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:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,314 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.

2006 Jeep Commander electrical problems

electrical problem

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2006 Jeep Commander Owner Comments

problem #12

Jul 152015

Commander 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 98,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My family and I were driving down the highway at 75 mph and without any warning, the engine died. When the engine died, the engine indicator light came on. Power steering and braking were fine at first. I steered the car to the side of the road. Before coming to a stop, the power steering stopped working. Once on the side of the road, I turned the ignition off and then tried to restart the vehicle. The car re-started immediately, however, the engine light remained on. I have taken the car into the shop and the technician was unable to find any problems with the vehicle....updated 09/22/15 about one week prior to the above event, I was driving home from the train station on a perfectly dry and clear day and when I was driving, the various traction control lights came on and the car would periodically buck while the RPM's would rev higher for a moment. After arriving home, I turned the car off and parked it in the garage. The nest day when I started it, the traction lights were off and the car appeared to drive normally. The lights that were on were the esp, bas, and the picture of the car sliding. When I took the car in for repair, the dealer couldn't find any issue with the traction system. The same traction issue has happened several more times and has yet to be repaired. Updated 09/29/15

- Gurnee, IL, USA

problem #11

Jun 022014

Commander

  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. While driving various speeds, the instrument panel lights flickered and failed. As a result, the gauges were unable to be read. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.

- Weston, MA, USA

problem #10

Jul 302014

Commander

  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that the all lights on the instrument panel illuminated then turned off after a few minutes. The gauges and air bag lights also malfunctioned during the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact received a notification for NHTSA campaign number: 14V438000 (engine, air bags, steering). The failure mileage was unknown.

- Union Grove, AL, USA

problem #9

Mar 292012

Commander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that the front driver and passenger's side door handles failed. In addition, the instrument panel failed and the contact was not able to determine what speed he was traveling or the amount of gasoline fuel in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown, but the current mileage was 57,000.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #8

Jun 252007

Commander 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 21,128 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 21,128 and the current mileage was 84,000. Updated 08/28/12 updated 09/24/2012

- Pensacola , FL, USA

problem #7

Feb 162012

Commander 4WD 8-cyl

  • 71,000 miles
2006 Jeep Commander 4.7L. Instrument panel lights all flash randomly on and speedometer fluctuates up and down, occasionally radio shuts off too when this cycle happens. Loss of power and car stalls without warning at low speed.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #6

Mar 052007

Commander 4WD 6-cyl

  • 30,332 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In the 5 years I have owned the 2006 Jeep Commander it has stalled while driving, stalled while parked. This happens at no set frequency. Sometimes it happens daily, other times it will go for months and not happen. The dash lights repeatedly flash off and on. Some dash lights don't work at all for months then like magic work fine for months. The vehicle sputters when accelerating all the time and at different speeds. If I am crossing or turining I need to make sure I have like 2 miles between me and oncoming traffic in case it decides to not work that time and I get stuck in the intersection. The cruise control no longer works. Luckily the computer went out that controls the cruise so I can't use it. The cruise used to just speed up and slow down on its own. I will be driving along and all of a sudden without notice the car will floor itself and not stop until I put the car in neutral. Regardless of what temperature I have the heater set to there is constantly extremely hot air blowing on my feet. I can not drive without shoes on or the hot air literally burns my feet. Overall- there are some serious electrical and mechanical issues with the Jeep Commander. I googled Jeep Commander and there are hundreds (I am sure thousands) of similar complaints.

- Mayer, MN, USA

problem #5

Jul 092009

Commander

  • 105,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The headlights began flashing on and off intermittently. The lights within the instrument control panel are not illuminated. The dealer was not notified. There are no recalls or warranties related to the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.

- Cleveland Heights, OH, USA

problem #4

Mar 152009

Commander

  • 55,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. She stated that intermittently while driving the head lamps and lights on the instrument control panel failed. The impairment of visibility while driving increased the risk of a vehicle crash. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility and a mechanic replaced the battery. The failure resurfaced after the vehicle was repaired. She is in the process of having the vehicle inspected and repaired by the dealer. The failure mileage was 55000. The current mileage was 63000.

- Meisa, AZ, USA

problem #3

Dec 052007

Commander 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 16,122 miles
November 24 evening leaving fuji (children in car) November 30 morning on way to work ? hit mailbox (baby in car) December 5 morning on way to work ? dies turning out of subdivision and stalls in middle of street (baby in car) there was one other instance when I had all kids with me?it was prior to Nov 24 but I do not recall the actual date all of the instances the engine stalled, the lights (when on) went out, I lost the ability to steer and brake as well. The mph ranged from 4 or 5 mph to 35 mph. There were times when it was warm and days that it was cold. Nothing seemed to standout as a possible "trigger" I took car to dealer after the November 24th incident. Tony in the service department said there was really nothing that they could do unless it was a problem they could "make happen" when they drove it. A few days later I wrecked into a mailbox when my Jeep stalled and I lost steering and braking capability....I am lucky it was not head on with a large truck or a tree.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #2

Apr 062007

Commander 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,048 miles
- 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.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #1

Dec 292006

Commander 4WD

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,143 miles
It started out that the car was acting up, every warning light was illuminated, the speedometer and tachometer were going all over the place (like they were bouncing). We took it in to the dealer and they said we would have to bring the car back in when it was still doing this, because they plugged it in to the computer and couldn't find anything wrong. So to the dismay of my wife we took the car back even though they couldn't find anything wrong with it. About a week later my wife was pulling into the mall (on the 29th of Dec.), it was extremely busy, so the mall had flagmen out directing traffic. She was on a downhill ramp waiting for the flagmen to let her go. As she was sitting there stopped the instrument panel started going nuts again. At that moment her foot, which was on the brake went straight to the floor, she had lost all brake pressure in the pedal. As she was pumping the brakes she had to honk and wave to the flagmen that she couldn't stop and to move. She had traveled about a 100 feet and finally came to a stop when the car hit the one that was further downhill from her. We call reuther Jeep and told them what had happened and they said to tow the car to their shop and they would give us a rental car. They told me to contact Chrysler and have them do an investigation. They did they investigation (without driving the car) plugged it into the computer, and later told me that there was no problem with the car, and we should contact our insurance company. No other explanation was given. I did some searching online and found numerous instances where this seems to be a problem and falls in line with the recall that Chrysler had recently done on the 64000+ cars. I don't want this car back, I don't feel it is safe and I fear for my wife and kids that are always in this car. We leased the vehicle I don't see why they should be able to make this right. I just want a safe vehicle for my wife and kids.

- Ballwin, MO, USA

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