Most common 2011 Jeep Wrangler problems
Share of the 485 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Jeep Wrangler complaints by model year
Best Wrangler years: 2017, 2015. Years to avoid: 2024, 2018, 2021, 2023, 2019. Compare all years →
2011 Jeep Wrangler recalls (10)
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2018 Jeep Wrangler right hand drive vehicles. The driver's seat belt buckle mounting strap may fracture and separate from the seat frame.
Remedy: FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's seat belt buckle, free of charge. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed November 19, 2019.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2010 Dodge Ram 3500, Ram 4500/5500, 2010-2011 Dodge Dakota, 2010-2014 Dodge Challenger, 2010-2015 Dodge Challenger, Chrysler 300, and 2010-2016 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. Upon deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to explode.
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa,…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Right Hand Drive Jeep Wrangler vehicles manufactured February 16, 2010, to May 2, 2016. The clockspring assembly may become contaminated with dust and cause the air bag circuit to fail.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clockspring, wheel back cover, and column shroud, free of charge. The recall began on August 11, 2016.
Electrical system
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Jeep Wrangler vehicles manufactured February 16, 2010, to July 19, 2013. Corrosion in the exterior heated power mirror electrical connector may result in an electrical short.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will move the exterior mirror power feed to a separate connector, free of charge. Chrysler issued an interim notification to owners on December 8, 2014.
Show 4 more recalls
Air bags
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Jeep Wrangler right-hand drive vehicles manufactured February 1, 2007, through October 10, 2011. The affected vehicles have airbag clockspring assemblies that could experience broken airbag circuits.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clockspring and add a steering wheel dust shield, free of charge. The recall began on June 10, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753.
Air bags › Frontal
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 right hand drive (rhd) Jeep wrangler vehicles manufactured from February 1, 2007, through October 10, 2011. Some vehicles May be equipped with driver's airbag clockspring assemblies that could experience a compromised airbag circuit resulting in an airbag lamp illumination,…
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners and remedy the vehicles as necessary free of charge. Chrysler will mail to owners an interim notification during March 2012. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Steering › Column
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2011dodge journey, Jeep wrangler, Chrysler 200, Chrysler 200 convertible, Dodge avenger, Dodge nitro, Jeep liberty, Dodge caliber, Jeep compass, Jeep patriot, Dodge grand caravan and Chrysler town & country vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect for rivet presence and alignment and repair the steering column pivot as required, free of charge. The safety recall began on July 4, 2011. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Power train › Axle assembly
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Jeep wrangler vehicles manufactured from July 12, 2010, through September 10, 2010. Some vehicles May experience a degradation of fastener torque for various front and rear axle attachments to the chassis module.
Remedy: Dealers will re-torque all nineteen fasteners to the maximum residual torque values. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on March 24, 2011.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 6 possible defects involving the 2011 Jeep Wrangler:
Seat belt buckle bracket failure
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.
Air Bag Clockspring Wiring Failure
In it's response to ODI's PE15-025 Information Request letter, FCA identified 1,703 consumer complaints, field reports and legal claims responsive to the subject defect condition on the subject Wrangler vehicles.Six of these reports alleged an air bag non-deployment in a crash in which either the air bag warning light was allegedly on or came on afterward the crash, one of which also alleged injuries as a result of…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
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.
Electrical overstress
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.
Air Bag Clockspring Wiring Failure
On May 10, 2016, Fiat Chrysler America (FCA) submitted a Part 573 Defect Information Report announcing NHTSA recall 16V290 involving 394,258 model year (MY) 2007-2010 Jeep Wrangler vehicles.Under the recall FCA will replace the clockspring and install a steering wheel back cover and steering wheel column shroud.This recall also includes approx.
Totally Integrated Power Module Failure
In a letter dated August 21, 2014, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a defect investigation of alleged failures associated with the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) installed in Chrysler SUV?s, trucks, and vans beginning in the 2007 model year.
What 2011 Jeep Wrangler owners say
Air bags all 145 →
The contact owned a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55- 65 mph when the vehicle in front suddenly applied its brakes. The contact attempted to apply the brake pedal however they were unable to stop fast enough and rear-ended the vehicle in front. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was damaged and considered a total loss. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The contact had back and leg injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 151,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at various speeds, the air bags warning light illuminated. In addition, the seat belt warning light would illuminate while driving downhill. The check engine warning light illuminated on the day the vehicle was purchased. The contact scanned the vehicle with an OBD2 scanner and retrieved a code that the battery might have been disconnected. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Fuel & propulsion system all 99 →
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the fuel pump would continuously stop while attempting to refuel the vehicle. Due to the failure, the contact could not gauge when the fuel tank was full; therefore, fuel would splash out of the tank once it reached capacity. The contact stated that fuel would splash onto her clothing or onto her face because of the failure. The contact called a dealer and the service mechanic confirmed that the failure was common and that her fuel tank would need to be replaced. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
The check-valve nipple on the gas tank of my 2011 Jeep Wrangler is broken. You can see it and smell the gas vapors leaking from this nipple. The vehicle has 86K miles. The Jeep failed our Delaware state inspection because the check engine light came on. The Jeep smells like gas and in addition to harmful vapors, it is a serious safety issue and an explosion danger. Two service stations attempted to fix this without success. The error code is P0455 for an emissions leak. The most recent service station ordered several previously-owned Jeep gas tanks but they all had this same failure. They next ordered a new gas tank from Jeep which was out of stock for several months, indicating they can not keep up with the demand for these failing nipples. When the new gas tank finally came in, this same nipple was broken and this was a brand new gas tank. …
Electrical system all 83 →
While travelling country road (divided highway) cruising at approximately 65 mph (cruise control engaged) the message indicator went "ding" and the check engine light began flashing. I turned on flashers, slowed down and found a commercial driveway into which I could exit and stop off roadway. After turning off ignition I immediately raised the hood and found active fire (flames) to the rear of the intake manifold and forward of the firewall where the wiring harness is located. I instructed my passenger to immediately exit the vehicle. I had bottles of drinking water with us (hot day in Texas) so I took three or four bottles of water and extinguished the flames from both sides of the upper engine. The flames were immediately extinguished indicating no presence of petroleum products fueling the flames. …
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal whistling sound emanating from the engine compartment, after which he observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment, prompting him to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the smoke was coming from the alternator, which seemed to be receiving power even though the vehicle was turned off, prompting the contact to disconnect the battery. Upon disconnecting the battery, the smoke dissipated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 156,000.
2011 Jeep Wrangler engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 6-speed manual | 4WD | 15 / 19 / 17 |
| 3.8L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD | 15 / 19 / 17 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2011 Jeep Wrangler a good car?
Based on 485 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2011 Wrangler rates average: 1.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Wrangler at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Jeep Wrangler?
The air bags — 145 complaints, 30% of all complaints for this model year, most often about frontal › driver clockspring/spiral cassette. Next are the fuel & propulsion system (99) and electrical system (83).
How many recalls does the 2011 Jeep Wrangler have?
There are 10 recalls for the 2011 Jeep Wrangler, the most recent from September 26, 2019 (anchorage). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Jeep Wrangler?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2017 and 2015. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024, 2018, 2021, 2023 and 2019. See the full Jeep Wrangler years comparison.
At what mileage do 2011 Jeep Wrangler problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 51,000 miles; 47% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.