IllustrationDRIVING 55MPH, RAN OFF ROAD INTO AN EMBANKMENT DURING CRASH 10:00 ON FRONT BUMPER, VEHICLE ROLLED THREE TIMES, DUAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY, DRIVER SUSTAINED SEVERE HEAD AND CHEST INJURIES, THEN DIED. *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 reportsTHE GAS PEDAL AND THE BRAKES PEDAL ARE SO CLOSE TOGETHER THAT WHEN CONSUMER WENT TO SLAM ON BRAKES HIS FOOT WAS ON BOTH PEDALS. THS CONDITION RESULTED IN A SMALL ACCIDENT. *AK *JB
STOPPED BEHIND THREE OR FOUR VEHICLES AT A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE CONSUMER FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AND HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. PLEASE GIVE MORE DETAIL. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS IN ACCIDENT.
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT TWISTS, CAUSING IMPROPER FIT.
MASTER CYLINDER SEAL LEAK.
FELL A SLEEP AND RAN OFF THE ROAD, THE JEEP ROLLED OVER AND FLIPPED OVER ON FRONT AND BACK, DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES. *AK
APPLIED BRAKES, VEHICLE WENT INTO OPEN THROTTLE POSITION, AND TRANSMISSION WILL DOWN SHIFT WHILE DRIVING TO A COMPLETE STO. *AK
BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED, REAR ENDED VEHICLE AND DUAL AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
INADEQUATE SPACE FOR RIGHT KNEE OF ANY TALL PERSON IN THE 1997 JEEP WRANGLERS. *AK
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.