2018 Jeep Wrangler Problems: Steering (1,823 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler is Steering (42% of 1,823 owner reports). There are 14 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Steering — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-10-16 1,823 complaints · 14 recalls
What problems show up on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler?
767 of 1,823 filings named Steering (42% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Suspension (262 reports).
There are 14 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Electrical, Body / frame, Seat belts, and Rear camera / backup safety. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2017 has 311 reports on file; this year has 1,823. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Steering 767 complaints · 42.1% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 22
- Fires 25
- Injuries 13
- Deaths 0
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-10-16 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering (STEERING) | 767 | 42.1% | 7 crashes · 1 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 262 | 14.4% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 138 | 7.6% | 1 crashes · 11 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 133 | 7.3% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
| Body / frame (STRUCTURE) | 59 | 3.2% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 56 | 3.1% | 2 crashes · 1 fires |
| Wheels (WHEELS) | 52 | 2.9% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 38 | 2.1% | 3 crashes · 1 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 38 | 2.1% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 330 | 18.1% | 2 crashes · 10 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-10-16 Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 18V231000 was reported 40 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V332000 was reported 30 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V524000 was reported 114 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V675000 was reported 141 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 18V786000 was reported 250 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 19V680000 was reported 352 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 20V124000 was reported 664 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 21V028000 was reported 995 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 23V116000 was reported 1,751 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 24V652000 was reported 2,333 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 24V676000 was reported 1,351 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 37 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 133 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 290 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 210 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 81 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 94 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 139 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 68 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 18 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 30 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 48 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 52 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 21 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 18 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 27 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 36 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 31 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 30 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 30 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 33 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 38 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 40 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 24 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 29 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 21 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 27 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 28 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 30 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 29 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 25 | |
| 2026-Q1 | Owner reports | 22 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 29 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 35 | |
| 2026-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V231000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V280000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V332000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V343000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V524000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V675000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 18V786000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V320000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 19V680000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 20V124000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 21V028000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 23V116000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 24V652000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 24V676000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP18004 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA19001 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE19008 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | PE19012 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA21002 |
Safety Recalls (14)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Transmission / driveline, Electrical, Body / frame, Seat belts, and Rear camera / backup safety.
-
Recall campaign 18V231000
Safety recall 18V231000
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- If the floor pan strength is reduced and/or the rear seat mount becomes loose, the rear seat may detach in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, coat the interior and exterior of the driver's side rear underbody ladder rail with three-part rust protection. The recall began September 11, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U27.
-
Recall campaign 18V280000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- If the incorrect park lock rod is installed, the transmission may not shift into 'PARK' and keep the vehicle from moving, increasing the risk of unintended vehicle movement and the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install the correct park lock rod, free of charge. The recall began June 28, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U43.
-
Recall campaign 18V332000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
-
Recall campaign 18V343000
Safety recall 18V343000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- If the weld seam splits, the steering wheel may lose center positioning causing a loss of steering responsiveness and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the intermediate steering shaft, free of charge. The recall began June 21, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U48.
-
Recall campaign 18V524000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
-
Recall campaign 18V675000
Body / frame
- Report date
- Component:
- Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
- Consequence:
- An unexpected reduction in steering ability, can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the track bar bracket welds, as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin November 17, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UA5.
-
Recall campaign 18V786000
Safety recall 18V786000
- Report date
- Component:
- Unclassified NHTSA leftover
- Consequence:
- If the right rear passenger door opens unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will repair the right rear door latch reinforcement, free of charge. The recall begin December 6, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UB6.
-
Recall campaign 19V320000
Safety recall 19V320000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- If the roof top tent cover detaches from the vehicle while moving, it can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- The remedy for this recall is still under development. The recall began May 9, 2019. Owners may contact American Fastbacks customer service at 1-844-533-7997 extension 301. Note: Vehicles in this recall are also included in recall 19V-190.
-
Recall campaign 19V680000
Seat belts
- Report date
- Component:
- Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
- Consequence:
- A separated or severed seat belt buckle strap will result in an inoperable seat belt, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
- Remedy:
- FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt buckle, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed November 19, 2019. Owners will received a second letter and the recall began March 26, 2020. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is VA6.
-
Recall campaign 20V124000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- The overheated clutch components may increase the risk of a fire. Additionally, damage to other nearby components can result in debris falling onto the road or a loss of drive, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reroute a wire harness and inspect the clutch system, and replace components as needed. The recall began April 30, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W12.
-
Recall campaign 21V028000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- Overheated clutch components may increase the risk of a fire. Additionally, damage to other nearby components can result in debris falling onto the road or a loss of drive, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- FCA US LLC will notify owners, and dealers will add software to reduce engine torque capability when clutch assembly temperatures rise to a level that may damage the inner pressure plate, free of charge." FCA has ordered a stop sale for the affected vehicles as of February 25, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 4, 2021.
-
Recall campaign 23V116000
Transmission / driveline
- Report date
- Component:
- Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
- Consequence:
- Overheated clutch components may increase the risk of a fire. Additionally, damage to other nearby components can result in debris falling onto the road or a loss of drive, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Dealers will replace the clutch assembly and update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed from November 16, 2023 through July 25, 2024. Owners may contact (FCA US, LLC) customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is 19A. This recall expands and replaces previous recall 21V-028. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 21V-028 will need to have the new remedy completed.
-
Recall campaign 24V652000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- An instrument panel that fails to display critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Dealers will replace the instrument panel cluster, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed between October 3, 2024, and January 23, 2025. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 30B.
-
Recall campaign 24V676000
Rear camera / backup safety
- Report date
- Component:
- Rear camera / backup safety (BACK OVER PREVENTION)
- Consequence:
- A rearview camera image that does not display decreases the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, a center brake light that fails to illuminate can fail to indicate to other drivers that the vehicle is slowing down, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy:
- Dealers replaced the harness for the center brake light and rearview camera and/or the spare tire carrier/harness assembly, as necessary, free of charge. All vehicles were repaired by January 15, 2024. Owner notification letters were mailed September 26, 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 77B.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-10-16
Showing 4 of 1,823 complaints · page 1 of 73
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The front driver gauge cluster display frequently goes black. It’s done this for a while, but recently the display stays off a lot longer, making the vehicle less safe to drive. There is a recall for other Jeeps that do this, but my 2018 Jeep Wrangler JLU isn’t covered for some reason.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
Jeep Chrysler is refusing reimbursement of recall expenses incurred due to the recall. The dealership (Cutter Honolulu) arranged alternate transport while the vehicle was being repaired, as per their documentation, but had the customer bear all expenses, contrary to the " at no cost" stipulation of an NHTSA recall order repair
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V116000 (Power Train); however, the failure persisted after the recall repair. While driving 15 MPH, the instrument cluster failed to display the gear that the transmission was shifted to. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the vehicle failed to turn off. The contact stalled the engine and waited for the vehicle to shut off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the instrument cluster had damaged the transmission and CAN C bus connector. The dealer replaced the instrument cluster, transmission, and CAN C bus connector, but the instrument cluster again failed to display the transmission gear. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
My 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL has excessive play in the steering and wanders while driving, requiring frequent steering corrections to maintain the vehicle's direction, particularly at highway speeds. I have been dealing with the steering issue for over a year. I am concerned that the excessive play and wandering could result in difficulty maintaining control of the vehicle, especially at highway speeds or during an emergency maneuver. I took the vehicle to an authorized Jeep dealership for diagnosis. The dealership confirmed that the steering gear is the problem and recommended replacement. I was quoted approximately $1,418 for the repair. FCA issued TSB 08-003-21 Rev. A, which applies to 2018–2020 Jeep Wrangler JL vehicles. The symptoms identified by FCA include steering wander, pulling/leading left or right, and excessive steering play. The repair procedure calls for replacement of the steering gear and addressing the Electric Hydraulic Power Steering software. The bulletin also states that failure to complete the required repair steps may result in undesirable handling characteristics. I contacted Jeep/FCA requesting assistance with the repair because my vehicle has the same steering condition identified in FCA's bulletin and the Jeep dealership confirmed the steering gear requires replacement. FCA declined assistance based on the age/model year of the vehicle. There were no warning lights indicating the steering gear problem. The vehicle is currently available for inspection, and the defective OEM steering gear can be retained and made available for inspection after replacement if requested. I am reporting this because I believe a steering defect that causes excessive play and wandering presents a potential motor vehicle safety concern, and I am requesting that NHTSA evaluate this issue in 2018–2020 Jeep Wrangler JL vehicles.
Jeep Wrangler Complaints and Recalls by Year
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler?
Owners named Steering most often — 767 of 1,823 reports (42%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler?
NHTSA lists 14 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Transmission / driveline, Electrical, Body / frame, Seat belts, and Rear camera / backup safety. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2018 Jeep Wrangler?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Check for play in the wheel, noises on lock and whether it tracks straight. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-10-04
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-10-16. YearTell is not a government agency.