How many miles will a 2002 Jeep Wrangler last?
Half of the 80 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2002 Jeep Wrangler that list mileage came after 60,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 161,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 108 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 80 complaints on the 2002 Jeep Wrangler that list mileage, the middle half came between 17,000 and 124,000 miles; 25 (31%) came after 100,000 miles, 10 (13%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 2002 Wrangler last?
The 80 mileages owners gave run from 102 to 200,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 17,000 miles, half at or under 60,413, three quarters at or under 124,000 and nine in ten at or under 161,568; 25 (31%) came after 100,000 miles, 10 (13%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 2002 Wrangler wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 102 miles |
| 25th percentile | 17,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 60,413 miles |
| 75th percentile | 124,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 161,568 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 200,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 25 (31%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 10 (13%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | none |
Every model year together: Half of the 10,572 NHTSA owner complaints on the Jeep Wrangler that list mileage came after 38,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Jeep Wrangler last? →
Common problems with the 2002 Wrangler
NHTSA's file holds 108 owner complaints on the 2002 Jeep Wrangler. Owners named the body structure most often: 26 complaints, and half of the 21 that list a mileage came after 91,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 26 | 21 | 92,000 |
| Suspension | 19 | 16 | 125,000 |
| Power Train | 14 | 11 | 20,000 |
| Air Bags | 13 | 10 | 28,150 |
| Steering | 10 | 10 | 40,000 |
Of the 108 complaints, 15 report a crash, 5 report a fire and 13 report an injury (17 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2002 Wrangler a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2002 is a good or a bad Wrangler: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2002 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 108 complaints, the 2002 ranks 29th of the 39 Jeep Wrangler model years from 1987 to 2026 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 1993. The most: the 2008 (1,904). The fewest: the 2026 (12).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 Wrangler | 38 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1988 Wrangler | 50 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1989 Wrangler | 62 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1990 Wrangler | 79 | 8 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1991 Wrangler | 76 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1992 Wrangler | 77 | 11 | 137,000 |
| 1993 Wrangler | 108 | 12 | 93,000 |
| 1994 Wrangler | 151 | 14 | 120,000 |
| 1995 Wrangler | 202 | 23 | 95,000 |
| 1997 Wrangler | 401 | 71 | 80,000 |
| 1998 Wrangler | 265 | 76 | 72,980 |
| 1999 Wrangler | 213 | 106 | 64,000 |
| 2000 Wrangler | 251 | 115 | 91,912 |
| 2001 Wrangler | 170 | 103 | 85,000 |
| 2002 (this page) | 108 | 80 | 60,413 |
| 2003 Wrangler | 98 | 78 | 26,895 |
| 2004 Wrangler | 192 | 163 | 46,192 |
| 2005 Wrangler | 650 | 530 | 49,854 |
| 2006 Wrangler | 730 | 624 | 36,000 |
| 2007 Wrangler | 1,558 | 1,342 | 39,427 |
| 2008 Wrangler | 1,904 | 1,652 | 52,000 |
| 2009 Wrangler | 650 | 547 | 45,320 |
| 2010 Wrangler | 686 | 551 | 45,699 |
| 2011 Wrangler | 486 | 366 | 50,000 |
| 2012 Wrangler | 837 | 503 | 42,000 |
| 2013 Wrangler | 657 | 364 | 50,000 |
| 2014 Wrangler | 658 | 467 | 50,000 |
| 2015 Wrangler | 481 | 228 | 37,200 |
| 2016 Wrangler | 464 | 239 | 40,000 |
| 2017 Wrangler | 312 | 159 | 23,700 |
| 2018 Wrangler | 1,829 | 1,200 | 6,200 |
| 2019 Wrangler | 749 | 395 | 4,500 |
| 2020 Wrangler | 619 | 215 | 2,500 |
| 2021 Wrangler | 967 | 125 | 20,000 |
| 2022 Wrangler | 417 | 52 | 18,300 |
| 2023 Wrangler | 381 | 41 | 13,500 |
| 2024 Wrangler | 977 | 91 | 15,000 |
| 2025 Wrangler | 84 | 4 | Under 10 mileages |
| 2026 Wrangler | 12 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
The linked 2015–2022 pages show NHTSA's September 15, 2026 collection, so their counts can differ from this table's.
Every Wrangler year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Jeep Wrangler years to avoid →
2002 Jeep Wrangler recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 6 recall campaigns that name the 2002 Jeep Wrangler (2 vehicle campaigns and 4 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 06E026000 | Mar 23, 2006 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING |
| 06E022000 | Mar 13, 2006 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC |
| 06E011000 | Feb 1, 2006 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP |
| 04E041000 | Jun 7, 2004 | EQUIPMENT |
| 02V104000 | Apr 8, 2002 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 2002 Wrangler lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 2002 Wrangler.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 28 of the 108 complaints on the 2002 Jeep Wrangler give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA names counted: WRANGLER, WRANGLER 4-DR 4X4, WRANGLER 2-DR 4X4, WRANGLER 4XE, WRANGLER 4-DR 4X2, WRANGLER 2-DR 4X4 RHD and WRANGLER 4-DR 4X4 RHD. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only these.
- Recall-file names matched: WRANGLER, WRANGLER 4-DR 4X4 and WRANGLER 4XE.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
2002 Jeep Wrangler questions
How many miles will a 2002 Jeep Wrangler last?
Half of the 80 NHTSA owner complaints on the 2002 Jeep Wrangler that list mileage came after 60,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 161,000 miles. Of the 80 complaints on the 2002 Jeep Wrangler that list mileage, the middle half came between 17,000 and 124,000 miles; 25 (31%) came after 100,000 miles, 10 (13%) after 150,000 and none after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 2002 Wrangler that never had one.
What are the most common 2002 Jeep Wrangler problems?
NHTSA's file holds 108 owner complaints on the 2002 Jeep Wrangler. Owners named the body structure most often: 26 complaints, and half of the 21 that list a mileage came after 91,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 108 complaints, 15 report a crash, 5 report a fire and 13 report an injury (17 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 2002 Jeep Wrangler a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 2002 is a good or a bad Wrangler: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 2002 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 108 complaints, the 2002 ranks 29th of the 39 Jeep Wrangler model years from 1987 to 2026 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most, tied with 1993. The most: the 2008 (1,904). The fewest: the 2026 (12).
How many recalls does the 2002 Jeep Wrangler have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 6 recall campaigns that name the 2002 Jeep Wrangler (2 vehicle campaigns and 4 equipment or tire campaigns that name this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 2002 Jeep Wrangler before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 2002 Jeep Wrangler.