2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Powertrain (other) Problems

While attempting to execute a left-hand turn across oncoming traffic, the vehicle suffered a severe and sudden throttle hesitation and loss of acceleration power. Despite applying pressure to the gas pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate quickly enough to safely clear the intersection, creating an immediate, life-threatening safety hazard with oncoming traffic. There was about a 6-second delay and this kept happening. Following the hesitation, the vehicle accelerated painfully slowly. Prior to this incident, a heavier rumble or rough idle was noted upon engine startup. There was no Check Engine Light or warning message displayed on the dashboard. Bypassing the issue via Sport Mode was unsuccessful. This is a brand-new vehicle leased only two weeks ago. I am fearful to drive it at this point.

NHTSA ID

11776521

Incident

Nov 7, 2026

car doesn't idle well, when attempting to merge into traffic car stalls and hesitates to move. continues to misfire. has been in two dealerships for checking my complaints. [XXX] in [XXX] and Myrtle Beach Jeep. still continues to misfire. very scary to drive because afraid it is going to stop at any time INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11770973

Incident

Oct 9, 2026

I was driving on the highway on 9/23/2026 at approximately 5pm CST. A disabled vehicle ahead warning flashed on the dash and I experienced sudden, unprompted high RPM surges while driving. My car started making a very loud engine sound and I could smell something burning. I could not surpass about 20 MPH. I put on my hazard lights immediately and pulled off the highway and drove to a safe space. My safety and others were put at severe risk because my car immediately slowed to 20MPH on a highway at rush hour. I could have been rear-ended and severely hurt at the speed cars behind me were traveling. Others in the cars behind me could have been badly hurt as well. I couldn't get initial assistance from the dealership despite trying to contact them repeatedly and talk to a live person and instead kept being transferred to a virtual chatbot. My husband was able to reach a live person and the dealership then sent out a rental car and picked my car up. I told the dealership it should not be driven and a tow truck should pick up the car. When I typed the incident into the Internet, it said you should not drive it after this as it could cause further damage. However, they sated that they were going to drive it to the dealership and they had a service manager on standby if needed. I told them that it was in limp mode and couldn't go over 20mph. It is currently at the dealership, and I am waiting for them to call me once they have inspected the car and run diagnostics. I have started a case with JeepCares.

NHTSA ID

11766630

Incident

Sep 23, 2026

August 9, we were driving home when the vehicle jerked 2-3 times then the engine shut off (while in motion). This happened on a windy backroad with no way to pull over. We were able to restart the vehicle and make it home safely. Contacted Jeep on the 10, they said it was due to a spark plug recall. When driving to the dealership that morning service AWD light turned on, Jeep replaced the spark plugs and stared that fixed the problem. Driving home once picked up and service AWD light turned on again. Dealership is now stating it is the Drivetrain control module.

NHTSA ID

11763014

Incident

Aug 9, 2026

The turbo lag in this vehicle creates an unsafe condition when trying to turn onto a busy road, street or highway. It’s inconsistent and in the heavy 3 row SUV completely unpredictable. Today my wife narrowly avoided an accident.

NHTSA ID

11762500

Incident

Sep 6, 2026

Vehicle is very jerky while transmission is downshifting. With no pressure applied to gas pedal vehicle lurches forward on own forcing me to step on brakes to correct lunging forward. At parking lot speeds and while in reverse vehicle is very sluggish and feels like stalling will occur if pressure is not applied to gas pedal. Vehicle is also sluggish and does not respond right away while entering highway , there is a delay with acceleration , this also could cause an accident as the vehicle is not speeding up correctly.

NHTSA ID

11756647

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

On 7/16/2026 exactly 1 week after i purchase the vehicle after fueling i drove about 1 mile when the car started to misfire, when attempting to accelerate. Check engine light flashes a few times and then went off. I then attempted to reverse into my driveway and when attempting to do so the vehicle shut off completely. But started right back up. I then called the dealership and was asked to bring it in. The dealership has the vehicle about 2 days and said it has been repaired it had bad spark plugs. When to get the car it drove fine with no issues until 7/28/2026 when i made an attempt to drive to work, i had driven about a mile from my home and car to a red light when the light turned green i attempted to accelerate and the vehicle was hesitate. Then a few warning lights came on that showed issues with electronic throttle control and electronic stability system service. The car would not accelerate over 20 mph and would shake when i attempted to press on the accelerator, the car was then towed to the dealership and much it has been at since 7/28. I received a online request for service approval from the tech on 7/29 in which they stated cylinders 1 &4 were showing misfired and they would look into replacing the spark plugs but that they would continue to work on the car. I then received a message from my service advisor on 7/31 that stated the spark plugs were replaced but the vehicle was still having issues, i should wait until 8/3 for an update. I have not even had the vehicle for 30 days and it’s been in the shop twice for the same issue with about 1,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11754118

Incident

Jul 16, 2026

I purchased a brand new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit in April 2026. At approximately 1,205 miles, while traveling with my wife and [XXX] child in [XXX] , the vehicle suddenly developed a flashing check engine light and severe engine misfire condition. The engine began shaking violently, idling rough, and lost smooth drivability during operation. I scanned the vehicle using an OBD-II scanner and the PCM stored diagnostic trouble code P0302, indicating a cylinder #2 misfire. Due to concern for vehicle safety and possible engine damage, the vehicle was towed to Vaden Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM for diagnosis. The dealership later advised me that the spark plug in cylinder #2 had cracked porcelain and that the vehicle requires spark plug replacement. The dealership also stated they were awaiting authorization/approval from Stellantis before proceeding with repairs. This failure occurred extremely early in the vehicle’s life and caused my family to become stranded during travel. A flashing check engine light indicates an active misfire severe enough to potentially damage emissions components and raises concerns about engine reliability and safety. I am concerned there may be a manufacturing defect, ignition system defect, spark plug defect, improper assembly issue, or another underlying engine-related problem. I am submitting this complaint so the issue is documented in case other owners experience similar early engine failures or ignition-related problems on this vehicle platform. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11737567

Incident

May 8, 2026