What's Wrong with the 2nd Generation Wrangler?

Front 3/4 view of a Jeep Wrangler

The 2nd generation Wrangler spans the 1996 to 2006 model years.

It has accumulated 219 owner complaints over those year and ranks 5th in reliability out of 18 eligible Jeep generations.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Jeep score is 13.04 while this generation comes in at 4.23.

Compare With Other Wrangler Generations

The Worst 1996-2006 Wrangler Problems

  1. Death Wobble

    The death wobble is a creative term coined by Jeep owners that describes a situation when the front axle begins violently oscillating, causing the car to shake (or wobble) in a manner which makes the vehicle hard to control.

    Continue

  2. Window Regulator Failure

    Without the window regulator, power windows become useless. That's exactly what has happened to thousands of Jeep owners; hundreds have complained about their windows falling into the door, sometimes at highway speeds!…

    Continue

  3. Wrangler Gas Overflow Complaints

    Jeep owners are up in gasoline-covered arms about how fuel overflows from their tank during the refueling process. The fuel system does not seem to respond to the shut-off mechanism, which means gas spills out onto the ground, the car and e…

    Continue

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks

Years to Avoid

2nd Generation Wrangler Key Numbers

  1. 11 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 219 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 5th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 18 eligible generations.

What Wrangler Owners Say About This Generation

Window Regulator Failure

I just think the auto company should replace the defective part that was put onto the car. I don't like being told that I live in the wrong state or my Jeep was built in the wrong month, the part is defective and it doesn't matter what year it was made or what state I live in, right is right.