2017 Jeep Wrangler Engine
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle or while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the valves and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the engine was not under warranty. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 47,000.
Vehicle had a DTC P0302 and a misfire at idle. Upon diagnosis cylinder #2 was found to have 80psi compression which is significantly lower than compression in all other cylinders. Cylinder head was found to be bad. This vehicle only has 61,303 miles. There are many owners complaining about the same problem and FCA indicated they fixed the head issues in 2013. They have offered an extended warranty for 2011-2013 vehicle but the issue still exists. The warranty should be expanded to include more year models.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power. The oil change soon warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the independent mechanic informed the contact that the oil and coolant needed to be replaced or could cause damage to the engine. The independent mechanic informed the contact that he had experienced the failure with his vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered the contact an extended satisfaction warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
The oil cooler leaks and the oil runs down the intake valley, down the back of the engine, and onto the frame and the exhaust pipe, this can create a fire hazard under the driver's seat. It also causes oil puddles on the ground which is a hazard. The dealer says oil cooler leaks are the most common issues on the Chrysler/Jeep 3.6L engine. I was told by the dealer, when making an appointment for replacement, that they have to change these oil coolers a ridiculous number of times. I can safely assume that thousands of people are having this same issue, by the amount of blogs, videos and beware when buying warnings and the fact that there are hundreds of aftermarket options for this item. This leak is going to cost me $1,000 to have fixed because they did not engineer it properly, not to mention cleaning the undercarriage and my driveway. Send me a rebate to cover my cost on this flawed engineering issue please!
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring for the past two months. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to be started 50 percent of the time. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with a failed ECM. The contact was informed that the ECM needed to be replaced. The contact was informed of an unknown recall for the 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
While driving in city or highway the engine will shut off randomly, causing the steering almost impossible to turn. Had a few close calls because of this. There is no check engine light to come on.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal ticking sound emanating from the engine compartment, after which the vehicle lost significant motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed an oil leak underneath the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the piston in cylinder #3. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 52,000.
The oil cooler leaks when cold and the oil runs down the intake valley, down the back of the engine, and onto the exhaust pipe, which makes it a fire hazard. It also causes oil puddles on the ground which is a hazard when the oil drips splatter other vehicles windshields, as well as making areas slippery for walking. The dealer says oil cooler leaks are very common on the Chrysler/Jeep 3.6L engine. I was told by the dealer, when making an appointment for replacement, that they have to change these oil coolers all the time. Thousands of people have this same issue and there are hundreds of aftermarket options. This leak is going to cost me $1,000 to have fixed because they did not engineer it properly.
Oil filter housing cracked
Vehicle started leaking a substantial amount of oil. I took it to a mechanic to have it diagnosed, they stated that the engine oil cooler filter housing is made of plastic and over time warps and leaks. Apparently this is a major issue and has been noted on MANY dodge/jeep vehicles. Prior to this happening, the check engine light came on, I had it diagnosed and it showed as a cylinder 6 misfire. This could have caused major issues in the future if it had not been caught when it was including damage to the bearings and the cylinders (probably what is causing the misfire now).
The oil filter housing on this engine is made out of plastic and if you search online you will notice that it has failed for many many people. The housing cracks causing motor oil and coolant to mix and leak. We were fortunate to notice it before our engine seized up, but others have not been as fortunate. I believe this defect should be a recall, but there is no recall on this engine even though many many people have experienced this part failing prematurely. Ours failed when the Jeep was under 80,000 miles.
I smell oil burning as I drive then found oil on the garage floor. Found the oil adaptor (Oil filter housing) worped causing oil to drip out and onto the hot exhaust. Oil on heat is a safety issue and should be addressed.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, he became aware of an oil leak underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,000.
Engine light came on stating cylinder #4 miss fire. After taking it in, the mechanic said that they can repair the head but it will most likely be an issue again in another 30k or it will be another cylinder. They said it is still causing the air to leak. This Jeep only has 51k miles and is in mint condition. After further research, Jeep had previously recalled this same issue on Jeeps a little older than 2017.
Transmission went out at 86k miles, all maintenance has been kept up with. Jeep broke down while driving, pouring transmission fluid in road, losing all power and unable to go forward or reverse. Problem has been confirmed by service center. Jeep has not yet been inspected by manufacturer, no warnings at all.
Oil Filter housing cracked an leaking. Took to repair shop and he said its extremely common and should be recalled but hasn't been.
Check engine light flashing then steady all of a sudden. Oil leaks
My oil filter housing is cracked. I have a 2017 and it is plastic I know after 2017 Jeep knew of the issue and changed the production type then. This is a known issue. Happens to many Jeeps I hear about it a lot. Itβs a $1000 fix for something that is common in Jeeps and other pentastar 3.6l engines. I am getting it fixed this week for I am getting a kidney transplant and need it done before the surgery.
Oil cooler assembly cracked and warped (also k own as oil filter housing) this led to a large oil leak and depleted all oil from engine. Repair was over $1,000. All mechanics are saying this is a known issue and becomes expensive because both intake manifolds need to be removed to replace
Oil filter housing has failed
Oil cooler warp/crack because the bottom is made of plastic stored inside engine where extreme heat causes warp/crack on the cooler. Ultimately leaks out oil, causing saftey hazards to the community and owner. A known defect/issue with all penstar engines (other vehicles with this engine are affected). There should be a recall for this issue/defect. I hope NHTSA do a thorough investigation on this issue. Thanks!
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the check engine warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing cylinder number 2 replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE OIL FILTER AND CYLINDER HEAD WERE BOTH REPLACED.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and initially diagnosed with cylinder #3 misfire. Additionally, there was an abnormal antifreeze odor detected. The engine code was reset. After getting the vehicle back from the mechanic, there was lots of white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic and diagnosed with a cracked cylinder head. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
Oil cooler housing has serious design flaw. It is made made of plastic and is subject to warp and crack from constant heat exposure leading to failure and catastrophic oil leakage onto hot engine with significant risk of fire as result.
Oil Filter Assembly failure. This issue has been consistent in respective Chrysler engines since 2014 without resolve or re-design. I have been without vehicle since the 24th (today is 3/3) and renting a car out-of-pocket. The parts are backordered as I've been told there are restrictions by Chrysler on these discontinued replacement parts. Repairs cost upwards of $1,000 depending on the dealer and situation (if oil hasn't damaged other surrounding parts). All forums are consistent in that there has been no recourse by any representative from Chrysler or, in my case, Jeep. The anticipated costs in my situation are likely to exceed $2,500 given the schedule of the repair and any secondary damages by the leaking oil.
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Quick Summary
The 2017 Jeep Wrangler has 41 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.