10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
36,611 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.

2016 Jeep Wrangler engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Jeep Wrangler Owner Comments

problem #19

May 132021

Wrangler

  • 77,000 miles

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

On thursdsy 5/13/2021 at approximately 5:15-5:20pm, I was dropping my daughter off to work and I got back on the road then through the U-turn to get back on the other side. I proceeded to enter the roadway initially about 10mph and all of a sudden, the Jeep accelerated to almost 80 mph and I smashed the braked and it would not stop at all. The RPM's were steady going up. I pulled up the emergency brake right before I almost rear ended the car in front of me at the light getting ready 6O go through the intersection. I was on the brake at the same time. Once the car finally came to a stop, the engine was still reved up. I put in park and turned the vehicle off with the ignition. I then restarted and was scared the rest of the way home. The vehicle was in motion when this happened. There was nothing under the brake. My floor mats were flush and flat and the acceleration was so scary. I feared for my life. I have not driven it since. I called the dealership and they told me to bring it in the next morning, Friday the 14th at 10 am but that theu would not be able to look at it until 7-10 days. I did not bring it as this was unacceptable. I will call back and speak with someone else for results. The tech even told me that this happened to his brother that also have a Jeep. There isn't a recall for this that I've found. Someone will lose their life because of this malfunction. This is a very serious safety hazard.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #18

Oct 092020

Wrangler

  • 80,000 miles
My wife has had her gas pedal stick on her on three separate occasions, and I have had it stick on me once (10-4-20). The first time it did it to her was about a month or so ago, and then it did it to her twice this morning on her way to work (10-9-20). It seems to only do it under a hard acceleration. The pedal will drop to the floor, RPM will shoot up, and it will not disengage for a good 10 seconds or so. I have verified that the floor matt is not obstructing the path of the pedal. This seem sto be a common problem among the jk Jeep, but nothing has been done about it.

- Dawsonville, GA, USA

problem #17

Sep 012020

Wrangler

  • 42,070 miles
I was on a major city street behind a slow moving vehicle. I made a manuver to pass the vehicle in front of me and the car accererated on it's own. I could actually feel the gas pedal being pulled down (as my foot was still gently on the pedal). I immediately lifted my foot off the gas pedal. The car continued to accelerate. The car reached 36 mph quickly approaching another vehicle in front of me which now was stopped. I immediatley stepped on the brakes hard. The car stopped and the red warning light for the throttle position sensor lit on the dash. I am a car dealer and an experienced driver with professional driver training. I feel most people would have experienced an accident. I took the vehicle to my service department where we put the manufactuer diagnostic tool on the vehicle. We were able to download the report. I also took photos of the dash and reported to the factory service rep and field technical specialist.

- Bayside, NY, USA

problem #16

Aug 132020

Wrangler

  • 20,000 miles

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

2016 Jeep Wrangler sport with only 20,000 miles has, for second time in one year, a faulty ESC system and it malfunctions causing the brake system to activate, loss of power, and sudden steering changes. Nissan brothers had supposedly fixed this issue the first time...

- Culver City, CA, USA

problem #15

Feb 162020

Wrangler

  • 40,000 miles
While braking to slow my vehicle down to pull into a parking space in front of a laundromat, the brakes would not engage for the purpose of making a complete stop when employed; instead the Jeep unexpectedly accelerated and launched forward into the front door of the laundromat, striking the wall thereof and a washing machine, wherefore my airbags did not deploy at anytime.

- Zephyrhills, FL, USA

problem #14

Mar 132020

Wrangler

  • 26,835 miles
Rear passenger side ABS wheel speed sensor failed in September, 2019 at 23,469 miles and repaired at a cost of $310.31. Rear driver side ABS wheel speed sensor failed in March, 2020 at 26,835 miles and repaired at a cost of $244.41. With each failure, vehicle's ABS, traction control system, and cruise control became inoperative and would intermittently engage the vehicle's brakes while driving at low and high speeds.

- Imperial Beach, CA, USA

problem #13

Jan 022020

Wrangler

  • 23,900 miles

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

Purchased pre-owned on Nov 9, 2019 with approx 23,100 miles. On Jan 2, 2020, at approx 23,900 miles, Jeep was ascending exit ramp while braking. Cruise was on but disengaged. Started to accelerate unexpectedly and with brake pedal fully depressed, collided with car stopped at light. Shut engine off as Jeep continued to accelerate against stopped car. Accident report made. Took to dealer, who could find no cause for random acceleration. Dealer contacted manufacturer who sent 3rd party inspector to examine Jeep and contents of data recorder. Received a letter from manufacturer two weeks later stating they did not 'believe' the vehicle was at fault. On Feb 28, 2020 at 24,564 miles, Jeep was stopped at light on exit ramp, when suddenly began to accelerate. Cruise was off. Immediately shut engine off, but was still pushed forward a couple feet. Luckily was alone at light, so no accident. Took to dealer again, who could still find no cause. They again contacted the manufacturer, but I have not yet received any further word. VIN unavailable

- Wendell, NC, USA

problem #12

Jan 292020

Wrangler

  • 68,795 miles
Within the past 6 months I have had to repair two ABS sensors, one in the front and one in the rear. This last sensor blowout happened while I was stopping at a light. I heard a grinding sound and felt the vibration in the break peddle as I tried to stop. The Jeep then wouldn't accelerate properly after I got it stopped as I tried to get to the side of the road. I had a problem moving the vehicle off the road as the ABS kept kicking in and grinding me to a stop. The mechanic said that the sensor was having a issue picking up the speed of the tires. My Jeep Wrangler sport is a 2016 4 door model, it spent 2017 in a storage and I bought it late 2016. It currently has 68795 miles on it. In the 2 1/2 years I have had this on the road I've replaced two ABS sensors, had it in the shop for misfiring and my ac units blower motor seems to be failing. As a comparison, I have a 2010 Dodge challenger that has been in for less repairs.

- Port Wentworth, GA, USA

problem #11

Sep 042019

Wrangler

  • 19,500 miles
Jeep was stationary waiting for light to change on city street. When light turned green I stepped on accelerator; while still pushing foot down on pedal the engine started to rev up to max rpms but Jeep was not moving forward. I was afraid the engine would keep revving and blow up. I instantly removed foot from gas and let Jeep roll; put on emergency flashing lights and turned (rolled off) to parking lot one block away and turned Jeep off. After a few minutes I restarted car and slowly drove the six blocks home. Took it to authorized Jeep dealer and the service department could find no error code, said that they test drove it and could find nothing wrong with the Jeep.

- Culver City, CA, USA

problem #10

Apr 242019

Wrangler

  • 57,668 miles
My vehicle has been in the dealership approx. Four times, because the service engine light comes on, followed by the traction control light. They said that the cable connection gets loose and they soldered it. This started about 20000 miles and is now at 57778 miles. This last time on 4-24-2019 they said that it has stored codes for the cam sensors on both banks and torque request denied signal and torque management signal performance. P2638, C121C, P0344, P0369. They said that it has PCM update and that they performed the PCM update again and cleared codes to see if they would come back. Vehicle driven 30 miles and and one large bump in the road and the lights turned on again. This happens while going down dirt roads. They also told me the first time that it was taken in that the cable is to short and causes stress and stretches, causing it to come loose. This time they said if the lights came back on that they would have to have the vehicle back to do more extensive tests and possible replace the sensors at my expense. This seems to be a reoccurring problem that always comes back. They also stated that this is a problem on all Wrangler. This seems to be a manufactures defect and needs to recalled and fixed.

- Shawnee, OK, USA

problem #9

Oct 282018

Wrangler 6-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 45,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. While driving approximately 35 mph on a steep incline, the contact downshifted the manual transmission and the vehicle accelerated rapidly without warning. The contact placed the vehicle in neutral to forcibly stop the vehicle and the rpms increased to the maximum. The contact restarted the vehicle after three attempts. The vehicle was taken to salmon river motors (1065 South chillis street, salmon, Idaho 83467, (208) 756-4211) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact was referred to the manufacturer, but they were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

- Challis, ID, USA

problem #8

Oct 022018

Wrangler

  • 28,209 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. While the driver was at a complete stop at a red light, the vehicle independently accelerated while the brake pedal was engaged. As a result, the vehicle rear ended a dump truck. The driver was able to drive the vehicle home. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer's engineer performed a diagnostic at an unknown dealer and was unable to locate a failure code; however, there was an abnormal reading in the radio frequency. The engineer concluded that the acceleration failure was not caused by a manufacturer defect. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 28,209.

- Fayetteville, PA, USA

problem #7

Sep 202018

Wrangler

  • 19,000 miles
My accelerator was stuck in acceleration mode once when passing a car and today when accelerating to merge onto the freeway and my cruise was not in nor was my foot on the accelerator.

- Nixa, MO, USA

problem #6

Aug 142018

Wrangler

  • 34,500 miles
2 X now while driving my gas pedal excellerated after I took my foot off of the pedal and would not stop until I pulled the pedal up with my foot. First time I was on the highway at about 65 mph. The second time on a street at about 25 mph.

- Aliso Viejo, CA, USA

problem #5

Aug 162018

Wrangler

  • 40,600 miles
Vehicle notified it had a fault in the ABS/ESC system via the yellow warning lights illuminating on the dash. Occurred after starting the car after sitting overnight. Vehicle drove normally at first and assumed this indicated the systems had a fault and were thus disabled. However, vehicle started to lose power, stumble, and not accelerate when moving from dead stop. Including stop lights, stop signs, crossing divided highways and intersections--turning and straight travel. Pavement conditions were dry/level, no wheel spin occurred. 3 occasions over 2 days resulted in near accidents. Once after turning right from a stop sign, accelerating through first gear and rear brakes begin to cycle while power is cut from engine. Car behind had to swerve around so as not to collide. No warning or indication that this would happen. Next event was crossing 2 lane divided highway from center turn lane. Again sudden and unexpected loss of power and braking automatically applied to rear wheels. Lesser events have occurred as well. Vehicle thinks it needs to engage the ESC system. I argue that the ESC system should go inactive when a fault is detected, not cut power and auto apply brakes during normal driving conditions. This is a software problem and needs to be updated (quality of the components not withstanding). This is a major safety concern for me as the car is un-driveable, even to dealer for repair. Moreover, even after repair the fault still "lives" within the car should it have a similar component fail in the system. Contacted dealer to arrange repair, vehicle has 40,600 miles (never off road). Dealer stated it is likely a rear wheel speed sensor, common failure, not under warranty, and confirmed that this was common behavior for this type failure. Contacted fca on issue and logged case, claim they have never heard of this, could not explain.

- Richmond Hill, GA, USA

problem #4

Apr 012016

Wrangler

  • 5,000 miles
Since I have had the chemical, the crude control will work rite along for a few weeks, then one day it won't turn on and I will have to push the button over 20 times to get it to work. The chemical was in motion while trying to do this on the highway. Also recently the sterio will no longer connect to bluetooth. Bluetooth will not work will driving or stationary.

- Macedon, NY, USA

problem #3

Jun 162017

Wrangler

  • 23,530 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. While driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The ABS warning indicator illuminated. The contact coasted the vehicle over to the side of the road. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,530.

- Vega Alta, PR, USA

problem #2

May 292017

Wrangler

  • 24,000 miles
Getting on the highway I reached the speed limit and merged into the right lane, when I eased off the throttle I noticed that the throttle physically stayed in place and the vehicle kept accelerating. I tapped the breaks and received the throttle position indicator alarm. I looked ahead to see how much room on the road I had and where other vehicles were, and I had some room. Looking at the throttle pedal I saw no reason why it would be stuck in position, the mopar rubber matts for Jeep have a cut away as to not be in the way of the pedal. I through the Jeep in neutral (its an automatic) and slammed the throttle pedal several times with my foot and it released and returned to idle position. Afterwards I place the gear in drive and regained control. The Jeep dealership in harrisonburg said the floor mats are aftermarket and were the cause. Although the cutaway is clear. This is the first time this happened, although other I have read had the same problem. It was terrifying as the Jeep went up to 80 mph in a 60 mph zone before I arrested the situation.

- Harrisonburg, VA, USA

problem #1

May 122017

Wrangler

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Wrangler. While driving 70 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed and, upon release, the vehicle failed to slow down. When the brake pedal was depressed, it also failed to slow down the vehicle for approximately 20 seconds. When the accelerator pedal was released, a red lighting bolt warning indicator illuminated, indicating that the brake and accelerator pedals were depressed at the same time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and a computer in the vehicle was replaced. The cause of the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

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