CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Grand Cherokee hasn't seen the same complaint volume as the 2011, at least not yet.

It's worth noting both model years are part of a class-action lawsuit that focuses on a defective TIPM and a long wait for replacement parts.

The 2012 also received national attention after it failed a Swedish Magazine's "moose test". The test measures a vehicle's ability to swerve out of the way of an obstacle you wouldn't want to hit while driving down the road ... like a moose.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,105 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.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #72

Oct 042019

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 51,000 miles

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

JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT THE CAR WITH 50,000 MILES ON IT CAR IS IN GOOD CONDITION BUT ONLY A MONTH AFTER I PURCHASED IT A LIGHT SAYING ' SERVICE 4WD' HAS POPPED UP ON MY DASH AND IVE TAKEN IT TO SEVERAL DEALERS AND THEY SAY ITS NEEDS A NEW TRANSFER CASE AND IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. IF IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM THEN WHY HAS THERE NOT BEEN A RECALL ON IT, IT IS PRETTY RIDICULOUS AS MUCH AS PEOPLE PAY FOR A CAR AND THE PROBLEMS THAT GO WRONG WITH IT AND THE MANUFACTURER CANT EVEN FIX THERE OWN PROBLEMS ON THE CARS THAT BUILT! THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AS IT IS NOT A CHEAP FIX AND IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH THE MANUFACTURING WHEN THE CAR WAS BUILT. I AM DISGUSTED WITH HOW [XXX] AND UNRELIABLE CARS ARE NOW A DAYS, SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Somerdale, NJ, USA

problem #71

Jan 032020

Grand Cherokee

  • 47,000 miles
2012 Grand Cherokee V6. Transmission randomly slips to neutral while still in drive without warning. Mostly while stopped for light or sign. Shifting to neutral and back to get it into drive again. No signs of shifting, sounds, lurching, bumps or grinding. Smooth as can be, only way I can tell is the car accelerates. Repair shop cannot find a problem.

- Cghantilly, VA, USA

problem #70

Nov 282019

Grand Cherokee

  • 142,000 miles
My Jeep has been going into first gear on its on while in motion without me doing anything. It has been occurring for the last 2 years but is now happening with more frequency. It has usually happened after having been stopped at a stop sign or red light and after getting back into motion and up to speed but it has happened while driving without having recently stopped. I am usually in traffic and unable to pull over so I have been having to put it in neutral and then back into drive while in motion.

- Fultondale, AL, USA

problem #69

Oct 302019

Grand Cherokee

  • 100,000 miles

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

When I press the push start and the brake, the engine will stall and not turn over. It has happened multiple times in the 4 years I've had it. The last time I tried to start it, it would not crank. I used jumper cables to try and revive the battery. Doing this reverted power back to my vehicle, yet it would still not turn over. I then had to put the keyfob into the ignition and try it manually. Still nothing worked and my car will not turn over and start. It makes one click, and then nothing.

- Jasper, AL, USA

problem #68

Oct 012019

Grand Cherokee

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving 35 mph, the transmission unintentionally switched into neutral. The contact mentioned that the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that she moved the gear shifter into neutral and back into drive. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

- Dayton, OH, USA

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problem #67

Sep 132019

Grand Cherokee

  • 109,000 miles
When driving on the interstate at normal speed, the vehicle jumped out of gear and into neutral while in the passing lane. With no power I almost had a car rear end me before I could put on my flashers and pull over. When I pulled over and restarted the vehicle, it acted normal for a while. Before arriving home the vehicle did the same thing again. I took the vehicle to a repair shop and was told that the transmission oil cooler had started leaking and the vehicle was low in transmission fluid. However, with this vehicle there is no way to check the transmission fluid level and there was not a lot of fluid leakage found where car is normally parked. This needs to be recalled before someone gets injured!

- Attleboro, MA, USA

problem #66

Sep 102019

Grand Cherokee

  • 107,000 miles

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

At various times, when car is cranked and put into drive, the automatic transmission gets stuck in gear and gears do not change automatically. Very little power when trying to drive from being stopped. However when car is turned off and cranked back up it sometimes resets the issue electronically.

- Attleboro, MA, USA

problem #65

Sep 012019

Grand Cherokee

  • 126,000 miles
Having issues with gear shifting and the major complaint is the vehicle completely shuts down without warning and I have had vehicle in multiple times for the same issue and no answers. This happens as vehicle is moving and you have to pull over with no power no steering nothing. Scary deal. This has been going on for years

- Lonsdale, MN, USA

problem #64

Aug 012019

Grand Cherokee

  • 97,300 miles
Transmission cooler/condenser leak causes loss of tranmission fluid but you can't check the fluid level because there is a tamper proof cap on the transmission fluid level dip stick. Transmission got hot, truck slipped gears and loss of forward momentum control. This should be a recalled item but is not.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #63

Jun 072019

Grand Cherokee

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that there was a leak in the transmission cooler and an unknown warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to teterboro Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram (located at 469 us-46, little ferry, NJ 07643) where it was determined that there was no recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided case number: 59534039. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

- Little Ferry, NJ, USA

problem #62

Jul 302019

Grand Cherokee

  • 121,000 miles

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

Transmission fluid leak coming from A/C condenser/transmission cooler. Significant leakage leading to poor transmission performance such as slippage and vehicle jerking on acceleration or deceleration. Also jerks when putting into gear from park.

- Pikeville, KY, USA

problem #61

Jul 012019

Grand Cherokee

  • 76,000 miles
I have less than 76K miles on my Jeep. I have been the only owner, taking exceptional care of my Jeep, always getting oil changes on time and maintenance with very few city miles on my Jeep and I am having to pay 10K for a new motor and camshaft.

- Lakeway, TX, USA

problem #60

Jun 262019

Grand Cherokee

  • 71,978 miles
An unintentional shifting of the transfer case the 4 wheel drive its on and cant take it off, all started with the vehicle been stationary.

- Distrito Nacional, PR, USA

problem #59

May 222019

Grand Cherokee

  • 164,000 miles
Driving from the gas station to the highway when the rear air suspension failed to shut off and overinflated causing the forward mounts on the rear subframe to be ripped out of the body of the car which cause the subframe to crash into the exhaust, transfer case, and drive shaft which immobilized the vehicle. No injuries occurred luckily as the vehicle had not made it to the highway when the failure occurred.

- Bethany, OK, USA

problem #58

Apr 122019

Grand Cherokee

  • 68,000 miles
Transmission fluid leak coming from A/C condenser/transmission cooler. Significant leakage occurring leading to problematic transmission performance such as slippage and vehicle jerking on acceleration or deceleration. It appears this is a known issue with these models of Jeep Grand Cherokee and this type of component failure should not be considered normal wear and tear. This should be taken care of under a manufacturer recall of the problematic areas before serious issues arise.

- Morton Grove, IL, USA

problem #57

Feb 022019

Grand Cherokee

  • 171,800 miles
Car began to sputter and rise in rpms and missing gear going into nuetral and causing dangerous situations in traffic runs at 2 rpms in ideal standpoint now car is leaking fluids and service 4wheel drive lights on I read that there are recalls for this issue in other keeps but not for my VIN number and this is a manufacturer problem

- Plano, TX, USA

problem #56

Nov 092018

Grand Cherokee

  • 162,000 miles
While in traffic transmission starts to kick as if trying to get into gear.. only happens while in slow traffic of about 10-20 mph.. at normal running speeds all is well. I don't know if any known transmission recalls exist for my vehicle

- Huntersville, NC, USA

problem #55

Dec 022018

Grand Cherokee

  • 90,000 miles
Transmission cooler/ac condenser leak at tube joints

- Brewster, NY, USA

problem #54

Dec 282018

Grand Cherokee

  • 54,284 miles
Had to have alternator and batter replaced at 54,000 miles. Two weeks after completing this repair, the batter light came on while driving. After turning off all electrical components, was able to get the vehicle to repair shop. Upon inspection by the mechanic, the power train control module was no longer working. The mechanic had to replace the power train control module. In addition, 3 days later, the alternator had to be replaced again due to the failure of the power train control module.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #53

Apr 012017

Grand Cherokee

  • 100,000 miles
Takata recall leather on the dashboard comes loose, I've taken it to Jeep to repair and it happend again. The adhesive dissolves and makes the leather bunch up. The front left headlight blinks for a few seconds every time engine starts. Engine stalls and doesn't start at times.

- Stafford, VA, USA

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