2017 Jeep Wrangler Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year center on brakes that lock or drag at low mileage, oil leaks from the engine's plastic oil filter housing, and a manual transmission that slips out of gear, especially reverse. Many reports come in well under 60,000 miles, and several owners describe symptoms appearing during or after cold weather.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Front brake caliper locks up or drags

   • 43 complaints (14%)
   • median 25,000 mi at 3.8 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,713 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe a front caliper seizing while driving, sometimes with smoke from the wheel well, a burning smell and a pull or shake through the vehicle. Several say the dealer attributed the damage to worn pads or normal wear and did not cover it, while others report calipers or brake hoses replaced with partial or no cost assistance. A few mention ABS or traction control lights coming on around the same time. Mostly reported between about 19,000 and 45,000 miles, sometimes at highway speed.

   Recall 18V0980001 related service bulletin

   What to check: After a test drive, feel each front wheel for uneven heat and look for one pad worn much more than the other; ask whether any caliper or brake hose has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Driver side front and rear brake calipers failed. 31765 miles on vehicle. Smelled something burning and rough ride. Took vehicle to Jeep dealer. Told $2,100 to repair and caused by my only driving vehicle 31000 miles in 4 years. Told dealer I believed this was safety issue and I was filing NHTSA complaint. Fca provided replacement brake calipers for all 4 wheels and failed brake hose at no charge. Dealer repaired at $965 cost to me for damage caused by failed brake calipers.”

   NHTSA complaint #11414411, filed 2021-04, 31,765 miles

   “Front right brake on '17 Wrangler (caliper) froze shut while in motion on highway moving approximately 45 MPH. Smoke was visible above front right wheel, vehicle shook while in motion. Vehicle has 19,000 miles, zero indication of low brake pads which should last well over 45,000 miles, and only the right brake pad wore down. Dealership claims low brake pad caused issue, therefore wear & tear. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11340959, filed 2020-07, 19,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Oil leak from cracked oil filter housing

   • 39 complaints (13%)
   • median 66,906 mi at 4.4 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 7 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners report oil dripping under the vehicle or a burning oil smell, traced by mechanics to a cracked plastic oil filter housing or cooler cover on the engine. Some say the part was unavailable for a period and repairs were delayed, and others describe the leak showing up after a cold snap. In a few cases the same area was repaired more than once. Commonly reported between roughly 30,000 and 90,000 miles, several after cold weather.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look for oil residue around the top front of the engine and on the driveway, and ask whether the oil filter adapter or housing has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Engine oil cooler. Cracks causing massive engine oil leaks. My Jeep was parked in the garage. I noticed the oil on the floor. I followed it up both sides of the engine to the cooler. I have not changed the oil in months. It was below zero here for 3 days in north texas. The cooler is made from plastic. It gets hot then cold then hot again and it cracks. This is a serious issue and is a massive issue as well. Jeep/chrysler knows this, how do I know? Because they have no more parts, they ran out for real gone no coolers. Nhtsa was made for this. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11399960, filed 2021-03, 66,000 miles

   “Oil spillage on driveway. Started after cold weather moved into area. Now costing 1500.00 to fix problems. Have noticed of several complaints of same area breakage on multiple other same year and style vehicles via internet social networking sites.”

   NHTSA complaint #11397302, filed 2021-02, 72,000 miles
3. 3
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light and front impact sensor

   • 26 complaints (8%)
   • median 21,500 mi at 2.7 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners report the airbag warning light staying on or flashing, with dealers diagnosing the front impact sensor or the clockspring. Some say their vehicle was not included in the related airbag recalls even though the symptom matched, so the repair was quoted at their own cost. A few describe airbags not deploying in a collision. Reported across a wide range, from about 20,000 to over 100,000 miles.

   Recall 16V734000

   What to check: Check that the airbag light goes out after startup and ask a dealer to confirm by VIN whether the airbag sensor recall was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that on various occasions while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the air bag needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11530603, filed 2023-07, 110,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 19v018000 (air bags). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11321822, filed 2020-04, 20,000 miles
4. 4
   Electrical system

   ABS or stability control activates without cause

   • 34 complaints (11%)
   • median 36,000 mi at 3.3 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe the ABS or stability control light coming on and the system applying the brakes on dry pavement, sometimes slowing the vehicle sharply at low speed or on the highway. In several cases the cause was a rear wheel speed sensor, and some owners say the dealer found nothing wrong or the fix was not covered. Reported between about 8,000 and 40,000 miles, often at low speed or while turning.

   What to check: Watch for ABS or traction lights during a test drive, ask for any wheel speed sensor replacement records, and have the system scanned for stored codes before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The vehicle's traction control light alarmed and automatically applied brakes heavily resulting in a near miss rear end collision. The vehicle hindered the gas pedal and I was forced to a stop on the middle of a heavily travel roadway. The vehicle is still under factory warranty. I called chrysler and made an appointment. After 4 days, I was told nothing is wrong with my vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11299108, filed 2020-01, 20,146 miles

   “Several times, at least 100 my stability control has activated on clear dry roads. When this happens at highway speed the vehicle twitches severely and it can be difficult to stay in your lane on a dry road. If you were on a slippery road it would likely cause a slide. Also when this happens the vehicle slows. I've had the stability control activate when merging on the freeway, my car slowed so much and suddenly the car behind me had to brake and honked their horn. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11317220, filed 2020-03, 33,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Manual transmission slips out of gear

   • 31 complaints (10%)
   • median 10,500 mi at 2.2 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2026

   Owners of manual-transmission models describe the shifter popping out of reverse, and sometimes out of fourth, with grinding until the clutch is pressed or the gear re-engaged. Some had the shifter or a synchronizing component replaced under warranty; others report recurrence and eventual clutch or transmission replacement. Reported from very low mileage up to about 100,000 miles, with several cases under 25,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: On a manual model, try reverse and fourth repeatedly on a test drive and listen for grinding; ask for service records on shifter or clutch work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I bought a new 2017 Jeep Wrangler manual transmission. The car will pop out of reverse and will grind the gears until I put the clutch in or take it out of gear. The dealer said it was the shifter. They said it has been confirmed that is the issue and they are replacing under warranty.”

   NHTSA complaint #11300541, filed 2020-01, 11,000 miles

   “Intermmittent stalling when put in reverse. Happens more frequently in cold weather. Has shuttered several times and one stall when put in drive but happens mostly when reversing. This has been going on since winter 2019 with no resolution after dealership checked it out. Hard to diagnose because it doesn't happen every time.”

   NHTSA complaint #11398165, filed 2021-02, 26,000 miles

Buying note. Ask for service records covering brake calipers, the oil filter housing and any transmission work, and confirm by VIN that the open recalls were completed. A pre-purchase inspection that scans for ABS and airbag codes is worth doing on this model year.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.