Is your defective Jeep Grand Cherokee actually a LEMON?

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8.0

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,959 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.

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #35

Jun 242024

Grand Cherokee

  • miles

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

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

- Lonoke, AR, USA

problem #34

Jun 212024

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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.

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #33

Jan 112024

Grand Cherokee

  • 36,899 miles
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.

- Troy, NY, USA

problem #32

Oct 222022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles

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

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

- Palos Hills, IL, USA

problem #31

Dec 072023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Started noticing hard reverse shift when vehicle was cold. Took to the dealership, tech could not find any issues other than it shifted hard in reverse. Tech found no leaks, performed PCM reflash. Still no problems found. Tech did not check transmission fluid level on vehicle. Must be checked at the dealership. Tech recommended replacing transmission even though could not find any issues. A few days later while driving at highway speed the vehicle suddenly downshifted to 3rd gear nearly causing me to loose control. Vehicle would not shift into fourth gear. Had to limp vehicle home.

- Mineral, VA, USA

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problem #30

Nov 282023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Driveshaft became loose while driving

- Crowley, TX, USA

problem #29

Mar 032023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles

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

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.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #28

Oct 132023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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.

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #27

Sep 022023

Grand Cherokee

  • 11,000 miles
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.

- Buda, TX, USA

problem #26

Oct 302022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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.

- Delhi, NY, USA

problem #25

Feb 142023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles

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

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.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #24

Apr 182022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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.

- Halls, TN, USA

problem #23

Dec 222021

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" *radio, sound, bluetooth connection, dashboard, entire screen of radio, navigation, speakers, transmission slipping occasionally - yes it was available for inspection How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? screen often updates itself while driving or the screen and dashboard turn completely solid white or black, preventing me from seeing speed, navigation or anything at all. The transmission often slips causing the jeep to lag. I still have a few dates of service following the forms that were uploaded. please contact me for all documents. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? YES Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? inspected by the original dealership Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" no they first appeared on 12-22-21

- Shawboro, NC, USA

problem #22

May 312022

Grand Cherokee

  • 15,000 miles
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.

- Marblehead, MA, USA

problem #21

Jul 232022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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

- Troy, NY, USA

problem #20

Jul 132022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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.

- Peshtigo, WI, USA

problem #19

Jun 042022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #18

Jun 152022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
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 ???"

- St Cloud, FL, USA

problem #17

Oct 012021

Grand Cherokee

  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while performing a routine maintenance on the vehicle, she was informed that the vehicle was emitting an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that failure was associated with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 28,000.

- Scott, AR, USA

problem #16

Feb 142022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
This is my second attempt to get someone to reach out. I have a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L with approximately 3100 miles. This vehicle has been in the repair shop a minimum of 10 times. Power steering goes out at times while driving. This vehicle falls into the Lemon Law. I have been unable to reach anyone at Jeep Headquarters to assist with resolving this buy back. No one has returned my calls. This is a very serious safety concern

- Richmond, KY, USA

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