The 1997 Jeep Wrangler has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 127,300 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 548 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG 'CLOCK SPRING' WIRING HARNESS CAN BREAK WHEN TURNED TO THE 'FULL LOCK' TURN POSITION.
IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY INCREASING THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY TO THE OCCUPANT.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCK SPRING IN THESE AIR BAGS.
THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.
UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.
THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (AECM) SOFTWARE CONTAINS AN ERROR WHICH CAN DELAY THE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IN CERTAIN CRASH SITUATIONS.
DELAYED DEPLOYMENT CAN CAUSE INCREASED INJURY TO FRONT SEAT VEHICLE OCCUPANTS IN A COLLISION.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE ON THESE VEHICLES.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“There have been 2 instances of the stem leaking air seemingly out of nowhere on 2 of the 5 tires within a year of installation. Both leaks were noticed after I had finished a drive. The service center we purchased the tires from has repaired 1 of them a few months ago and is currently repairing…”
“I experienced sudden acceleration when at a complete stop with foot on break. Throttle went very high and propelled car forwarded even when pushing the breaks penal down as hard as I could. There is no way I pushed down on the wrong pedal. The breaks could not hold the car stopped. This is…”
“After hitting bumps in the road the steering seems like it wobbles entire vehicle.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 jeep wrangler. The contact received a recall notification for nhtsa campaign number: 97v080000 (air bags). The air bag warning indicator illuminated and the contact was concerned that the air bag might deploy without warning. The vehicle was taken to ganley village…”
“Fuel guache govea inaccurate reading and drops to empty when the tank is half full. Contacted the local jeep dealer twice on having this part replaced and each time they tell me they will call me back but they have not.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 jeep wrangler. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the wheel well was visibly corroded. The vehicle was taken to manahawkin chrysler dodge jeep ram (500 new jersey 72 west, manahawkin, nj 08050) where it was diagnosed that the frame was rusted. The…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 jeep wrangler. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the wheel well was visibly corroded. The vehicle was taken to manahawkin chrysler dodge jeep ram (500 new jersey 72 west, manahawkin, nj 08050) where it was diagnosed that the frame was rusted. The…”
“The fuel tank skid plate is rotted out and the tank is in danger of falling.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Jeep Wrangler as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.