There are 13 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2003 Jeep Wranglerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
MY JEEP WRANGLER HAS HAVE THE PASSENGER SAFETY AIRBAG ALARMING SINCE ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER AND I WAS TOLD THAT BECAUSE THERE IS NOT A RECALL FOR MY CAR MODEL, THEY CANNOT REPAIR IT AND THAT I HAVE TO PAY OUT OF MY POCKET. THIS IS AN ISSUE OUT OF THE MANUFACTURER. JEEP MUST CORRECT THESE SAFETY CONCERNS FROM THE OWNERS!
AIRBAG COVER PLASTIC ON STEERING WHEEL WAS BREAKING DOWN. THE PLASTIC BECAME VERY STICKY, AS IF SOMEONE POURED A SODA ON IT. IT WOULD NOT CLEAN OFF WITH CLEANERS OR PLASTIC PRESERVERS. I WAS NOT CONFIDENT IT WOULD WORK AS DESIGNED IF AIRBAG DEPLOYED SO I BOUGHT NEW AIRBAG UNIT FOR THE STEERING WHEEL. PARKING BRAKE WILL NOT HOLD VEHICLE ON MINOR GRADE. IT ALWAYS WORKED UNTIL THE LAST 2-3 YEARS. I HAVE HAD IT ADJUSTED, THE CABLES REPLACED, AND THE BRAKE PADS REPLACED. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHETHER MY BRAKE PADS ARE NEW OR OLD. IF I DO NOT PARK THE VEHICLE WITH THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION IN GEAR, IT WILL MOVE ON ITS OWN, OR IF IT DOES NOT ROLL BACKWARDS, IT WILL, IF ANY LIGHT FORCE IS APPLIED TO IT. I HAD TO INSTALL INSTALL A HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE LOCK ON THE REAR BRAKES TO MAKE SURE MY VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE ON A GRADE I KNOW IT IS AN 'OLD' VEHICLE, BUT I LIKE IT A LOT, IT IS WELL MAINTAINED AND LOOKS NEW. IT IS MECHANICALLY SIMPLE TO AND INEXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN. HOWEVER I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING TO BUY THINGS LIKE AIRBAGS WHO'S PLASTIC DEGRADES. I AND MY MECHANIC HAVE NO IDEA WHY THE PARKING BRAKE STOPPED WORKING AS IT HAD BEFORE. HE IS A MASTER MECHANIC AND AN EXPERT MACHINIST.
THE JEEP WAS INVOLVED IN A WRECK - HIT A POWER POLE AT AROUND 50 MPH KNOCKED IT DOWN AND THE FLIPPED THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED - THE POLICE OFFICER WHO WORKED THE WRECK SAID THE AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED AFTER THE TYPE OF HIT THE JEEP TOOK
I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE SEATBELT WILL DISENGAGE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM I HAVE PAID EXTRA ATTENTION WHEN BUCKLING IN TO MAKE SURE THAT IT IS LATCHED PROPERLY. HOWEVER, THE SEATBELT SOMETIME STILL RELEASES ON IT'S OWN. THIS CONCERNS ME BECAUSE I FEAR THAT WHEN I DO NEED THE SEATBELT IN THE COURSE OF AN ACCIDENT IT WILL NOT PERFORM AS INTENDED. *TR
MY 2003 JEEP WRANGLER HAS A AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT THAT STAYS ON. ALONG WITH THIS THE HORN DOES NOT WORK. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ AND CHECKED OUT IT IS A CLOCKSPRING FAILURE LOCATED IN THE STEERING COLUMN. *TR
RESEARCHING THE INTERNET, I SEEN SEVERAL OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR COMPLAINS ON THE 2003 JEEP WRANGLER SEAT BELT SYSTEM. MY JEEP SEAT BELT, AS I WAS UN-BUCKLING A FEW WEEKS BACK, CAME APART, THE SPRING AND ORANGE PUSH BUTTON CAME FLYING OUT AND I CAN NOT GET IT BACK TOGETHER. I WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND IT WILL COST ME $150 FOR A REPLACEMENT PART ALONE ON SOMETHING THAT WAS NO FAULT OF MY OWN. THE OTHER ISSUE IS THE LACK OF RETRACTION IN THE SEAT BELT CAUSING IT TO GET CAUGHT IN THE DOOR SOMETIMES AND THIS CAN CAUSE SAFETY ISSUES. SINCE IT IS A LAW TO WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT AND ITS IN THE SAFE INTEREST OF THE PUBLIC TO WEAR ONE, THIS POSSES A PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND FIXED IMMEDIATELY.. *TR
THE LATCH PLATE ON MY 2003 JEEP WRANGLER SNAPPED IN HALF, RENDERING ME WITH NO SEATBELT IN A VEHICLE THAT IS RATED AT A VERY HIGH ROLLOVER RATE. WHEN I PULLED THE LATCH PLATE OUT TO EXAMINE IT, I SAW THAT THE METAL USED TO ATTACH THE LATCH WAS MADE OF VERY THIN METAL, NOT MUCH THICKER THAN A KNIFE, AND THAT THE METAL APPEARED TO BE MADE OF CAST MATERIAL. IN ADDITION TO THIS PROBLEM, I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE SEAT BELT TWICE ON MY VEHICLE, AND WILL HAVE TO REPLACE IT A THIRD TIME DUE TO THE SEATBELT NOT RETRACTING AS IT SHOULD. THIS ALLOWS THE SEATBELT TO GET CAUGHT IN MY DOOR, WHICH HAS SEVERELY CUT AND FRAYED THE SEAT BELT ALMOST IN HALF. *TR
AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY LEADING TO AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. VEHICLE WARRANTY FOR THESE ITEMS IS ONLY 3 YEAR/30,000 MILE. SAFETY EQUIPMENT SUCH AS AIRBAGS AND SEATBELTS SHOULD BE A LONGER WARRANTY FOR A LONGER PERIOD OF TIME IF THEIR PERFORMANCE CAN BE AFFECTED BY NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ON THE VEHICLE, I.E. ELECTRONIC FAILURES. *TR
THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE BAD. WHILE CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AT 35 MPH ANOTHER VEHICLE TURNED INTO THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO COLLIDE HEAD ON. UPON IMPACT,THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED FACE, BACK, RIBS, AND CHEST INJURIES. *AK
SEAT BELTS DO NOT RETRACT PROPERLY CAUSING THEM TO GET CAUGHT IN DOORS. THIS RESULTS IN FRAYING AND ABRASIONS THAT WEAKEN SEAT BELT. THE BELTS WILL NEED REPLACED SOON DUE TO THIS. *TR
I SAW THIS ARTICLE IN THE PARENTS MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2004 AND IT SAID THAT THESE SEATBELTS ARE NOT SAFE. THE WEBSITE THEY GAVE WAS UNSAFEBELTS.COM. MY HUSBAND AND I OWN A 2003 JEEP WRANGLER. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH GENERATION 3 SEATBELTS. I AM ASKING THAT A NATIONAL RECALL BE DONE ON THESE SEATBELTS. THEY BECOME UNLATCHED WITH JUST THE SMALL PUSH OF THE BUTTON. BY THIS I MEAN THAT MY CHILDREN AGES 7 AND 5 COULD BUMP THEIR ELBOW AGAINST IT AND IT WILL BECOME UNLATCHED. I AM A LITTLE NERVOUS TO LET MY CHILDREN LET ALONE MYSELF OF MY HUSBAND DRIVE THIS VEHICLE. I WOULD ASK THAT YOU PLEASE ISSUE A RECALL ON THESE SEATBELTS SO THAT WHEN WE DRIVE WE CAN FEEL SAFE AND KNOW THAT OUR SEATBELTS WILL SAVE OUR LIVES LET ALONE THE LIVES OF OTHERS. *LA
GEN III BUCKLE ON 2003 JEEP WRANGLER RELEASED DURING ROLLOVER ACCIDENT, LEADING TO EJECTION AND DEATH OF DR. ZICKEFOOSE. *AK
WAS DRIVING 20 MPH CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS BACKING OUT OF A GARAGE. UPON IMPACT, FRONTAL AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES, AND HAD EMERGENCY ROOM TREATMENT.*AK
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026