Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2011 Jeep Wrangler owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My vehicle is having a start issue...if I can get it to start...it Wii die when trying to drive it...then takes numerous tries to get it to start if it will.... It is doing everything in the recall 14V-438 ...not sure why my vehicle is not part of the 640,000 + vehicles that were recalled on this....especially since I am having this major issue...any help would b appreciated..this started in April right b4 we were headed to our main house and we had to leave the vehicle here because we had to be back north. Just got back to Florida and now needing to get this taken care of. I have a case # [redacted] thru Jeep CS but they act like they can not help only you? Hopefully u can. [redacted]. Thx in advance...
I have had my transmission in my jeep Wrangler fixed five times it is still barely working. As well as I am having an extremely bad death wobble when I drive, which is very unsafe for me and my son when we are in the vehicle. We have been trying to keep getting it fixed, but it seems like nothing is working. As well as my lights have been going in and out on my dashboard, which is again unsafe during the night. I am afraid for me and my sons safety and we are not wanting to keep driving this vehicle as well it barely passed emissions so I can get my tag for my plates. We are wanting to get something safer for me and my family.
All of my wires on the drivers side is unhooked and hanging. All of my emergency light have came on. The car is running hot and not catching up on proper speed. The car wobbles left and right when going over 40mph. My reverse camera is hanging covering my license plate causing m to consistently get pulled over. There are a lot of safety concerns. The dealer used profanity towards me and told me he was not fixing anything, I better use my warranty. I got what I got!
While frwy. Driving at approx. 72 MPH / 2600 rpms and without warning or indication of malfunction, we heard a pop, and immediately noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. The driver maneuvered the vehicle to the right shoulder. Upon exiting the vehicle I noticed smoke and flames coming from the underside and engine compartment. My family immediately exited the vehicle and I used a fire extinguisher to extinguished the fire that was engulfing the engine compartment and undercarriage of the Jeep. After extinguishing the fire, I was able to inspect the vehicle. I noticed a large hole in the lower engine block just behind the oil pan on the passenger side. Additionally, the metal heat shield that sits just to the side of the engine was bent backward. …
I was driving my 2011 Jeep Wrangler about 5-8 MPH when I heard a pop type of noise. I then saw a flame under the hood on the passenger side. All of a sudden, my throttle locked up and my car wouldnt stop. I had both feet on the brakes, but my tires kept spinning. My electrical was locked up and I couldnt get the Jeep out of drive and into park. My boyfriend ran over, jumped in the passenger side to try to get the Jeep into park, as I couldnt get it to move. He fractured his hand in two places getting the gearshift to go into park. At this point there was black smoke coming from the under the hood. He was finally able to get it into park. At that point he helped pull me out the passenger side of the Jeep as the fire/flames were starting to come thru the dashboard into the inside of the Jeep. It took about an hour to get the fire out, then approx. …
Monday, January 11, 2016 4:21 pm transmission fire. 2011 Jeep Wrangler rubicon with 81K miles all maintenance. No modifications and no off roading. Lost power on an inclined road. Then the car shut off after all the panels went crazy and then black smoke started pouring out of the hood area. Only thing that kept my car from going up in flames was it was pouring down rain and I was on an incline. The 100000 mile / 5 year power tran warranty ended the day before this happened. At the time I did not know it was an engine fire do to the rain and all the black smoke. The dealership has been no help and both did not even mention fire until I did further investigation and had a private mechanic look at it. I am in the process of waiting on an insurance adjuster to complete their investigation.
I was driving at under 10 MPH, on a texas state road when the plastic fuel line which is connected to the underside of the body with some type of adhesive failed. This dropped the fuel line directly on the catalytic converter, which melted the fuel line causing a fire that spread to the engine compartment. Apparently this is an issue on the 4 door model wranglers as the 2 door wranglers have a plate preventing this. This issue should be looked at on all 4 door models, ranging from 2008 through at least 2013. I have looked at other 4 door jeeps and see that they have the same potential issue there is nothing that prevents the fuel line from coming into contact with the exhaust and potentially causing a fire.
I was driving down the road going 55 MPH and a huge gust of white smoke came thru the dash vent system so I pulled over and got out of my Jeep sahara and noticed a big mass of white smoke coming out from under the hood... 2 minutes later, fire started and within a couple minutes my whole front part of the jeeps engine was engulfed in flames. Than from there it burned up the rest of the Jeep.. This vehicle was completely destroyed in a matter of 10-15 minutes.. I was driving on a paved road in the country ..
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. After driving 35 MPH and parking the vehicle, the contact exited the vehicle. Moments later, the vehicle caught fire. The fire was extinguished by the local fire department. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to salvage yard where it was diagnosed that the fire started in the engine. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 29,000.
1. Last year I had to replace my engine because Chrysler said it ran low on oil which caused engine damage. I had 11 oil changes and proof of service from oil change shops that entire year. I paid the 8K to put a new engine in to get it out of stevens creek Chrysler Jeep and Dodge. I was told to take Chrysler to small claims court. I never got a chance to because I could not "serve" anyone at Chrysler corporation properly. 2. The new engine that I bought had the same problem. They did an oil compression check and it lost all of its oil in 1000 miles. My car is in the shop now. Chrysler will come back and probably replace the engine for free this time. 3. While my car has been in the shop this weekend , it was broken into. Both windows broken and speakers stolen. The dealership said they would pay for this and fix it. What I want is not a new engine. …
Engine complaints in other Wrangler years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2011 Jeep Wrangler?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2011 Jeep Wrangler, 9% of the model year's 485 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Jeep Wrangler engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2011 Jeep Wrangler, though it has 10 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2011 Jeep Wrangler engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 8 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.