What 685 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Srt

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering while idling. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 25 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart the following day. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Several messages indicating the air bag, the Engine Stop/Start system, the FWD system failures, and other unknown failures were displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving on another occasion. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where a mobile independent mechanic diagnosed that the PCM had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for diagnostic testing. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592647

I replaced the auxiliary battery, the main battery and the alternator, and my car is still losing power. I think that the voltage regulator that regulates how much power the battery gets is the actual issue. My car was manufactured in October 2017. Why wasn’t it apart of the original recall? I want this fixed. I shouldn’t have had to shell this money out when it’s a manufacturer’s defect.

NHTSA ODI 11591129

Misfiring. Can't seem to get the check engine light off. Vehicle is too new to be having these sorts of issues. Diagnostic reader says 3rd cylinder misfire.

NHTSA ODI 11590163

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine block and head are warped. Radio station keeps jumping to random station when I'm not even touching it. Auto On/Off light goes on intermittently. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This could be a failure and engine lock up had I not taken it in when first troubles came about. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes and I'm told the one dealership has 3 THREE other vehicles the same make and model with the same issue! I've also read on forums that many other people have this affect theirs as well. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Check engine light went on a few times, diagnosis showed multiple misfires in the cylinder. White smoke from the exhaust and vehicle shook and acted like it was going to stall upon starting.

NHTSA ODI 11586316

The alternator is pulling from the battery draining it and at 9.5 volts the car will go into safety mode where it doesn’t turn off but it won’t drive neither which actually happened to me on Saturday in the middle of the street luckily no car hit mines and the police helped me move it out the road. I complained to CArMax Kearny mesa the previous Friday and instead of them putting me in a loaner car and towing the vehicle they scheduled me for an appointment Monday (today) at 9:30am and never held up their end and I’ve been carless ever since and they had my car for 6 months fixing this same problem I’m having today .

NHTSA ODI 11572831

All three brake lights stayed illuminated during car operation regardless of brake pedal pressed. I was able to shift and start my car without pressing the brake putting my family and other pedestrians at risk of being run over if the car shifted out of park unexpectedly. Also no warning lights were on at all, so I drove on the road with my brake lights illuminated increasing risk for injury or death in a crash. It turns out the part is a hydraulic control unit. It was reading 120psi when the pedal wasn’t even pressed. This was replaced by an independent shop and fixed the issue. I found out that there was a recall done on 2011-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokees. This recall was “Equipment Safety Recall 21A NHTSA 23E-019”. This recall calls out this exact problem for our exact model and the exact part replaced. My vehicle did not qualify for this recall for some reason which does not make sense because of the following information. The Julian date range for the failed part is 8166-9106. The part pulled out of my vehicle has a Julian date of 8228. I am more than willing to provide photos and any documentation showing this repairs high cost and that it was done. There needs to be another recall with these cars to include mine and many others as this issue could cause death of unsuspecting people around the vehicle. It’s ridiculous that my vehicle did not qualify for this recall when I have an obviously failed part that FCA knows about but refuses to fix or reimburse me for. Please investigate this and enact a recall to fix a problem that was bad enough to be recalled once for another batch of cars. There are other cars out there that could cause death or serious injury.

NHTSA ODI 11558455

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA ODI 11552630

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the TIPM and PCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,229.

NHTSA ODI 11549806

THIS VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE (INTERMITANT PROBLEM) AT TIMES WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN DRIVE OR REVERSE. THE GEAR SHIFT CONSOLE AND DASH WILL FLASH AND THE VEHICLE IS RENDRED USELESS. I HAVE TO TURN OFF AND RESTART THE VEHICLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. TEMPORARY FIX. IT KEEPS HAPPENING. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 3 TIMES (DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE FOR OVER A YEAR). NOONE KNOWS WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. NO CODES ARE THROWN. JEEP HAS BEEN CONTACTED. SEVERAL FORUMS I HAVE LOOKED AT ONLINE STATE THIS PROBLEM WITH NO RESOLUTION. THE PROBLEM IS SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. WHEN IT LEAVES ME STRANDED IN AN INTERSECTION, WHICH IT DID, I HAVE A MAJOR PROBLEM. A RESOLUTION HAS TO BE FOUND. ITS NOT ALLOWING ME TO UPLOAD VIDEO. I DO HAVE VIDEO OF THIS HAPPENING WHICH HAS BEEN SHOWN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE ADJUSTER OF MY EXTENDED WARRENTY COMPANY.

NHTSA ODI 11545520

Auto start/stop turns car off completely, requiring putting the car in park and manually restarting the car. Causing a possible rear end collision at traffic light.

NHTSA ODI 11542509

The computer screen (radio, climate control, back up camera, etc.) The screen has a mind of its own. It will go on and off by itself all the time. It changes the radio stations and climate control by itself. The back up camera will be on and then as we are baking up it goes out, or won't work at all. Its very dangerous and distracting for the driver. In contacting Jeep, they will not cover the cost to repair or replace. We even purchased an extended Certified Added Care Warranty when we purchased the Jeep and they won't cover it either.

NHTSA ODI 11537496

The information center/dashboard radio is malfunctioning in that it switches between stations, apps, randomly calls people, the backup camera no longer shows consistently, or sometimes does not turn on at all. When using maps, it causes a danger as it does not show turns and is constantly changing screens. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This is distracting and makes hands free calling impossible due to the fact that it will hang up, put on hold, or call 911. This is a known problem for 2018 Jeep grand Cherokee. There were no warning signs and the issues started happening out of nowhere. This malfunction poses a big safety threat due to the distractions, and misdirection the system is now causing.

NHTSA ODI 11535366

Auxiliary battery which manages auto start/stop fails. First time battery was tested and replaced under warranty. Failed again two years later - out of warranty. Unsure about risk but depending on who you ask, the failed auxiliary battery can be a parasite to the main battery, leading to potential breakdown. Also misleading fuel consumption numbers due to auto start/stop not functioning

NHTSA ODI 11531654

The radio acts like someone is constantly touching it; I can't access any controls on the touchscreen, which can be dangerous while you are trying to drive. I know I'm not the only person who has this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11530273

Communication screen has delaminated causing ghost touching. While driving the radio randomly changes, the phone will dial, the hvac controls will start switching, etc. without anyone touching the screen. This is distracting and dangerous. At night the screen will change dimness and brightness. I have no control over it and there’s nothing to be done to stop it.

NHTSA ODI 11530290

My console is controlling itself and its causes risks while driving. The heated seats go by themselves and won’t go off. Causing the inability to drive it in the summer since it’s so hot. It self changes temperature, terrain, media, navigation settings on its own and i can’t stop it. This is a serious issue and a defect in wiring . There should be a recall issued to fix this issue. I’ve read several complaints for this exact issue.

NHTSA ODI 11527501

The contact owns a 2018 Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. The START/STOP system unavailability warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 45,000.

NHTSA ODI 11527444

ECM/PCM

NHTSA ODI 11526705

My radio touchscreen will do things on its own, it will adjust my heating and cooling, my setting, flip from radio, Bluetooth, usb. Call people and just like freak out. And i have no control over it and it wont stop. I have only had my car since February and it also only has 50,000 miles on it

NHTSA ODI 11525305

Car caught on fire while engine was off

NHTSA ODI 11524559

While driving the vehicle it shut off and would not start unless the vehicle was jumped. This happened twice in the middle of the highway, extremely dangerous my children were in the vehicle and other vehicles had to swerve to avoid contact with my vehicle. I took the vehicle back to the dealer that i purchased the vehicle from and they could not figure out the issue. My vehicle is currently with another independent dealer, i changed both batteries, i changed the alternator, checked all of the fuses and checked the relay switches and the vehicle still will not start without a jump and it will only run for a day without needing a jump. No warnings, it just happened.

NHTSA ODI 11523758

UConnect 8.4 touchscreen just started going crazy like someone was constantly pressing multiple buttons without stopping. Makes it totally unusable. Distracting driver.

NHTSA ODI 11523576

Communication screen started to delaminate and causes ghost touching. I can be driving along and the radio plays or changes stations, it has dialed contacts, etc. Without me touching the screen. When it happens it requires special attention such as trying to cancel a call being made or turning off the radio.

NHTSA ODI 11522978

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that she noticed a burning odor while operating the heating system. The contact then stated that she noticed smoke coming through the vent. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she was concerned for her safety. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where no failure could be determined. The dealer nor the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11522498

8.4” unconnect touch screen radio is bubbling. This bubbling causes the touch screen to select randomly. It will change climate control setting, screen settings, turn the radio on, turn seat heaters on, manipulate the navigation system. This becomes a large distraction while on the road and is extremely dangerous. This is a known issue with these radios in several Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler/Ram models. We have taken the vehicle to the dealer and asked for this safety issue to be addressed. They have responded that we are responsible to fix at our own cost.

NHTSA ODI 11521893