Jeep has solved the biggest safety problem of the Wrangler and Gladiator, and that is the off-road SUV and truck’s tendency to roll over.
Interestingly, the news doesn’t come courtesy of the automaker but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), which recently crash-tested the 2026 Jeep Wrangler 4-door off-roader.
During the driver-side small overlap crash test, the vehicle remained upright, with the independent safety watchdog noting in a statement that this is a sign Jeep has resolved “a longstanding issue with the popular SUV.”
Jeep's Fix? Changes to the Frame Rail
According to the organization, the Wrangler’s improved result in the crash test “came after changes were made to the frame rail.” It’s worth pointing out that the automaker made the same modifications to the frame rail on the 2026 Jeep Gladiator.
This is a major improvement for the Wrangler and Gladiator after earlier IIHS tests saw the SUV tipping onto its passenger side after striking the barrier.
“The frame rail reinforcement acts as a structural enabler to support an enhanced impact strategy for this test mode. It acts as a deflector when the wheel and tire are engaged in this particular crash mode,” a Jeep spokesperson said in a statement to Road & Track.
IIHS first identified the rollover issue in a test of the 2019 model, and the problem repeated with the 2022 model despite an earlier round of modifications. The problem resulted in the Wrangler being awarded a marginal small overlap rating.
Wrangler and Gladiator Now Get Acceptable Small Overlap Rating
IIHS
After the most recent test, IIHS has given Wrangler and Gladiator vehicles built after October 2025 an acceptable small overlap rating—driver-side and passenger-side tests combined.
Why didn’t the two models earn a higher rating given the significant improvement? Well, while the Wrangler offers solid protection overall, the passenger-side test revealed a high risk of injury to the front passenger’s right foot and leg, IIHS said.
The IIHS small overlap test simulates a vehicle’s front corner colliding with another vehicle, tree, or utility pole. The vehicle being tested hits a rigid barrier at 40 mph with 25% of the driver or passenger side front end, making it highly relevant for accidents happening in the real world.
Sports utility vehicles with a high center of gravity and short wheelbase like the Jeep Wrangler commonly have a higher rollover risk than most SUVs, but the Wrangler developed a strong reputation for tipping. R&T notes that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) calculated the Wrangler’s tip-over risk at around 26.7% in 2020, shortly after the debut of the current JL generation. That’s a higher percentage than most SUVs.
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