Jeep model codes are the two-letter names owners use instead of model years: JK, JL, TJ, XJ, WK2, and the rest. They started as internal series designations, Jeep's own press material still uses them, and most of them do not stand for anything at all. This page lists every code from the 1941 Willys MA to the current WL Grand Cherokee, with US model years checked against Jeep's history pages and the EPA's fuel economy records, and it says plainly which letter meanings are documented and which are folklore.
In this article
- How Jeep model codes work
- Wrangler and Gladiator: YJ, TJ, LJ, JK, JL, JT
- Cherokee, Comanche, and Liberty: SJ, XJ, MJ, KJ, KK, KL
- Grand Cherokee, Commander, and Wagoneer: ZJ, WJ, WK, WK2, WL, XK, WS
- Compass, Patriot, and Renegade: MK, MP, BU
- CJ series: CJ-2A to CJ-10
- Military codes: MA, MB, GP, GPW, GPA, MC, MD
- Forward Control, Dispatcher, Jeepster, Commando, Fleetvan
- What the letters actually stand for
- Bonus: Ford Bronco body codes
- Frequently asked questions
How Jeep model codes work
Every Jeep generation carries a short code that the factory used before the marketing name was settled, and that stayed in use afterward because it is unambiguous. "Wrangler" covers four different trucks over 39 years; "JK" covers exactly one, 2007 to 2018. Parts catalogs, forums, and Jeep's own press releases all lean on the codes for that reason.
Three things to know before the tables:
- The code is a series name, not a decoder key. Stellantis refers to a "WK-generation" or "KL-generation" and never explains the letters, because for most of them there is nothing to explain. The two exceptions Jeep has spelled out are CJ ("Civilian Jeep") and FC (Forward Control).
- It is not on your VIN. No Jeep document ties the two-letter code to a VIN position, and the code does not appear on the door jamb sticker. You identify a generation by model year and body, then the code follows. If you are standing in front of a Wrangler and cannot tell, here is how to tell a JK from a JL.
- Model years and codes overlap at changeovers. Jeep sold JK and JL Wranglers side by side in 2018, MK and MP Compasses in 2017, and WK2 and WL Grand Cherokees in 2021 and 2022. A single year can mean two different trucks, which is exactly why owners use the code.
Sources for every year below: Jeep's brand history on the Stellantis media site, its Grand Cherokee 30th anniversary release, and the EPA fuel economy model lists, which record which models were actually certified for sale in the US each year. Where the two disagree, the EPA's US model year is used, and the disagreement is noted.
Wrangler and Gladiator: YJ, TJ, LJ, JK, JL, JT
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| YJ | Wrangler, first generation | 1987 to 1995 | Square headlights. Stellantis lists 1987 to 1996, but there was no 1996 Wrangler in the US; the TJ arrived in 1997. |
| TJ | Wrangler, second generation | 1997 to 2006 | Round headlights return. The EPA listed it as "Wrangler/TJ" for 2003 to 2006. |
| LJ | Wrangler Unlimited (long-wheelbase TJ) | 2004 to 2006 | Jeep's own press material calls it "the LJ Wrangler Unlimited from 2004-06." |
| JK | Wrangler, third generation | 2007 to 2018 | First four-door Wrangler (Unlimited). 2018 was a shared year with the JL. |
| JL | Wrangler, fourth generation | 2018 to present | Revealed in 2017, sold as a 2018 model alongside the last JKs. The 2027 Wrangler JL-2A keeps the code in the name. |
| JT | Gladiator pickup | 2020 to present | Revealed in 2018, first model year 2020. |
For the full model-by-model rundown of the Wrangler line, including the CJ years before the name existed, see Jeep Wrangler generations: every model year from the CJ to the JL. The LJ is the one most people miss: it is not a separate generation, just the stretched TJ that Jeep sold as the Wrangler Unlimited for three years, named in Jeep's own 2022 Moab release.
Cherokee, Comanche, and Liberty: SJ, XJ, MJ, KJ, KK, KL
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| SJ | Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, Cherokee (full-size), J-series pickups | 1963 to 1991 (J-trucks to 1987) | The full-size line that outlived three corporate owners. |
| XJ | Cherokee, unibody | 1984 to 2001 | The one most people mean by "the Cherokee." |
| MJ | Comanche pickup | 1986 to 1992 | An XJ with a bed. |
| KJ | Liberty, first generation | 2002 to 2007 | Sold as Cherokee outside North America. |
| KK | Liberty, second generation | 2008 to 2012 | Ran to 2013 in some markets; 2012 was the last US model year. |
| KL | Cherokee, revived name | 2014 to 2023 | Stellantis calls it the "KL-generation." |
The Cherokee name has lived on four unrelated vehicles. The SJ Cherokee was the full-size Wagoneer-based version; the XJ was the compact unibody that defined the modern SUV; the KL revived the name in 2014 on a car-based platform; and in between, the KJ and KK wore the Liberty badge in North America and the Cherokee badge everywhere else. When an owner says "Cherokee" with no code, assume XJ until told otherwise.
Grand Cherokee, Commander, and Wagoneer: ZJ, WJ, WK, WK2, WL, XK, WS
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZJ | Grand Cherokee, first generation | 1993 to 1998 | |
| WJ | Grand Cherokee, second generation | 1999 to 2004 | |
| WK | Grand Cherokee, third generation | 2005 to 2010 | |
| WK2 | Grand Cherokee, fourth generation | 2011 to 2022 | Overlapped the WL for two model years; the EPA still listed a "Grand Cherokee WK" for 2022. |
| WL | Grand Cherokee, fifth generation | 2021 to present | Launched as the three-row Grand Cherokee L for 2021; the two-row and 4xe followed for 2022. |
| XK | Commander | 2006 to 2010 | Three-row cousin of the WK. |
| WS | Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer | 2022 to present | The Wagoneer name returned in 2021 as a 2022 model. |
The WK2 is the trap. Jeep's 30th anniversary release gives it 2011 to 2022, and the EPA certified a 2022 "Grand Cherokee WK" alongside the new WL, so a 2021 or 2022 Grand Cherokee can be either generation. The three-row Grand Cherokee L was WL-only from the start; the two-row 2022 came both ways. If you are matching parts or graphics to a WK2 or WL, check the body, not the year.
Compass, Patriot, and Renegade: MK, MP, BU
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK | Compass and Patriot, first generation | 2007 to 2017 | Two bodies, one code. |
| MP | Compass, second generation | 2017 to present | 2017 was a shared year with the last MK Compass. |
| BU | Renegade | 2015 to 2023 | Stellantis's own history page prints it as "BV"; everyone else, including the parts trade, uses BU. |
CJ series: CJ-2A to CJ-10
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| CJ-2A | First civilian Jeep | 1945 to 1949 | |
| CJ-3A | Flat-fender, one-piece windshield | 1949 to 1953 | Stellantis says it was introduced in 1948. |
| CJ-3B | High-hood CJ | 1953 to 1968 | |
| CJ-5 | Round-fender CJ, based on the M38A1 | 1955 to 1983 | Stellantis prints both 1955 to 1983 and 1954 to 1984 in different releases. |
| CJ-6 | Long-wheelbase CJ-5 | 1956 to 1975 | |
| CJ-7 | Longer CJ; Stellantis calls it the first major design change in 20 years | 1976 to 1986 | |
| CJ-8 | Scrambler pickup | 1981 to 1986 | Stellantis says 1985; the EPA lists a 1986 Scrambler. |
| CJ-10 | Export pickup; CJ-10A aircraft tug | 1981 to 1985 | Not on Stellantis's history page; enthusiast sources only. |
Jeep's own history pages disagree with themselves on several CJ years, which is why the Note column is busy. The disagreements are one year wide in every case; nobody disputes which truck is which.
Military codes: MA, MB, GP, GPW, GPA, MC, MD
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| MA | Willys prototype | 1941 | Willys's early Army jeep, before the standardized MB. |
| MB | Willys production jeep | 1941 to 1945 | The War Department manual of 1944 covers the "Willys-Overland Model MB and Ford Model GPW" as one vehicle. |
| GP | Ford prototype | 1941 | Ford's pre-standardization jeep. |
| GPW | Ford-built MB | 1942 to 1945 | Ford production of the standardized jeep; the Army manual treats MB and GPW as one vehicle. |
| GPA | Ford amphibious jeep ("Seep") | 1942 to 1943 | |
| MC | M38 | 1950 to 1952 | The Army's 1951 engine manual names the M38 "Willys-Overland Model MC." |
| MD | M38A1 | 1952 to 1971 | The Army's 1954 manual names it "Willys-Overland Model MD." The CJ-5 is its civilian twin. |
The World War II codes are the only ones with real documentation behind the letters, and even those are thinner than the internet suggests. The 1944 War Department manual TM 9-803 simply titles the vehicle "1/4-Ton 4x4 Truck (Willys-Overland Model MB and Ford Model GPW)." The Korean War M38 and M38A1 are Army designations; their Willys model codes, MC and MD, survive in the 1951 and 1954 Army engine manuals.
Forward Control, Dispatcher, Jeepster, Commando, Fleetvan
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC | Forward Control trucks (FC-150, FC-170) | 1957 to 1965 | Cab-over pickup. One of two codes Jeep has spelled out. |
| DJ | Dispatcher, two-wheel drive; DJ-5 postal Jeep | 1955 to 1984 | The Postal Service's own history names the electric "DJ-5E." |
| VJ | Jeepster phaeton | 1948 to 1950 | The code comes from enthusiast sources; Stellantis names the vehicle but not the letters. |
| C101 | Jeepster Commando | 1967 to 1971 | The number is the wheelbase in inches. |
| C104 | Commando (AMC) | 1972 to 1973 | Same idea, 104-inch wheelbase. |
| FJ | Fleetvan delivery van | 1961 to 1975 | Enthusiast sources only. |
What the letters actually stand for
This is the section other model-code articles get wrong, usually by presenting a guess as a fact. Here is the documented position.
- CJ = Civilian Jeep. Documented. Jeep says so in its own press material, repeatedly.
- FC = Forward Control. Documented. The trucks were sold under that name.
- GP: disputed. Jeep's history releases call the Ford GP the "General Purpose" vehicle. The alternative explanation, that G was Ford's prefix for a government contract and P its code for an 80-inch wheelbase reconnaissance car, is widely repeated and plausible, but no Ford or Army document we could find states it. Treat "General Purpose" as the manufacturer's position and the other as an unconfirmed origin story.
- GPW, GPA, MA: unofficial. W for the Willys design, A for amphibious, and M for military are the standard explanations. They fit the vehicles, and nothing from Ford, Willys, or the Army confirms them.
- DJ: unofficial. "Dispatcher Jeep" is the universal reading. Jeep's history names the Dispatcher, the Postal Service's history names the DJ-5E, and neither connects the letters.
- Everything else: no meaning. YJ, TJ, LJ, JK, JL, JT, SJ, XJ, MJ, KJ, KK, KL, ZJ, WJ, WK, WK2, WL, XK, WS, MK, MP, BU, and VJ are series designations with no documented expansion. "J" plainly stands in for Jeep in most of them, but "TJ" is not "True Jeep," "JK" is not an acronym, and "JL" does not mean anything. If a page tells you what JK stands for, it is making it up.
Bonus: Ford Bronco body codes
Ford used body codes too, though far less publicly. For the original 1966 Bronco, Ford's own site names three:
| Code | Vehicle | US model years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| U13 | Bronco Roadster | 1966 | Ford's own description: "the closest in execution to an off-road Mustang." |
| U14 | Bronco half-cab pickup | 1966 | |
| U15 | Bronco wagon | 1966 | The body style today's Bronco descends from. |
Later Bronco generations are usually referred to by generation number (second through sixth) rather than a code, and Ford has not published codes for them, so this page does not invent any.
Frequently asked questions
What does JK stand for on a Jeep?
Nothing. JK is the factory series code for the 2007 to 2018 Wrangler, and Jeep has never published a meaning for the letters. Explanations you see online ("Just Kidding," "Jeep Kaiser") are jokes or guesses.
What does JL stand for on a Jeep Wrangler?
Nothing either. JL is the code for the fourth-generation Wrangler, sold from the 2018 model year onward. Jeep uses the code openly, for example in the 2027 Wrangler JL-2A, but has never expanded it.
What are the Jeep Cherokee generation codes?
SJ for the full-size, Wagoneer-based Cherokee, XJ for the compact unibody of 1984 to 2001, KJ and KK for the 2002 to 2012 Liberty (badged Cherokee outside North America), and KL for the 2014 to 2023 Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee runs ZJ, WJ, WK, WK2, and WL.
What is the difference between a WK and a WK2 Grand Cherokee?
Two different generations. The WK is the 2005 to 2010 third-generation Grand Cherokee; the WK2 is the 2011 to 2022 fourth generation. Jeep occasionally writes the WK2 as "WK" in its own material, which is why the two get confused.
Is the Jeep model code on the VIN?
No. The two-letter series code does not appear in the VIN or on the door jamb certification label. Identify the generation by model year and body style, and the code follows from that.
Which Jeep codes have a documented meaning?
Only CJ (Civilian Jeep) and FC (Forward Control) are spelled out by Jeep itself. GP is "General Purpose" in Jeep's historical releases, though the origin is disputed. Every other code, from YJ to WL, is a series designation with no official expansion.
Related references on this site: bolt patterns and lug torque by generation, paint codes by year, and decals for the TJ. Decals and graphics sized for each Wrangler generation are in the Wrangler JL, JK, and TJ collection.
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