10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,764 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2008 Jeep Wrangler electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Jeep Wrangler Owner Comments (Page 6 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #67

Jun 102014

Wrangler

  • 78,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

First incident occurred when I put the Jeep in reverse; the horn blew until it was taken out of reverse. The wipers came on and stayed on for the whole trip into work (1 hour) the windshield washer motor also ran. Engine light and airbag light came on. Since that time there are intermittent occurrences of doors locking and unlocking on their own. Wipers and washer turn on by themselves, headlights both went out in July horn wouldn't shut off, then the doors wouldn't unlock and when they did the wipers turned on. Every couple of weeks the Jeep would lose power and stall. I have asked several ase certified mechanics their opinion and all say the same...tcim

- Canaan, NH, USA

problem #66

Oct 222014

Wrangler

  • 64,000 miles
My 08 Jeep Wrangler only has 64.000 miles on it and my son drives it, the horn and wipers would go off at random, I am just glad he was not on the interstate when this happened, that could cause anyone to wreck I took it to the dealer and the tipm was bad, I have looked into this and found out this is a problem part with this model, this is a major safety problem and I do not understand why this part has not been recalled. If there is anything you can do please let me know.

- Cleveland, TN, USA

problem #65

Oct 142014

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
I was dropping my kids off at school and my car went crazy my horn went off, alarm went off and windshield wipers both front and back spraying the fluid all over people not on my windows. I took my keys out of the car and it continued. The principle wandered why I was honking at the other cars and spraying the kids it not only was embarrassing but the fluid could of easily got in kids eyes.

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #64

Oct 052010

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 20,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When trying to start vehicle the Jeep will not start. Sometimes I have to put it in neutral to get it to start, sometimes I have to remove the key or push the shifter (automatic) into park. This has been an on going problem with my Jeep, and I could not replicate it at the dealer. The dealer replaced the starter and battery which I told them was not the problem.

- Bristow, VA, USA

problem #63

Feb 012013

Wrangler

  • 120,000 miles
While driving at highway speed, the electrical systems of the Jeep started going crazy. Windshield wipers intermittently turned on (sunny and dry at time), washer fluid started spraying continuously, horn honed repeatedly at a low tone, door locks locked/unlocked repeatedly and ac system turned of. Stopped vehicle at highway shoulder and this continued even when engine turned off. Disconnected battery. Waited 1 minute, reconnected battery, and everything seemed fine. Drove another 5 minutes and same symptoms started again and lasted until I reached a gas station. Power washer fluid completely drained. I have been told this is the tpim of the Jeep Wrangler causing this problem. Not sure if it is linked to a start/stop condition the vehicle has- turn over key in ignition and all power is on but engine will not crank. Disengage key, try again, sometimes will start, sometimes will take a third or fourth time. Have brought this to the attention of the Chrysler dealership I purchased the vehicle at in March 2008. They cannot determine a cause. Brought to a independent mechanic. He indicated this would be a tpim malfunction and should be replaced. 2007 Jeep Wrangler had a recall for the tpim failure. I see there is litigation ongoing for other Chrysler products with tpim issues. 2008 Jeep Wrangler appear to have far and away more issues than other new jk Jeep Wrangler...

- Bellevue, WA, USA

problem #62

Sep 302009

Wrangler

  • 6,000 miles
Horn stopped working after about a year after purchase of new Wrangler. Bad clock springs are all over Jeep forums. Would like to have a horn, but do not want to spend many dollars for same part that will again fail. Needs to be upgraded! no horn for 5-years. Please help.

- Tulare, CA, USA

problem #61

Sep 152014

Wrangler

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Wrangler. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle stalled. The air bag and mil warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart, but the failure recurred twice. The dealer stated that the tipm module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Tucson , AZ, USA

problem #60

Jul 012014

Wrangler

  • 55,000 miles
Several issues with the vehicle: 1. "death wobble" vehicle intermittently shakes violently over 45 mph. Stop vehicle and starts running fine. 2. suspect bad tipm. Intermittent horn and wipers turn on after opening driver door. Next, car sometimes will not start. Tapping the tipm will allow it to start. Next with ignition off and key out, engine continues to run until tapping the module. Finally, now the engine will just stop intermittently while driving down the road. Found that both of these issues are common problems with Jeep.

- Owensboro, KY, USA

problem #59

Sep 152014

Wrangler

  • 30,000 miles
Vehicle will not start. Turning the key in the ignition causes a click. Electrical is working, as all dashboard lights are on and bright. By pushing on the transmission lever or moving it into neutral and back the vehicle will then start. There does not seem to be a specific condition (hot or cold) that makes this better or worse.

- Ventura, CA, USA

problem #58

Aug 122014

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
This happened on 76th St North, between whirlpool dr and lakewood ave. Owasso, ok. I was driving to work, at T 5:45 am, I smelled smoke, looked out my drivers side door and saw a orange glow. I opened the door and saw flames coming out from the engine. I stopped, got out and called 911.

- Ramona, OK, USA

problem #57

Aug 012014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 109,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on the highway, the airbag light goes on and off intermittently. The horn also does not work at all. I took it to the local mechanic to have the horn fixed, and was informed it was a bad clock-spring. Chrysler has extended the warranty for the rh 2008 Wrangler and all 2007 Wrangler, but the warranty for the LH 2008 Wrangler, like mine, has not been extended to be replaced. This is a major safety issue as the horn does not work, and I am unsure if my airbag will deploy, if needed. There is clearly an issue as there are a flood of complaints. It is time for the NHTSA to step in and get this taken care of. I don't feel I should have to pay $500 to have the clock-spring fixed when it is an obvious issue across the line in the 2007 and 2008 models. I should also mention that I have also experienced the "death wobble" which is what was the initial issue which had me take the Jeep into the shop. Over this past year, the Jeep would just start shaking violently at about 55 mph every once in a while. This last time, I pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the Jeep and tried again, only to have it start shaking violently again. This is a major issue that needs addressed. I could have been killed as there were vehicles on the freeway all around me. I could barely control the vehicle to pull it off the road. The mechanic replaced the steering stabilizer, the calipers, and the rotors to alleviate the problem. Interestingly, when I walked in to talk to them, they knew exactly what it was as they have had similar complaints that needed repairs for the same vehicle and problem from other customers. This was a $350 repair. I point this second issue out so other Jeep owners will know what to have repaired if Chrysler does nothing.

- Morehead, KY, USA

problem #56

Jul 032014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
Driving home after work at night on the interstate, approx. 75mph, the windshield washer and wipers come on and the horn starts blowing continuously and wont stop, I pulled off on the closest freeway exit and pulled off the road and shut off the engine, but even with removing the key from the ignition switch it continued to run with the washers, wipers and horn going....after several attempts turning the ignition switch on and off the motor finally stopped running but the washers, wipers and horn continued until I disconnected the battery...after reconnecting the battery everything went back to normal and functioned normally for several months, but recently has started acting like its possessed again...took it to the local dealer(chapmen Dodge and they were unable to find any issue even after I told them it sounds like the tipm, and from what I have researched this is an ongoing issue with Chrysler, they said they would replace it for $1000 but it may not be the problem.....

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #55

May 292014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
On May 29th of 2014 I was driving my 2008 Jeep Wrangler down a 4 lane city street at about 3000 RPM. I had just taken off from a red light when I heard a loud explosion that resulted in a fire underneath the vehicle. The gas tank exploded and the fire covered the bottom of the entire vehicle. There was damage under the hood on the engine side of the firewall on what appeared to be fuel lines. Luckily there was a quick response by the fire department who quickly extinguished the fire, but my Jeep has been rendered un-drivable. I have contacted both Chrysler and the dealership but not assistance there. The Chrysler investigation team would not even take a look at the fuel lines the marshal determined started the fire. I will never feel safe in this vehicle or any other vehicle produced by Chrysler ever again. Luckily there was no personal injury to me, but only because I had all the doors and top off which enabled a rapid escape. Please take a serious look a these Wrangler and force Chrysler to take action before someone is seriously injured or even killed.

- Sapulpa, OK, USA

problem #54

Jun 262014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
I bought the 2008 Jeep Wrangler in September 2007. I follow the service manual and take my Jeep for every scheduled service at the Jeep dealership. My Jeep started failing to start in 2010. I reported the issue at my 36,000 mile service on 23 November 2010 and was told that the service department could not isolate the problem. I have reported this issue on several services but was always told that the service department could not isolate the issue. Finally when I take the Jeep in for the 72,000 mile service the fault was identified and is currently under repair. If this has been a known issue why was I not notified of the problem by Jeep. I have been stranded on more that one occasion because the vehicle failed to start and I have been driving around for four years with a tipm that could have failed causing injury to me or my family. I am very upset that Jeep has known about these issues and I was not informed that there was an issue with this tipm when I reported the Jeep was having electrical problems. I had to stumble across a web site reporting this issue with the tipm, this is how I found out that this is a known issue that Jeep has failed to acknowledge.

- Conyers, GA, USA

problem #53

Mar 122014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
When the ignition key was turned to on, the starter only gave a click. After several attempts it started. The dealer did a diagnostic and found nothing. The problem continued and became more frequent and severe to the point it wouldn't start after numerous attempts. The starter was replaced with no results, problem continued. From online forums on Jeep I found this to be a widespread problem. It was suggested to put the automatic transmission in the neutral position and try. If it starts, the problem is a faulty transmission range sensor. Putting it neutral when this occurs, has started the engine the first try dozens of times for me. I took the Jeep to the dealer, gave them this information which they ignored. They replaced a solenoid cable instead. The problem continued. Returned to the dealer for another diagnostic, they kept the vehicle for 2 days while I rented a vehicle. Nothing was found or fixed in their diagnostic when I picked it up. The problem continues, it did it today twice 6/25/2014, but still starts in neutral for now. The suggested transmission range sensor would be covered in my lifetime powertrain warranty. I believe Jeep knows there is a problem but chooses to ignore it. This seems to effect Wrangler models from 2007- 2012 years. It is so widespread it should be a recall issue. Starting in neutral is not a fix.

- Kirkwood, NY, USA

problem #52

Jun 142014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
Pulling out of a parking space the other day and a red airbag light appeared on my dash indicating some sort of airbag fault, also cruise control and horn stopped working. Further research showed that the clock springs are a common failure among Jeep Wrangler thus making the airbags non operational until repair is made.

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

problem #51

May 292014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
I just pulled out of quick trip after putting $60 in gas in and right about 35 mph around 1500rpm I heard a loud "pop" the Jeep shut down, then flames came from both sides of my Jeep, almost burning my leg. (I had the doors and top off the vehicle.)

- Sapulpa, OK, USA

problem #50

May 202014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 96,000 miles
The air bag light keeps going on an off. I had it checked at the dealer and they stated it was the clockspring that was bad. This is not is not covered under the lifetime powertrain warranty or my lifetime added care plus warranty that I purchased. This is a safety item and should be fixed by Chrysler.

- Walstonburg, NC, USA

problem #49

Apr 012014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
Horn doesn't work, I also get an unknown ding warning sound in the dash, I am afraid my airbag may not work as well. The clockspring must be broken.

- Huntington, WV, USA

problem #48

Mar 262014

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
Airbag light illuminated due to clockspring failure.

- Waterbury, CT, USA

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