One of the many reasons that we love the Jeep Wrangler is because it’s still a Jeep Wrangler, even after more than 30 years on the market.
Where many classic cars and trucks have been redesigned and modernized to the point of becoming unrecognizable, Jeep has stuck to its guns with the same rugged, stripped-down, squared-off look and feel that the Wrangler debuted within 1986.
The most obvious changes over the years come down to safety and emissions standards. Jeep has, of course, kept up with ever-evolving regulations within the automotive industry, but it’s hard to tell a 1990 Wrangler from a 2010 at a glance, and it’s not that easy to tell the difference from behind the wheel either.
Regardless of the model year, however, the look and feel of the Wrangler is embedded into the legend of the brand itself.
There’s no arguing that Jeep got the Wrangler right the first time, so why fix what isn’t broken? This is the SUV that helped win World War II, so it’s safe to say that it can handle just about anything you’ve got planned on your next fishing trip.
Jeep Wrangler’s Main Safety Concerns
The Wrangler’s biggest safety concern has always been that it’s more prone to rollover than many other SUVs in its class. A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration test found Jeep Wranglers to have a 26.7% chance of flipping in rollover conditions.
Meanwhile, SUVs have actually been, by and large, among the least likely vehicles to roll over for about a decade now.
SUVs are becoming safer in part thanks to onboard tech like Electronic Stability Control, but also because the physical designs are getting smarter. Less bulky, more agile, and more highway-capable. The Wrangler, on the other hand, is locked into a narrow, top-heavy, off-road body design dating back to the 1940s.
A 2020 Wrangler isn’t that far removed from the original U.S. Army Truck designed to cut through soft sand, thick forest, and wet swampland. It’s perfect if you need a moderate-speed all-terrain trooper, but it wasn’t originally designed for highway speeds and sharp turns.
The first generation of Wranglers, the 1986-87 YJ lineup, replaced the classic Jeep CJ-7, dropping the ground clearance, widening the track, and improving the handling for drivers who might not have the training required to command a military truck on civilian streets.
But, there’s only so many inches you can drop a Jeep before it stops feeling like a Jeep.
All of that being said, a Wrangler isn’t unsafe, it’s just designed as an off-roader first, and a highway vehicle second. The NHTSA have been giving the SUV four and five-star ratings for front impact year after year, and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety usually hand new Wranglers plenty of Good ratings.
A Jeep Wrangler isn’t likely to roll over. It’s just more likely to roll over than other SUVs. And we can expect that gap to get wider over the years as SUV design gets more efficient while Wranglers retain the boxy shape we know and love.
But, once you get a sense of how a Wrangler handles, you shouldn’t have much trouble adjusting for its unusual weight distribution.
Now, with all of that in mind, you still want the safest Wrangler you can get. So let’s break it down by generation.
Jeep YJ: First-generation (1987-1996)
The first-generation Jeep Wrangler was offered in 2-door convertible and two-door SUV models. In most of the world, the YJ was retired in 1995, but it remained in production in Egypt and was sold in Iran all the way up to 2001.
Whether it’s a Wrangler or a Roadrunner, once you pass the 20-year mark, you’re looking for a collector’s piece, not necessarily an everyday car. There are some exceptions to that rule, but the Wrangler isn’t one of them.
In total, the YJ Wranglers have 54 recalls on record with the NHTSA, and it maintained poor-to-average safety ratings. The YJ scored two stars for front-driver side impact in 1994 and 1995, and four out of five for front passenger side.
We can’t recommend a YJ unless you’re a collector, or you’re looking for a serious project car. You may think you’re saving a few bucks by going with a 30-year-old Jeep, but the repair costs will more than make up the difference.
Jeep TJ: Second-generation (1997-2006)
Starting production in 1996 for the 1997 model year, the TJ saw a big improvement over the YJ for NHTSA ratings. The YJ’s lackluster front driver-side impact rating was bumped to four stars, and passenger-side front impact scored a perfect five.
The TJ improved handling (and thereby safety) by introducing the coil spring suspension that the Wrangler has used ever since. If you’re not sure what that means: leaf springs are well-suited for heavier vehicles, but lack the range of flexibility of coil springs.
The leaf springs had essentially been a holdover from the Jeep’s days as a military truck, hauling heavy supplies to the front lines. If you’re not going to be carrying thousand-pound loads of ammunition, you’re going to be safer and more comfortable with coil spring suspension.
The TJ saw far fewer recalls than the YJ, at just 37 over its ten-year run, and it produced what many drivers consider to be the safest and most reliable Wrangler yet, the 2004.
The 2004 has had just three recalls, none more recent than 2006, and none affecting more than 8,000 units. Add to that, zero investigations, and just 189 complaints, which is remarkable for an SUV that sold over 77,000 units.
If you can find a 2004 Wrangler with low mileage on it, or if you can get it for cheap enough that you have some money left over for a new transmission, this could just be your dream car.
Jeep JK: Third-generation (2007-2017)
The JK generation delivered what many consider to be the least safe Wrangler, the 2012. It also gave us the 2008 model, with its notorious death wobble.
The problem with the 2012 Jeep Wrangler? In brief: 10 recalls, 735 complaints, and a three-star rollover rating from the NHTSA.
The 2012 Wrangler had recurring issues with the airbags, resulting in millions of units being recalled. The most recent of these recalls took place in 2019. Seven years in, and it’s still a work in progress.
A JK Wrangler is preferable to a YJ, because the earliest YJs are nearly forty years old. But by and large, Jeep fans see the JK as a downgrade from the TJ.
Jeep JL: Fourth-generation (2018-present)
The JL Wranglers debuted with the 2018 model, which has 11 recalls, 1,194 complaints, four investigations, and a three-star rollover rating. Not a great start for the new generation of Wranglers.
The 2019 model fared better with six recalls, 361 complaints, and a four-star overall crash test rating from the NHTSA. The 2020 managed four stars for front impact ratings, but the rollover rating remains steady at three stars.
And that’s sort of set in stone at this point: it’s a narrow, top-heavy, soft-top convertible SUV, the rollover rating probably isn’t going above three stars anytime soon.
But, with advancements in safety tech like Driveline Traction Control, Electronic Stability Control, and Roll Stability Control, a mediocre rollover rating isn’t as big a deal as it used to be.
How Safe is the Jeep Wrangler?
You can find plenty of articles online claiming that the Wrangler is one of the least safe SUVs on the road today. But let’s put that into perspective: being the least-safe SUV is sort of like being the shortest center in the NBA (if you don’t follow basketball, that’s Wes Unseld, who stands at an imposing 6’7″).
That is to say, when it comes to safety, SUVs are competing at a higher level than sedans or compacts. SUVs are, by default, the safest cars on the road. To put that another way: ranking in at number ten still lands you on the top-ten list.
You’ll also want to consider that these safety ratings are based on how a vehicle handles on blacktop, where accidents are more likely to occur, not off-road, where the Wrangler thrives.
On the highway, the narrow frame makes the Jeep more likely to roll over if you swerve. In the woods, the narrow frame means you’re not going to lose a mirror going around that tree. What these crash tests may read as a design flaw are actually strengths when you get the Jeep out in its native environment.
Safest Jeep Wrangler? Our Top Pick
If you skipped to the end to find out if you should buy a Jeep, here’s the short answer: Wranglers are safe, despite what some people will tell you, and for its time, the safest Wrangler is the 2004.
The challenge for the designers at Jeep has always been figuring out how to make the Wrangler as road-safe as possible without compromising its capability as an off-roader. And the newest versions, the all-new 2021 Jeep Wrangler, are among the safest Wranglers on the road.
That’s a tricky problem to solve. Drop the ground clearance too low, and it’s useless on broken roads. Widen the base too much, and it becomes very difficult to maneuver on unpredictable terrain. But Jeep has done a commendable job in striking that delicate balance, delivering an SUV that can handle the highway and dominate the trail.
Photos: Jeep
