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Jeep WranglerModel year report

2019 Jeep Wrangler Problems

Compared with other Jeep Wrangler years

More complaints than typical for this model

67/100 1.5× a typical year · 50 = typical

Nearby years with fewer complaints than typical and no open NHTSA investigation: 2016, 2017

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
746filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
4,500miles, 395 complaints with mileage
Recalls
9campaigns on record
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—no overall rating published
EPA fuel economy
20 mpgcombined, 3.6L 6-cyl 4WD · 18 city / 23 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2019 Jeep Wrangler (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe steering problems: a violent front-end shake triggered by bumps at highway speed, plus constant correction to keep the vehicle tracking straight. Many of these complaints were filed in the first few thousand miles, and several owners say dealers told them the behavior was normal for a Wrangler. A smaller group reports electrical faults such as a blank instrument cluster, and clutch-related recall work on manual-transmission vehicles.

  1. Steering

    Front-end shake over bumps at highway speed

    • 205 complaints (27%)
    • median 11,000 mi at 1.3 yrs old (120 state mileage)
    • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $1,134 (median of 6 quotes)
    • filed 2018–2026

    Complaints describe the front end or steering wheel shaking violently after hitting a bump, bridge joint, or road imperfection at highway speed, forcing drivers to slow sharply to regain control. Owners report this recurring even after the steering damper was replaced or recall work was completed. Some say the dealer could not reproduce the shake or described the damper as the part involved. Mostly reported between roughly 600 and 30,000 miles, typically at highway speeds over bumps.

    Recall 19V201000Recall 18V675000

    What to check: Drive the vehicle at highway speed over expansion joints and small bumps and watch for any front-end shake. Ask whether the steering damper and track bar work has been done and whether any related recall service was completed.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “While driving at 60 MPH over s suspension joint on a bridge, the vehicle started shaking violently and was unable to control vehicle until the speed dropped to 35 MPH. I have already had the recall done to the vehicle to replace the stabilizer bar, and the problem is still continuing to occur any time I travel over an expansion joint or even a bump in the roadway.”

    NHTSA complaint #11323544, filed 2020-05, 21,000 miles

    “I have noticed at high speeds when I am driving and I go over a pot hole or even when I go over a rumble strip I get an aggressive steering wheel shake. Another issue would be the passenger visor it broke when my vehicle only had 36,600k miles. I hardly use the visor one day my passenger out the visor down to cover the sun from face and it just fell from the corner.”

    NHTSA complaint #11405876, filed 2021-03, 36,000 miles
  2. Steering

    Loose steering and wandering at highway speed

    • 259 complaints (35%)
    • median 750 mi at 1.0 yrs old (193 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $1,400 (median of 7 quotes)
    • filed 2018–2026

    Owners describe the steering as vague, with play in the wheel and a need for constant small corrections to stay in the lane, especially on the highway. Several report a steady pull to one side that persisted after alignments and parts replacement. Complaints say dealers often called this normal or a characteristic of the Wrangler. Reported from near-new mileage up to about 25,000 miles, most noticeable at highway speeds.

    Recall 19V201000Recall 18V675000

    What to check: Test drive on the highway and note whether the wheel has a wide dead spot or the vehicle drifts. Ask for alignment records and whether the steering box or track bar has been replaced.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Bought the 2019 Jeep jl certified used nov 24. Told the dealer that the Jeep pulls to the right and the vehicles alignment might be off. The told me they did alignment and everything is good. At highway speeds the Jeep wanders all over the road it is very hard to control. I will be bringing it to a different dealer because it does not feel safe.”

    NHTSA complaint #11384867, filed 2020-12, 25,000 miles

    “The steering is really loose and drives all over the road. I have to fight it to keep it straight there is a lot of play in the steering wheel, the whole time driving my steering wheel is cocked to the left in order to drive straight. Any speed any road.”

    NHTSA complaint #11315744, filed 2020-03, 11,000 miles

Buying note. Take a thorough highway test drive, since steering shake and wander are the most common complaints, and ask for documentation of any recall or steering-damper work. Also verify the instrument cluster and, on manual models, the clutch recall status.

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.

NHTSA recorded 746 consumer complaints for the 2019 Jeep Wrangler. 395 of the complaints include a mileage, and 90% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 4,500 miles. Of all complaints, 10 involved a crash, 11 a fire, 8 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns and 837 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 15 Jeep Wrangler model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 67 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (more complaints than typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Vehicle speed control (18), Fuel system (10), Electronic stability control (9), Seats (7), Forward collision avoidance (6), Seat belts (6), Engine cooling (5), Air bags (4), Exterior lighting (2), Lane departure (2), Back-over prevention (rear camera) (1), Tires (1).

Example complaints

Steering: “The vehicle is difficult to keep in it's own lane when traveling above 45 MPH. The vehicle wanders and the steering feels very loose. There are occasions on the highway when a vehicle passes or when passing a vehicle that it feels as if we may drift into another vehicle. It's scary enough that we avoid highways with it. It's currently at the dealership now being looked at.”

NHTSA complaint #11398499, filed 2021-03, 17,800 miles

Electrical system: “Every time I plug my iphone into the lighting cable that is plugged into the usb type c input the uconnect system will power off and reset itself. This will continuously happen every 5 minutes 3-4 times before it stops. This happens when the engine is on and occurs whether the car is moving or not.”

NHTSA complaint #11389518, filed 2021-01, 14,000 miles

Suspension: “I was driving down the highway going 50mph and the front end started vigorously shaking so much that I had to pull over and stop. It shook me to the point that I was dizzy. I was told that it was called the death rattle, however when I took it the the dealership to get it fixed I was told that it is no longer called that. They didn't know that it was happening on the 2019 Wrangler sport”

NHTSA complaint #11386512, filed 2021-01, 21,000 miles

Transmission and drivetrain: “The front wheels shimmy at freeway speeds when hitting a slight uneven seam or joint in the road bed, the dealer put a dampener on but the issue is still there, just not as pronounced. The drive train / transmission / differential has locked up violently stopping the Jeep, this has happened twice so far but I have only had it for a few months. Both times I was moving slowly forward in drive just leaving a parking space on the side of the street. I put it in park, then back in drive and it moved normally. It sounds like metal on metal when it happens and is very sudden!”

NHTSA complaint #11257686, filed 2019-09, 13,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

90% of the 395 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 250 and 16,000 miles.

64%0–1019%10–258%25–505%50–753%75–1003%100–1500%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (395 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 4,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: stable. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

201820192082020202120222023202420252026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2019 Jeep Wrangler. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
Wrangler Unlimited · SUV 4WDnot rated4 / 4——3 · 26.7% risk

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2019 Jeep Wrangler version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
Wrangler 4WD3.6L 6-cyl8-speed automatic182320$3,350
Wrangler 4WD3.6L 6-cyl6-speed manual172520$3,350
Wrangler Unlimited 4WD3.6L 6-cyl8-speed automatic182320$3,350
Wrangler Unlimited 4WD3.6L 6-cyl6-speed manual172319$3,550
Wrangler 4WD2.0L 4-cyl · hybrid8-speed automatic232524$2,800
Wrangler Unlimited 4WD2.0L 4-cyl · hybrid8-speed automatic222422$3,050

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

See all 9 recalls for the 2019 Jeep Wrangler → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

NHTSA investigations

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 837 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 837 bulletins →

Other model years of the Jeep Wrangler

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2026121,0003—20—Too new
2025733004—20Too new to compareToo new
202474914,00011—19Too new to compareToo new
202337213,00014—2051 · TypicalToo new
202240917,65015—2050 · TypicalRising
202195720,00015—2086 · MoreRising
20206172,50012—2066 · MoreRising
20197464,5009—2067 · MoreStable
20181,8276,20014—18100 · MoreStable
201731123,7005—1815 · FewerStable
201646240,0005—1821 · FewerStable
201547937,4763—188 · FewerRising
201465850,0004—1823 · FewerFalling
201365650,0006—1851 · TypicalFalling
201283642,0009—1871 · MoreFalling
201148550,51010—1732 · FewerStable
201068645,69910—1750 · TypicalFalling
200937251,0006—1711 · FewerFalling
200887362,0007—189 · FewerFalling
200755860,0008—18Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200673036,0003—15Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200565050,0001—15Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200419246,1921—17Not compared (before 2008)Falling
20039826,8980—17Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200210860,4992—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200117085,0003—15Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200025191,9121—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199921364,4251—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199826573,9902—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199740180,0003—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199520295,0001—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
1994151121,0002—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199310896,5003—16Not compared (before 2008)Rising
199277137,0004—17Not compared (before 2008)Falling
199176110,5006—17Not compared (before 2008)Rising
199079110,5004—16Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19896279,0004—16Not compared (before 2008)Falling
19885098,2613—17Not compared (before 2008)Stable
198738246,0005—17Not compared (before 2008)Stable

All Jeep Wrangler model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2019 Jeep Wrangler?

Owners of this model year most often describe steering problems: a violent front-end shake triggered by bumps at highway speed, plus constant correction to keep the vehicle tracking straight. The issues reported most often: Front-end shake over bumps at highway speed; Loose steering and wandering at highway speed.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2019 Jeep Wrangler have?

NHTSA recorded 746 consumer complaints for the 2019 Jeep Wrangler as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2019 Jeep Wrangler is reported most often?

Steering is named most often, in 447 complaints (60% of the total), followed by electrical system with 151.

Has the 2019 Jeep Wrangler been recalled?

NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2019 Jeep Wrangler get?

The EPA rates the 2019 Jeep Wrangler (Wrangler 4WD, 3.6L 6-cyl) at 20 mpg combined, 18 city and 23 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $3,350 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2019 Jeep Wrangler reported?

Among the 395 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 4,500 miles and the middle half falls between 250 and 16,000 miles; 90% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.