1998 Jeep Wrangler Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 58 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 1998 Jeep Wrangler, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 65,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “airbag comes” (12% of reports).
- 58electrical system complaints
- 65,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 45%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Airbag comes: mentioned in 7 of 58 complaints (12%)
- Instrument panel: mentioned in 7 of 58 complaints (12%)
- Steering column: mentioned in 6 of 58 complaints (10%)
- Wiring harness: mentioned in 5 of 58 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 25 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 58 complaints, 6 a fire, 1 an injury.
Jeep Wrangler electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Wrangler | 3 | 27% | — |
| 2025 Wrangler | 38 | 54% | — |
| 2024 Wrangler | 417 | 56% | 15,000 |
| 2023 Wrangler | 193 | 52% | 16,500 |
| 2022 Wrangler | 172 | 43% | 30,000 |
| 2021 Wrangler | 307 | 32% | 23,915 |
| 2020 Wrangler | 180 | 29% | 60,000 |
| 2019 Wrangler | 150 | 20% | 17,038 |
| 2018 Wrangler | 268 | 15% | 15,000 |
| 2017 Wrangler | 45 | 14% | 25,000 |
| 2016 Wrangler | 57 | 12% | 37,000 |
| 2015 Wrangler | 81 | 17% | 34,000 |
| 2014 Wrangler | 82 | 12% | 30,000 |
| 2013 Wrangler | 102 | 16% | 56,000 |
| 2012 Wrangler | 147 | 18% | 47,000 |
| 2011 Wrangler | 83 | 17% | 56,445 |
| 2010 Wrangler | 86 | 13% | 67,000 |
| 2009 Wrangler | 35 | 9% | 77,266 |
| 2008 Wrangler | 178 | 20% | 75,500 |
| 2007 Wrangler | 82 | 15% | 78,000 |
| 2006 Wrangler | 26 | 4% | 65,000 |
| 2005 Wrangler | 20 | 3% | 64,280 |
| 2004 Wrangler | 12 | 6% | 75,500 |
| 2003 Wrangler | 9 | 9% | 34,213 |
| 2002 Wrangler | 7 | 6% | 24,000 |
| 2001 Wrangler | 37 | 22% | 105,000 |
| 2000 Wrangler | 23 | 9% | 82,022 |
| 1999 Wrangler | 53 | 25% | 79,500 |
| 1998 Wrangler | 58 | 22% | 65,000 |
| 1997 Wrangler | 14 | 3% | 74,000 |
| 1996 Wrangler | 1 | 50% | 15,000 |
| 1995 Wrangler | 13 | 6% | 40,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 1998 Jeep Wrangler. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Airbag light come on and speedo and tach stops working. Vehicle has not been in an accident and this is occuring on numerous jeeps of this year. Why has there not been a recall? If something isn't done about this i will be getting a lot of jeep owners together and filing a class action lawsuit!! It…
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 jeep wrangler. While driving at an unknown speed, the speedometer failed to display the speed intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.
All of a sudden the speedometer and tachometer go dead, and the airbag and engine light come on. Seems to happen during the summer months. I have to hit the dash a couple of times and everything starts working again. Doesn't happen in the winter when it's cold. It's a little unnerving when the…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Jeep Wranglers have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 58 owner complaints about electrical system for the 1998 Jeep Wrangler (22% of the 265 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Jeep Wrangler electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 65,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 1998 Jeep Wrangler?
The most frequent phrase is “airbag comes”, in 7 of 58 complaints, followed by “instrument panel” (7).
Other 1998 Jeep Wrangler problems
See all 1998 Jeep Wrangler problems or electrical system problems across all Wrangler years.