Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2016 Jeep Wrangler has 1 recall campaign marked do-not-drive. Brakes draw the most owner complaints, 120 of 462 total complaints filed with NHTSA. The car gets 18 mpg combined, with a 5-year fuel cost of $18,050 at U.S. average prices, based on 15,000 miles a year. It has 5 recall campaigns covering air bags and seat belts, and recall campaigns may apply to this car.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
18 mpgcombined; city 16–17, highway 20–21; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$18,050U.S. average; Ohio $16,120 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2016 Wrangler. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 462 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Wrangler. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Service brakes
120
3
0
5
Engine
88
1
4
0
Air bags
77
20
1
27
Power train
74
0
0
0
Electrical system
57
1
7
1
Unknown or other
54
3
8
5
Vehicle speed control
36
4
0
2
Steering
28
0
0
0
Structure
18
1
1
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
13
1
0
2
Fuel/propulsion system
13
0
1
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
13
0
0
0
13 more parts
Forward collision avoidance
12
0
0
0
Seat belts
10
1
0
2
Wheels
9
1
1
2
Suspension
8
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
6
0
1
0
Visibility/wiper
5
0
0
0
Seats
4
1
0
2
Service brakes, air
4
0
1
0
Exterior lighting
3
0
0
0
Traction control system
3
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
1
0
0
0
Tires
1
0
0
0
Visibility
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2016 Wrangler over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) (Stellantis) is recalling certain right hand drive 2016 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. Debris contamination may cause the clockspring to fail, preventing the driver's air bag from deploying in a crash.
Risk: An air bag that does not deploy in a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the clockspring, steering wheel back cover, and steering column shrouds, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 4, 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 27B.
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.
Risk: A separated or severed seat belt buckle strap will result in an inoperable seat belt, increasing the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
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. Owners will received a second letter and the recall began March 26, 2020. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is VA6.
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.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could explode with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
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. The recall began February 4, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V01.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Jeep Wrangler vehicles manufactured June 16, 2015, to August 14, 2016. In certain crash conditions, the front impact sensor wiring may be pulled until it detaches before a signal can be received by the Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC).
Risk: If the ORC module does not receive a signal from the front impact sensor, both frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners will not deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reroute the front impact sensor wiring and relocate the impact sensor branch, free of charge. The recall began on November 10, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S76.
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.
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.
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. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S40.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 195 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2016 Wrangler, the latest on Mar 4, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (49), equipment (40), engine and engine cooling (21), structure (21), power train (17).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Engineering analysis EA21002 Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture · covers 37 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2016 Wrangler.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Wrangler 4-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 21 / 18
Wrangler 4-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 21 / 18
Wrangler Unlimited 4-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 20 / 18
Wrangler Unlimited 4-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 21 / 18
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data