Jeep Wrangler

I am considering getting a newer vehcile. One of the cars I've considered are a Jeep Wrangler. It is very highly rated for frontal crashes and in general comes out well in accidents. It comes with a passenger airbag disable switch. In a vehicle like the Jeep that doesn't have much room behind the rear seat is the back seat still safer than the front considering that the front airbag can be disabled?

The back seat is something like 60% safer than the front seat for properly restrained passengers of all sizes. A child should not ride in the front seat until they are at least 15 according to the newest recommendations. I do not have the sources for these numbers on me, but I am sure someone will chime in with the correct ones.

I also don't have the sources for those numbers handy, since I switched to the laptop I haven't copied all my links over.

There are posters on this board who have Jeeps and fit pretty big carseats in the backseat, though! Hopefully they'll see this and chime in.

How would the Wrangler fare is a rear end accident since the back seats are only about a foot from the back of the vehicle?

As far as I know, NHTSA and IIHS don't conduct any rear ender vehicle crash tests. Nonetheless, I would personally insist on having my child riding in the Wrangler's rear seat properly restrained in an appropriate carseat. This is because frontal collisions are statistically the most common type of crash, while rear end collisions are among the least frequent type of crash. Severe rear end collisions tend to be rarer still since the vehicles involved are usually traveling in the same direction and/or may be already slowing down prior to actually colliding. Someone else on the board here can probably post a handy graphic illustrating the statistical frequency of crash types comparing frontal/side/rear, etc. Basically, the farther you or your passengers are from the windshield and engine block, etc. in a frontal crash, the less likely you are to be injured or worse if you are properly restrained.

Other Jeep owners who frequent this board have been able to install carseats in the back seat. It can be done. If you search for past posts using "Jeep" or "Wrangler" as your search criteria, you can probably find some of the threads discussing seats installed in Jeeps.

Given the greater likelihood of a frontal crash vs. a rear end crash, I probably would argue for restraining a child in the back seat even if the vehicle were an old recalled 1970s model Ford Pinto, notorious for bursting into flames when rear ended due to a gas tank design flaw. Then again, I'd rather walk than drive a Pinto. But seriously, if the Wrangler has a back seat and a compatible child carseat can be properly installed there, the back seat would be the place for a child to ride.

Rear-end crashes make up less than 10% of overall crashes (some statistics say as low as 5%), and like Jean said they are lower-speed crashes. The most common type of crash is a frontal, the most deadly are side impacts and rollovers. I would insist on a child riding in the rear whenever possible--and it is possible in a Jeep...just a little difficult.

Hi, I don't know anything about crash test ratings in Jeep Wranglers. However, I can tell you that we have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler and we are able to easily install the Britax Marathon and Boulevard seats rear and forward facing easily. The Marathon and Boulevard seats are fairly large. Also, we have a Britax Parkway and that installs easy too. We currently have in it a rear facing Boulevard and a Britax Parkway. Hope this helps.

You will typically have the most problem with an infant seat in the back of a Wrangler. We haven't had a problem with most other seats, although a few convertables don't fit RFing well. We had a RFing WZ in our 97 Wrangler until DD outgrew it RFing by weighing 33 lb and she is now FFing.


An infant seat will fit behind the passenger seat, but I would only do that without a passenger since it puts the passenger extremely close to the airbag.

You would have a lot more room in a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, or the new (07) 4 door Unlimited. They are very roomy, have head support in the ourboard seats, many other safety featuers, and seat 5 instead of 4. We will be trading our Saturn Vue (which we like) in on a 4 door wrangler from my daily driver later this year.


As far as the airbag turning off, that varies by year. Out 97 is the first year with a passenger airbag and there is no switch. There are a few years around 99 where there is a manual on/off switch. The 07s have advanced airbags which will turn it on or off when needed, but I would never choose to place a RFing seat there, and even the sticker states the same. If I had to in an emergency type situation I would put a harnessed FFing child in the front with the seat all the way back. they may or may not activate the airbag depending on the child's weight and the CR's weight.

I currently have a 2006 jeep rubicon unlimited which is the longer version Wrangler. Take a long hard look at getting the 4 door due to several factors. If you place the car seat in the front passenger seat you will have very limited access to the back seat when yoour top is up or on which it will be most of the time unless your child loves wind! The seats fold up kinda into the front floor board. The Car seat will not allow this therefore making you use the drivers side which doenst by design open up very far. Problems with the back. First imagine you flip there is no roll bar over head only on the sides. So imagine your bars stradle and pole or ditch. Second there is no side impact protection on the back seat. Atleast in the front seat they line up with the same roll bars that got a 4 star rating for protecting us. There is an aftermarket prodect by 4x4 Hard rock which is called an extreme sports cage that adds more protection for everyone cost about 600.00 not installed. Love my jeep just not happy with rear safety.