CarComplaints.com Notes: Whenever a new product is introduced, there's bound to be some problems. And man oh man, does the 2006 Commander have some problems.
It's the plight of the 1st-generation adopter: you get the newest and shiniest in exchange for a handful of issues that get ironed out in future versions. But what happens when that handful of issues becomes a bucketload? The 2006 Commander has quality control issues like the door handles breaking off and the sunroof leaking. But what's truly worrisome is the electrical problems like the vehicle shutting down unexpectedly, gauges going crazy or the cruise control having a mind of its own.
Bottom line: if you want a Jeep Commander, you're better off looking at a later model year.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,092 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V438000 (electrical system: Ignition switch) and stated that the part needed was unavailable to perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
There is actually a recall on the ignition switch for my vehicle, P41/NHTSA 14V-438. I have tried several times calling Chrysler's group recall assistance center at 800-853-1403 and get automated response that part is not available. Several times over the last few years, mainly while using the cruise control, my knee has hit the switch and the vehicle shuts off. Most times I have been able to start back up right away. However, recently I lost all power and another vehicle was rapidly approaching me from behind and it wouldn't restart, I had to quickly pull off to the side, just narrowly avoiding getting rear ended on the interstate. Now, I have a 15 year old that is starting to drive and it scares me to have my child drive this vehicle. Is there anything you can do to expedite Chrysler fixing this problem or possibly buy back this vehicle as it is becoming increasingly unsafe to drive. Please let me know and thank you for your time.
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. As a result, the steering wheel seized and the brake pedal failed to respond when depressed. The contact crashed into another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The contact stated that three occupants in the other vehicle sustained unknown injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ignition switched needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V438000 (electrical system). The failure mileage was 89,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the engine stalled, the steering wheel became difficult to turn and the brakes failed to engage. The vehicle was taken to dealer. The technician diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V438000 (electrical system) and believed the failure was directly related to the recall. The contact stated that the part needed to remedy the vehicle was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received a notification for recall NHTSA campaign number: 14V438000 (electrical system). However, the part needed to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,125.
- Center Moriches, NY, USA
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All of my safety warning lights flashed on and off repeatedly. At one point I lost power but turned car off and back on and it ran. Lights have still been flashing. On another occasion in the last month the ignition switch was knocked accidentally and the car lost power while we were exiting a freeway in the pouring rain. We were able to pull off to the side of the road and restart the car but we were scared to death. I have been told these could be related issues. When I called the dealer all I got was...well we don't have the parts for the recall...no concern for our safety. This concerns me.
Car turned itself off, ignition switch problem, maybe software.has stalled on many occasions. Has had software checked by dealer and there is no other fix, they say. Is this part of the ignition switch recall problem with ignition switch? thank you!
- faulty instrumental panel and possible ignition problem. Ignition would start, but panel would not turn on. The engine would not go over 30 mph while panel was off and brake system would not work. There were also loss of lights, including headlight, engine power. Brake was locked when making turns. Faulty engine light. Stalled on turns at slow speed.
This complaint is similar to ODI 10178480. The ODI 10181086 could also be possibly connected. The design and position of the ignition switch in 2006 Jeep Commander is such that a slight knee movement might turn the ignition off, resulting in lost of power and power steering. I have experienced this on three different occasions, most recent one while driving on highway I-5 in the left lane at 65 mph, with heavy traffic in the right lane. Luckily enough I was able to slowly steer left onto unpaved median and stop and restart the vehicle. Merging back from median into the left line was extremely dangerous.
I purchased a 2006 Jeep Commander 2 1/2 weeks ago. I have had it into service twice for the annoying whistle that appears to be common on this vehicle, but apparently hard to fix. While I was doing some research on the internet into the whistling problem, I kept reading about another problem that some Commander owners were having. When I took my vehicle to the service department, the service manager and I took it out to reproduce the whistle. I brought the other concern to his attention and he tried, and successfully, recreated the problem about 4 times. When the vehicle is running, if you accidentally but barely, tap the key the car shuts off. This requires the driver, if the vehicle is moving at the time, to put it in neutral, turn the key off and then back on. So potentially, a person could be driving on a multi-lane highway, doing 55-65 mph, and accidentally hit the key with their knee. This would shut the vehicle off, causing a loss of power steering. The driver would then, while avoiding driving into other lanes and being rear ended due to the car drastically loosing speed, have to put the car into neutral, turn the key off and then back on. I want to make sure that I make it clear, this has not happened yet to me, but the service manager was able to recreated this while we were sitting in traffic at a red light. He seemed to be quite stunned, and said he was calling Jeep that day to report the problem. He also saw this as a huge safety concern. I am trying to be pro-active in this complaint, bringing the problem to others attention before an accident has to occur, perhaps with tragic results.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Alexandra, LA, USA