2nd Generation (1996—2006) Wrangler Problems

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This generations ranks 6th out of 18 Jeep generations in reliability and is generally a good bet. Owners have the most complaints about the suspension (30%), fuel system (18%), and the engine (14%). We've listed some of the most recent complaints below, see them all on CarComplaints.com.

  1. Frame Rot 5 complaints at an average of 120,260 miles in the 2000 Jeep Wrangler.
  2. Transmission Failure 2 complaints at an average of 30,500 miles in the 2005 Jeep Wrangler.
  3. Frame Rusted 5 complaints at an average of 114,423 miles in the 2002 Jeep Wrangler.

What Wrangler Year is Most Reliable?

Generations are a good baseline for prediciting reliability, but there will almost always be year-to-year differences. We've calculated a reliability score for each model year within this generation, but we've based that score on how the model year compares to all Jeep model years.

Watch out for the 2005 model year which has the highest PainRank™ score in this generation.

Year Complaints Recalls TSBs PainRank (?)
2006 55 3 13 2.12
2005 40 2 29 14.33
2004 19 3 25 3.05
2003 8 4 33 1.26
2002 10 6 26 3.35
2001 4 7 33 1.06
2000 13 5 37 6.58
1999 6 5 54 1.48
1998 6 6 63 1.59
1997 53 7 75 9.19
1996 0 1 3 0.0

Watch out for these common problems

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