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2009 Jeep WranglerProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 372 owner complaints about the 2009 Jeep Wrangler, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 6 safety recalls, and for recall 16V-352 the manufacturer reports only 34% of affected cars repaired.

2009 Jeep Wrangler
54
CarFlaw IndexSolid year15% below the Wrangler median · #20 of 37 years by complaints
Safety recalls6Lowest repair rate 34%Owner complaints37232 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage64kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through September 17, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: IFCAR, Public domain.

Complaints by system

Where the 2009 Jeep Wrangler has problems

372 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags1044
Steering652
Suspension630
Fuel/propulsion system581
Electrical system356
Power train341
Fuel system, gasoline222
Engine186
Wheels130
11 other systems706

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

6 recalls

2009 Jeep Wrangler recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

49%repaired · 2019 Q2

Passenger side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 18V-021 · Jan 9, 2018 · 328,177 vehicles · 160,051 repaired

Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

34%repaired · 2018 Q3

Passenger side: inflator module

Do not drive

Recall 16V-352 · May 24, 2016 · 4,648,270 vehicles · 1,599,545 repaired

Risk. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

47%repaired · 2018 Q1

Driver side: inflator module

Recall 16V-290 · May 11, 2016 · 388,532 vehicles · 181,889 repaired

Risk. Failure of the air bag circuit may prevent the driver's frontal air bag from deploying in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Air bags

Recall 13V-176 · May 7, 2013 · 5,440 vehicles

Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, a broken electrical circuit in the airbag clockspring wiring assembly can lead to non-deployment of…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 2 more recalls
–no report yet

Air bags: frontal

Recall 11V-528 · Nov 2, 2011 · 5,437 vehicles

Risk. A BROKEN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT IN THE AIRBAG CLOCKSPRING WIRING ASSEMBLY CAN LEAD TO NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE DRIVER FRONTAL AIRBAG AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Service brakes, hydraulic

Recall 10V-236 · Jun 3, 2010 · 287,653 vehicles

Risk. A BRAKE FLUID LEAK CAN CAUSE PARTIAL LOSS OF SERVICE BRAKES AT THE AFFECTED WHEEL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Jeep.

Mileage at failure

When do air bags problems start?

64kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 73 air bags complaints. 82% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
9under 30k miles60under 100k miles13100k miles or more
Best & worst years

2009 vs. every other Wrangler year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Wrangler median. How we score

'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2009 Jeep Wrangler safety ratings

2009 Jeep Wrangler 2-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

  • Rollover: 3 stars (27.9% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
4 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2009 Jeep Wrangler, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Totally Integrated Power Module FailureDP14004 · closed Jul 24, 2015
    No recall
  2. Air Bag Clockspring Wiring FailureEA15007 · closed Jul 6, 2016
    Led to recall 16V-288
  3. Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · still open
    Open
  4. Air Bag Clockspring Wiring FailurePE15025 · closed Dec 7, 2015
    No recall
In owners' words

What Wrangler owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

oN 5-22-26 I was involved in a MVA. I was in a head on collision. My airbags did not deploy. I suffered a brain bleed and now have an aneurysm thought to have been caused by the trauma. My head hit the windshield. The vehicle is in my warehouse and has not been tampered with since the accident. I…
Complaint 11764877 · Sep 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2009 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 10V236000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), 16V290000 (Air Bags), and 18V021000 (Air Bags); however, the parts required to complete the recall repairs were not available. The contact stated that the…
Complaint 11731832 · Apr 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2009 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V021000 (Air Bags) and 16V290000 (Air Bags); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the…
Complaint 11728825 · Apr 2, 2026

Own a 2009 Wrangler?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.