IllustrationWHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STARTED PULLING TO THE RIGHT, CONSUMER THEN PROCEEDED TO GET OFF INTERSTATE, THEN STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. DEALER REPLACED STEERING COLUMN. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
1997 Jeep Wrangler
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Jeep Wrangler do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 265.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Wrangler years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 71 of 401 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 53 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
32 crash reports5 fire reports19 injury reports
What owners actually said
401 reportsTRANSMISSION PROBLEM.
AIR BAG DID NOT INFLATE IN A CRASH.
STEERING WHEEL: DRIVING ALONG AT APPROXIMATELY 20MPH AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, HAD TO WORK BACK AND FORTH IN ORDER TO GET STEERING WHEEL BACK IN USE, TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR REPAIRS AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY CAN'T FIND ANY PROBLEM. HAS HAPPENED ABOUT SIX TIMES. *AK
BOTH FRONT SEAT BELTS ARE SHOWING UNUSUAL WEAR.
WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AT ANY SPEED THE VEHICLE WOULD PULL TO THE LEFT.
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG IN ACCIDENT, CAUSING INJURY.
WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE VIBRATES AND THERE IS A NOISE, WHEN TRYING TO SHIFT GEAR SOMETIMES IT STICKS, TOOK TO DEALER AND HE SAID THAT THIS ISTHE WAY IT SHOULD BE . *AK
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM OVERHEATING, OIL SENSOR GAUGE DROPS TO ZERO, CAUSING CHECKING ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON, IN FOR REPAIR 4 TIMES. *AK
FLYWHEEL GRINDS A HOLE IN THE PLASTIC RESERVOIR, ALLOWING FLUID TO LEAK OUT, ADDITION TO SPRAYING POWER STEERING FLUID ALL OVER ENGINE WHEN FLUID LEAKS ONTO THE FAN BLADE, REPLACE POWER STEERING FLUID RESERVOIR, NEW UNIT WORKED ITS WAY LOOSE AFTER TWO WEEKS.
Official recalls
398V046000 · Air Bags:frontal
Mar 10, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG 'CLOCK SPRING' WIRING HARNESS CAN BREAK WHEN TURNED TO THE 'FULL LOCK' TURN POSITION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY INCREASING THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCK SPRING IN THESE AIR BAGS.
97V080000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE
May 16, 1997
THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.
96V060000 · Air Bags
Apr 8, 1996
THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (AECM) SOFTWARE CONTAINS AN ERROR WHICH CAN DELAY THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN CERTAIN CRASH SITUATIONS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: DELAYED DEPLOYMENT CAN CAUSE INCREASED INJURY TO FRONT SEAT VEHICLE OCCUPANTS IN A COLLISION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE ON THESE VEHICLES.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.