What 2,369 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

My passenger seat headrest popped open without any incident or warning and the clip is broken. Air bag deployed from head rest. There was a warranty in place that expired in 2024 but mine just happened while I was driving. It scared me and caused me to swerve. It’s a known issue. Why no recall for safety? Dealership wants to charge 1100 to fix a defect.

NHTSA ODI 11748818

While driving down the road my active headrest randomly deployed and hit me hard in the back of the head. When I went to look at it to reset (because there had been no accident or collision) I saw that the plastic locking pins had broken. I researched the issue and saw that there was already a MOPAR recall for the same issue on the same year and model vehicle I have, but my VIN is not listed as an affected VIN so Jeep will not honor the recall for my product.

NHTSA ODI 11731759

On November 6, 2025 at 11:59 AM, the active head restraint on my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited deployed without impact as I adjusted the driver’s seat into an upright position. This was a spontaneous mechanical deployment inside the cabin of a stationary vehicle. The dealership confirmed this as a known failure involving the internal plastic retaining clip that holds the deployment pin. This defect was previously covered under a 10-year extended warranty that expired in November 2024. At the time of the incident, I was alone in the vehicle. I later sought medical evaluation for head, neck, shoulder, and lower back pain and was diagnosed with a cervical strain. Because this failure occurs without collision, it presents a serious risk of injury to drivers and passengers. I regularly spend time with elderly individuals in personal, non-commercial contexts and occasionally transport others in my personal vehicle. In such a population, an in-cabin mechanical deployment of this force could cause catastrophic injury. The manufacturer and warranty programs have declined to assist with repair due to expiration despite acknowledging this as a known defect. Estimated repair cost is approximately $1,000. I am submitting this report for documentation, safety tracking, and defect pattern analysis. Submitted by: [XXX] REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11704136

Was getting ready to go to town, opened back seat for daughter to get into vehicle, and all of a sudden the front seat headrest popped out. Was very scary. Thankfully no one was in the front seat when it happened. I could only imagine there would have been some pain/injury sustained if they were. There were no warnings. No other malfunctions. Headrest is not able to be "clicked" back into place as a bracket is broken inside. There has not been any investigation by manufacturer, police or insurance reps.

NHTSA ODI 11691894

We were driving this weekend and the headrest components failed and blew it apart. It shoved my husbands head forward really hard. We pulled over and tried to fix it but all the pieces are snapped inside of it. From our understanding that is a safety feature that is supposed to happen in a crash but we were not in a crash, just doing 55 mph down the road. It was not inspected by anyone yet but from reading online forums this seems to be a common occurrence.

NHTSA ODI 11690471

Drivers seat headrest, popped apart while driving. Hit back of drivers head with loud sound, scaring driver and jerking neck, while driving. Checked for recall, none shown.

NHTSA ODI 11690089

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling in the driveway, the front driver's side headrest deployed unintendedly. The contact did not sustain any injury. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the headrest was no longer covered under warranty, and the headrest replacement would be at the owner’s expense. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

NHTSA ODI 11687405

The headrests activator failed on the driver’s seat and hit me in the back of the head. I was driving about 35mph. This vehicle has never been in an accident. A week later the same thing happened in the passenger seat to a passenger. Upon inspection the plastic failed that secures the latch-pin. We were never notified about this problem!

NHTSA ODI 11679674

Driver active headrest self deployed while driving. No explainable cause as vehicle was not in an accident. It happened while driving normally. No cause can be observed.

NHTSA ODI 11672625

Spontaneous deployment of driver seat head rest (without any collision or trauma to the vehicle that might make it deploy). Unable to safely operate my vehicle now that head rest safety function is defective.

NHTSA ODI 11666051

Grand Cherokee head rest popped out.

NHTSA ODI 11665539

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the driver’s side seat headrest unexpectedly deployed from the seat. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the headrest needed to be replaced. The contact spoke with a second dealer, McMahon Motors Broward (720 N State Rd 7, Plantation, FL 33317); who confirmed that the headrest needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired because the vehicle was no longer covered under recall or warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was 115,000.

NHTSA ODI 11644097

The driver side Active Head Restraint unexpectedly deployed while driving the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11629985

The driver's side active head restraint deployed without warning striking me in the back of the head, fortunately not hard enough to seriously injure me, but hard enough to cause a headache. I had just gotten into the vehicle to drive to work, so it wasn't even moving. There are broken pieces of plastic that apparently used to hold it closed. My vehicle has no uncompleted recalls, but now looking at my vehicle information online I've discovered that there was a "warranty extension" in 2020 regarding a possible failure exactly like this, and I've also discovered there were lawsuits following reports of injuries! Chrysler never notified me, nor did the Jeep dealer bring it to my attention during any of my routine service appointments. Why wasn't this a RECALL requiring repair instead of left to be a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off??? Adding insult to injury, the warranty extension to 10 years after the in-service date in 2013 doesn't cover repairs today! The passenger side restraint hasn't popped open (yet!) but I'm not stupid enough to wait until it fails and injures a family member, so now I have to replace BOTH sides and PAY for both out of my pocket. Please make this a RECALL so Chrysler will have even a slight urgency to notify owners, and hopefully decide to replace the head rests immediately, regardless of how old they are.

NHTSA ODI 11612302

-The passenger seat head rest popped open (exploded - it was super loud) when in the process of backing up out of my driveway. - The safety of everyone in the car was put at risk. My husband was in the seat and was hit in the back of the head. My son, his wife and their 2 month old daughter was in the back seat. - The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by anyone. It just happend last night. - It has not been inspected yet either. - There was no indication of any issue with the head rest. There was no collision or problem prior to the rest rest popping open (or exploding, seriously).

NHTSA ODI 11606715

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? --It was taken by Jeep when they repaired it. They likely have it. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? --I was at a complete stop when the headrest deployed into the back of my head causing sever injury. There was no impact. The headrest slammed the back of my head. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? --Yes, and there have been news reports about class action suits, but there was no recall. In fact, they notified owners that if you hadn't had a problem then you're okay. No need to do anything. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? --Manufacturer (jeep) Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? --No

NHTSA ODI 11602962

The headrest restraint in the driver's seat spontaneously deployed hitting the back of my head while I was driving. It is available for inspection. The deployment was startling/surprising - quite a distraction - my impulse was to turn around to see what hit me - it wasn't readily apparent until I re-oriented my body in the seat and found my headrest had moved forward making it uncomfortable to drive. A web search indicated other Jeep/Durango owners have experienced this - some are attempting to "reset" the headrest on their own. A call to Chrysler/Jeep customer care confirmed that the warranty on this item had been extended to 14 Mar 2023 - no recall. I was not notified to my knowledge. They declined to help me. The vehicle has not been inspected. There were no leading indications of a failure, nor is there an indication currently, other than the headrest is split open and it is uncomfortable to drive. Why has a safety device that has obviously failed in multiple cases and was known to the manufacturer not become a recall?! This is irresponsible! The dealer indicated there is no means to repair this - a replacement headrest. In light of the cost of "repair" it is no wonder owners are trying to fix this on their own.

NHTSA ODI 11594441

I was driving down the freeway when I felt my headrest strike the back of my head. This caused a momentary distraction as my head was pushed forward and the back of my head was struck. The headrest component of the safety restraint system deployed. It is available for inspection upon request. The dealership inspected and said this is a known problem but they would not cover the repair as it fell outside of their warranty period which ended 10/2023. It would be a cost of $800+ that I would have to pay. There are no warning lamps/messages currently illuminated or displayed. Incident occurred May 30, 2024

NHTSA ODI 11591585

Vehicle was parked in my front yard and sometimes between the hours of 830am and 3pm the driver side headrest activated (popped). No warning lights before or after it activated. Issue could have caused an accident and possibly caused injury to myself or my children had I been driving when system activated. Vehicle is available for inspection Issue is a known problem as a simple Google search would show

NHTSA ODI 11591594

Passenger seat, headrest deployed, spontaneously going down the road.

NHTSA ODI 11591258

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's headrest fractured. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the contact suffered a hard impact to the back of the head. No medical treatment was administered. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with failed plastic clips within the headrest. The contact was informed that the driver's headrest needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

NHTSA ODI 11590370

Passenger side, headrest deployed for no reason overnight

NHTSA ODI 11587014

While driving the vehicle the headrest deployed striking the driver in the back of the head. Action happened while turning onto a residential street. Driver stopped to access the damage. Driver sustained a headache from impact. Headrest will not reset. If system deployed while driving down the highway it could have resulted in traffic accident. Concern for the owner as subject has severe spinal issues and impact could result in fatal damage. There is no codes visible at this time.

NHTSA ODI 11579975

Out of nowhere the headrest "exploded" with force while I was driving and it was like a punch to the back of my head. I am nauseous and have a headache hours later.

NHTSA ODI 11557802

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the front passenger's side active head rest restraint had deployed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the front passenger's side active head rest restraint had deployed. The contact was informed that the front passenger's side active head rest restraint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the warranty had expired, and the repair would not be covered under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11555458