10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 7
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,955 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.

2018 Jeep Wrangler engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Jeep Wrangler Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #58

Apr 212023

Wrangler

  • miles

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

Track bar bracket separating from frame. Coolant leaking into engine. This has been going on for about a year since we bought it. Dealer just says there-??s nothing wrong with it. But we have been taking it to mechanics since we got it.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #57

Apr 292024

Wrangler

  • miles
Clutch - The Sansone Dealer located in Avenel, NJ has informed me that they did not have the part at the time and that I would receive a call. I never got a call so I decided to take the car back to them and now I'm being told they would need to hold onto the car for at least 48-hrs to diagnose the car. I don't understand why when they should be aware of the recall.

- Roselle, NJ, USA

problem #56

Nov 012022

Wrangler

  • miles
Start and Stop button light came off and vehicle stopped drive. I-??m the last 2 years I have to replace battery 3 times.

- Boynton Beach , FL, USA

problem #55

Oct 112023

Wrangler

  • 39,000 miles

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

The contact owned a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle had lost power and had shifting issues with the manual transmission. The contact noticed smoke from under the hood and tried to pull to the side of the road. While pulling to the side of the road, under the hood had caught on fire. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road safely. The automatic shift warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a scrapyard. The origin of the fire was unknown. The fire was located under the hood. The fire department had extinguished the fire. A fire department report was not filed. A police department report was not filed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000

- Hendersonville, TN, USA

problem #54

Sep 242023

Wrangler

  • 14,500 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at 2 MPH, the engine started backfiring, and the vehicle was shuddering. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,500.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #53

Jul 242023

Wrangler

  • miles
Head gasket failed due to a manufacturing flaw in the engine block. Coolant leaked internally from the cooling passage into cylinder one causing a hydro lock. No external leaks. Engine is damaged beyond repair.

- Magna, UT, USA

problem #52

Jul 242023

Wrangler

  • miles

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

there is a recall, 19A, that has no fix yet. the "this-might-happen" happened to me. clutch plate hot, hole through transmission, near melted fuel lines. got it fixed, major work $6000. Chrysler won't reimburse me because "there is no fix for the recall yet." that is the point. my car sustained major damage due to the recall issue with no fix. when they do find a fix, the replacement parts that i have now will still have to be fixed. nothing, including 3 weeks rental, covered under extended warranty because it is a recall issue. recall reimbursement documentation not processed because there is no fix. they have been running me around for almost 2 weeks. i am not someone who can drop $6000 without major pain. i paid with what cash i had, financed what i could at 23%, and had to have a friend use her credit card for the rest. i have nowhere left to turn.

- Middleton, WI, USA

problem #51

Aug 082023

Wrangler

  • miles
Told I need a new engine, never over did anything. An, used only as a daily driver. No extreme use.

- Elmira, NY, USA

problem #50

Jun 122023

Wrangler

  • 40,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated driving 30-35 MPH, the ABS warning light, the check engine warning light, the traction control warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The odometer became inoperable. The vehicle lost power steering functionality and shifted into Accessory Mode. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond while attempting to drive. Additionally, the vehicle failed to shut off as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle remained in Accessory Mode for 15 minutes and restarted independently. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The vehicle was taken several timed to the Ford dealer where it was purchased; however, the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The Jeep dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle in to their location for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

- Kittanning, PA, USA

problem #49

Jun 032023

Wrangler

  • miles
All kinds of codes came on Jeep locked up couldnt steer almost wrecked. Had to toll now dealership says its the engine after saying it was the starter

- Hillsboro, TX, USA

problem #48

Jul 022023

Wrangler

  • miles

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

The oil housing unit has cracked and has to be replaced. The Jeep is currently in the shop and they discovered that it is made of plastic and cracked. I had oil pouring out when I took it to the shop. After doing some research, apparently this is a problem with Jeeps.

- Helena, AL, USA

problem #47

Jun 032023

Wrangler

  • miles
All the lights on the Jeep came on. Locked up nearly had a wreck. Had to be towed. Now dealership is saying its the motor. Everything shut down. This is not the first time the jeep has shut all the way down. This is very dangerous. We had replaced the starter, and battery and spark plugs and box. The jeep worked for a day then the second starter burned up.

- Hillsboro, TX, USA

problem #46

May 222023

Wrangler 4-cyl

  • 40,800 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated after parking and turning off the vehicle, she saw smoke exiting from the hood. The contact stated she removed her two infants from the vehicle before locating the fire extinguisher she had available in the vehicle. The contact stated the fire extinguisher was broken but was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher that was provided by a school bus driver that was in the area. The fire department did arrive at the location after the fire was extinguished and filed a fire report. The contact was not aware if the police deputy at the scene filed a police report. The contact stated she burned her right middle finder while extinguishing the fire but did not seek medical attention for her injury. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,800.

- Lake Mary, FL, USA

problem #45

May 162023

Wrangler

  • miles
My wife was driving her Jeep to work this morning and a warning message came on the info screen stating the vehicle was shutting down soon and to safely pull over. She only had a two minute warning which was not enough time to pull over to a safe place without risking injury from being hit from another vehicle. The Jeep ended up and powered down within the two minutes of receiving the warning which caused loss of engine power, no power steering and no power brakes. This seems to be a pretty dangerous combination. It literally left her in the roadway. We had the batteries checked and they are ok. The vehicle did start back but the warning light came on again so it is parked until we can get it towed to the dealership. Researching it online it seems to be a common issue with the 2018 JLU. She currently has 117,000 miles on the Jeep.

- Columbia, TN, USA

problem #44

Mar 172023

Wrangler

  • miles
All lights on dash light up while driving or in park, no power steering, all displays flickering, can not move vehicle. While in park, can not engage shifter, if I turn off vehicle while it-??s on the -??fritz-??, vehicle might not start for some time (15-40 minutes), this has been on going since 11/22, three visits to dealership, two at an independent shop. Dealership claimed the couldn-??t replicate issue/-??concern-?? Vehicle is simply not safe. I-??ve recorded many videos documenting these safety/vehicle issues. It-??s been nearly 6 months of trying to get a reputable diagnosis, repair and answers. I hope this isn-??t a scam? I truly need help.

- Cicero , NY, USA

problem #43

Mar 102023

Wrangler

  • miles
On multiple occasions I have been driving to work (45 min drive) when all of my dash lights and emergency lights go on. I am then notified on the dash of start /stop system failure(which is off), The emergency hand brake light is on, electric stability control failure, service antilock break system, auto park disabled and my radio volume going to max. This is then followed by my power steering or something locks up not allowing me to steer my car that is in motion! Once I stop I turn the car off and it won-??t start again. I have waited 20 min and restart the car which then the shifter won-??t let me put into drive! This has happened mulitple times and I have taken to my trusted mechanic to repair but was informed it is a recall on my vehicle-??. When I look up my vin no recall reported so he gave me a form of the recall. Please help me, I-??m honestly scared to drive my car because I don-??t want this to happen while I-??m on a highway or cause me to be in an accident. I shouldn-??t be scared to drive my car.

- Oceanside, NY, USA

problem #42

Sep 272022

Wrangler

  • miles
The Jeep was being driven to a dealership to get checked for recalls due to the engine stuttering and stalling, radio and navigation not working, and just not running right. All of the sudden the engine -??blew up-?? and it stopped running. The Jeep was rolled to the side of the road and oil was seen leaking out of a hole in the underside of the engine. Pics were taken. It was towed to a dealership. No inspection has been performed yet to determine what the cause of the catastrophic failure is.

- Monroe, MI, USA

problem #41

Oct 052022

Wrangler

  • miles
OIl Cooler failure resulting in oil spill onto the transmission and motor housing. Per discussions of JK forums and other associated websites, this is a common issue with the 3.6 penstar motors. It was recalled on the Jeep Cherokees; however, failure to recall on the JK models were not available. Furthermore, most tech are stating when changing the oil filter, over torque can cause the seal to break or housing to crack resulting in leak. On manay forums, the JK ranging in years for the oil cooler issue is higher than normal.

- Concord, NC, USA

problem #40

Jan 012022

Wrangler

  • miles
The vehicle intermittently fails to shift into gear when started. This also happens intermittently while driving (when stopped the engine turns off while the brake pedal is depressed. When the engine restarts to go forward it behaves as if it is in neutral and won't engage.) Additionally, on occasion, the instrument panel fails to function while in operation. There is a blog thread on this issue as experienced by others: https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/service-shifter.24255/ ***Note, the date listed below is when we first began experiencing this issue. This is an ongoing issue which is experience 5 or more times per week. The vehicle has been in and out of the shop without resolution. The cost is out of pocket. The vehicle is currently sitting at the dealership shop considered "unsafe to operate" while we wait on a solution.

- Issaquah, WA, USA

problem #39

Jul 182022

Wrangler

  • miles
Several messages display simultaneously on and off as the vehicle is in motion which results in power being lost, then restored in a matter of minutes which are critical when traveling in traffic or on the interstate. Steering and brakes are the first to go, but the car remains operational. The gauges display as if the car is stationary with check engine, brake, start stop disabled, traction control and many other lights displaying in error as these things are happening.

- Bellevue, NE, USA

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