Your vehicle report
1998 Jeep Wrangler
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 265
- Received Jan 1998 to Feb 2023
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Exhaust manifold cracks and leaks fumes22 complaints · 8.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Frame rusts and corrodes through19 complaints · 7.2% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbag warning light stays on18 complaints · 6.8% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #98V048000Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicle. The front seat belt shoulder turning loop anchors were not properly heat treated and are not properly hardened.
- Recall #98V023000Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles. The power brake booster vacuum reservoir diaphragm can split or tear.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 23 crashes, 9 fires, 16 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 19 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 31 |
| 1999 | 57 |
| 2000 | 20 |
| 2001 | 34 |
| 2002 | 25 |
| 2003 | 19 |
| 2004 | 18 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 4 |
| 2007 | 5 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 4 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 8 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015 | 8 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 265 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhaust manifold cracks and leaks fumes | 22 | 8.3% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 19 | 7.2% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 18 | 6.8% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 13 | 4.9% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 12 | 4.5% | – | NHTSA recall #98V048000 |
| Instrument cluster or speedometer fails | 12 | 4.5% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 10 | 3.8% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 9 | 3.4% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 6 | 2.3% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 6 | 2.3% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 6 | 2.3% | – | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 5 | 1.9% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 5 | 1.9% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 4 | 1.5% | – | |
| Fuel pump fails and engine stalls | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Parking brake fails to hold or release | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 3 | 1.1% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #98V048000March 12, 19982,427 vehicles affected
seat belts: front: anchorage
Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicle. The front seat belt shoulder turning loop anchors were not properly heat treated and are not properly hardened.
In the event of a vehicle crash, the front seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of serious injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front seat shoulder belt turning loop on these vehicles.
NHTSA recall #98V023000February 10, 19988,900 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles. The power brake booster vacuum reservoir diaphragm Can split or tear.
This Can cause an increase in engine idle speed and a loss of power assist during brake application without prior warning.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the brake booster date code and any boosters with the suspect manufacturing date range will be replaced.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1998 Jeep Wrangler.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN