RoadVitals

2021 Jeep Wrangler Visibility Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the visibility system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Visibility reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
19
Latest May 21, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
2%
of 901 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2021 Jeep Wrangler submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 19 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming visibility

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Visibility
Filed May 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 JEEP Wrangler. The contact stated that while opening the vehicle's rear swing gate, they noticed that the rear windshield defroster grid was completely burnt and melted, with a scorched power wire leading directly to the glass terminal. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: (24V111000 (VISIBILITY) however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed to have a failure on the defroster. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,140.

NHTSA ID
11739298
Incident
May 14, 2026
Mileage
57,140 mi
ElectricalVisibility
Filed Dec 5, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V787000 (Electrical System), 24V111000 (Visibility) and 24V72000 (Electrical System); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that a second notice would be mailed when the parts were available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID
11629084
Incident
Dec 5, 2024
Visibility
Filed Aug 19, 2024

Driving on the expressway and a rock from a vehicle in front of me hit the top right corner of the windshield causing small pieces of glass to scatter on the inside of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID
11609402
Incident
Aug 16, 2024
ElectricalVisibility
Filed Aug 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V787000 (Electrical System) and 24V111000 (Visibility); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure, causing the vehicle to lose motive power and stall. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was yet not determined. The failure mileage was 26,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID
11607961
Incident
Jul 12, 2024
Mileage
26,000 mi
Visibility
Filed May 11, 2024

Drivers sun visor broke off while driving on November 2023 on a 2021 Jeep. I was driving at a residential area going 30mph. Dealership fixed it and assessed it as a safety issue. I brushed off the incident and considered it as normal wear and tear. Then in April 2024 the passenger sun visor broke off. I was on the interstate driving 70mph. I seldom carry passengers and when I do it's mostly after sunset. In both cases, we simply flipped visor down and it broke off. The roads were smooth both times. I went online to search for recalls but instead found many forums experiencing the same issue and suggesting to buy a 3rd party sun visor repair kit.

NHTSA ID
11588233
Incident
Nov 24, 2023
Visibility
Filed Jul 29, 2023

The front defroster only blows out of the middle vents, no flow out of the left and right vents, causing issues with visibility in any instance where the window might fog up. I have an appointment with the service department at my local Jeep dealer on 8/02/23. As this is a known issue and there is still no recall to fix the issue I feel a complaint is warranted.

NHTSA ID
11535180
Incident
Jul 27, 2023
EngineVisibility
Filed Mar 20, 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the engine fan would suddenly turn on and the engine temperature gauge would rise with the message that the engine had overheated. The contact stated that during the failure the vehicle would suddenly decelerate to protect the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who indicated that the engine tubing was faulty. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty. The water pump was replaced but the failure continued. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side and passenger’s side window motors were faulty, and the window would not properly open and close. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 20,000.

NHTSA ID
11512767
Incident
Jun 15, 2022
Mileage
20,000 mi
Visibility
Filed Mar 7, 2023

Windshield cracked in the winter at less than 8000 miles due to front window defroster being way too hot. Windshield continues to crack and degrade every time the defroster comes on (automatically with remote start) and has made the windshield unsafe due to impairment of visibility. Jeep denies that there is a problem, though they have been quietly replacing windshields to resolve customer complaints without addressing the safety issue with these.

NHTSA ID
11510622
Incident
Dec 8, 2021
Visibility
Filed Dec 22, 2022

Windshield defroster does not defrost the edges of the windshield.

NHTSA ID
11498486
Incident
Dec 21, 2022
Driver assistanceVisibility
Filed May 5, 2022

1. Water leak and windshield cracked because windshield seal broken. Windshield seal found to be broken or cracked by dealership. 2. Windshield cracked and water leaking into Forward Crash Collison Avoidance Radar housing and onto viewscreen which has quit working. 3. Cracked windshield causing visual impairment.

NHTSA ID
11463494
Incident
Aug 6, 2021
Visibility
Filed Mar 7, 2022

My windshield has cracked 2 separate times. I got it fixed by safelife after the first, the second just happened today. Both times I never heard anything hit the window and the crack just appeared. I had a jeep wrangler before this one and never had any issues with the windshield. This one is brand new and has been on the road since Nov 2021 and now has 2 issues. It leads me to believe it is a manufacturing issue. I work from home and don’t drive very often, when I do it’s highway. I just can’t believe that it has cracked twice.

NHTSA ID
11455585
Incident
Mar 7, 2022
Visibility
Filed Jan 31, 2022

Backup camera will periodically go black on screen when putting the vehicle into reverse. It had been replaced once under warranty after a certified dealer found it to be “defective” upon inspection. Problem persists even after replacement.

NHTSA ID
11449539
Incident
Dec 14, 2021
Visibility
Filed Jan 20, 2022

Sun visor mount breaks. This is a known issue... several folks are complaining about it and the replacement part has been back ordered for months. In my case this vehicle is just over a year old. https://www.jeepgladiatorforum.com/forum/threads/sun-visor-broken-500.33448/ 1) The visor can't be used to block sunlight in the drivers face. 2) The visor can fall in the drivers face obstucting the driver view while driving

NHTSA ID
11448179
Incident
Sep 15, 2021
Visibility
Filed Jan 16, 2022

The front defrosters are terrible they only defrost the center part of windshield. Ice builds up making it impossible to see anything. This is a serious problem to all drivers and pedestrians.

NHTSA ID
11447697
Incident
Jan 16, 2022
Visibility
Filed Nov 14, 2021

I was driving and needed to use the driver side sun visor. As I took it off of the fixed mount, the swivel mount dropped out of the "socket". I pushed it back in and kept driving only for it to fall out again further on my trip. Now, a few days later, the visor will not stay in place and keeps dropping randomly as I drive. This issue is well documented on Wrangler owner forums and creates a safety hazard as visibility is impaired. My concern is that these can randomly drop and obscure vision due to the windshield being shorter than normal (Jeep design).

NHTSA ID
11440382
Incident
Nov 11, 2021
Visibility
Filed Oct 15, 2021

Drivers-Side Sun Visor broke loose while driving, momentarily blocking vision and disrupting driving, while at hwy speeds. New vehicle with < 10kms mileage at time of event. Due to apparent design flaw, and high frequency of failures, replacement visors are back-ordered for months. The Safety issue is that due to the tall windshield design of the vehicle, I am unable to block the sun up to 2 hrs after sunrise or 2 hrs before sunset, until new parts come in, some time in January 2022, per the dealership. Appears to be a design issue originating with the introduction of the Wrangler JL model, back in 2018. Refer to the following Wrangler on-line Forum for details:https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/sun-visor-fix.44865/

NHTSA ID
11436872
Incident
Sep 7, 2021
Visibility
Filed Feb 12, 2021

I WAS DRIVING IN FOG WITH AMBIENT TEMPERATURES OF APPROXIMATELY 9 DEGREES, WINDSHIELD ICED OVER APPROXIMATELY 2/3RDS FROM THE OUTSIDE IN WITH ONLY THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD CLEAR, FRONT DEFROSTER ONLY WAS ON MAXIMUM, WITH NO AIR FLOW TO ANYWHERE ELSE, BUT WOULD NOT CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER NOR THE PASSENGER SIDE. PUT HAND ABOVE DEFROST VENTS AND WAS ONLY BLOWING IN THE MIDDLE, NO OBSTRUCTION. WE CONTACTED OUR JEEP DEALER AND TOOK IT TO BE LOOKED AT, THEY SUBMITTED STARS CASE #101853238 AND TOLD US THAT NO ISSUES OF THIS TYPE HAD BEEN REPORTED TO THEM FROM JEEP. WE SEARCHED ON YOUTUBE HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/PLKTXSKZNI4 AND FOUND THIS SAME ISSUE ADDRESSED EXCEPT ON A 2021 JEEP GLADIATOR (JEEP PICKUP). WHEN IT HAPPENED TO US, WE DID NOT TAKE PICTURES AS WE WERE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING TO OUR DESTINATION AND THEN HOME.

NHTSA ID
11395953
Incident
Jan 29, 2021
Mileage
4,200 mi
Visibility
Filed Jan 28, 2021

THE BACK UP CAMERA STOPPED WORKING FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

NHTSA ID
11390573
Incident
Jan 28, 2021
Mileage
261 mi
Visibility
Filed Dec 25, 2020

WHEN DRIVING DURING A MEDIUM SNOW FALL: THE FRONT WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER IS TERRIBLE! EVEN WITH THE FRONT DEFROSTER ON HIGH HEAT, AND FULL DEFROST MODE, THE DEFROSTER ONLY BLOWS HOT AIR ONTO THE CENTER PORTION OF THE WINDSHIELD. THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES OF THE WINDSHIELD GET NO HOT DEFROST AIR (NO AIR WHATSOEVER) AND SNOW AND ICE BUILDS UP ON THE RIGHT 12' AND LEFT 12' OF THE WINDSHIELD. THIS ALSO CAUSES HEAVY SNOW/ICE BUILDUP ON THE WIPER BLADES. TERRIBLE AND DANGEROUS WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER DESIGN. AIR COMES OUT OF THE CENTER DEFROST VENTS ONLY. NO AIR COMES OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD VENTS IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER OR PASSENGER. HORRIBLE AND DANGEROUS DESIGN WHICH MAKES VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING DURING A SNOWFALL ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

NHTSA ID
11384913
Incident
Dec 24, 2020
Mileage
450 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

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