2009 Jeep Wrangler 4-Dr 4x2

Routine

Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the steering. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Steering2
000
Suspension1
000
Fuel/Propulsion System1
000
Electronic Stability Control (esc)1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Filed Jul 28, 201523,000 milesFL

THIS CAR HAS WHAT YOU CALL THE DEATH WOBBLE. THE ORIGINAL PART HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE, MAKING IT A TOTAL OF THREE SAME PARTS. IT IS A 2009 BUT ONLY HAS 27000 MILES ON IT. THE INCIDENT ALWAYS HAPPENED HIGHWAY DRIVING AT ABOUT 60 TO 65 MILES AN HOUR. FELT LIKE A FLAT TIRE THEN SETTLED DOWN. NOT SURE OF THE PART NAME REPLACED TWICE, BUT IT IS I BELIEVE IN THE STEERING MECHANISM. OF COURSE BOTH TIMES REPLACED NOT UNDER WARRANTY. IT IS A MAJOR CONCERN HENCE THE NAME DEATH WOBBLE.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Apr 1, 201525,000 milesAZ

WHEN FILLING GAS TANK, GASOLINE "BURPS OR SPITSBACK" OUT OF THE VEHICLES GAS TANK AFTER THE FUEL HOSE HAS CLICKED OFF. APPROXIMATELY 1/4 TO 1/2 GALLON OF FUEL SPILLS ONTO THE BUMPER OF VEHICLE AND GROUND. TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING I ONLY FILL MY TANK WITH 15 GALLONS AFTER THE LOW FUEL LIGHT HAS COME ON. *TR

Steering
Filed Feb 15, 201584,500 milesTX

EXPERIENCED VIOLENT SHAKING OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION AND STEERING WHILE TRAVELING ON A FREEWAY ACCESS ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 50MPH; SITUATION COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS THE DEATH WOBBLE. INSPECTION REVEALED A LEAKING STEERING STABILIZER WHICH WAS PROMPTLY REPLACED. SITUATION RECURRED APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS LATER AND THE STABILIZER WAS AGAIN LEAKING. ANOTHER STABILIZER WAS INSTALLED. SITUATION RECURRED AGAIN AFTER 3 WEEKS BUT THE STABILIZER WAS NOT LEAKING. THE TRACK BAR WAS REPLACED ALONG WITH THE MOUNTING BOLTS AND THE TIRES WERE BALANCED AND ROTATED. SITUATION RECURRED WITHIN 24 HOURS. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP THAT REPLACED THE UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS AND ALIGNED THE FRONTEND. SITUATION RETURNED LATER THAT DAY AND REPAIR SHOP REPLACED THE SHOCK ABSORBERS. SITUATION RECURRED WITHIN 24 HOURS AND THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED DUE TO BEING UNSAFE TO DRIVE. SITUATION CURRENTLY UNRESOLVED. *TR

Steering
Filed May 21, 201133,000 milesCA

THE FAILURE OF A 2009 JEEP WRANGLER IS THAT WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OR AT HIGHWAY SPEED IN THE RANGE OF 40MPH TO 65MPH AND YOU GET IN TO A ROUGH SURFACE OR HIT ANY BUMP ON THE ROAD THE CAR STARTS TO SHAKE REALLY VIOLENTLY. THIS HAS HAPPEN NOT ONLY TO MYSELF BUT TO A LOT OF JEEP OWNERS. THEY ALL SEEM TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY ARE NEVER ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND ITS GETTING REALLY BAD AND IT COULD CAUSE SOMEONE TO END UP DYING. I MYSELF HAVE CHANGED THE PARTS TO MY OWN VEHICLE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DEALERSHIP DOES NOT KNOW THE SOLUTION TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ITS NOT ONLY ME WHO THIS HAS HAPPEN THEIR IS A LOT OF SCARED PEOPLE THAT HAVE RAN INTO THIS PROBLEM BUT HAVE NO WAY OR THE KNOWLEDGE TO ADDRESS IT TO ANYONE. I JUST WANT THIS TO RESOLVE THIS BEFORE ANYONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT OR EVEN DEATH. *TR

Suspension
Filed Mar 14, 201013,933 milesLA

I WAS DRIVING MY 2009 JEEP WRANGLER AT SPEED OF 45 MPH AND IT STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS SHAKING ALSO AND IT TOOK ALOT TO KEEP THE JEEP IN CONTROL. HAD TO PULL THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT SEEM TO STOP AFTER I PULLED OVER AND I SLOWLY DROVE HOME THE REST OF THE WAY. MY CONCERN IS THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR JEEPS AND THERE ARE MANY VIDEOS ON THE INTERNET. WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL AND NO REPORTS OF THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE LESS THAN 14,000 MILES ON THIS JEEP AND IT IS ONLY A YEAR OLD. I ALSO HAD MY MOTHER AND 15 YR OLD SON WITH ME AND CAN CONFIRM THIS INCIDENT. *TR

5 of 5 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2007
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
2009 — this page5000Routine
200835010Routine
200767000Routine

Compare every Wrangler 4-Dr 4x2 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.