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Selling a junk Jeep Wrangler

Any Wrangler sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Jeep Wrangler

NHTSA has 20,114 owner complaints on file for the Jeep Wrangler, model years 1995 to 2022, the 12th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are steering (3,411, 17%), electrical system (2,337, 12%), fuel system (2,135, 11%). 684 complaints involved a crash, 655 a fire, and 435 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 43,000 miles. The 2018 model year has the most complaints (2,656). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is steering, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Jeep Wrangler by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995259Parking brake369390,000
19962Electrical system001—
1997548Engine and cooling4610774,500
1998401Electrical system289672,023
1999262Electrical system168568,512
2000311Transmission and drivetrain2432592,456
2001235Body and structure2519790,000
2002139Body and structure225681,000
2003130Transmission and drivetrain113429,000
2004281Steering279348,250
2005757Fuel system1210250,000
2006852Fuel system911338,000
2007794Steering22351064,000
20081,254Air bags2538965,000
2009502Air bags1120754,000
2010907Fuel system25541151,000
2011682Air bags16381157,250
20121,289Transmission and drivetrain35281045,000
20131,050Transmission and drivetrain2429751,000
2014859Engine3236448,000
2015699Brakes2253340,000
2016657Brakes3725540,000
2017425Brakes2630525,000
20182,656Steering37461410,000
20191,097Steering1717912,450
2020805Steering26181233,166
20211,572Electrical system40461521,385
2022689Electrical system33171520,000

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Jeep Wrangler recalls

NHTSA lists 78 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (12), transmission and drivetrain (12), electrical system (10). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2021 model year, steering (campaign 26V363000, Jun 2026): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2025 Jeep Wrangler, Wrangler 4XE, and Jeep Gladiator vehicles. The electric hydraulic power steering pump wiring may overheat and cause a vehicle fire, even when the vehic…
  • 2020 model year, electrical system (campaign 25V741000, Oct 2025): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Jeep Wrangler 4Xe and 2022-2026 Grand Cherokee 4Xe vehicles. The high voltage battery may fail internally and lead to a vehicle fire while parked or driving.
  • 2018 model year, driver assistance (campaign 24V676000, Sep 2024): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2024 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. The wiring harness for the rearview camera and the center brake light may short circuit, which can disable the rearview camera image and cente…
  • 2018 model year, electrical system (campaign 24V652000, Sep 2024): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Jeep Gladiator and 2018-2024 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. The instrument panel cluster may experience an internal short circuit and fail. As such, these vehicles fail to c…
  • 2021 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 24V572000, Aug 2024): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator vehicles that were previously remedied under NHTSA recall number 23V-116. The software for the powertrain control module may cause an engi…

What a Jeep Wrangler is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Wrangler on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Jeep Wrangler worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Wrangler gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Jeep Wrangler that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Jeep Wrangler?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Jeep Wrangler numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.