2004 Jeep Wrangler Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Wrangler years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 26th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 192 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Jeep Wrangler. That ranks 26th out of 32 Wrangler model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is steering (67 complaints, 35%), typically at around 48,856 miles. Complaints mention 17 crashes, 7 fires, 12 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
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- 192owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 17complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Jeep Wrangler problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steering problems | 67 | 35% | 48,856 | “death wobble” (45%) | — |
| Suspension problems | 59 | 31% | 46,400 | “death wobble” (53%) | — |
| Power Train | 26 | 14% | 32,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 16 | 8% | 24,450 | — | — |
| Structure | 13 | 7% | 49,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 12 | 6% | 75,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 10 | 5% | 35,806 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 5% | 400 | — | — |
| Visibility | 9 | 5% | 69,380 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 8 | 4% | 53,297 | — | — |
| Tires | 7 | 4% | 23,325 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 7 | 4% | 48,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 5 | 3% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 5 | 3% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 4 | 2% | 114,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 2% | 88,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 1% | 97,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 2 | 1% | 48,856 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 1% | 140,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | 15,260 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 26,357 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | 2,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | 49,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Jeep Wrangler recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, due to a recent software programming error, the tire, wheel, and inflation pressure information was inadvertently omitted from the vehicle certification label.
Risk: The vehicle owner would not be aware of the tire, wheel, and inflation pressure information for their vehicle.
Fix: Owners will be provided with a corrected tire certification label. Owner notification began on march 1, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
My Jeep's frame is rusted. There are holes and cracks in the frame from the rust. The Jeep will not pass my states safety inspection because of the rust. Parts of the suspension that are attached to the frame are about to fall off.
The frame has been compromised due to rust. The frame rusted from the inside out because the frame was not properly engineered from the factory. There are no weep holes at the lowest point on the frame. This causes water to sit in the frame and rust from the inside out. The rust appears without…
The frame on the Jeep TJ is prone to rot. Mine is so rusted that body shops refuse to repair it, claiming their insurance won't cover them. My Jeep has 123,233 miles and is otherwise in very good condition, but the frame has rust severe enough to make driving the vehicle unsafe. The Jeep Forum on…
Driving while dark, had smoke smell from inside cab. Driving in daylight later, and saw smoke coming from behind steering colomn. Smoke got much worse, endangered driving, and column started to get hot. Pulled over, and noticed the fog lights were still on despite the switch, and key being off…
Hit a regular bump in the road, at 35 miles per hour on a strait stretch of road and the attachment point for the front suspension pulled away from the frame and i lost control of the jeep, upon further inspection i discovered that the entire center section of the frame is rusted from the inside…
Other Jeep Wrangler years
← 2003 Wrangler · 2005 Wrangler →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Wrangler | 11 | 3 |
| 2025 Wrangler | 71 | 4 |
| 2024 Wrangler | 741 | 11 |
| 2023 Wrangler | 368 | 14 |
| 2022 Wrangler | 404 | 15 |
| 2021 Wrangler | 949 | 15 |
| 2020 Wrangler | 613 | 12 |
| 2019 Wrangler | 743 | 9 |
| 2018 Wrangler | 1,824 | 14 |
| 2017 Wrangler | 311 | 5 |
| 2016 Wrangler | 461 | 5 |
| 2015 Wrangler | 476 | 3 |
| 2014 Wrangler | 657 | 4 |
| 2013 Wrangler | 654 | 6 |
| 2012 Wrangler | 835 | 9 |
| 2011 Wrangler | 485 | 10 |
| 2010 Wrangler | 686 | 10 |
| 2009 Wrangler | 372 | 6 |
| 2008 Wrangler | 873 | 7 |
| 2007 Wrangler | 558 | 8 |
| 2006 Wrangler | 730 | 3 |
| 2005 Wrangler | 650 | 1 |
| 2004 | 192 | 1 |
| 2003 Wrangler | 98 | 0 |
| 2002 Wrangler | 108 | 2 |
| 2001 Wrangler | 170 | 3 |
| 2000 Wrangler | 251 | 1 |
| 1999 Wrangler | 213 | 1 |
| 1998 Wrangler | 265 | 2 |
| 1997 Wrangler | 401 | 3 |
| 1996 Wrangler | 2 | 0 |
| 1995 Wrangler | 202 | 1 |
See all Jeep Wrangler problems by year, every Jeep model, or the Jeep VIN decoder.
Similar Jeep models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Jeep Wrangler?
Owners most often report steering, suspension, power train problems. The top one, steering, accounts for 67 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Jeep Wrangler?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Jeep Wrangler a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Wrangler model years, the 2004 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.