Do Jeep Wranglers have Air Conditioning? [Detailed Answer]

Do Jeep Wranglers have air conditioning? Well, that depends. I’ll explain in more depth in this article but I will summarize it all here.

The earliest Jeep Wrangler model did not come with air conditioning system as standard up until 1986 when the first Wrangler, the YJ, came with A/C as an option.

You could purchase the standard air conditioning System already installed or buy an air conditioning kit that you could fit your Jeep and remember to check the air conditioning bypass.

Fortunately, though, they all came with heating as standard so you didn’t suffer during the cold winter months. Fast forward to now and you still have the option to have your Jeep Wrangler with or Without air conditioning.

It may seem weird that in this day and age cars are still being manufactured without air conditioning as standard but you will discover some of the reasons why as you read this article further.

Jeep Wrangler Air Conditioning History

The Jeep has come a long way since it’s inception in 1940 and a lot of modifications have been made along the way. It was basically an army vehicle until 1945 when the CJ was released for the general public.

It was only in 1986 when the first Jeep Wrangler was released that air conditioning was introduced as a feature in Jeeps, though only as an option at this point.

If you are looking to purchase a Jeep Wrangler, in the rest of this article, we will talk about which ones have AC and which don’t.

I will cover all the Jeep Wrangler models dating back to 1986 all the way to the present day so we cater to both the Jeep enthusiasts as well as those of you looking for something more modern.

The Jeep Wrangler YJ HVAC System

The Jeep Wrangler YJ was manufactured between 1986 and 1995. As already mentioned in this post, they came with AC as an option that you could get already fitted in the shop or could buy your own kit to retrofit the AC system.

The Jeep Wrangler TJ HVAC System

The Wrangler TJ first came onto the market in 1997 and ran until 2006. The TJ came with AC as standard with vents for the driver and passenger side seat only. Those in the back seat had to depend on the air circulating within the cabin.

The Jeep Wrangler JK HVAC System

The Jeep Wrangler JK hit the market in 2007 and lasted until 2017. Just like the TJ before it, the air conditioning system was pretty much barebones and vents only ran to the driver and front passenger seats.

The Jeep JL HVAC System

Next came to the off road capability Jeep Wrangler JL in 2018 and is currently the latest offering in the Wrangler line. The 2-door version of the JL sport does not come with AC as standard while the 4-door version of it does.

There hasn’t been much improvement in the AC system from what was on the JK but AC cabin tests when idling and while driving has shown differences of up to 7 degrees Fahrenheit less in the JL as opposed to the JK which will be both using the new 1234YF air conditioning system.

Conclusion

This suggests that there were some improvements made in the JL A/C system if there is this difference. Another interesting fact that you might want to know is that the JL has an option called Max AC which optimizes your AC so that it’s at its coldest.

The caveat is that turning on this function causes the blower motor/ cooling system out front to make a lot of noise and some JL owners have complained about this.