SAFETY

The Wrangler Unlimited has two sets of lower Latch anchors in the outboard seats. The outer Latch anchors were easy to use, but the inner anchors in both positions sat right behind the seat belt buckles, which made them difficult to use.

The good news for me was my kids' booster seats fit safely and securely in the backseat. For those of you with younger kids, beware. The rear seats are angled, making convertible child-safety seats tricky to fit properly because as the bench is narrow and the fixed rear head restraints don't accommodate the back of the convertible seat very well. A rear-facing infant seat was a tight fit.

Jeep has made all kinds of safety features standard in the 2010 Wrangler Unlimited, but there are some features that are not. For example, it has standard front airbags, but side-impact airbags for the front row are optional ($490). Side curtain airbags are not available in the Jeep, which is not surprising when you consider that the Wrangler Unlimited's top is removable.

The Wrangler Unlimited's standard safety features include four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with brake assist, all-speed traction control and electronic stability control with rollover mitigation technology that pulses individual brakes to prevent impending rollovers.

It should be noted that in Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash tests, the Wrangler Unlimited received a Marginal score in side-impact and rear crash protection tests. Vehicles are scored using a Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor grading system. The Wrangler Unlimited scored Good in the frontal-offset tests. The SUV hasn't been tested using the agency's new roof-strength tests. As a mom, these scores give me pause. You'll have to decide for yourself if the fun factor outweighs the crash-test results.

    See also:

    Warnings And Cautions
    This Owner’s Manual contains WARNINGS against operating procedures that could result in a collision or bodily injury. It also contains CAUTIONS against procedures that could result in damage to ...

    Headlight Switch
    The headlight switch is located on the left side of the instrument panel, next to the steering wheel. The headlight switch controls the operation of the headlights, parking lights, instrument pa ...

    Notes On Playing MP3 Files
    The radio can play MP3 files; however, acceptable MP3 file recording media and formats are limited. When writing MP3 files, pay attention to the following restrictions. ...