Are Jeep Wranglers Actually Safe?

So, maybe you’re looking at purchasing your first Jeep Wrangler. Or, maybe you’re a parent and your child wants a Wrangler. Regardless of why you are interested in the safety of the Jeep Wrangler, let’s dive in, and look at the safety of the Wrangler over the years.

Safety Features

What safety features does the Wrangler come with? Take into mind that it is an off-road vehicle and is designed to be fairly bare bones. Having extremely complex systems all over the vehicle just increase its chance for failure when you’re far from civilization off-roading.

Air Bags

Well, I hate to inform you. But most SUV’s in the 90’s didn’t come with airbags and the ones that did only had one or two. The Wrangler is no exception to this. However, newer Wrangler’s do come standard with airbags.

CJ Wrangler = No

YJ Wrangler = No

TJ Wrangler = Yes

JK Wrangler = Yes

ABS

Much like the air bags. Many SUV’s and cars in the 90’s didn’t come standard with an ABS system. However, it was optional on TJ Wranglers, and it is standard on JK Wranglers. Although ABS is a nice thing to have, if you know how to modulate the pedal, you won’t really need it.

Also Read: YJ vs TJ: Which One is Better and Why?

CJ Wrangler = N0

YJ Wrangler = No

TJ Wrangler = Optional

JK Wrangler = Standard

Traction Control

If you’re worried about yourself or your kid needing traction control, that’s not something I would be super concerned about. Jeeps are fairly underpowered so unless you try really hard to make it spin the tires, it won’t. If you live somewhere snowy that I would recommend going for a Grand Cherokee, which will have full-time 4WD so you won’t need Traction Control.

CJ Wrangler = No

YJ Wrangler = No

TJ Wrangler = No

JK Wrangler = Yes

Stability Control

Since Stability Control is a fairly new safety system, don’t expect anything older than 2010ish to come standard with it. The new Jeep JK’s come standard with ESC (Electronic Stability Control), and are extremely safe compared to older Wranglers that don’t come equipped with ESC.

CJ Wrangler = No

YJ Wrangler = No

TJ Wrangler = No

JK Wrangler = Yes

Rollover Rate

Now, I know what you’ve heard probably your whole entire life, “Jeeps have a high rollover rate”. Well yes, the CJ Wranglers did have a slightly high rollover rate. Mostly due to how narrow, and short they were. The CJs also had inboard springs which didn’t help at all.

The YJ Wrangler was wider, longer, and came equipped with sway bars and track bars. Taking almost all the “roll-over” risk out of owning a Jeep. While yes Jeeps Wranglers are just slightly above average, there are many vehicles that have a much higher rollover rate. Some of them are the most owned vehicles in the world.

Also Read: Why Are Jeeps so Insanely Expensive?

The TJ had basically the same pretty much average roll-over rate. The TJ’s coil spring suspension design made gave it a slightly lower roll-over rate. Last but not least, the JK Wrangler. The JK has the lowest rollover rate of them all. Since it’s wider than any Wrangler of the past, and it also has ESC, the JK Wrangler is one of the safest SUVs when it comes to roll-over rates.

Front End

All Wranglers, from CJ to JK, have a pretty average front end collision rating. Making them pretty safe, especially when compared to other SUVs of the same size.

Rear End

Much like the front end ratings, all Wranglers have a pretty average rear end collision rating. The larger, 4-door JK Wranglers have the best rating as they are far bigger and heavier than other Wranglers.

Summary

So, whether you were told as a child that Jeeps roll-over easily, or you are looking into getting a Jeep for yourself or child, know that Jeep’s are actually fairly safe. CJ and YJ Wranglers are the least safe, as they came with no safety features other than their standard roll-cage. But, to be fair, most SUV’s before the 2000’s were also lacking in safety features.