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What 828 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Jeep Wrangler 4-door 4xe

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (828)Crash / fire / injury (47)Transmission & drivetrain (282)Steering (204)Engine (172)Electrical system (147)Airbags (128)Fuel system (45)Brakes (44)Visibility & wipers (41)Body & structure (30)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (30)

30 of 828 complaints match · Body & structure · clear filters · page 2 of 2

Feb 22, 2013Body & structure

MY 2012 JEEP HOOD LATCHES DO NOT HOLD DOWN THE HOOD FIRMLY IN HIGH WIND OR WHEN VEHICLES PASS ON HIGHWAYS. THE HOOD WILL MOVE UPWARDS AND BOW AND VIBARTE. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS, THE LATCHES MADE OF HEAVY RUBBER COULD BRAKE AND DAMAGE THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I WENT TO THE DEALER IN PALESTINE, TEXAS AND THE SERVICE MANAGER TESTED MY JEEP AND DROVE ANOTHER NEW JEEP AND I WAS TOLD THEY ALL DO IT AND THEY DO NOT HAVE A REPAIR FOR THIS PROBLEM. THIS NEEDS IMMEDIATE ATTENTION BEFORE AN ACCIDENT HAPPENS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10499672

Jan 29, 2013Body & structure

LEAKING WATER DRIVERSIDE FLOOR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10495139

Nov 13, 2012Body & structureEngine

REALLY HAVE 3 ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE FIRST IS THAT THE ENGINE BEGAN TO TICK NOTICEABLY AT AROUND 5000 MILES, SOUND DEFINITELY COMING FROM #2 CYLINDER. WAS INITIALLY TOLD NOT TO WORRY, NOISE WAS NORMAL, ODDLY IT DID NOT TICK PREVIOUSLY. THE SHORT STORY IS THAT IT SET A P0302 CODE AT AROUND 12,000 MILES. CHRYSLER DID NOT AUTHORIZE A RENTAL AND THE DEALER WAS LESS THAN CORDIAL. THEY PUT THE THING BACK TOGETHER AND DAMAGED AN EMISSIONS VALVE, SO MORE DELAY. GET THE VEHICLE BACK, RAN SILENT FOR 2,000 MILES, THE TICK IS BACK. NOW AT 19,000, NO CODE YET, BUT I FEAR ITS COMING. PROBLEM #2, EXHAUST SMELL, GET IT NEARLY ALL THE TIME, ESPECIALLY UNDER LOAD, NO RESOLUTION YET. PROBLEM #3, WET CARPET ON DRIVERS SIDE, NO RESOLUTION YET. OH, I FORGOT TO MENTION, THERE IS A FOURTH, I HAVE JUST INSTALLED THE THIRD WINDSHIELD IN LESS THAN 6 MONTHS. ITS NOT THE QUALITY OF THE GLASS, ITS THE STEEP ANGLE OF THE WINDSHIELD, BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU BUY A WRANGLER. I HAVE BEEN LOYAL TO US BRANDS, THIS IS OUR 32ND NEW VEHICLE, WON'T BY A WRANGLER AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10484086

Nov 7, 2012Body & structureLatches & locks

THIS COMPLAINT HAS NOT BEEN QC'D. THE CONTACT SUBMITTED AN EMAIL AND REQUESTED THAT THE OFFICIAL IVOQ BE WRITTEN VERBATIM TO THE EMAIL. TL* WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO LANE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH WITH ONCOMING TRUCKS COMING BY, THE HOOD OF MY 2012 JEEP WRANGLER WOULD LIFT UP TO THE LIMITS OF THE HOOD LATCHES. THESE FACTORY LATCHES ARE MADE OF HEAVY DUTY RUBBER AND DO NOT HOLD THE HOOD DOWN/IN PLACE FIRMLY AS THE AIR FROM THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC PUSHES ON THE JEEP. THE HOOD CAN BE VISUALLY SEEN TO MOVE UPWARDS AND BOW WITH A LOUD BANG. I CONTACTED JEEP CHRYSLER AND WAS TOLD TO CONTACT THE DEALER (PRESTIGE CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE OF LAS VEGAS, NEVADA). I DID THIS AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING SINCE IT WAS A CHRYSLER ISSUE AND THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT DO ANYTHING UNDER WARRANTY. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT MOPAR HAS METAL LATCHES BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE THEM. SINCE THIS IS A VERY SCARY SITUATION WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF THE HOOD BEING LIFTED BACK INTO THE WINDSHIELD, IT CAN HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES SUCH AS A DEADLY ACCIDENT. THIS IS DEFINITELY A DESIGN FLAW; I FEEL THAT THE NHTSA SHOULD MAKE CHRYSLER REPLACE THE HOOD LATCHES WITH THE STEEL ONES AT NO COST TO ME. THIS IS A VERY REAL PROBLEM AND NEEDS TO BE RECTIFIED BY THE NHTSA BECAUSE CHRYSLER WILL NOT LISTEN TO ME. I HOPE THAT SOMEONE AT THE NHTSA INVESTIGATES THIS BEFORE THERE IS A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND SOMEONE IS KILLED. UPDATED 11/14/12 *CN UPDATED 11/14/2012 *JS UPDATED 11/30/12 *CN

NHTSA ODI 10483588

Oct 24, 2012Engine & coolingFuel systemElectrical systemBody & structureVisibility & wipers1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 JEEP WRANGLER 4X4. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE COULD SMELL FUMES ENTERING THE VEHICLE FROM THE VENTILATION. THE FUMES CAUSED THE DRIVER AND ANY OTHER PASSENGER THAT ENTERED THE VEHICLE TO BECOME NAUSEOUS AND ENDURE HEADACHES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC FOR THE PARTICULAR MODEL VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REMOVABLE HARD TOP WOULD FLEX WHEN DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH OR HIGHER. THE FAILURE WOULD CAUSE EXTREME CABIN PRESSURE AND CAUSING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS TO SUFFER SEVERE HEADACHES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THE HARD TOP WAS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 77. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,080. UPDATED 01/02/2013*LJ UPDATED 1/7/2013 *JS

NHTSA ODI 10482075

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Working with the data? Download all 828 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Jeep Wrangler 4-door 4xe verdict →