CarComplaints.com Notes: Poor side crash test ratings from the IIHS are really no surprise.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 9
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
36,563 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Jeep Wrangler engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Jeep Wrangler Owner Comments (Page 5 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #83

Sep 032015

Wrangler

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2012 Jeep Wrangler was being driven at 40mph when the clutch inadvertently went out. I am concerned that there might be a greater problem related to the flywheel and the related clutch assembly of these factory parts on this vehicle. I only use this vehicle to commute in the city and my driving habits are mild. I do not use this vehicle off-road and I live in the state of Florida which is incredibly flat. The clutch and surrounding assembly should not defect at 40K miles.

- Satellite Beach, FL, USA

problem #82

Jun 192015

Wrangler

  • 100,000 miles
I have a 2012 Jeep Wrangler unlimited rubicon, no modifications have been made to the vehicle. I bought it new and have had numerous problems with it from the beginning. The most recent problem has already been reported on this website by someone else. I was driving and the check engine and stability control lights both came on. Once this happens, acceleration is significantly compromised and the transmission continues to shift back and forth. I have a lifetime warranty on the vehicle and took it to the dealer. They replaced some sensors and told me it was good to go and come pick it up. Five minutes after I left the dealer both lights came back on. Took it back, they replaced some other parts and told me it was ready. Picked it up and within ten minutes both lights were back on. Took it back and they replaced the computer, I waited this time, they said those codes were gone although a new code was now showing up. Told me I could drive it and they would order me another computer. Yesterday, while sitting in the parking lot of the movie theater a bell started going off, the oil light came on, sway bar light came on, all of the gear position lights came on and the engine ran up to about 6000 rpms. I turned it off and it would not restart. After about 15 minutes it restarted and I was able to drive for about 2 minutes and everything came back on and the car would not go over 20 mph. I made it home and a wrecker picked it up and took it to the dealership. I am waiting to hear what they think it is this time.

- Collierville, TN, USA

problem #81

Jul 072015

Wrangler

  • 28,000 miles
We have had multiple times where the engine will stall at idling or low RPM's. we have had the vehicle at the dealer 4 times now and of course they cannot diagnose the problem. Yesterday, they car would simply not start at all and it only has 28,000 miles.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #80

Jun 202015

Wrangler

  • 60,213 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Parked it at 7:30 pm and woke up at 2:30am and it was on fire

- White Pigeon, MI, USA

problem #79

Jan 032014

Wrangler

  • 3,700 miles
Approx 4 months and 3700 miles of having my 2012 Jeep Wrangler sahara unlimited, during regular driving all dash lights came on, the warning chimes were on, all gauges dropped and continued to flash, the vehicle slowed down and the lights remained flashing and flickering for about another 20 seconds I couldn't accelerate. This has happened over 30 times since then and almost caused a serious accident on the interstate. This still continues to happen regularly and after showing them 2 videos on separate occasions dealership says they can't duplicate the problem so there is nothing they can do. Now at 47000 miles my warranty is gone and this time when it happened the check engine and airbag remained on. I don't know if the two issues are related or are separate, but now it kind of "sputters and put-puts" when its in park and won't accelerate properly. Dealership wants $150 just to look at this issue again and tell me they can't duplicate the fault. This is a serious safety issue; it has never been driven off road, is garage kept, and not used everyday. I don't want my Jeep to catch fire or continue to put me and my children in a position where when could get hurt because of these issues. If anyone else has had these issues any help would be appreciated.

- Southaven, MS, USA

problem #78

Aug 312012

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
I have had at least 100 times where my Jeep has stalled and just stopped running. It has happened when I have slowed down, and has stopped in intersections. It has stopped when starting from a stop etc. I have had numerous manual transmission cars and this has never happened. It scares me, and makes me fear for my life. I have changed the way I drive because of it, with the fear of worrying my Jeep will just stop running, when I pull out into traffic. I have had the switches in the car not work, and function erratically. Lights stay on, when turned off, after turning them off numerous times, they finally go out. I have had my breaks respond oddly, and get weak. I have had the heater not come on, then turn switch again and it works. Have had defrost some on when defrost was off. Numerous electrical functions, malfunction. I don't bother with Jeep, as my mileage is over 36,000- no more warranty, but these things began, about a month or two into Jeep ownership. These problems used to be infrequent, but now this power failure happens often. Some days it happens 4-5 times. Please help me with this matter, I do not want to be injured or killed, due to this problem. I also do not want my family or someone else's hurt, because of it either. I started doing research about these issues and find I am not the only one, it is common. I also have a whistle in the brake line, vacuum I think"?" it causes the breaks to not be strong at times. I have had my brakes completely replaced and this condition persists, it also seems many with my model of Jeep experience this as well. All of the hinges on the doors are rusting from the inside out, as well, I see the paint bubbling up.

- Tuckerton, NJ, USA

problem #77

Mar 102015

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 26,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On or about the 10th of March 2015 I took my vehicle to the dealer because the check engine light came on. The dealer turned the light off and I made apt for a separate problem which was a recall notice. The dealer said they would take care of the engine light problem when I brought the vehicle back for the recall. When I took it back the dealer said the vehicle is now out of warranty as of the 14th of March. I advised I understand the date however I brought the vehicle in and you turned the light off now you are telling me I have to pay $180 to check the problem because warranty is over. Turns out there is a problem with the left head of the engine and the #4 cylinder is experiencing a misfire. I called the dealer where I bought the Jeep, it is 400 miles away, I moved since the purchase, they advise there is a problem with the engine, they describe it and said it would be a warranty item which is covered for 6 years. I can not drive the vehicle 400 miles to have the repairs done and I need help with getting sahara Chrysler Jeep Dodge in las vegas to repair the problem. The problem is (X56) 3.6 left cylinder head.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #76

Feb 082015

Wrangler

  • 49,800 miles
2012 Jeep Wrangler sport 3.6L vehicle does not start at random. Vehicle has stalled at highway speeds. All electrical will turn on but Jeep will not crank over or make any attempt to start. Wipers turn on, their own. Battery, and starter have both been checked. Evidence leads to faulty tipm sensor but because the Chrysler dealership can not duplicate the error after 5 tries they said they can not replace the tipm. Dealership states they can not just throw parts at it to fix the issue even with hundreds to thousands of other Chrysler products having the same issue.

- Wareham, MA, USA

problem #75

Feb 262015

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 12,400 miles
Bad left head, known problem with pentastar engine. Check engine light came on. Codes indicated misfire on cylinders. Inspection revealed a bad left head.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #74

Nov 042014

Wrangler

  • 42,000 miles
The (RHD) vehicle check engine light and traction control (skid) light come on regularly while driving straight on dry roads and when the traction control light is on it causes the vehicle to slow speed. When driving over 40 mph, it takes a while to gain speed and if you let off gas it jerks like you are driving a standard transmission. I recently had the powertrain control module replaced costing myself over $600 and it still does the same thing. I have made a stop at a stop sign before and this Jeep died and started right back. Occasionally the gascap light comes on and stays for a couple days and then goes away. Another strange thing that happens a lot is the temperature on dash is set to Fahrenheit, but often I have to change it back because I will look and its showing celsius. The most recent thing that happened scared even my children. I had just took off at a 4-way intersection on highway and while gaining speed with no lights on, I reached about 40 mph and it just jerked as hard as it could and then check engine light and traction control light come on causing us to almost get run over by the people behind us gaining speed because we were being slowed down by this event. This is by far the strangest vehicle I've ever owned, sometimes there are no lights, sometimes just check engine or gascap light is on, and sometimes the check engine and traction control lights are on at the same time. You never know what you are gonna get on any given day. I have taken it to dealer again for the 6th time but they don't seem to be very knowledgeable or have any idea why this is happening.

- Wewoka, OK, USA

problem #73

Jul 172013

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 15,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine brakes and vehicle slows down momentarily for about 1-2 seconds then recovers. This has happened at least 6-7 times. At least one of these times the skid warning comes up but this happens on a freeway in dry conditions traveling in a straight line no brakes were applied by driver.

- Menlo Park, CA, USA

problem #72

Jan 082015

Wrangler

  • 86,400 miles
3.6 pentastar V6 oil filter / oil cooler assembly developed a major oil leak... oil could be smelled dripping on exhaust stopped driving until dealer had replacement part. Was in fear that engine oil could catch on fire, or run out of oil and destroy motor. All new Chrysler 3.6 3.2 V6's are affected. Chrysler charged almost $600 to replace part and allow safe operation of 3 year old car. Their has been a new part for 2014 models that is having more oil leak problems...

- Clarkston, MI, USA

problem #71

Dec 192014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 49,500 miles
I received an E-mail from Jeep around December stating recall N28 would affect my Jeep because the power steering line will rub the transmission oil cooler tube causing the vehicle to leak transmission fluid. I noticed on December 18th that my Jeep was in fact leaking transmission fluid so I called the closest Jeep dealership to me, gwinnett Jeep in stone mountain Georgia, and took my vehicle there on December 19th. After further inspection, the dealership stated the entire transmission oil cooler unit was leaking, which I told them was odd since this Jeep is only two years old with less than 50,000 miles. The dealership later called me back and told me a different story stating a transmission oil cooler tube was leaking and that unfortunately it was a different transmission oil cooler tube than was listed in recall N28. I didn't believe their story since they initially told me the transmission oil cooler unit was faulty. The bill was 503 dollars. I am E-mailing you because my vehicle was only leaking transmission fluid because of recall N28 and the dealership took advantage of me. This is a classic "double dip" where the dealership collects money from from corporate for the recall and then collects money from the customer. This dealership should be under investigation and audited because I am more than certain that people have previously brought in vehicles to gwinnett Jeep for recall issues and then they charged innocent customers additional money for "issues" with different components of the vehicle. I checked their reviews and there was a similar incident with a Jeep pertaining to a different recall. I don't want this to happen to anyone else in the future. I am a full time student and I also work full time, so my time and money mean a lot to me. A routine recall that should have been free of charge ended up costing me over 500 dollars.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #70

Nov 012014

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 39,000 miles
Vehicle stopped getting heat from all vents on drivers side, including defroster and only luke warm heat on the passenger side. All regular maintenance had been performed on the vehicle. Dealer says radiator and heater core need to be replaced as they are filled with 'sludge'. a little research online and this seems to be an all to common issue with these Jeep and Chrysler has given no answer as to the cause. While not having heat is inconvenient, not being able to defrost the windshield is a safety hazard. They are currently fighting me on paying for this as the vehicle is just out of warranty. This is an issue Chrysler is fully aware of and has done nothing to fix! further investigating has shown that ignoring this problem and not removing this sludge could eventually lead to engine failure.

- Blue Point, NY, USA

problem #69

Nov 202014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 77,700 miles
Attempting to accelerate from stop at traffic signal, dashboard trouble lights illuminated, ESC and antilock brake system activated, effectively nullifying driver throttle input. Vehicle would not accelerate.

- Nanjemoy, MD, USA

problem #68

Oct 102014

Wrangler

  • 60,000 miles
Rear ended another vehicle at a speed of approximately 25 mph. The air bags did not deploy at time of impact or at all. Noticed that the rear windshield wipers did not work as well as the automatic door locks. Apparently this is a electrical issue that could have caused some serious injuries.

- Colorado Springs , CO, USA

problem #67

Oct 252014

Wrangler

  • 50,000 miles
The car had been driven for less than 15 minutes. Upon pulling up to the stop light, smoke started coming out from the hood then ventilation. After getting kids out of the car, I used a fire extinguisher under the front of the car. Once the extinguisher was exhausted, there was still smoke and small flames. At this point, there were flaming pieces dropping from underneath. I then got safely away and waited until the fire department arrived. The fire was significant. It melted the front end before the fire department arrived.

- Albuquerque , NM, USA

problem #66

Sep 222014

Wrangler

  • 35,000 miles
The engine malfunction light came on so I took my 2012 Jeep Wrangler to the dealership. They said one of the cylinders misfired, but it was not a major issue, so they reset the software and I drove the vehicle home. A few weeks later, the engine malfunction light came on again, so I took my Jeep back to the dealership. This time cylinder number 2 misfired and they told me the cylinder head needed to be replaced. They said my Jeep will be ready tomorrow.

- Bordentown , NJ, USA

problem #65

Oct 272014

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 41,364 miles
The transmission oil cooler tube has ruptured. The transmission oil cooler tube on this vehicle has had a recall on it for some time now. I have contacted the dealership several times to get my name placed on the waiting list; however, they are now telling me my name is not on the list. The vehicle is currently unable to be driven due to the transmission fluid leaking out. I have contacted the dealership to try to resolve this situation, but no one seems to want to help. Everyone has resorted to very un-professional behavior in light of the incident at the dealership. I have been very patient with the group, but am becoming very un-patient in the situation. They continue to tell me it could be six to eight weeks before the part is available. I would be more understanding if I knew my name was not previously placed on the list, but I know that I have made several attempts at doing so. This vehicle is also my primary vehicle. I am in desperate need of having this unsafe situation resolved.

- Chatsworth, GA, USA

problem #64

Feb 022014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 26,000 miles
2012 Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport; 1st incident with hot oil message, resulted in dealership fixing the recall they all of a sudden had parts for (that were on back order for months-and for a recall). When I told the dealership I had a case id with Chrysler, they changed their tune and had the part(s). This was at 26000 miles. 2nd incident: I had driven to NY from SC with no issues while driving. Next day, cold start, hot oil warning. Took to a local auto repair shop and they "cleared the error" stating there was no apparent cause and they "didn't know why" the error occurred. 3rd incident: Called dealership I bought the Jeep from and told the guy (whom I know by name) that I was having the same problem, "hot oil message." He stated, "hot oil message, I don't know what you're talking about!" really"?" he was clearly lying, and I knew right then he was of no help to me. So, I went to the nearest Chrysler in a town 15 minutes away where I had moved to as it was closer anyway...letting the liar-part go, thinking the other dealership would surely do the right thing. This is at 34000 mi. The dealership has my Jeep currently and told me today that the dealership I bought it from wrote "added computer to Jeep, " as the supposed fix for the original issue (recall). The guy at the closest dealership told me the computer wouldn't even "talk" to him so he couldn't diagnose the problem until he figures out how to get the 1st computer to "talk" to him so he can get to the 2nd computer and try to diagnose an issue with the 2nd computer. Got a call this afternoon that it was driven around town with no problems after clearing the error message again. Awaiting final results now. I'm 2000 miles away from being out of warranty. Researching internet reveals numerous accounts of same issue with many people barely escaping engulfed in flames Jeep. This is an issue. Class action sought.

- Taylors, SC, USA

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