AutoUtility currently tracks 458 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Jeep Wrangler. Brakes & Traction Control issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 141 complaints (30.8% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 28 filings cite a crash, 15 cite a fire, 28 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 458 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Brakes & Traction Control (141 reports • 30.8% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Engine & Cooling (88), Air Bags & Restraints (81)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 28 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 15 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 28 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
458
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
28
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
15
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
28
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Jeep Wrangler

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 30.8% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

141 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 4 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 7 injury report entries
#2 Problem Area 19.2% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

88 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 5 fire reports
#3 Problem Area 17.7% of complaints

Air Bags & Restraints

81 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 3 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 20 crash reports 🔥 1 fire report 🩹 27 injury report entries
#4 Problem Area 15.9% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

73 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#5 Problem Area 12% of complaints

Electrical System

55 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 7 fire reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Jeep Wrangler

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11759082
Filed: 08/24/2026

"The ABS module on my jeep has failed. I've been put on a list to get a replacement part but have been on the list for 10 months with no indication of when my parts order will be fulfilled. The failed ABS module caused the BRAKE, ABS and TCS warning lights to be on. I am driving a vehicle under..."

Incident Date: 08/01/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11758210
Filed: 08/20/2026

"My 2016 Jeep Wrangler is experiencing an ongoing problem with the ABS/braking system and wheel-speed sensor. The ABS/brake warning light comes on intermittently, particularly when turning right and during hot weather. The vehicle has NOT been repaired for this problem. I am reporting it because I..."

Incident Date: 06/01/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11757343
Filed: 08/17/2026

"ABS Brake Sensor is on and the ABS Module needs to be replaced, however there are a lot of other people out there with this same issue and nobody can keep up with the parts to fix the problem. This should be a recall for all Jeeps 2009-10018"

Incident Date: 05/10/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11755958
Filed: 08/10/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced an ABS module failure. The ABS and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with ABS control module failure;..."

Incident Date: 10/20/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11751719
Filed: 07/21/2026

"The ABS control module has internal problem which shuts down the module. Results of the module shut down includes: -The stability and traction systems are offline. -A failure in the ABS module or hydraulic unit. -Cruise Control inoperable. -The module no longer modulates brake pressure, which can..."

Incident Date: 05/22/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Jeep Wrangler

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Jeep Wrangler 467 15 3 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Jeep Wrangler Current Page 458 28 5 Current
2017 Jeep Wrangler 309 19 5 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Jeep Wrangler 1811 22 14 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Jeep Wrangler 732 9 9 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Jeep Wrangler 602 16 12 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Jeep Wrangler 909 20 15 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Jeep Wrangler 381 13 15 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Jeep Wrangler 345 11 14 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Jeep Wrangler 887 12 11 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Jeep Wrangler 69 5 4 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Jeep Wrangler 0 0 3 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Jeep Wrangler

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 98 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 69 0 0 1 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 51 17 0 22 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 48 1 1 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 42 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 28 1 4 3 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 12 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 12 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 12 0 0 2 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 8 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 2 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 8 1 0 1 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 7 0 2 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 6 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 5 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 4 1 0 1 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 4 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 4 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 4 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 3 1 0 2 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 3 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 1 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 3 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION 3 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 1 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 2 0 0 1 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR 2 0 1 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 2 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 1 0 2 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES, AIR,SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
SEATS,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, AIR,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,STRUCTURE,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SUSPENSION,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 1 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 1 0 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 1 0 2 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (458). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (3)

1 OPEN 2 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
OPEN Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA21002
Opened: 2021-09-17 • Currently Active

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture

Affected Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious...

Active federal investigation. Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE19008
Opened: 2019-07-29 • Closed: 2019-12-12

Seat belt buckle bracket failure

Affected Component: SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY

On July 17, 2019, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 19-008 after receiving three Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports alleging the driver's side seat belt buckle separated from the seat frame, rendering the seat belt non-functional. The VOQs involved model year (MY) 2015 and 2016 Jeep Wrangler (JK platform) that were configured for right-hand drive (RHD) use. On August 8, 2019, ODI issued an inf...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 19V680000 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA19001
Opened: 2019-04-19 • Closed: 2024-09-19

Electrical overstress

Affected Component: AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (AC...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 20V024 Official NHTSA File →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.