Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Jeep Wrangler owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The secondary hood latch failed, and was not securing the hood. In the event of a primary hood latch failure, the hood could release and strike the windshield while driving, obscuring vision and potentially causing bodily harm. My research indicates that this is not an isolated incident.
I was getting off of the highway from about an hour commute home when the driver door caught on fire. I put the vehicle in park, I tried to unlock the driver door to get out, and I couldn't. Tried to get out the passenger, couldn't. I took off my jacket, and tried to smother the fire. It didn't work. I crawled out the back door (not locked for some reason). People stopped to help, we were able to open the driver door from the outside and threw snow in the door until the fire stopped. Firefighters then disassembled the door to make sure the fire really was out. My car was towed to a shop.
ABS and traction control light came on while making a left turn. The right side tire brake engaged and lost control of vehicle and hit a brick sign with my right side at about 25 MPH. The air bags failed to deploy, and my front end is completely destroy.
I was involved in a rear end accident which had minimal damage to the bumper, however my frame shifted 2 inches to puncture the catalytic converter, shift the engine and cause all of the bolts that hold my frame to the vehicle to come loose but not break. This is concerning as the only damage was to plastic covering and minimal indentation on the actual bumper with no other damage, there was no damage to the front end or the back side of the bumper. The auto body shop is concerned that the damage they are seeing to the bumper should not have caused the frame to flex as much as it did, and has never seen this happen. Please advise. …
2012 Jeep Wrangler was a "postal vehicle", in that the steering wheel was on the right-hand side of the vehicle. Driver error occurred, in that driver was on right shoulder of two lane highway, but pulled out into traffic to perform "a 180" degree turn in order to reverse direction. Driver did not properly yield the right-of-way. When entering highway, vehicle was struck by oncoming, speeding car. Crash resulted. Impact was so severe that female passenger in back seat who was wearing her seat belt was ejected (and killed). Seat belt was torn due to force. Roof cover was insufficient to stop ejection. Male passenger in back seat, also belted, was also killed. Injuries to two passengers in front seat. Possible defects include the design defects inherent in right-sided steering wheel, and also the seat belt shearing, plus roof cover failure during crash.
Passenger carpet under has standing water.. Rubber mats I purchased and placed in Jeep upon purchasing covered what appears to be a pre-existing problem, upon removal of May to vacuum found carpet soaked so dried carpet and intermittently still gets standing water have not determined cause appears when raining? Can not pin point cause or where if a leak exists.. This problem has existed since purchase but since May covered problem 30 day warranty was voided. (hadn't rained within 30 days of purchase anyway to have found existing problem.. This appears to be a common Jeep complaint per many sites but no cause noted. Dealership wants $200. To try and duplicate problem to diagnosis. Pre~existing at purchase..
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the entire floor of the vehicle was saturated with water. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred when it rained. The contact also mentioned that the driver's side door was not closing properly. The vehicle was taken to lucas Chevrolet (1622 nj-38, lumberton, nj 08048, [phone]) where both front doors were resealed as well as the bpost mucket and passenger side freedom panel sublet to the water doctor. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. While cleaning the vehicle and removing the floor mat, the floor was saturated with water. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the tape foam needed to be replaced and door seals needed to be replaced. The doors needed to be readjusted. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The failure occurred approximately 20 times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000....updated 03-10-16 updated 05/09/18
The car had been driven for less than 15 minutes. Upon pulling up to the stop light, smoke started coming out from the hood then ventilation. After getting kids out of the car, I used a fire extinguisher under the front of the car. Once the extinguisher was exhausted, there was still smoke and small flames. At this point, there were flaming pieces dropping from underneath. I then got safely away and waited until the fire department arrived. The fire was significant. It melted the front end before the fire department arrived.
Since I have owned the vehicle the windshield wipers will come on every once in a while when I turn on the left blinker. I also have a problem with the tailgait. After about 3 years of ownership of the vehicle the tailgate hinge did not stop the tailgate from opening up a full 180 degrees causing the elbow joint to come completely out and my right tail light to be shattered. I was told by the dealer ship that this was common issue, but they would not return my calls/emails to get it fixed.
Body complaints in other Wrangler years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2012 Jeep Wrangler?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the body & structure of the 2012 Jeep Wrangler, 4% of the model year's 835 complaints. The component named most often is body (29 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Jeep Wrangler body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2012 Jeep Wrangler, though it has 9 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 2012 Jeep Wrangler body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 38% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 2 fires and 4 injuries and 2 deaths to body & structure 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.