2009 Jeep Wrangler Air Bags Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 17, 2026 · 104 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 104 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2009 Jeep Wrangler, 28% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 64,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (39% of reports).

What owners describe

Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.

  • Air bag: mentioned in 41 of 104 complaints (39%)
  • Clock spring: mentioned in 33 of 104 complaints (32%)
  • Faulty clockspring: mentioned in 10 of 104 complaints (10%)
  • Something malfunctioning interfering: mentioned in 9 of 104 complaints (9%)

How much does it cost to fix?

Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the 2009 Jeep Wrangler at $700, and half of them between $700 and $800.

Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2015), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.

At what mileage do air bags problems happen?

Based on 73 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles1 · 1%
10k–25k miles5 · 7%
25k–50k miles20 · 27%
50k–75k miles18 · 25%
75k–100k miles16 · 22%
100k–150k miles10 · 14%
150k+ miles3 · 4%

How serious are the reports?

Of 104 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 3 an injury.

Jeep Wrangler air bags complaints by model year

Peak: 2008, with 309 complaints
1997: 4619971998: 461999: 222000: 1620002001: 202002: 132003: 720032004: 52005: 42006: 320062007: 892008: 3093092009: 10420092010: 1582011: 1452012: 12820122013: 722014: 712015: 7320152016: 772017: 262018: 1320182019: 42020: 62021: 1020212022: 72023: 32024: 420242026: 1

n = 1,482 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model yearAir Bags complaintsShare of that yearMedian miles
2026 Wrangler19%—
2024 Wrangler41%—
2023 Wrangler31%32,500
2022 Wrangler72%—
2021 Wrangler101%1,965
2020 Wrangler61%38,000
2019 Wrangler41%—
2018 Wrangler131%23,500
2017 Wrangler268%18,175
2016 Wrangler7717%62,500
2015 Wrangler7315%40,587
2014 Wrangler7111%62,749
2013 Wrangler7211%58,306
2012 Wrangler12815%63,000
2011 Wrangler14530%78,000
2010 Wrangler15823%63,500
2009 Wrangler10428%64,000
2008 Wrangler30935%71,000
2007 Wrangler8916%80,000
2006 Wrangler30%—
2005 Wrangler41%77,058
2004 Wrangler53%89,000
2003 Wrangler77%72,320
2002 Wrangler1312%29,166
2001 Wrangler2012%55,000
2000 Wrangler166%52,575
1999 Wrangler2210%65,950
1998 Wrangler4617%55,500
1997 Wrangler4611%99,000

When owners reported it

Peak: 2014, with 22 complaints
2011: 3201132012: 5201252013: 122013122014: 222014222015: 222015222016: 172016172017: 7201772018: 3201832019: 3201932020: 2202022022: 2202222026: 620266

n = 104 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (5)

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveJan 9, 2018 · NHTSA campaign 18V021000 · 328,177 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger vehicles, and 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands or "Zone A." Additionally, Chrysler is recalling certain 2009-2010 RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia or "Zone B." Chrysler is also recalling certain 2009 RAM 3500, RAM 2500, RAM 4500 Cab Chassis, RAM 5500 Cab Chassis, Dodge Durango, Chrysler Aspen, RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Wrangler, Chrysler 300, Dodge Dakota, Dodge Challenger, and Dodge Charger vehicles ever registered in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these passenger air bag inflator may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U03.

Air bags:frontal:passenger side:inflator moduleDo not driveMay 24, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V352000 · 4,648,270 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2012 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2012 Chrysler 300, 2006-2012 Dodge Charger, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AL, CA, FL, GA, HI, LA, MS, SC, TX, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands, or "Zone A." Additionally, unless included in "Zone A" above, Chrysler is also recalling 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2009 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2009 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2009 Dodge Durango, 2007-2009 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2009 Jeep Wrangler, 2008-2009 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2009 Chrysler 300, 2006-2009 Dodge Charger, 2005-2009 Dodge Dakota and 2006-2009 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in AZ, AR, DE, Washington D.C., IL, IN, KS, KY, MD, MO, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NC, OH, OK, PA, TN, VA, and WV, or "Zone B." Lastly, unless included in "Zone A" or "Zone B" above, Chrysler is recalling certain 2005-2008 RAM 2500, 2006-2008 RAM 3500, 2007-2008 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, 2004-2008 Dodge Durango, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2007-2008 Jeep Wrangler, 2008 Dodge Challenger, 2005-2008 Dodge Magnum, 2005-2008 Chrysler 300, 2006-2008 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Dodge Dakota, and 2006-2008 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles originally sold, or registered, in AK, CO, CT, ID, IA, ME, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NY, ND, OR, RI, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, and WY.

Risk: These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling. An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company. Dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S43. Note: This recall supersedes recall 14V-7700.

Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator moduleMay 11, 2016 · NHTSA campaign 16V290000 · 388,532 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Jeep Wrangler JK vehicles manufactured March 2, 2006, to August 13, 2010. The clockspring assembly may become contaminated with dust and cause the air bag circuit to fail.

Risk: Failure of the air bag circuit may prevent the driver's frontal air bag from deploying in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clockspring, wheel back cover, and column shroud, free of charge. The recall began on December 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S33.

Air bagsMay 7, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V176000 · 5,440 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 Jeep Wrangler right-hand drive vehicles manufactured February 1, 2007, through October 10, 2011. The affected vehicles have airbag clockspring assemblies that could experience broken airbag circuits.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating airbag deployment, a broken electrical circuit in the airbag clockspring wiring assembly can lead to non-deployment of the driver-side frontal airbag and will not be able to properly protect the driver, increasing the risk of injuries.

Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clockspring and add a steering wheel dust shield, free of charge. The recall began on June 10, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. This recall supercedes NHTSA recall 11V-528. Chrysler's recall campaign number is M31.

Air bags:frontalNov 2, 2011 · NHTSA campaign 11V528000 · 5,437 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 right hand drive (rhd) jeep wrangler vehicles manufactured from february 1, 2007, through october 10, 2011. Some vehicles may be equipped with driver's airbag clockspring assemblies that could experience a compromised airbag circuit resulting in an airbag lamp illumination, which indicates that the airbag may not deploy.

Risk: A broken electrical circuit in the airbag clockspring wiring assembly can lead to non-deployment of the driver frontal airbag and will not be able to properly protect the driver in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injuries.

Fix: Chrysler will notify owners and remedy the vehicles as necessary free of charge. Chrysler will mail to owners an interim notification during march 2012. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

oN 5-22-26 I was involved in a MVA. I was in a head on collision. My airbags did not deploy. I suffered a brain bleed and now have an aneurysm thought to have been caused by the trauma. My head hit the windshield. The vehicle is in my warehouse and has not been tampered with since the accident. I…

Received Sep 17, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11764877

Crinkling noise when turning the wheel either way, horn randomly honks, red air bag on, bas esp light on

Received Aug 27, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11759979

horn honks on its own, crinkling while turning wheel, airbag light on dash, esp, bas lights on dash

Received Aug 27, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11759902
Jeep Wrangler
Jeep_Wrangler_Rubicon_(JL)_4xe at Retro Classics 2022. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander Migl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently asked questions

Do all 2009 Jeep Wranglers have air bags problems?

No. NHTSA has 104 owner complaints about air bags for the 2009 Jeep Wrangler (28% of the 372 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 2009 Jeep Wrangler air bags?

Yes: 5 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.

At what mileage do air bags problems start?

The median reported mileage is 64,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.

How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the 2009 Jeep Wrangler?

Owners report a typical cost of $700 (half paid between $700 and $800), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.

What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2009 Jeep Wrangler?

The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 41 of 104 complaints, followed by “clock spring” (33).

Other 2009 Jeep Wrangler problems

See all 2009 Jeep Wrangler problems or air bags problems across all Wrangler years.