What 397 owners told NHTSA about the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk

Driveshaft became loose while driving

NHTSA ODI 11557248

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.

NHTSA ODI 11553510

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.

NHTSA ODI 11549914

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.

NHTSA ODI 11542601

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.

NHTSA ODI 11508865

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.

NHTSA ODI 11507256

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.

NHTSA ODI 11492355

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

NHTSA ODI 11491793

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.

NHTSA ODI 11489920

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

NHTSA ODI 11476034

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.

NHTSA ODI 11473872

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.

NHTSA ODI 11470107

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

NHTSA ODI 11469720

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.

NHTSA ODI 11456015

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

NHTSA ODI 11455302

This vehicle had a new complete transfer case after owning 3 weeks was in the repair shop for approximately 1 month. 1 week later power steering goes out. back at the dealership. Power Steering goes out again get back 1 day and Power steering goes out as I am driving. Back to the Dealership. 3 x power steering goes out. Now says a repair has been done. This week transmission and interior lights possibly going out. Car purchased new November 4, 2021 has less than 3000 miles on it. Has been in the repair shop approximately 3 months of the 4 months its been owned. This car actually scares me to drive it because I never know what's going to happen.

NHTSA ODI 11455167

2/18/2022, I was driving down Bethany and 75 in Allen, Texas when my vehicle made a sputtering noise then the gears went out. Could not engage the gears to Drive or Reverse. I coasted the vehicle to the church parking lot where I sat for 6 hours waiting on a tow truck. When tow arrived, vehicle's brake and parking break had to be pushed down to allow vehicle to go into neutral. Vehicle would turn on, but the ac/heating system did not work, radio was shorting out and vehicle remained locked in Park. Check engine light came on after the sputtering and did not turn off. Vehicle was serviced the previous week at Dodge City McKinney with no reported issues of this caliber. Per dealership, codes are showing issues with the transmission and engine. Vehicle only has 9347 miles and if I had been on a major highway, I could have been severally injured when the vehicle stopped. Dealership, made no attempt to review the issue upon its arrival.

NHTSA ODI 11453208

VECHICLE WAS PURCHASED ON 11/6/21 ATT SMITHHAVEN JEEP IN NYS. THE NEXT DAY I NOTICED SUBSTANSIAL CONDENSATION IN BOTH THE HEAD LIGHTS AND REAR BRAKE LIGHTS. I TOOK THE VECHICLE TO THE DEALER RIGHT AWAY AND THEY STATED "ITS NORMAL AND IT WILL GO AWAY", THAT BEING SAID I STILL HAVE THIS ISSUE AND IT HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. ON APPROX 12/13/21 THE VECHICLE'S RADIO FROZE AND I WAS UNABLE TO USE IT FOR SEVERAL DAYS. A MESSAGE PROMPTED ME TO CALL SIRIUS XM RADIO, HOWEVER THEY STATED IT WAS A VECHICLE ISSUE AND NOT A SATELITE RADIO ISSUE. I LOOKED UP ONLINE AND FOUND HOW TO HARD RESET RADIO AND I HAVE TO DO THAT OCCASIONALLY TO CLEAR THE UNRESPONSIVE RADIO. THE MOST RECENT ISSUE WAS A COMPLETE TRASMISSION FAILURE ON 2/1/22. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MOVE VECHICLE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GO FORWARD PAST THE 1ST GEAR AND WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE NEARLY CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT. DEALER IS NOT PRIVY TO THIS ISSUE AND DOES NOT HAVE AN ETA FOR REPAIR. JEEP CORPRATE HAS BEEN CONTACTED WITH NO RESOLUTION. THIS WAS A MAJOR MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION AND THE VECHILE IS ONLY 3 MONTHS OLD WITH 2,300 MILES. I AM UNABLE TO UPLOAD PICTURES OR VIDEOS HOWEVER I HAVE THEM TO SUBMIT IF NEEDED.

NHTSA ODI 11450640

my wife was driving. SUV was doing about 50 mph on highway. With left hand she hit the paddle shifter on the steering wheel. SUV went from auto trans mode to lower gear manual mode. Engine jump up in rpms, had to pull off road, stop car, restart car to get back into auto trans driving. This 2021 Grand Cherokee L has no way to disable the paddle shifters if you do not want to use them. This driving change can happen anytime, local or highway driving. You need to have them come up with software fix to disable paddle shifters.

NHTSA ODI 11446210

Front Drive shaft broke off vehicle while driving at 45 mph and lost control of vehicle. Vehicle is available for inspection. The vehicle lost control and almost flipped over when the drive shaft broke off. Problem was confirmed by dealer. Manufacturer has not inspected vehicle they had the dealer send pictures. No warning lights appear on dash before or after the incident.

NHTSA ODI 11445766

Vehicle was in park on the drive way and rolled backwards about 20 feet before coming to a stop. Video from Ring camera is available in the link below. https://photos.app.goo.gl/QjvPBfN47gBhqLA37

NHTSA ODI 11445369

Second incident in less than 2 months on Grand Cherokee L that has 2K miles. Vehicle experienced limp mode when stabilizer system malfunctioned when going 45mph. Began to stall and lost acceleration. Gas pedal was unresponsive. Second incident (~500 miles later) Power Steering Failure. Could not get vehicle out of garage. Luckily this malfunction did not occur on the highway. Was able to get it to dealer the next day and they fixed with software updates for only the effected power steering module. What other updates are needed and what happens if the braking system is next? I have lost all faith in Jeep’s ability to design a safe and reliable vehicle for my wife and 2 kids. My wife has anxiety driving her own car as well. The roll out of the L and Grand Wagoneer may be coming with potentially fatal flaws.

NHTSA ODI 11444256

Vehicle was left at dealer on 12/3 to address the infotainment screen gltiching and turning off and to address a recall. The dealer performed a software update and addressed the recall. I picked vehicle up on Saturday, 12/4. The infotainment screen flashed off again and I noticed the transmission shutters and bangs during a downshift and when I lift off the gas pedal. It was observed on Sunday, 12/5 that the nightvision images freezes and glitches while using.

NHTSA ODI 11442790

Rough shifts from 1st gear to 2nd gear. When making a a full stop transmission does hard kick.

NHTSA ODI 11442052

During the first 3,000 miles of owning the vehicle, on 3 separate occasions, the vehicle has failed to shift from first to second gear, appearing to get stuck in neutral. Because this is occurring when the vehicle is first beginning to accelerate this is happening when entering intersections, changing lanes, and crossing lanes causing the vehicle to rev while either coasting (due to the positive motion prior to shifting) or sit motionless when on-coming traffic is approaching. The only way to get the vehicle back in motion is to completely stop the vehicle (irrespective of the dangerous location) put the vehicle in park, then back in drive, and try accelerating again in hopes that the vehicle will shift on a second attempt. One one of the three occasions so far, this occurred while exiting a parking lot but before entering a changing lane on a busy street. On another occasion it caused me to get stuck on a blind curve. The issue occurs intermittently and to date I have not been able to get the dealer to remedy the issue. Their text msg response at TransitTowne Jeep Chrysler Dodge RAM in Elma, New York, is that "..there is no codes in the system and there is no updates available for the software. There is nothing to diagnose if there is no code and everything checks out in the system. ... The Jeep does have an 8 speed transmission that is all electronically controlled and it can take some getting used to." This is the response I received after dropping the vehicle off at 10 a.m. and receiving a call the same day that my car is ready to be picked up at exactly 1:03 p.m. (which included the time to perform an oil change, tire rotation, resolve a missing trim issue, and investigate an issue with the tailgate). The only warning was the beep that goes off when the car is in close proximity of an impact (due to the other cars approaching as I try to get the back in motion) but the warning is useless until I can get the car back in motion to avoid an impact.

NHTSA ODI 11440163