determined. 7 months and no remedy announced, and to hold reimbursements on fixes directly related to the recall are unacceptable.
Began receiving hundreds of error codes. The vehicle, while operating, would have the lockers engage, disengage, wouldn't start suddenly, ABS activated, sway bar disengaging, and other things. This represented a tremendous saftey risk for any occupants and was quite frightening. We had it at the dealership several times. We spent $1000 replacing both batteries and all harnesses were checked. The problem improved but never was fully resolved. Now a year after all of that work, we are experiencing more problems again.
Track bar bracket separating from frame. Coolant leaking into engine. This has been going on for about a year since we bought it. Dealer just says there’s nothing wrong with it. But we have been taking it to mechanics since we got it.
The jeep had a p2138 code which is pedal sensor bad and p2127 took to black dodge jeep they found it bad replaced with OEM part 800 mi later p2138 code is back on and takes off on it's own
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she shifted into 3rd gear and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while in 6th gear. The contact then stated that he heard a loud screaming sound coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle remained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the automatic start warning light intermittently illuminated; however, when the failure occurred, the automatic start failed to operate and disengaged, preventing the rear-view camera from operating as designed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler JK. The contact stated that twice while driving approximately 40-60 MPH, the front end was violently shaking. After stopping, the vibration seized, and the vehicle was driven at slower speeds. While driving over a bump or expansion bridge, the failure recurred. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V343000 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the steering damper needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.
2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL) Sahara Safety features all disable with this issue: Power steering (this could happen on the highway) Stability (STC), Antilock Braking, Blind spot, etc. While driving their appears to be an electrical short. The steering wheel locks up and all lights on dashboard come on. Several error messages "Auto Park Disabled", "Speed Control Messaging Unavailable", "Service Antilock Brake System", "Service Transmission Continue in DRIVE. Do Not Shift or Turn Off Engine" - to name a few. Dealers turn me way with simple computer reboot solutions only for issue to reoccur. Issue presents itself intermittently. Dealer has regularly turned me away for being unable to replicate in non driving conditions.
The driver and passenger seats handle to move seats folding forward and back constantly break. Both have been replaced/repaired at least 2-3 times each for the time I have owned the jeep (2 years).
Trac bar bracket weld separated from axle
My husband was driving down the road and the trac bar bracket arm separated from the weld causing the steering wheel to move freely and made him feel like the jeep was.falling apart.
I have taken vehicle into jeep 4 times in less than 2 years . Auto start stop (ESS) fails first then check engine comes on right after car shuts off on own WHILE driving & stalls hard . We have been rear ended because of it thankfully we were not on freeway after googling and asking jeep community this is VERY COMMON in these jeeps . Aux battery goes dead and causes this issue and burns out a fuse and the main battery . We have replaced battery 4+ times now because of this issue . This is a saftey hazard thankfully the times it shuts off on us isn’t on the freeway where it can cause a multi vehicle collision most recent incident was 04/02/2023
Car started shaking uncontrollable after driving 45 mph over a small pothole. Carmax (ca care) replaced steering damper but steering wheel stills vibrates when driving over 45 mph.
Driving at 60 mph on I-35 North Highway in Kansas City. Hit a bridge seam and the front end began to shake violently. I had to slow down to get the vibration to stop. I definitely experienced the Jeep death wobble in the front suspension.
Paint peeling, bubbling. Has been happening for over 2 years. Doors and hinges and hood.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026