19 problems related to engine clicking and tapping noises have been reported for the 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The lifters (headers) have gone bad. Incredible ticking noise from the engine in drive and idle. As rpms increase the ticking is louder. The only way to fix is to replace the headers. I have read a multitude of complaints on the NHTSA page regarding this and additional complaints all over Jeep forums that this is a known issue with the 2012 engines . . . Why is this not been recalled?.
There is a ticking noise coming from cylinder head. This is a issue that a lot of 2011-2012 Jeep Wranglers have been having. It is not fair that this cost should come out of our pocket. Jeep knows about this issue from all the Jeep reviews I have seen people posting with the same issue.
Left side of cylinder head ticking noise.
Driving down the road when suddenly all the lights started flashing, radio flashed and then the Jeep started to loose power. Pulled over, put in park and turned it off. Exterior and interior lights were flashing. Clicking noises where coming from the tipm even with the key off. Everything was locked up once it was put in park and wouldn't unlock to tow. The only recourse was to unhook the battery and try to reset everything after waiting for about 20 seconds. I hooked the battery back and was able to drive it home. This is the second time this happened however the first time was in park and everything went haywire. Was able to restart w/o disconnecting the battery. It is getting worse. We are looking at a $1000 repair bill. We are hesitant to drive it.
Vehicle received a check engine light while driving on the road and had a sudden power loss. With the engine started, the vehicle has a loud ticking sound from the cylinder head. Called a local dealer and they said the manufacturer extended warranty wont cover the repair because the vehicle has a salvaged title.
The day after purchasing a 2012 Jeep Wrangler, on 5/4/2017, with 49000 miles, while driving approximately 45 mph, an unusual ticking noise emitted from the engine with the illumination of the check engine warning indicator. The failure occurred until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was immediately taken to the auto dealership where vehicle was purchased for diagnosis. The technician stated that the failure was contributed to a faulty engine head and valve. The vehicle was not repaired. Problem has consistently happened for the last 2 months. Vehicle was taken to an authorized Jeep dealership but they refused to give us a diagnosis or offer a warranty recall stating the recall wouldn't apply as the car is a salvaged vehicle. The engine light illuminated after this episode and has not come off ever since.
The engine has always had a ticking sound. It's been evaluated as a head replacement. The engine light has been on for months. Misfire #2 cylinder is the code.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, an unusual ticking noise emitted from the engine with the illumination of the check engine warning indicator. The failure occurred until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that the failure was contributed to a faulty engine head and valve. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 17,300.
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Wrangler. The contact stated that the engine made a loud ticking noise on the driver's side. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,500 and the current mileage was 4,500.
Loud ticking noise coming from the engine. The engine was quiet previously, there was no ticking noise.
Loud ticking noise coming from left side of the engine. The engine was quiet previously, there was no ticking noise.
The engine has developed a loud ticking noise starting at about 1000 miles. The ticking is louder on the driver's side of the engine and doesn't appear to be normal valvetrain related noise. With reports of bad pentastar v6 heads making it into production Jeep Wranglers, I've taken the vehicle to two different Jeep dealers for analysis. Both dealers said that they think the noise is normal, but did admit they could hear the loud ticking. Mileage has been dropping and the engine has stalled twice. A software update was performed, but doesn't seem to have affected anything.
2012 Jeep Wrangler started to have engine tick. Took to 2 local garages, and they would not work on it. One said it was a Chrysler restricted warranty work the other it was within the normal sound of the engine. It did not make ticking sound when purchased. I contacted Chrysler to register a complaint and they said they had no idea that there was anything wrong. I had to take back to purchase garage where I had to push for it to get fixed. That was November. Engines in some of the 2012 Jeeps had a valve cut wrong and Chrysler will only send out 1 valve per engine per week. My mileage has dropped and the ticking is worse. I have also noticed a bad "miss" when at idle. I was told it was ok to drive. It is getting worse. It is scheduled to go in the second week of January to get fixed. I have yet to hear anything from garage to let me know the part is in. I had 4 other Jeep Wranglers before me getting the part in to be fixed, and was told it was going to take a week or two at the garage. I only have 9200 miles on the Jeep.
Drivers side cylinder head ticking noise that 2012 pentastar based Jeep Wranglers have. Chrysler has extensive knowledge of this issue and makes you run through hoops to get resolve. This is the potential cause of fires and engine malfunction that they are aware of and refuse to fix it immediately. This is a hazard to all owners and should be seriously addressed.
My 2012 Jeep Wrangler sahara 2-door with automatic transmission exhibits the following issues: 1) valve train ticking noise. This developed after a few months of ownership (bought November 2011) 2) sluggish acceleration and automatic transmission shifting when vehicle is cold. It does improve as vehicle is warmed up after driving it for 5-10 minutes, and by then the vehicle seems to operate normal. 3) I sometimes feel a thud or vibration coming up from the steering wheel. It almost feels as something is loose in the front-end. This happens sporadically. This started happening just recently. I am going to discuss these issues with the Chrysler dealership when I take it for the first oil change.
Engine has ticking sound from the left side of the engine and continues to. Chrysler and Jeep complain this ticking is "normal valve noise". But, I have heard other engines of the same year and they do not have this sound. It appears to affect quite a few people from research as well. Engine also feels like it stutters when reversing.
Engine developed a ticking sound on driver's side engine bay. Sounds like engine is missing or tapping on driver's side. Loss of power/stalls more common now. Took vehicle to Chrysler and they say that my engine is just "loud" compared to all other 2012's and that it's normal. They told me to just drive it until it fails and then bring it back in because Chrysler corporate will not allow a dealership to work on the engine and fix it until a failure occurs. So, now I am stuck with a 3 month old 2012 Wrangler waiting for it to breakdown on the side of the road before the dealership will fix the known issue. Mechanic says "that doesn't sound right" when I took it in. Mind you I took the Wrangler into two dealerships at this point for multiple opinions. Both agree the Jeep will fail and to just "wait" until it does because they are told by Chrysler to not work on faulty Wranglers with the new pentastar engine until the engine completely fails. Real proactive on that decision Chrysler. I'm not looking forward to the day power is lost when I'm on the highway or crossing train tracks. Thanks a lot for putting my life at risk over a known issue yet not acting on the known fix. Both dealerships claim they know heads are being replaced when this symptom is found on 2012 Wranglers. That's all I'm looking for, fix what was not built correctly in the first place like others.
Loud ticking noise from left engine bank. At idle and driving. Increase ticking with increased rpm.
Ticking sound, sounds bad first start in the morning.