general problems of the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee - part 1

Be asvised, this report may be intercepted, deleted, hidden, or modified upon receiving. National highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety complaint complainant: [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] vehicle: 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee ------------------------------------- safety defect complaint – post-repair vehicle condition I am reporting a serious safety concern involving my vehicle following collision repairs performed by gerber collision & glass under a claim handled by state farm insurance. After the repair, the vehicle began exhibiting multiple safety-related issues, including: - steering instability and shaking - engine performance issues and abnormal noise - hvac malfunction - persistent chemical and/or coolant odors - physical symptoms while driving, including dizziness, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath I returned to the repair facility with photographic evidence showing parts with visible wear and damage that appear inconsistent with proper replacement. Despite this, no diagnostic evaluation was performed, and no corrective action was taken. The repair facility has refused to address the condition of these parts, and the insurer has refused to authorize further inspection. Additionally, there are discrepancies between the insurance estimate and the final repair invoice, raising concerns about whether the documented work matches what was actually performed, including work involving structural components such as the cradle/subframe. I believe this vehicle may be unsafe to operate and that the repair may have introduced or failed to correct conditions that pose a risk to driver safety. I request that this matter be reviewed as a potential safety defect related to post-collision repair. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Repeated cam shaft failure. The vehicle had a sudden loss of power. This has happenbed three times in the last 12 months. It is currently at a stellantis dealership in michigan. There is usually n o prior warning. The check engine light comes on as soon as the issue starts.

Transmission failure at 19,481 miles in my 2021jeep Grand Cherokee limited 4x4 v6. The vehicle has not been abused, and the mileage is low for its age. The symptoms—erratic shifting, limp mode, and “service transmission” warnings— are consistent with a known defect pattern affecting multiple fca vehicles using the same transmission.

I believe it is something with the engine or an electrical component. I was driving and as I was parking my car shut off, was not able to completely park back end of the car is sticking out. I looked up if there were any current recalls using my VIN and nothing appeared. I did my own researching and found that there have been recalls for that model regarding the ptu, power steering and power loss which is the issue I am experiencing. My car turns off on its own and does not get any type of power. Started having trouble turning on my car over labor day weekend was not able to travel due to what I thought was my battery having issues, people were jumping me to be able to start my car. I then had my battery tested at o'reilly's on 9/3/2025 and when trying to jump start my car they shorted my engine block fuse which I was told after having my car towed to the mechanic and they took a look at it. I replaced my main battery thinking that would solve the issue and it did not and this was before the mechanic looked at it. I then had it towed to a mechanic where they replaced the engine block fuse and I was told that the car was good and running after paying on 9/19/2025. I left the mechanic and came to work where after two hours I tried to start my car and it did not. I called the mechanic and was told it was my auxiliary battery after they came to look at the car and inspect it once again that same day 9/19/2025. I purchased and replaced the auxiliary battery and was able to start and drive the car for 1. 6 miles to my brothers apartment from my work before the car turned off on me as I was trying to park. There was an error message on the car at the time when it turned off which read with a caution symbol, "stop safely vehicle will shut off soon" and then turned off.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the esc and “service 4wd” warning lights illuminated, causing the vehicle to shake abnormally. Additionally, the transmission unexpectedly shifted to 4wd low while driving. The steering wheel vibrated while making a turn, and the vehicle jerked. The vehicle also intermittently failed to start immediately and made a clicking sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the abs had failed, and that the drive train control module and transfer case control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

Service shifter message keeps showing every-time I turn on the vehicle. Eventually it just stays on. Took vehicle in for service and when dealer was installing new shifter, it shorted out other components. Jeep still hasn’t found a permanent fix.

Once you start driving after letting the vehicle sit the transmission will “slip” multiple times jerking the car and everyone in it. Occurs every day around 4 pm and various times.

Vehicle code: c1562-98 air pump control - air suspension compressor is overheating or there's a problem with the control system, leading to issues with adjusting the vehicle's height. With further inspection he found a leak in the air bag fittings. Vehicle power control module has caused vehicle to shutoff while driving on the highway. Air suspension and electrical issues continued after 60 days of attempted repairs.

Since it was brand new it likes to shift hard into reverse or drive from park. Sometimes it shifts with nothing going on like it should other times there is subtle thump into gear other times it's a harder thumb into gear. There is 2 or 3 levels of hard shift into gear. Valve body and output shift kit have already been replaced and it's still happening.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal and attempting to overtake another vehicle. The rpm was extremely elevated; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and restarted the vehicle before resuming normal driving. The contact became aware that, when shifting between automatic and manual driving modes, the vehicle operated normally without hesitating. The vehicle was taken to several dealers on several occasions; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the failure. In addition, the headlights occasionally shut off unexpectedly while driving at night. The contact would pull over and wait for the headlights to return before resuming normal driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls associated with the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The car have a lot of problems engine total failure, mounting joints failure, acelere by him self, jerking,,while driving vehicle kicks aggressively in to gear, oil cup broken down make in the engine to blow oil over , no oil in engine. Sometimes missing 3. Quarters of oil because the seal of the engine no last , is a lot problems in this car.

I drove my car out of my garage on the way to work and just outside my house, the transmission bucked when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear and the p0733 code appeared. I turned around and went home and took another car to work. I had previously taken my Jeep with ~85,000 miles to my local dealer wanting the 4 wheel drive and transmission service as I do with all of my cars. It was driving fine, but seemed like the gas mileage was decreasing a bit which I shrugged off. The dealer informed me that the transmission wasn't serviceable. I thought this was odd, but they did the 4 wheel drive service and said everything was good. When I got the error code, I called my local independent transmission shop who said they could look at it in 2 days, so I didin't drive it until the ~10 minute drive to drop it off. They called the next day and said the transmission was done- burnt fluid and bits of clutch in the fluid. They couldn't even find a rebuilt trasmission because according to them so many are failing. They quoted me $8700 for a new transmission from Jeep which I begrudgingly agreed to because what else could I do? I've had one car's transmission fail (Jeep wrangler but it had 220,000 miles and was 15 years old so I could accept it. The shop received the new transmission from Jeep and then called me saying the valve body was bad, it would not communicate with the car. They went through warranty struggles with Jeep who after another week finally sent another valve body, which also did not work. Finally, they figured out they were sending unprogrammed valve bodies with the transmission and the car needed to be towed to the dealer to program. . . More $$$. So, after a3+ weeks I finally got my car back today. I've looked online and wondered what I could have done- there are so many similar examples out there of similar experiences, wrangler transmissions failing with low miles; it's unforgivable that Jeep says the transmission can't be serviced!.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that after his wife had parked and turned off the vehicle in the driveway, the vehicle inadvertently rolled down the driveway. The contact restarted and parked the vehicle in the driveway again, and activated the parking, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and golling Chrysler Dodge Jeep ram (2405 s telegraph rd, bloomfield hills, mi 48302); however, both dealers were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,500. The VIN was unavailable.

Started my 2021 Grand Cherokee Jeep started to drive light on dash transmission service and my vehicle would not go over 35 had to get off highway and get towed . 10pm on 12/18/2024.

Vehicle shifts from park to drive jumping gears ,making loud noises, accelerating by its self and jumps aggressively into gear. Transmission is slipping, late engagement when shifting, and shifting rough. Sometimes it will low rpm. Rpm is going up and down. Making total transmission failure and transfer case failure. Melting the hot and cold lines. Mechanic found aluminum melted and oil burn. Rpms fluctuate and gets hung up during shifting while driving.

This car have a lot issues we the computer in the car, the car I was missing oil in the engine ,the piston. Blows out no light ?? engine on the car have a lot problems we trans mission no light on,I have problems we transfer case no light on, now still having problems if backups sometimes is no light on,I don’t know if normal but if have a lot safety concerns in this car.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle started shaking violently. The vehicle then briefly lost motive power and was unable to accelerate as intended before returning to normal functionality; however, the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 18,000.

The electronic stability control has malfunctioned and the 4wd svc light has comeon. The vehicle shifts hard when taking off at low speed. When coming to a stop there is a loud pop from transfer case. Also the 4wd low and neutral comes on by themselves. This vehicle definitely has safety issues. I just bought this vehicle and just barely have 1000 miles on it. How is thus safe? the hard shifting started around 6/1/2024 the electronic stability, svc 4wd, going into 4wd low and neutral all started on 6/23/24.

Vehicle shuts down puts itself in park and applies the parking brake and states that the hood is not closed when it is and has not been opened. It also disable the auto stop/start . It does this at traffic lights or when ever a vehicle comes to a stop creating a potential rear end collision due to having to manually restart the vehicle, disengage the parking brake and put the vehicle in drive.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the vehicle started losing motive power before stalling and shutting off. During the failure, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The messages "service shifter" and "transmission temperature high" were displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer and was reprogrammed; however, after retrieving the vehicle, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,899.

Driveshaft became loose while driving.

Paddle shifters are disabled with no way to enable them. While towing, there is no way to reduce downhill speed maximizing the use of the power train while minimizing the use of the brake system causing the brakes to overheat and a potential crash incident.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that after accelerating from a stop light and driving approximately 45 mph, the wheels locked up causing the vehicle to abruptly stop, and the vehicle stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the failure immediately reoccurred. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,000.

I was driving down the highway and all of the sudden and with zero warning the engine cut off but the effect it had on the car was very severe engine braking as it automatically downshifted very aggressively which caused me to go from about 80mph to a stop very quickly. The dash looked as if I simply had the car switched to on without starting the engine. There were no warning lights lit. Shifting into park and turning the car completely off and back on allowed it to start again with no further symptoms.

The vehicle turned off once while driving and the check transmission light comes on periodically. L took it in for service, however, the dealer was not able to find the problem. Since leaving the repair shop the check transmission indicator comes on while driving and turning.

Turning the car on, there was a failure of our power steering and the steering wheel was not functional. Check engine light and power steering error lights came on. After turning car on and off, we were able to drive (check engine light remained on) to a dealership. They performed a software update that Chrysler released in oct 2022. This is the second time this has happened to us (first in April 2022, car had to be towed), there are forums of similar issues for this model. Dealer was able to pull the codes and said they have seen other similar instances of this issue. "we cannot guarantee this won't happen again" it was physically inspected and did not see any obvious issues. This is absolutely a safety issue and should result in a recall in my opinion if it is a known issue that is a safety hazard.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the message to" shift to park and restart" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled but was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to a dealer during the first failure however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,100.

We were stopped for redlight at busy multilane intersection, light turned green, went to accelerate vehicle revved to over 3000 rpms but would not shift out of first gear, got to side of road put vehicle in neutral and then back into drive and was able to proceed. Took vehicle to Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealer service center after doing diagnostic they did computer update; they then got a diagnostic code to replace transfer case. The vehicle did this again about 3 months later took it to dealer they did diagnostic unable to find anything. Vehicle did it again about 2 weeks later took it to dealer and they performed a computer update. This is a very dangerous situation when vehicle will only barely move at busy intersections, and you are in a middle lane and can't get into and outside lane and off the road in a timely manner. When this happened the first time the vehicle only had a bit over 10,000 miles on it, it currently has slightly over 12,000 miles on it. This problem is intermittent, and the dealer has not been able to replicate it. Anytime that it happened there were no light indicators on dash.

In 2022 I attempted to back into a parallel parking space and the emergency braking system kept activating to prevent backing up. Attempted getting corrected at dealer but no trouble codes available. Was driving, slowing down to stop at about 22mph, emergency braking system kicked in, shifted into auto stick, switched back reactivated normal drive. Six months later, was at a stop sign, on green light, turned left from left lane, accelerating to approximately 25mph, suddenly emergency braking activated again, again had to use auto stick to kick out of emergency braking. Luckily car behind me was not tail gating. End of message 04:56-fri-01/05/24.

My 21 Jeep cherokee shipped from detroit stellantis huge cover up flood car. My Jeep is 8 mons new. I leased it 12/7 contacted uconnect on 12/13 for powertrain malfunction indicator light on. Dealer claims vehicle health reports aren’t accurate. At dealer 3/14/22 service found stored fault for oil, low oil, carpet was destroyed, getting oil changed at 2300 miles. Dealer only recorded oil change on car fax. 3/31st- June I filed a buy back claim w/ Chrysler. Chrysler denied. At dealer 6/11 code p060a, stop/ start doesn’t work, car stalls, radio turns up/down on its own, center consaul base popped out, burning oil life rapidly. No work done. At dealer 6/14 ”faulty oil pump” said manager, car bucks on highway, car locked me out at 12:30 am called uconnect they couldn’t bypass. They stated door was open still locked out, stranded multiple times, car will not start. Dealer has me reschedule get rental 6/21-6/29 to replace oil pump, and fix all issues. Dealer state my oil tank is full but dash says 41% oil . Electrical sys. Is messed up called lemon law atty, accepted case. Chrysler receives atty claim whilejeep was still in the shop. Dealer didn’t fix anything but rotted carpet- oil pump on back order Chrysler refuses to pay for loaner while oil pump is on back order. The car doesn’t start. Pump to arrive late July. Vm from dealer, Chrysler told dealer my vehicle is safe to drive w/ faulty oil pump. I called dealer to find out status of pump my Jeep needs another oil change at 5,000 mls & engine light on dealer refused srvc b/c Chrysler told them about the lawsuit. Atty called dealer stated it’s a claim against Chrysler. Dealer still refused. My car won’t start,engine light is on. Tons of safety issues called another Chrysler dealer vm they refused to service Jeep. 7/23 took Jeep to 3rd Chrysler dealer found: po6da, b25af-2a, b1561-13 dealer said unsafe to drive! I have no car, no $ Chrysler refusing to pay loaner. Atty said this is fraud. Jeep won’t be in srvc 8/11 fraud.

The transmission was slamming into gears while attempting to accelerate onto a road way from a mall parking lot and any time we met a hill of even the smallest incline, the transmission would be slamming gears again so we struggled when met with needing to accelerate. When attempting to accelerate, transmission began slamming into gears, would and wouldn't shift, transmission would go into limp mode rendering the vehicle unable to operate safely and causing us to loose speed. Any inclines we would lose the ability to accelerate and would hope we'd make it up the hills. Any time I attempted to accelerate, the transmission would begin jerking the car in a forward and backward like motion while it was attempting to find what gear it needed. When that would happen, the tack would jump all over the place as would the gear number on the dash (I have video of all this) our safety was put at risk due to other oncoming traffic and my vehicle unable to accelerate as it should have and was expected to, putting risk to us getting hit by multiple other motorist not realizing we were experiencing a malfunction with our transmission not permitting us to accelerate as we normally should of been able to. Vehicle is going in later today (07/14/2022) to be looked at after it's oil change and tire rotation. I was told if it can't be replicated, there is nothing they can do about it. I showed them a video of what was happening (a video I took while on a non-busy side road with no traffic) and the service manager told me that it doesn't matter if I have a video - if their tech can't replicate it, then there's nothing they can do. I no longer feel safe pulling out into other traffic with this vehicle due to this situation coming on completely unexpectedly. There were no warning signals, alarms or anything. The problem randomly began happening and it lasted for over 54 miles as we were just trying to get back home from being an hour away from home with our child in the car.

I started driving through an intersection after sitting, stopped at a traffic light. I stepped on the gas pedal and the car wouldn’t move. It made a loud reviving noise but wouldn’t go anywhere for about 15-20 seconds. I put my hazard lights on and sat for a few more seconds and then put it in park, and then back into drive. I was able to pull onto the median of a very busy road. My vehicle was brought to the dealership who said there’s nothing wrong with it ??.

In March 2022 my wife was driving down a street in arizona on her way to work when she heard a pop and the car stopped accelerating. She managed to get the car into a neighborhood and pulled over. I picked her up and left the car there. Eventually I was able to get it towed to the dealership at which point the service advisor told me the transmission needed to be replaced. The car only had 2,900 miles on it. I requested that Chrysler buy the car back knowing it was defective but they said the car does not qualify for a buy back and they ended up giving us a 1 month payment and fixed the card under warranty. In June 2022, my family and I were on vacation in California traveling north on the I-5. The car made a faint noise and several lights came on the dashboard. It was still moving but we had to slow down due to an accident in front of us and the car stopped accelerating again. It would not go into neutral or reverse and we were stuck in the middle of the freeway with cars having to drive around us. After about 30 minutes of sitting in our car a tow driver finally pulled up behind us. We got out of our car and got into his truck while he loaded our car to tow us off the freeway. After waiting a couple hours the other tow driver came and towed our car to the dealership. The dealership diagnosed the problem and told me the valve body in the transmission needed to be replaced. The car had 5,600 miles on it and was fixed under warranty. We were able to drive it back home to arizona after using a rental car for a week.

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the vehicle failed to accelerate after shifting from reverse(r) into drive (d) without warning, with the rpm revving without the vehicle responding. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer after the second failure; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact also stated while going downhill at low rate of speed, the vehicle independently downshifted twice without warning, which brought the vehicle to a near stop. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward with her foot on the brake pedal with an abnormal cranking sound coming from the transmission. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

While in gear if would not go. Within the first 5,000 miles it was in the shop twice and had to have a new transmission installed. Drove it for another 5-6k miles and same thing happened again and dealership is saying it will need another transmission.