2004 JEEP WRANGLER EXPERIENCES SEVERE VIOLENT FRONT END SHIMMY/WOBBLE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. SHIMMY OCCURS WHEN HITTING BUMPS ON HIGHWAY WHEN TRAVELING STRAIGHT AT 40 TO 70 MPH. SHIMMY IS UNCONTROLLABLE AND ONLY CEASES WITH SLOWING DOWN. *TR
2004 Jeep Wrangler
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
164 reports with mileage · 28 unknown
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.
- Steering. Review the 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 59 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
192 reportsBLEND DOOR BREAKAGE/FAILURE HEATER,DEFROST,CONTROLS STOPPED WORKING. FLAW IN DESIGN OF INTERNAL PINS IN BLEND DOORS. REPAIRED FOR OVER $700 A YEAR AGO AND BROKEN AGAIN ALREADY. THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ON JEEP OWNERS FORUMS. *TR
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT TO PARK - UNABLE TO REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION - TAKEN TO THE JEEP DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION 42RLE WAS RECALLED IN 2005 WRANGLERS AND I WANTED TO KNOW WHY THE 2004 WRANGLERS WERE NOT PART OF THE SAME RECALL WHEN WE ARE DEALING WITH THE SAME TRANSMISS…
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AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT TO PARK - UNABLE TO REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION - TAKEN TO THE JEEP DEALERSHIP AND TOLD THEM THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION 42RLE WAS RECALLED IN 2005 WRANGLERS AND I WANTED TO KNOW WHY THE 2004 WRANGLERS WERE NOT PART OF THE SAME RECALL WHEN WE ARE DEALING WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION - THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 22,000 MILES - THE 2005 WRANGLER RECALL NUMBER IS 05V460000: A/T PARKING PAWL SHAFT ANCHORING AND RECALL - A/T PARKING PAWL CUP PLUG DEFECT - SAFETY RECALL E14. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JEEP WRANGLER. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE GEAR WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT A PART INSIDE THE LEVER FAILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,500 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 28,000…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JEEP WRANGLER. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE GEAR WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF PARK. THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT A PART INSIDE THE LEVER FAILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,500 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 28,000. THE NYLON ROD WAS THE PART THAT FAILE INSIDE THE SHIFTER LEVER.
I COULD NOT SHIFT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO PARK. THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN REVERSE, RESULTING IN ME INADVERTENTLY MOVING BACKWARDS WHEN TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE- A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, WAITED AND THEN WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO PARK. THE NEXT DAY I ALSO COULD NOT SHIFT DOWN FROM PARK INTO …
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I COULD NOT SHIFT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO PARK. THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN REVERSE, RESULTING IN ME INADVERTENTLY MOVING BACKWARDS WHEN TAKING MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE- A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. TURNED THE ENGINE OFF, WAITED AND THEN WAS ABLE TO SHIFT INTO PARK. THE NEXT DAY I ALSO COULD NOT SHIFT DOWN FROM PARK INTO GEAR. HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER IN JEFFERSONVILLE IN, THEY SAID THE SHIFTER WAS BAD AND REPLACE IT AT A COST OF $ 325 TO ME. AFTER DRIVING FOR A DAY I NOTICE THAT I DID NOT NEED TO PRESS THE BRAKE TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK. TOOK IT BACK AND THEY SAID "SORRY"....AND FIX IT BUT THE INDICATOR STILL IS NOT RIGHT BUT I DON'T TRUST THEM. IT SEEMS LIKE JEEP HAS 2 MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEMS WITH THE 2004 WRANGLER. THE DEATH WOBBLE AND THE SHIFTER. *TR
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. INTERNET GOOGLE SEARCH INDICATES THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WHICH, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, COULD BE A SAFETY HAZARD. CHRYSLER NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A KNOWN MECHANICAL FAILURE WHICH IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF MULTIPLE FAILURES ON T…
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JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. INTERNET GOOGLE SEARCH INDICATES THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WHICH, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, COULD BE A SAFETY HAZARD. CHRYSLER NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A KNOWN MECHANICAL FAILURE WHICH IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF MULTIPLE FAILURES ON THE SAME JEEP VEHICLE. *TR
2004 JEEP WRANGLER WITH A VIOLENT VIBRATION. CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE VIBRATION AND SHAKING BEGAN WHEN SHE WENT OVER SOME UNEVEN PAVEMENT ON THE HIGHWAY. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE TRACK BAR AND STEERING DAMPER NEED TO BE REPLACED. *KB *JB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND RESTARTS ON ITS OWN. WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOSES POWER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, BUT THE COMPUTER DID NOT REGISTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 JEEP WRANGLER. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AND RESTARTS ON ITS OWN. WHEN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF, THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY LOSES POWER. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, BUT THE COMPUTER DID NOT REGISTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY FIVE TIMES. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 21,492 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.
I COULD NOT SHIFT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FROM "IN GEAR" TO PARK. THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN REVERSE, RESULTING IN ME INADVERTENTLY MOVING BACKWARDS - A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. I ALSO COULD NOT SHIFT DOWN FROM PARK INTO GEAR. I HAD TO REMOVE THE PANEL AND MANUALLY MOVE THE ANCHOR FROM THE IN-GEAR POSITION TO PARK. I NOT…
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I COULD NOT SHIFT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FROM "IN GEAR" TO PARK. THE SHIFTER WOULD GET STUCK IN REVERSE, RESULTING IN ME INADVERTENTLY MOVING BACKWARDS - A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. I ALSO COULD NOT SHIFT DOWN FROM PARK INTO GEAR. I HAD TO REMOVE THE PANEL AND MANUALLY MOVE THE ANCHOR FROM THE IN-GEAR POSITION TO PARK. I NOTIFIED MY DEALER OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY PERFORMED THE FOLLOWING: "FOUND SHIFTER ASSEMBLE INTERNALLY DAMAGED. REMOVED AND REPLACED SHIFTER ASSEMBLE AND CHECKED OPERATION." THE COST OF THE REPAIR + LABOR WAS $483.27. THERE IS A RECALL/DEFECT FOR THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM IN THE 2005 WRANGLER. I OWN A 2004 MODEL. THE RECALL NUMBER FOR THE 2005 MODEL IS 05V460000. *JB
RIGHT REAR AXLE SEAL LEAKING FLUID ONTO BRAKE SHOES. *TR UPDATED 12/12/07.
Official recalls
104V048000 · Equipment:other:labels
Feb 3, 2004
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, DUE TO A RECENT SOFTWARE PROGRAMMING ERROR, THE TIRE, WHEEL, AND INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION WAS INADVERTENTLY OMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE CERTIFICATION LABEL.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE VEHICLE OWNER WOULD NOT BE AWARE OF THE TIRE, WHEEL, AND INFLATION PRESSURE INFORMATION FOR THEIR VEHICLE.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CORRECTED TIRE CERTIFICATION LABEL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 1, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
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.
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