What 799 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

Passenger seat headrest exploded and hit my wife in the head/ear/neck and now she is in a lot of pain. This is the most random thing I have ever seen. My wife and daughter were driving through a parking lot going 4mph and the headrest just exploded. The plastic pieces holding the springs back broke and let the headrest fly forward into my wife’s head/ear/neck

NHTSA ODI 11609705

Heated Seat element on passenger side burned through the upholstery and pant leg of passenger. Visible smoke in cabin and burn hole on seat and pant through to underpants.

NHTSA ODI 11566313

4 days ago, while backing out of a parking spot, the passenger Active Head Restraint (AHR) deployed and struck my girlfriend in the head. There was no interaction with another vehicle and there was no accident. The AHR simply deployed on its own and struck my girlfriend in the head. I have not reset the AHR and left it as is. Please let me know what my next step should be. Thank you [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11540026

The active head restraints (AHR) deployed without any collision. I was driving on the interstate when this happened. My neck and shoulders have been sore now for 3 weeks. I went to the dealership and they said I would have to pay for this out of pocket. Chrysler should be paying for these since it is a known fault of small plastic parts that were designed too small to hold the tension of the active headrest assembly.

NHTSA ODI 11530272

The driver's seat active head restraint spontaneously deployed. There was no collision of any kind. This occurred while vehicle was stopped at a traffic light. The driver (who is not the individual filing this report) suffered a sore neck as a result. At time of deployment, the driver's head was inclined forward and tilted down. Otherwise the injury might have been much worse. This incident could have been exceptionally dangerous if the deployment happened while vehicle was moving. As of today (June 2, 2022), the vehicle has not been inspected by dealership. The first available appointment for repair is June 8, 2022. No warning or other indication given prior to spontaneous deployment. The part is available for inspection by NHTSA, at least until it is taken to dealership. I have uploaded pictures of part.

NHTSA ODI 11467089

I was driving down a residential road, going about 30 mph. I went over a very small bump. My driver's side seat headrest exploded open and hit me in the back of the head. It scared me so much I swerved my car. Luckily it was a quiet street and I was going slow or I would have had an accident. I have a medical condition called fibromyalgia so this triggered severe headaches and fatigue for about a week. Luckily no serious injuries. I took it to a Jeep dealership and they said it's covered under the extended warranty and will be repaired for free. But what about a recall to avoid this dangerous safety issue in the first place? What about the passenger seat that is also now waiting to pop open and injure someone?

NHTSA ODI 11439260

The contact owns a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the headrest independently exploded. The contact sustained a sore neck but did not require any medical attention. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

NHTSA ODI 11422269

TODAY I WAS SITTING IN A PARKING LOT WHEN MY HEAD WAS JERKED FORWARD AFTER THE HEADREST WAS DEPLOYED WHILE STATIONARY. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP IN ST. GEORGE, UT AND THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO CONTACT CHRYSLER TO FILE A CLAIM. I DID CALL THEM TODAY AND WAS GIVEN A CLAIM NUMBER. NOW I WAIT WHILE THE HEADREST SITS DEPLOYED IN MY JEEP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11326097

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE PASSENGER HEADREST DEPLOYED OUT OF NOWHERE SMASHING INTO THE BACK OF MY FIANC'S HEAD. THERE WHERE NO OTHER VEHICLES AROUND ME AT THE TIME AND NO COLLISION OCCURRED.*DT CONSUMER STATED FIANCE HAD A SUFFERED A HEADACHE AND PERHAPS A MINOR CONCUSSION.*JB

NHTSA ODI 11321505

WHILE MY JEEP WAS PARKED, ENGINE OFF, IN MY DRIVEWAY (FLAT SURFACE), MY 7 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WENT TO GET OUT OF THE BACK SEAT. SHE TOUCHED ON TO THE METAL POLE FRAME OF THE DRIVERS HEADREST WITH HER HAND TO ASSIST HER IN GETTING OUT OF THE CAR, THE HEADREST EXPLODED AND HIT HER IN THE SIDE OF THE HEAD. IT HIT HER HARD ENOUGH FOR HER TO BE STUNNED AND TO SAY SHE SAW STARS. THERE ARE DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS HAPPENING YET NO RECALL. CHRYSLER HAS HAD TO RECALL THESE SO CALLED ACTIVE HEADRESTS BEFORE BUT MY JEEP WAS NOT INCLUDED. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AND FIX AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

NHTSA ODI 11163429

WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A COUNTRY ROAD AT ROUGHLY 20MPH, MY WIFE WAS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHEN OUT OF NOWHERE THE HEAD REST EXPLODED AND INJURED MY WIFE IN THE BACK OF THE HEAD WITH SOME SERIOUS FORCE. AFTER PULLING OVER AND INSPECTING THE ISSUE I NOTICED THE HEAD REST'S PLASTIC BRACKET HOLDING IT ON HAD FAILED AND BROKE IN HALF. I BELIEVE THIS IS A FEATURE FOR A REAR END COLLISION BUT WE HAVE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT IN THIS VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY NOT WHEN THE HEAD REST EXPLODED.

NHTSA ODI 11161949

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WITH NO OTHER ISSUES WHEN PASSENGER'S FRONT HEADREST RESTRAINT SYSTEM DEPLOYED ON PASSENGERS HEAD. CAR HAS ONLY 24000 MILES ON IT, ALWAYS GARAGED, NEVER IN A COLLISION. RESTRAINT SYSTEM DEPLOYED FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON ON THE PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. JEEP TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ISSUE. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT ABOUT 35 MPH ON A CITY STREET, JUST DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, GOOD ROADWAY CONDITION DURING SUNNY WEATHER. TIME/DATE OF INCIDENT WAS 6-10-18 AT 930 AM.*DT*JB

NHTSA ODI 11102187

MY JEEP WAS REAR ENDED AT 50 MPH WHILE AT A STANDSTILL. I WAS READY TO TURN LEFT IN IN THE LEFT LANE. VEHICLE CAME UP BEHIND ME IN THE WRONG LANE AND DID NOT SLOW AND HIT ME FULL SPEED. . AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HEADRESTS CAME APART AND SPLIT INTO TWO PIECES THROWING MY HEAD AND BODY FORWARD. I WAS THE DRIVER. BACK END OF CARWAS HIT SO HARD IT WAS PUSHED UNDER THE CAR. ACCIDENT WAS ON 5/20/15

NHTSA ODI 10865208