2,244 of the
22,900 complaints filed about the Jeep Wrangler
are about the transmission —
10% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2012.
2,244
Complaints
10%
Share of all complaints
60
Crashes
69
Fires
Transmission & Drivetrain complaints by model year
I own a 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4-Door Sahara 4xe (VIN [XXX], plug-in hybrid). Since new, this vehicle has had repeated electrical and high-voltage (HV) hybrid battery system failures. About eight months after purchase, at approximately 6,590 miles, the vehicle lost power and would not restart in a parking lot ("Service Charging System" warning) and had to be towed to the dealer (Repair Order #[XXX], 10/18/2023–10/20/2023); a 12V battery failure was diagnosed. On February 9–10, 2026, the dealer performed Recall Campaign 68C (JL/WL PHEV HV Battery) on this vehicle — a software/module update to the BPCM, HCP, AHCP, PCM, TCM, and IDCM, plus an HV battery diagnostic analysis (Repair Order #[XXX]). On [XXX], at approximately 22,692 miles, the check engine light illuminated and the dealer diagnosed a hybrid (HV) battery failure. The manufacturer (Stellantis/FCA US LLC) subsequently opened a warranty case (#[XXX]) and a lemon-law repurchase case (#[XXX]), confirming the vehicle could not be repaired and offering repurchase or $15,000 cash compensation. As of this filing, the vehicle remains at the dealership, out of service, well past the dealer's own promised repair completion date. Across its ownership, this vehicle has been out of service for HV-battery- and electrical-system-related repairs for a documented cumulative total of approximately 50 days. I am filing this report because a vehicle losing propulsion/electrical power unexpectedly, and a manufacturer needing to run an HV battery software recall campaign on this same vehicle only six months before a full HV battery failure, both raise safety concerns beyond an ordinary warranty repair, and I want this pattern on record in case other owners of this model are experiencing the same failures. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11758933 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the instrument panel was inoperative, except for the RPM gauge and speedometer. The contact researched and became aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. A dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost automotive power and then stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was unable to be shifted into any gear and became inoperative. The San Antonio Police Department was contacted to assist with moving the vehicle out of traffic so the vehicle could be towed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the instrument cluster had short-circuited and caused the powertrain to become unable to shift into any gear. The mechanic determined that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11758227 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The engine/dash wiring harness connector XY230A suffered severe thermal degradation, resulting in a melted pin and causing a complete loss of communication with the Transmission Control Module (TCM, Code U0101-00) and continuous dashboard warning lights (Service Connection Error). This vehicle has a chronic history of unresolved electrical failures, having been brought to Stellantis Puerto Rico dealerships three times for the exact same issue, most recently in June 2026. This condition is directly related to the thermal and fire hazard characteristics described under Safety Recall Campaign 26V363 (Mopar Recall 21D) for 2022 Wranglers. However, the Stellantis regional warranty manager formally denied recall and powertrain warranty coverage based on routine oil change loyalty metrics and second-owner status. The dealership forced an upfront payment of $2,311.38 under a partial diagnosis to replace the harness. The vehicle was rendered inoperable and held for 30 days and actually held in service. in addition, they don't bring loaner. The manufacturer's regional warranty manager from Stellantis initially confirmed that I would incur zero costs for this repair but later retracted the decision formally denying recall and powertrain warranty coverage due the reason mentioned above. Regional management flatly denies any relationship between this melted harness failure, the active safety recall or the vehicle's electrical repair history I formally demand a full reimbursement of all repairs and rental expenses, and that my powertrain warranty and safety recall rights be fully honored as originally promised
NHTSA complaint #11758275 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When using electric mode, repeatedly and consistently, when I try to accelerate (for example to get onto a highway) despite having the acceleration fully depressed, the car does not accelerate. After some time, the gas powered engine will rev, the RPM will shoot up and then the car will start to accelerate. If I slow down the electric engine will take back over, but then if I try to accelerate again the same thing will occur. I have videos of the dashboard confirming electric mode, delay to accelerate and eventual activation of the gas motor and RPMs. This same issue was noted by Jeep technicians after the fix for a previous recall on the battery. This is dangerous, If I am not able to accelerate I can not safely drive change lanes, go onto highways, or avoid danger. it has been occurring, but my first video is from Feb 2026, and most recently July 2026.
NHTSA complaint #11758009 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While traveling at highway speed on the freeway, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of motive power/engine shutdown without prior warning. The instrument cluster immediately displayed a vehicle graphic outlined with red lines alongside an alert message instructing to shift the vehicle into Park and turn the engine off. > The sudden loss of propulsion in live freeway traffic created an immediate safety hazard and collision risk while attempting to navigate across active lanes to the shoulder. > The vehicle previously had its high-voltage traction battery replaced approximately one year ago under warranty. The vehicle has been taken to an authorized dealership for diagnostic scanning and triage. Dealership said they can do a software update… that’s not okay
NHTSA complaint #11758074 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving the vehicle down the highway it just randomly hard shifted out of know where almost causing us to be rear-ended. The dash then said service transmission continue in drive do not shift or turn engine off until you reach a desired location. You may not be able to shift again until services. It then limited power to the vehicle. It was show codes U1003, U0101, and U0402 multiple times. The vehicle was taking to a dealer where it was "parked" only it wouldn't go into park. We had to put the e-brake up holding it in place at the dealer so it wouldn't roll. Then when attempting to shut the vehicle off it only stopped the engine from running. It stayed in ACC mode all night until the dealer could mess with it the next day. The dealer is now saying it's just a dead battery. This is unsafe and could have ended very badly just for a dead battery that showed no signs of issues before hand. For a vehicle that on has approximately 57k miles and is 4 years old this is horrible.
NHTSA complaint #11758081 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving in fully electric mode on the highway, my 4xe lit up an error message of “electric mode temporarily unavailable” and lost all power and momentum. I went from 70mph to 50 mph in heavy traffic before the hybrid motor came back to provide power after approximately 4-5 seconds. This is a repeating occurrence when attempting to drive in fully electric mode, even at low speeds. I have nearly been hit in rear end collisions when I have lost power as there is no warning, the acceleration just fails and I lose all power and momentum.
NHTSA complaint #11758042 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Acceleration lag: either bucking or temporary loss of motive power when attempting to pull into traffic has almost caused us to be hit several times. We had the problem almost immediately after purchase, but the lag was short and the Jeep would leap forward and back tires would squeal which caused the back tires to wear quickly compared to front. The bucking and loss of power while accelerating became dangerous after I took to the dealership in Feb 2026 when they also did recall 68C related to the battery. We stopped charging it completely and still had the issue. Took back to the dealership in March 2026 and they said they could not replicate issue. Tried to schedule an appt last week and they never got back to me. We have avoided several accidents so far but I am now afraid to drive it. Assuming these are unrelated but just in case: at 10k miles the check engine light came on, and I couldn’t add ANY fuel (automatic shut off happened immediately) and the fuel cap wouldn’t open. Foss Motors wrote: "CHECKED FOR CODES IN SYSTEM. VEHICLE HAD CODES P2451 FUEL TANK ISOATION VALVE A STUCK, PO4EC EVAP SYSTEM LARGE LEAK DETECTED AND P04EE EVAP SYSTEM SMALL LEAK DETECTED. PERFORMED EVAP SYSTEM SMALL LEAK VERIFICATION TEST. TEST EVAP SYSTEM AND FOUND ISOLATION VALVE STICKING. COMPLETED REPLACEMENT OF ISOLATION VALVE. Replaced fuel filler tube 68413327AD and 68412848AC fuel cap." In Sept 2025 (~45k miles) - Check engine light came on again soon after with errors: PO4EC EVAP SYSTEM LARGE LEAK DETECTED and P04EE EVAP SYSTEM SMALL LEAK DETECTED. They could not find leak or issue.
NHTSA complaint #11757424 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the highway, the check engine light illuminated. Approximately 5 to 10 minutes later, the battery warning light came on. Upon exiting the highway and coming to a stop at an intersection, the automatic engine Start/Stop system engaged and shut down the engine. When attempting to safely proceed, the vehicle suffered a complete electrical failure due to the 48V mild-hybrid eTorque system failing to restart the engine. The vehicle refused to crank, would not shift, and became entirely disabled and stranded in the middle of a live intersection, creating an extreme safety and collision hazard. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership, where technicians officially confirmed the failure. The dealer diagnosed the root cause as an internal electrical failure of the Motor Generator Unit (MGU / Belt-Driven Hybrid Starter Generator Assembly), which completely disabled the vehicle's charging and hybrid restart capabilities. The failed component is available for inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11756283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VEHICLE & INCIDENT: 2019 Jeep Wrangler JL 2.0L Turbo. While climbing an extended grade on Hwy 87, vehicle experienced a sudden sluggish throttle anomaly and rapid coolant temperature spike from ~215F to 255F under load. Vehicle was pulled off and shut down within ~20 seconds. SUSPECTED FAILURE MODE & UNDERHOOD FIRE: Upon opening the hood, pressurized coolant had sprayed across the engine bay from a split in the smaller rubber hose branch of the engine coolant outlet assembly (Mopar PN 68280797AC). The hose split longitudinally ~13mm with the center ~32mm from the hose end. The vehicle is equipped with a Baja Designs T-Fitting to replace 68280784A The hot, pressurized coolant sprayed directly onto the exposed, center section of the turbocharger between the compressor and turbine sections and on the turbine section itself. The coolant is suspected to have flash-ignited on contact with the turbo, creating an active under hood fire that began spreading to the hood insulation liner. The fire was successfully doused roadside with water, preventing a total vehicle burn-down. No other fuel sources were noted and the lines to the turbocharger were intact and did not show evidence of a leak. SAFETY CONCERN / HAZARD FOR NHTSA: 1. FIRE HAZARD: Pressurized factory coolant hoses and plastic junctions on the 2.0T GMET4 are routed in close proximity to the unshielded turbine housing. A hose rupture under normal grade-climbing thermal loads results in high-pressure atomized coolant hitting an ignition source well above its auto-ignition point. 2. COMPONENT DEGRADATION: Rubber lines near the engine outlet appear susceptible to heat-fatigue failure under high ambient/high load conditions, posing a sudden fire hazard at highway speeds. REPAIR: Roadside trim/re-clamp of the split hose allowed temporary transit. Replacing full hose assembly (68280797AC), upgrading radiator lines, and performing a full OAT coolant flush/vacuum refill. No oil contamination was noted after the incident.
NHTSA complaint #11755697 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Purchased vehicle in question on 9/11/25 as a lease through the local Jeep dealership near my residence. Sometime around 4/26 to 5/26 my vehicle started to display odd operational patterns which were brought to my local dealerships attention. The first event where I was able to record any type of documentation was around 5/25/26. While driving, the vehicle would suddenly go into "limp mode" and rapidly decrease speed. Several check engine lights would appear to include: Service Electronic Throttle Control, Service Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control and the standard CEL. When this does happen, the vehicle will decrease speed suddenly without warning and becomes difficult to operate until it is pulled over and parked. Vehicle has been to my local dealership several times (4) and out of service for over 70 days with the latest stay 30+ days. According to documentation from the dealership, the listed error/issue has been recreated on their end at least one time but no data was captured with that fail. My local Jeep dealership Service Manager (CF) replied to an email of mine (7/16/26 at 1703) with the following statement: Verified customer concern of check engine light on connect to wytec and found p2173 stored in powertrain control module. Also found c121c stored in ABS module. Believe ABS code is related to PCM code, cleared codes test drove multiple times. Finally able to get customer concern to duplicate but no data was captured on this failure. We are continuing to drive the vehicle while monitoring data to catch freeze frame data while concern occurs but have not been able to do so far at this time. The condition, when it occurs presents a serious safety concern for the driver and other drivers as it will cause a sever throttle limitation and can cause the vehicle to slow down rapidly. As of 8/9/26, no fix confirmed for my vehicle and the dealership and manufacture are pushing to return my vehicle with confirmed fix. Jeep case number 97378351
NHTSA complaint #11755722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving my vehicle, I have noticed a significant decrease in power and a corresponding slowdown, particularly in traffic conditions. This has resulted in a near-miss collision with another vehicle in the rear. Furthermore, attempting to accelerate the vehicle has proven futile. ps. The dealer where I brought the vehicle is kinda giving me a hard time & I fear for my family safety. honestly I dont feel like the dealer was being completly honest.
NHTSA complaint #11755568 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2021 jeep wrangler 4xe unlimited rubicon. Death wobble steering stabilizer has been replaced. 4 Alignments in a week . Was told that it was my tires nope not the case . I can’t not drive my jeep at all . Now the transfer case is leaking the track bar that I told the mechanics it needed to be replaced . The mechanic at John jones told me not to bring it back because I was not a mechanic to find someone else .ive had it sense oct2025 and put not even a thousand miles on it . Lemon laws do exist jeep needs to make it write. I’ve almost went into on coming traffic 3 times in the last week . The 4xe needs recalled before someone gets killed or kills someone ..
NHTSA complaint #11754096 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate into a higher gear and went into LIMP Mode. The ABS warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel and was also illuminated prior to the failure. The vehicle was driven back to the residence. A few days later, the vehicle operated normally, but the failure recurred after being driven several times. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, where a technician diagnosed the vehicle's ABS module failure. The contact was informed that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000.
NHTSA complaint #11752090 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine unexpectedly shut down while I was driving my 2024 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon at approximately 30 mph. There was no apparent cause for the shutdown. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The sudden engine shutdown caused an unexpected loss of power while the vehicle was moving in traffic. This created a safety hazard because I could no longer maintain speed and was at risk of being struck by other vehicles. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The vehicle has not yet been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. They couldn’t fix problem because there is no software update to fix vehicle issue. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? "The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealership. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms before the engine shut down. In total there are 3 recalls that made this vehicle unreliable and a safety concern.
NHTSA complaint #11751744 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
After recall 68C (NHTSA 25V-741), a software-only update applied after my high-voltage battery passed physical inspection, my 2024 Jeep Wrangler 4xe began severely limiting battery discharge power during normal driving. This was not present before the update. The vehicle limits high-voltage battery output during sustained load, such as climbing grades and highway merging, at states of charge as high as 75% or more, worsening as charge drops toward 50% and below. The limiting persists after the load is removed, continuing on flat ground and even while descending, showing it is held by control software rather than being a momentary response to demand. This is a safety concern because the power loss occurs without warning during the exact maneuvers that require power: accelerating up grades and merging into highway traffic. A sudden, sustained reduction in propulsion power while merging or climbing risks being unable to accelerate out of a hazard or keep pace with traffic. I captured OBD-II data from the battery control module during these events. The cooling system works correctly (coolant chilled about 25F below its starting temperature), yet available discharge power still dropped about 16% over 25 minutes, and one cell location stayed hot while the rest of the pack cooled. This indicates the software is derating the battery due to a single degraded cell (identified by the module as Cell 73) that the recall's own pass/fail inspection did not detect. Running the A/C gave only brief, partial recovery before the limit re-engaged. The remedy appears to mask rather than correct a battery cell defect, creating an unpredictable propulsion-power-loss condition that did not exist before. I request NHTSA review whether the 68C remedy is adequate and whether affected vehicles need battery inspection or replacement rather than a software derate.
NHTSA complaint #11751968 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Transmission pops out of second gear after downshifting from third. This has left me stranded in the middle of an intersection in front of oncoming traffic at least five times while struggling to get the vehicle back into second gear. This is a widely reported problem with the 2020 JL model that dealers are attempting to write-off as a transmission failsafe to avoid repairing.
NHTSA complaint #11750979 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
"The vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic high-voltage powertrain failure while operating at highway speeds 300 miles away from home. The failure occurred immediately after the vehicle received the manufacturer's Safety Recall 68C / NHTSA Campaign Number 24V-814 software update. The software flash completely 'bricked' the high-voltage battery system, induced an immediate vehicle shutdown, and stripped all hybrid propulsion. This defect created an immediate and severe highway safety hazard, rendering the vehicle entirely inoperable on the spot. The manufacturer is currently replacing the defective hardware with an identical physical battery cell structure, which fails to permanently resolve the underlying thermal fire risk and recurring safety hazard."
NHTSA complaint #11751106 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On Friday, July 10 at about 5 PM I was parking in front of one of my favorite restaurants in my new Jeep Wrangler. When shifting going to complete.the park job the gear shift locked the engine began revving and the vehicle lurched forward. I applied the brakes got push back the tevving increased the vehicle lurched forward again. I re applied the brakes the revving increased the shift was locked and I lurched forward impacting the rear of the car in front of me parked. The throttle then released I was able to shift to park the revving stopped.
NHTSA complaint #11750949 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 2024 Wrangler 4xe has 27,000 miles on it. On Friday, 7/10/2026 around 7:00 in the morning the check engine light came on. I immediately called the dealer to set up an appointment and they could not get me in until 7/15/2026. At about 9:30am that day when I was pulling a small trailer the battery light also came as I was driving on the interstate. As soon as I exited and slowed down, the car lost all power. It would not start or move. I was stranded on the exit ramp in the turn lane, with a trailer, unable to get to the shoulder. There was quite a bit of traffic around me. I was able to have it towed to the dealer. I had to safely get out of the vehicle and direct traffic around the vehicle. Today, 7/15/2026, the dealer ran the diagnostics and determined that the hybrid battery has failed and needs to be replaced. The car currently has 27,000 miles on it and this is now the second hybrid battery replacement and the third time the Jeep has stranded me and has required a tow to the dealer. It is unreliable and unsafe as it becomes immobile and loses power on the roadway.
NHTSA complaint #11750657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.