Total Complaints
1 filings
JEEP CJ5 · model year
1979 JEEP CJ5
1 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1979JEEPCJ5 carries 1 consumer safety complaint in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1979 CJ5 is power train:manual transmission with 1 filings. Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 29 investigation files overlapping the 1979 CJ5, and 3 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20100610POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
TL*THE CONTACTS OWN A 1979 JEEP CJ5. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30MPH HE SHIFTED INTO SECOND GEAR AND THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD NOISE. WHEN HE SHIFTED INTO THIRD GEAR THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. A FEW MINUTES LATER, THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. HE NOTICED THAT TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LEAKING FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CHRYSLER DEALER REFERRED HIM TO A JEEP DEALER WHO CONFIRMED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN 79V070000, POWER TRAIN, MANUAL TRANSMISSION RECALL WAS RELATED TO THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE JEEP DEALER REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE SINCE THERE WAS A 10 YEAR SUNSET CLAUSE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 50,000.
Mileage: 50,000
Compare 1979JEEPCJ5 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 3 Open
PE25014Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Failure
PE24024Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Underhood fires
RQ24012Recall QueryOpen
Loss of Motive Power
PE22013Preliminary EvaluationClosed
False overheat leading to loss of motive power
PE22009Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Electronic Parking Brake Water Ingress
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1979 JEEP CJ5 have?▼
The 1979 JEEP CJ5 has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1979 JEEP CJ5?▼
The most-complained component for the 1979 JEEP CJ5 is POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1979 JEEP CJ5 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.