Introduction
When I imagine driving a convertible, I picture myself cruising down a long stretch of paved road, with the top down and the wind blowing through my hair.
If I were behind the wheel of a Jeep Wrangler, I’d envision myself slowly navigating rugged, uneven terrain in a robust, all-wheel-drive off-road machine.
However, the Federal Government classifies the Wrangler as a convertible. This misclassification has resulted in the Jeep Wrangler having the highest rate of lethal rollover incidents among vehicles sold in America, while the manufacturer still made substantial profits.
Our system for defining different car classes is designed to ensure that vehicles are safe for their intended uses. For example, a semi-truck serves a different purpose than a sedan, much like an ATV differs from an SUV, and each class comes with specific design rules to ensure safety.
This system has functioned well for years, creating consumer expectations when they choose one class of vehicle over another.
What happens, though, when a car manufacturer markets a vehicle for heavy-duty use but adheres to the safety design rules of a convertible? What if consumers expect a rugged, durable machine but drive off the lot with something less capable?
Jeep, owned by Chrysler, took this route by finding a market eager to drive off-road and built the Wrangler.
The usual Advertisement of the wrangler consists of the vehicle perched upon a boulder with a mountain in the background. Rock climbing is a sporty adventure, it requires the right tools to get it done safely. We can see a great amount of ground clearance of the Wrangler. Consumers expect the utility of the Wrangler to be effective in these situations.
The Jeep Wrangler, has been and continues to be marketed as the model for use both on and off road, touting it as a “rugged,” “go anywhere and do anything” vehicle that is “hard to the core.”
The manufacturer could have followed the safety design requirements of the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) class. This class requires various tests of strength before being sold to the public.
Instead, Jeep vied to pass the safety test of a convertible.
| EVERY OTHER CAR CLASS | Convertible | Jeep Wrangler |
| ✅Purpose built safety requirements | ❌Not expected to climb mountains | ⚠Advertises on a mountain |
| ✅Roof protection test | ❌No safety test required | ⚠Tests not available to the public |
| ✅Rollover test | ❌No safety test required | ⚠Tests not available to the public |
| ✅Minimum Roll-bar strength | ❌No safety test required | ⚠Looks like a Rollbar, named a “Sports-bar”, doesn’t protect as much as an actual rollbar |
| Comparatively lower risk of rolling | ⚠Highest risk of death in a rollover |
What could go wrong?
- Out of all models of vehicle listed under the convertible classification, Jeep’s Wrangler has the most lethal rollover incidents than any other vehicle. Go figure
- the Jeep Wrangler 4-door had the highest single- vehicle overall death rate as well as the highest single-vehicle rollover death rate for vehicles in its class.
— Source: Insurance institute for Highway Safety 2017 Status report
Even more troubling is the manufacturer’s attempts to present the Wrangler in a Class above a Convertible.
Highest Rollover Risk
Out of all models classified as convertibles, Jeep’s Wrangler has the highest number of lethal rollover incidents. The Wrangler 4-door has the highest single-vehicle overall death rate and the highest single-vehicle rollover death rate in its class. — Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2017 Status Report
Wrangler manufacturer’s recognized the vehicle has a high roll-over risk, providing warnings in the 2014 Jeep Wrangler manual:
Given this background, the government standard for vehicle roof strength in a roll-over becomes even more relevant, particularly for the ’07-’18 JK Wrangler model, which was less than two years from being launched when the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (“NHTSA”) announced it was upgrading the government roll-over standard. Initially NHTSA stated that the Wrangler would no longer be exempt from this important testing as a convertible. Following is a summary of that history and its relevance to human safety.
Infamous “Sports-Bar”
As noted, the Wrangler JK model was sold as 2007-2018 model year, thus, the “sport bar” structure was designed and developed in and around 2005. At that time, the predecessor Wrangler Model, “TJ” Wranglers (1997 – 2006 model years) were in production, and Chrysler may have tried addressing any observed issues with the roll bar and seat belt systems in its designs for the JK. Further, the successor JL vehicles (2019-present), which were produced and sold as 2018 model years, at the same time that the JK was still being produced and sold, contain some modifications that appear to incorporate design changes specifically intended to improve the sport bar structure. These changes were suggested prior to the 2007-2018 JK model introduction.
Convertibles avoid roof testing
The development and production of the Wrangler have spanned several corporate entities. Originally, Chrysler Corporation owned the Jeep brand, which then became Daimler Chrysler in 1998. In 2007, this merger ended, and the company became Chrysler LLC. Emerging from bankruptcy in 2009, it was rebranded as Chrysler Group, LLC, and in 2014, it was purchased by Fiat S.P.A and renamed FCA US LLC, eventually merging into Stellantis NV. The Jeep Wrangler was based on the “JK” platform from 2007 until 2018, introduced as a 2007 model year vehicle and replaced by the “JL” Wrangler, which is still in production.
When the initial government roof-collapse rule was established in the 1970s, the Wrangler was classified as a convertible, exempting it from this standard. Thus, it has never been certified to meet the roof strength standard. Government attempts in the late 1980s and mid-2000s to include the Wrangler in these requirements were thwarted by corporate lobbying, ensuring the vehicle retained its exemption.
When the new rule was finalized in 2009, the government backtracked on the Wrangler’s classification, claiming the prior discussion may have caused confusion and reaffirming it as a convertible under their definitions.
Notably, NHTSA went on to say the following about the Wrangler and convertibles in general:
We are also not making the changes to the proposed definition of convertible suggested by some commenters. The definition proposed was previously adopted in FMVSS No. 201 (62 FR 16725), and the agency believes the applicability is the same and is unaware of any concerns. Furthermore, we do not believe further specificity is warranted given our revised position on the Wrangler. We believe our discussion in the NPRM concerning the Wrangler may have caused confusion. We also do not agree that there is a need to specify that convertibles have folding hardtops or removable hardtops. These roof systems are not intended as significant structural elements but are designed primarily to provide protection from inclement weather, improve theft protection and are generally offered as a luxury item. These types of roof systems are also designed of lighter weight materials, such as aluminum or composites, for ease of folding and storage within the vehicle or removal by the consumer and we believe consumers readily recognize they will afford the occupants limited protection in a rollover.
This statement likely contradicts what reasonable consumers believe about the “rugged” Wrangler with its robust-looking “sport bar,” which appears to offer rollover protection.
Due to this lack of occupant protection, a cottage industry of aftermarket products has emerged, with companies manufacturing and marketing roll bars as replacements for the “sport bar,” providing substantial protection in the event of a rollover.
Market Confusion
Consumers perceive the Wrangler, with its robust-looking “sport bar,” as providing rollover protection. Yet aftermarket companies have stepped in to fill the safety void, offering roll bars as replacements for the sport bar that provide substantial protection in rollovers.
Drivers need a real Roll Cage
For Jeep Wrangler JK owners looking to replace the sport bar with a genuine roll bar, we have highlighted products from five different companies, most of which are available on Rubitrux, an online retailer. The featured brands include Rock Hard 4×4, Poison Spyder, GenRight, and Smittybilt.
Rubitrux’s website includes the following note:
As rough and tough as your Jeep Wrangler JK performs, its factory sport cage design is a mighty point of failure. The OEM sport cage weakness lies where the spreader bars meet the windshield. In the event of a rollover, the OEM spreader bars may buckle, and the windshield also may fold inwards. Yet, the Wrangler JK OEM sport bar system meets current crash test standards for new stock Wrangler vehicles.
Rubitrux
And:
If you don’t upgrade to an aftermarket roll cage, you risk that your spreader bars may buckle, and your windshield may fold inwards, if you roll over.
Rubitrux
An article by Extreme Terrain Off-Road Outfitters, a provider of aftermarket Jeep Wrangler parts, also discusses the structural issues of the OEM roof and windshield structure:
The factory bar is designed to protect occupants in low speed roll overs, but develops some structural integrity issues during a single roll over, let alone several.
The article also points out the weakness in the windshield resulting in lack of protection in a rollover:
Jeep even makes it a point to refer to it as a sports bar instead of roll cage, establishing the bar isn’t designed for rolling over. While the bar is made of steel and is tied into the Jeep’s tub frame, establishing a solid skeletal frame, the windshield is a weak point in the structure, since the sports cage doesn’t have a bar that spans the width of the Jeep along the top of the windshield. The lack of protection and support in that area is problematic during a roll over, because there’s a possibility of the windshield frame collapsing and folding into the cabin. In addition, the lack or cross support in the front allows the bars along the sides to be weakened during a roll over. Understandably, any tubular cage is better than nothing and certainly better than a unibody frame that is designed to compress in order to absorb impacts. Ultimately, the sports bar is tubing primarily used to superficially cover the occupant from rain and keep in heat.
** Specifically, FARS data for 2010-2018 calendar years was queried for all incidents in which vehicles coded as 2007-2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles rolled at least one quarter turn. The focus was on those calendar years because the records regarding crashes occurring before 2010 are typically unavailable due to record retention policies, and calendar year 2018 is the most recent available data.
