2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle was started in the driveway but immediately turned off. The vehicle was restarted and shifted into reverse(R); however, the vehicle drove forward instead. The vehicle was immediately turned off to avoid a crash. The following day, while attempting to start the vehicle, the ignition failed to immediately respond while starting the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with ignition failure. The contact was informed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V567000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,330.

NHTSA ID

11719895

Incident

Feb 16, 2026

Mileage

155,330 mi

5.7L Hemi Engine fire. The primary cause was a wire harness retention clip failure that allows the starter wiring harness to lay on the steering column. As it turns, it cuts into the harness and provides battery voltage to the steering column. In my case, there was a power steering fluid leak combined with the electrified steering assembly started a fire. Any similar combustible fluid would have the same result. It may be a potential recall that should be investigated. VIN 8C244809. Incident occurred on 1-28-26. I have video footage of the issue if needed.

NHTSA ID

11717216

Incident

Jan 28, 2026

Driver's steering wheel airbag malfunctioned and deployed unexpectedly while backing into a parking space. Safety of passengers through potential of bodily injury and car crash due to lack of sight and sudden explosion/deployment of airbag while car is actively being driven could have been causedby this malfunction. Various incidents of this safety issue have been reported, but no recalls have been officiated yet for this specific year and model. Vehicle has not inspected yet, it just occurred this morning. Insurance was notified, but said it needed to be inspected by a mechanic or dealership. Airbag light came on today for the first time while driving home and then airbag malfunctioned/deployed while parking.

NHTSA ID

11716413

Incident

Feb 7, 2026

When driving it will randomly shift into 4th gear very hard and stay in 4th until you turn it off. It will happen at any speed and be fine for months or do have the issues consistently for long period of time then stop. It happens with no pattern or related reasons.

NHTSA ID

11655658

Incident

Apr 19, 2025

Dear Sirs: Two months ago I went to the local Jeep Dealer (Taraborelli, in Bariloche, Argentina) asking for 4 incomplete recalls. Two were completed but, in particular the number 57, the local dealer informed me that they asked MOPAR for spare parts (CDBOH113 -680050499AA- and CBTTP578AA and CBTTP57LAA) without any response from MOPAR. To my surprise the recalls appear now as "completed"! The dealer received my complaint and asked me to report the problem. They are waiting for the spare parts to complete recall repairing. What I'm expected to do about this problem?. Original recals were N11, N23, P57 and P73, those related with software were resolved but for P57 they required spare parts to MOPAR it is very important affecting the driving. I do appreciate your response asap. Thanks in advance [XXX] 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, 3.0 CRD VIN [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11643396

Incident

Dec 12, 2024

Ignition switch sticking in on position. Making electrical type sound and a burrrr sound. Called Jeep corporate and told not on recall list.I See recall for 2008 jeep grand Cherokee for this exact issue but they say not for Laredo.

NHTSA ID

11634467

Incident

Jan 6, 2025

My Wireless Ignition Node is showing a failure. Key Fob not recognized and displays unknown key warning. Leading to the failure, the key would get stuck in the start position and I had to manually return the key to the on position. The front calipers had also recently been replaced when my mechanic noticed it was defective. All of these incidents occured before I was aware there were any recalls on the vehicle, but now that I am aware; all of the incidents leading up to the WIN failure make more sense. I brought my concerns to the dealer and they were of no help in resolving my issue. My mechanic, in his best opinion, also believes these issues should be considered under the recall for the Ignition system relating to the recall.

NHTSA ID

11632951

Incident

Dec 29, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that upon returning to the vehicle, the contact’s daughter noticed that the front driver's side seat was smoldering. The contact stated that her daughter reported that the entire seat bottom of the seat was charred and melted the plastic frame and the seat cover. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed back to the residence. Additionally, the contact stated that the seat heater had engaged independently, causing her daughter to place a blanket on the seat to safely drive the vehicle. A mobile independent mechanic inspected the vehicle, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11627556

Incident

Nov 24, 2023

Mileage

170,000 mi

My 2008 jeep grand cheroke has caught on fire multiple times & started smoking. The rpms would always jump High and one day I went to go leave and it went real high causing it to accelerate on its own and went I went to go try to stop it my breaks failed and emergency brake would not work.

NHTSA ID

11626481

Incident

Aug 19, 2024

While driving down the interstate at approximately 75mph to 80 mph, the driver side air bag curtain deployed with no warning or indication. There was no impact or bump in the road to cause vibration or a false signal to trigger the activation of the air curtain. I was simply driving the vehicle as normal when it deployed. When the airbags deployed, it caused me to swerve due to fear of the load noise, physical impact of air curtain, and visual interference. Fortunately, there was no traffic in the adjacent lanes, and I was able to get to the shoulder of the interstate. After I assessed the situation and calmed my nerves I navigated to my destination under the risk of visual impedance on the driver side. Emergency services was not contacted. The vehicle was not inspected by a professional however it was discussed with certified mechanics. In addition, I contacted the manufacturer in which they responded with..."There are no recalls for this vehicle, the vehicle is 16 years old with over 150K miles therefore they will do nothing. Regardless of the mileage and vehicle age, this should NOT have happened as there was no cause for it to happen. Luckily no additional damage took place or any major injury or fatality.

NHTSA ID

11607188

Incident

Jul 20, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V567000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11575837

Incident

Mar 6, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in an unknown recall and the ignition switch was replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start intermittently. The failure recurred several times and the contact needed to have the vehicle jumpstarted. The dealer was informed of the failure but was unable to identify the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA ID

11555082

Incident

Dec 1, 2018

Mileage

90,000 mi

Tboned in an intersection, jeep rolled over multiple times, no airbags deployed. checked online, no recalls in effect so they should have gone off.

NHTSA ID

11536137

Incident

Jul 29, 2023

The interior lights like dashboard/radio/a.c lights flicker while I'm driving. Its seems like some kind of short cause my the bulb on my right tail light seems to go out a lot more than any other light. When im parked and any door gets opened the dome lights flicker on and off even when I have it to be off when when the doors open. Also my headlights look like moist of some sort, dont see any cracks for that to happen. Due to the moisture or maybe not even related to it but the headlights dont even look like theyre on

NHTSA ID

11535176

Incident

Jul 29, 2023

At approximately 12:05 pm on Monday, 6/12/23, I was making a right turn into a parking spot in front of Golden1 Credit Union, at 1040 E. Cypress Avenue. I was halfway into the turn when my driver's airbag deployed, striking me in the stomach and right hand and forearm. Despite being startled by the loud explosion, I managed to finish parking without hitting either the vehicle next to me or the curb. Approximately 1-2 minutes later, there was a second explosion from the airbag that sprayed small particles at me, again striking my right forearm. The incident left three superficial burn marks on my hand and arm. (I did not photograph them until this moment; only one mark is still visible.) My first thought when the airbag deployed was that I had been shot, as I heard a loud bang, smelled what I thought was gunpowder, and felt pain in my arm and stomach. I happened to be on a phone call with my spouse when it occurred (via hands-free stereo Bluetooth), so he heard the explosion followed by my shriek, and he also heard the second explosion. I had the vehicle towed to my trusted mechanics at Advanced Automotive. My service advisor was curious whether my vehicle (which I purchased used, in 2020) had been part of a safety recall in the past. In addition to his own research, he contacted a colleague at the local Jeep Chrysler dealer regarding same. Neither of them found any recall for my specific VIN, or for my specific vehicle year. He expressed his concern that even if they were to replace the airbag module, there was no guarantee that it would fix whatever had caused it to inadvertently deploy, and he recommended that I seek service from a Jeep/Chrysler dealer and implore them to take accountability for the issue. Prior to this incident, there was never any indication that anything was wrong with any safety system on the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11527112

Incident

Jun 12, 2023

Clockspring has gone bad and caused my airbag light to come on and off. A recall has already been placed for Jeep Wrangler but Grand Cherokee should have been included with the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11522757

Incident

May 3, 2023

the jeep goes into limp mode and gets stuck in 2 gear I have replaced the shifter solenoid and still happens I have read about this happing to the same jeep from 2005-2010 model and this is a safety issue that need to be recalled immediately. I was driving on the highway and the jeep shifted into 2nd gear mind I was going the speed limit of 65 and it went down to 30 MPH and it almost caused a pike up on the interstate.

NHTSA ID

11482474

Incident

Jul 14, 2022

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while looking underneath the vehicle, he noticed that the skid plate was severely rusted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed that the skid plate was extremely rusted. The contact called the local dealer and was notified that there was a replacement part. The contact was also provided the cost to do the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 39,400.

NHTSA ID

11482394

Incident

Aug 25, 2022

Mileage

39,400 mi

Traveling at 55mph on Rt. 264 W. in Virginia Beach, VA the right rear tire "exploded" with no warning whatsoever and sent my vehicle out of control coming very close to impacting vehicles on either side. I regained partial control and got the vehicle onto the shoulder. My family was shaken but o.k. State Police arrived. Upon inspection there was very little left of the tire (I will upload pics). Vehicle was brought to "Discount Tire" where close inspection of the remaining tires showed steel belt protruding from the front right tire. I was amazed. The vehicle had recently passed state inspection and was well within wear limits. I paid to have the (2) obviously failed tires replaced and asked Goodyear Customer Service to pay to replace the remaining (2) - all were bought as a set from Walmart. Goodyear Customer Service refused and now I must pay for the work as no one in their right minds would drive around on the remaining (2).. There's a 50/50 chance they would fail as well! It is my understanding these are not their "top of the line tires", but I must ask when it comes to safety what possible difference can that make? We depend on our government to properly test such basic safety related items that can cause death and damage in a moment to any family. I hope the NHTSA will/does thoroughly investigate all Goodyear tires, but especially these sold primarily at Walmart if I understood correctly. This is an incident that simply should not have occurred and even after the fact of TWO of these tires falling apart on the same vehicle, their corporate headquarters refused any responsibility; financial or otherwise.. not even an apology!

NHTSA ID

11480601

Incident

Aug 14, 2022

The ignition turns its self off when your driving down the road. It starts back up when you turn the fob, but you have to slow down to a very slow speed before the transmission will engage and this is very dangerous when it happens in heavy traffic.

NHTSA ID

11480265

Incident

Nov 1, 2021

I have not owner this vehicle for very long but while driving the engine will tune off! The engine isnt stalling it straight tunes off at low speeds or high speeds. It will tune off while accelerating almost like its miss firing. Most time the vehicle will recover on it own but ultimately will tune off. This is important becuase it dose this while on the highway, in traffic and it unsafe not to mention scary.

NHTSA ID

11465068

Incident

May 17, 2022

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that after pulling into the garage and parking the vehicle, the vehicle was turned off however, the key had seized in the ignition switch. After waiting for several minutes, the contact heard a click from the ignition switch and the key was able to be removed. The contact stated the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the ignition switch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V567000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11454710

Incident

Mar 2, 2020

Mileage

120,000 mi

My air bag light has been lit up like a Christmas tree for since June. I have not been in an accident and the wipers are not responding properly when turned on.

NHTSA ID

11443303

Incident

Jun 5, 2021

The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V567000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that on several occasions the vehicle shut-off due to the failure stated in the recall. The failure mileage was 121,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11439834

Incident

Nov 1, 2021

Mileage

121,000 mi

I have owned this Jeep since approximately 2010 and is in great condition. This has been a great vehicle and has recently began to give us these issues. 1. Something is definitely wrong with the electrical system. It is available for inspection upon request. 2. Temperature gauge not reading, drivers side rear tail light and front passenger side marker lights do not work. Directional and brake light functions work only. Partial illumination on instrument panel, driver side window switch intermittently works, windshield washer intermittently works, defogger / vent function partially working, 1 horn working and vehicle reliability is the safety issue. 3. My mechanic looked at it and is was NOT surprised about all the issues at once. He mentioned the TIPM having issues as many other of his customers having the same issues. 4. My vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else but my mechanic. 5. There were engine light warning lamps that suddenly came on when the lights started to not work, then the other issues followed. Since this is an electrical issue, the vehicle has a possibility of shutting down while driving, as has happened to others.

NHTSA ID

11439249

Incident

Oct 8, 2021