After several warning lights appeared, the power steering stopped working while I was driving the car on the highway.
2018 Jeep Wrangler complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2018 record →
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
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the transmission was slipping. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission clutch had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a second mechanic where it was diagnosed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided temporary vehicle rental assistance. The contact stated that the failure persisted while driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000. VIN tool confirm parts not available.
Recurring issue with my Jeep where seemingly every light on the dash, as well as the blind spot detectors, illuminates. The lights are accompanies by warning messages that indicate that electronic stability control and parking sense are unavailable. ABS lights, Traction Control, stability control, the brake light, and prompts to service 4WD are present. The impact varies based on whether or not the car is in motion. When it is not, as in the case of a cold start, the transmission is locked in Park. When the car is in motion, power steering intermittently goes out. If you pull over and put the vehicle in park while the lights are illuminated (i.e. if they don't clear), the car will get stuck in park until the lights clear. I have had the vehicle towed to the Jeep dealership in Natick, MA twice and, while they've charged me nothing, they've been unable to help due to the issue clearing and a lack of persistent diagnostic logs. Aside from the inconvenience, the sudden loss of power steering presents a safety issue. This has been going on for months, though the safety concern with steering only presented yesterday.
My local Jeep dealership in Hampton, Va (Winners Circle) believes the ABS control module has failed. While in drive my Jeep would not move forward, the hazard lights would not turn on, the analog speedometer failed to display speed, and power steering is lost. Several lights are illuminated: check engine light, service electronic stability control, and service shifter. The shop foreman (Ryan) and the service manager (Wesley Ward) have confirmed these issues via diagnostics and during multiple test drives. To my knowledge my ABS control module has not been inspected by anyone.
Cannot put car in drive from park position. “Service Shifter” light s up along with Abs, start/stop, 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,
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.
Vehicle has been experiencing electrical failure that dealers have been ,so far, unable to diagnose..when the electrical failure occurs we experience a loss of steering.
While driving vehicle will randomly have multiple warning lights on display suddenly appear (ABS, check engine, stability control, traction control, etc.) and speedometer would either go to 0 or read blank. In some instances power steering also cut out causing vehicle to swerve or jerk without warning. Spouse was scared to drive it when this happened and pulled over to have it towed. Did not want to have the vehicle suddenly swerve or lose control and hit cross traffic or pedestrian on side walk. This issue would then suddenly resolve itself and return to normal state. On some occasions, when vehicle was started, it would not shift out of park at first, but then would correct itself and allow it to be shifted out of park and driven. When check engine light was active, had codes checked and none were active, only stored. Indicated ABS sensor or ABS module errors. Was able to have Chrysler Dealer check into and after 5 days of troubleshooting, they worked with Chrysler Engineering to determine that there was a star CAN connector that was malfunctioning. Installed part 68321746AA for $84 and labor of $527 to resolve issue.
While operating the vehicle, I lost Power Steering, Stability Control, Anti-Lock Brakes and when I was able to stop, the transmission was put into park and I was unable to shift gears. Dealership informed me that this is a known issue related to the Can Bus Connector located behind the glove compartment, which apparently controls all of the safety systems. There were multiple indicators lit on the dashboard along with a check engine light. Dealership is replacing the connector.
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 .
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence, where she parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for a diagnostic test. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle and attempting to shift into drive(D), the gear shifter seized. The vehicle responded as needed after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The dealer received remote assistance from Jeep engineers. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the messages "4WD Disabled", "Parking System Disabled", "Park" and other unknown messages were displayed. The traction control warning light, the check engine warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who cleared the codes, but could not duplicate the failure. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the windshield wipers engaged independently, the fuel gauge fluctuated up and down. Additionally, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle lost power steering functionality. The brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle hesitated to respond. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot. The vehicle was to
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, she smelled a burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle and the vehicle experienced abnormal clutch engagement while shifting gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train). The vehicle was repaired at the contact's expense. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact stated that the reimbursement claim was denied. The contact was informed that because the permanent remedy was not yet to be developed, the vehicle was possibly repaired with a defective part. The failure mileage was 33,000.
Driving along at highway speed. lost power steering. All lights lit on dash. center LCD screen was giving warnings that all systems had failed. Anti lock brakes, gear selector, can bus systems, audio and GPS systems. Fortunately i was driving on a straight highway. I've looked into this issue. Its called the Christmas tree event. As all problem lights on dash light up. It looks like the fix is replacing 2 CANBUS ports behind glove box.
My JEEP STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, would not charge AND WOULD NOT CHANGE GEAR from park. I have less than 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH up a highway ramp, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The contact stated that he was manually shifting the vehicle from second gear to third gear. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into fourth gear. The contact stated that he had heard an abnormal grinding sound after releasing the clutch pedal. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who was unable to schedule a diagnostic test. The contact retrieved the vehicle from the dealer and stated that the failure had become a recurring failure. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the clutch pressure plate needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact that there was a recall for the year, make and model for the pressure plate. The vehicle was repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact attempted to seek reimbursement but was advised by the manufacturer that reimbursement was pending a remedy being available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The contact took the vehicle to a local rep
Both the Right and Left sun visors broke within a few weeks. The plastic retainer breaks allowing the sun visor to dangle in the driver’s field of vision. The visor now dangles by 12 volt visor feed lamp that could cause short. Factory price to repair - $80 for both parts. There are so many of these broken that there after market “hack” repair brackets sold on ebay and other sites to hold up the visor.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact was advised not to drive the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and the contact was provided a case number. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
When I hit a bump of any size my Jeep starts shaking uncontrollably. The first time it happened I had a panic attack because I had no idea what was going on and feared for my life. I pulled to the right side of the road and came to a complete stop for it to stop shaking. Everyone’s safety around me could me at risk including mine since sometimes I don’t know when it’ll happen and I can’t take my hand off the steering wheel to try and see to move over to the right side of the road. It happens very often. First time was I believe in March 2023.
Paint is bubbling causing rust-
I get the "death wobble" if I hit even a small bump on a smooth highway at speeds above 50 mph. The dealer says this is normal and nothing to worry about, which is crazy. The vehicle has just over 40,000 miles and has been maintained in full compliance with the manufacturer's warranty. The dealer said they could try replacing the steering damper but that it wasn't likely that it would fix the issue, again saying it's a normal condition with this vehicle. The wobble is extremely dangerous in the rain or any kind of slick road, pretty in heavy traffic. These vehicles need to be recalled so this can be fixed.
All the warning lights turn on tachometer stops working and sometimes it looses power steering. I was driving about 45mph when all the warning lights turned on and I lost power steering. I had to pull over luckily it was when going straight. Very scary took to dealer they said they could not replicate picked up car 3days later happened again
Vehicle shakes violently on Highway at about 65mph. Has happened multiple times.
Driving at 60 mph on I-35 North Highway in Kansas City. Hit a bridge seam and the front end began to shake violently. I had to slow down to get the vibration to stop. I definitely experienced the Jeep death wobble in the front suspension.
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.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that when the gear shifter was shifted, the clutch failed to perform as intended. The contact stated that the gear shifter was stuck. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V028000 (Power Train). The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but was unable to confirm when parts would be available. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The clutch on my jeep is acting up and there is a recall for it. But Jeep states they have no fix and are not able to tell me when they will come up with one. I feel they should just let aftermarket companies replace their defective clutches since they aren't really worried about the few folks with clutch issues. So currently I am driving a ticking timebomb. Once my transmission gets hot from the clutch it will cause a fire which Jeep is all aware of. This is a major safety issue. Imagine a car catching fire while driving on the highway. That would cause a massive pile up for sure.
Excessive play/slop in steering and death wobble at highway speeds
Service Axle Locker System Keeps coming on and going off. Sometimes 4 times a min. Sometimes hours. Does not store or show any codes in the system when checked.
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.
There is a missing weld on the lower passenger rear control arm bracket that looks like a manufacture defect. I recently started hearing a clanging noise and brought it to the mechanic. I was not put at risk of safety (for the tie being). The problem has been confirmed and looked at ONLY by a mechanic. There were no warning lights. How do i get the welding fixed? the dealer will not help me repair it.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she shifted into 3rd gear and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while in 6th gear. The contact then stated that he heard a loud screaming sound coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle remained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the automatic start warning light intermittently illuminated; however, when the failure occurred, the automatic start failed to operate and disengaged, preventing the rear-view camera from operating as designed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Electrical going haywire. While in drive it just wouldn’t do anything the gear shift “D” was blinking so I rolled to a safe place (thank god I was not on the freeway) turned it off then back on again apparently this is now a known problem not only for 2018 some were 2019 & 2020…… please investigate
When the vehicle hits a bump at highway speeds, the steering begins to shake violently until the vehicle speed is lowered to below 50 mph +/- 5 mph. I have hear this being referred to as the Jeep death wobble. It will cost a small fortune to have the tie-rods and bushings replaced by the dealer and I've heard that may not fix the problem. This is very scary when driving at 70 mph on the highway and causes safety issues when you have to quickly reduce speed to get the issue to stop. Please get Jeep to fix this very common problem with their vehicles.
For the last year on several occasions the power steering locks up and I am unable to control the vehicle. The lights on my dash start flickering and the vehicle starts stuttering like it is out of gas. It seems like an electrical issue where the vehicle is getting mixed signals so the power steering locks up. On 2 occasions while in motion I tried to turn off the road causing the vehicle to stall into oncoming traffic. My jeep has been at the dealership at least 4 times for the same issue and I have had 3 active cases through Chrysler. This happened again a few days ago and the Jeep is currently at the dealership. This is a real concern, and I’m scared for my safety while driving. This is an issue that happens at random times and then the vehicle returns to normal function.
The jeep had a p2138 code which is pedal sensor bad and p2127 took to black dodge jeep they found it bad replaced with OEM part 800 mi later p2138 code is back on and takes off on it's own
The driver and passenger seats handle to move seats folding forward and back constantly break. Both have been replaced/repaired at least 2-3 times each for the time I have owned the jeep (2 years).
I'll be driving the jeep it's a 2018 rubicon jl and all of a sudden all the dash lights come on and if I stop the vehicle the D on the shifter will keep flashing and the jeep.wont move have taken into same dealership 7 times and it's continues to do the same thing they've changed abs module cleaned off grounds checked all plugs and connections and they keep saying it's fine. It's currently at the dealership for the same issue. It's been over a year of going to the dealership. Also one time.they told me it's ready came to pick it.up and it wouldn't go into drive.
I was constantly smelling a burning odor and my clutch started slipping. Took vehicle to dealer and they said clutch and flywheel needed to be replaced but there were none available, and they had to be manufactured and could take 2 to 3 months. Unsatisfactory! I left the dealership which is nextdoor to my place of employment and completely lost the clutch on a busy road and had to be towed. I spent hours and days trying to find a clutch and finally located one and purchased it along with the flywheel. The repair seemed to be successful but now I am having that same burning smell. I received the recall notice 19A/NHTSA, however late, from FCA. It had the following statement: "WHAT IF I ALREADY PAID TO HAVE THIS REPAIR COMPLETED? If you have already experienced this specific condition and have paid to have it repaired, you may visit [XXX] to submit your reimbursement request online. Once we receive and verify the required documents, reimbursement will be sent to you within 60 days. If you have had previous repairs performed and/or already received reimbursement, you may still need to have the recall performed." I submitted my repair and proof of payment documents and they immediately closed my case because a remedy is not available. This makes no sense and contradicts the statement. Obviously I need to replace the clutch and flywheel. Now the replacement is putting off the same burning odor and I have to wait for a remedy knowing there is potential for a fire. I believe this ha
2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL) Sahara Safety features all disable with this issue: Power steering (this could happen on the highway) Stability (STC), Antilock Braking, Blind spot, etc. While driving their appears to be an electrical short. The steering wheel locks up and all lights on dashboard come on. Several error messages "Auto Park Disabled", "Speed Control Messaging Unavailable", "Service Antilock Brake System", "Service Transmission Continue in DRIVE. Do Not Shift or Turn Off Engine" - to name a few. Dealers turn me way with simple computer reboot solutions only for issue to reoccur. Issue presents itself intermittently. Dealer has regularly turned me away for being unable to replicate in non driving conditions.
Car started shaking uncontrollable after driving 45 mph over a small pothole. Carmax (ca care) replaced steering damper but steering wheel stills vibrates when driving over 45 mph.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
My husband was driving down the road and the trac bar bracket arm separated from the weld causing the steering wheel to move freely and made him feel like the jeep was.falling apart.
Trac bar bracket weld separated from axle
At 60 miles an hour if you hit a bump jeeps starts the death wobble til you slow to 45 miles an hour. Jeep has claimed recall was completed 1/14/20 at 4840 miles, we purchased used and has 22041 miles now and same issue. Their alleged fix is not fixed. I spoke with Chrysler about this and they stated I must pay for diagnostic and then they would maybe do something.
I have taken vehicle into jeep 4 times in less than 2 years . Auto start stop (ESS) fails first then check engine comes on right after car shuts off on own WHILE driving & stalls hard . We have been rear ended because of it thankfully we were not on freeway after googling and asking jeep community this is VERY COMMON in these jeeps . Aux battery goes dead and causes this issue and burns out a fuse and the main battery . We have replaced battery 4+ times now because of this issue . This is a saftey hazard thankfully the times it shuts off on us isn’t on the freeway where it can cause a multi vehicle collision most recent incident was 04/02/2023
The contact's son owned a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, there was a fire coming from the rear end underneath the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance company. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000. The VIN was not available.
While driving the driver side visor fell out of the ceiling, blocking forward visibility for the driver. The problem has been reproduced by many Wrangler owners. There was no indication of the issue prior to the failure.
Service start stop warning light comes on then service traction control then all dash warning lights come on then you lose power steering This all happens in seconds
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NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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