Total Complaints
2 filings
Jeep Wrangler · model year
1996 Jeep Wrangler
2 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 2
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1996 Jeep Wrangler posts top-5% complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 5%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1996JeepWrangler carries 2 consumer safety complaints 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.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1996 Wrangler is electrical system: instrument cluster/panel with 1 filings, followed by steering (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 3 investigation files overlapping the 1996 Wrangler. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
2
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1996 Jeep Wrangler
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
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 |
|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20130805STEERING
MY JEEP WRANGLER SUFFERED WHAT IS BEING DESCRIBED AS A "DEATH WOBBLE". THIS VEHICLE, PURCHASED NEW BY ME, WITH ALL ORIGINAL STOCK EQUIPMENT, TO INCLUDE TIRES WITH 6900 (SIX THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED) MILES EXPERIENCED A SEVERE FRONT-END WOBBLE THAT NEARLY CAUSED A CAR BEHIND ME (AND SEVERAL OTHERS BEHIND IT) TO PILE-UP AS I HAD TO SLOW DOWN AND PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY USED FOR WEEKEND DRIVING AROUND TOWN AND IS GARAGED. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN TOWED NOR HAS IT EVER BEEN IN 4-WHEEL DRIVE. I PREVIOUSLY TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE LOCAL CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP IN VACAVILLE, CA TWO YEARS PRIOR FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BUT WAS TOLD NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. I DOUBT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ACTUALLY "TESTED" ON THE ROAD. TO CLARIFY, I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS VEHICLE ON THE FREEWAY TWICE. INCREDIBLY, THIS TIME (JULY 26, 2013) CHRYSLER JEEP VACAVILLE TOLD THAT STEERING STABILIZER AND RIGHT-SIDE BUSHING WAS "WORN" - $853.94 LATER, PROBLEM IS FIXED. I HAVE VEHICLE PARTS THAT WERE REPLACED FOR YO
Mileage: 6,845
20080811ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
SPEEDOMETER FAILS... ODOMETER FAILS.... TAKEN TO DEALER SEVERAL TIMES... PARTS HAVE BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE OCCURS ALMOST EVERY TIME I DRIVE OVER 50 MILES AN HOUR AND MANY TIMES AT LOWER SPEEDS. *TR
Mileage: 15,000
Compare 1996JeepWrangler to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1996 Jeep Wrangler have?▼
The 1996 Jeep Wrangler has 2 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 Jeep Wrangler?▼
The most-complained component for the 1996 Jeep Wrangler is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING.
Is the 1996 Jeep Wrangler 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.
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1996 Jeep Wrangler; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.