RoadVitals

2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee Steering Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Steering reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Nov 18, 2021
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
8%
of 138 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 11 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming steering

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

ElectricalSteering
Filed Nov 18, 2021

My vehicle has stopped 3 times this year without warning. Twice while I was driving and once while my daughter was driving. There is a click sound and the radio and everything on in the vehicle goes. The vehicle begins to slow down. Luckly when this happened there were no cars around so each time we are able to stop the vehicle wait a second and start the vehicle without an issue. This is a very dangerous issue and this needs to be fixed ASAP.

NHTSA ID
11440924
Incident
Oct 18, 2021
ElectricalEngineSteering
Filed Aug 22, 2018

VEHICLE RANDOMLY SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND THE STEERING IS LOST. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING AND HAS HAPPENED AT 60MPH AS WELL AS 35. THERE IS NO WARNING BEFORE IT HAPPENS. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.

NHTSA ID
11121565
Incident
May 1, 2018
Mileage
160,000 mi
Fuel systemSteering
Filed Mar 6, 2018

VEHICLE TURNS OFF WHILE DRIVING, LOSS OF BRAKES, STEERING AND PROPULSION IS LOSS. VEHICLE DOES THIS RANDOMLY AND IT IS NOT THE FIRST TIME.

NHTSA ID
11076555
Incident
Feb 27, 2018
Mileage
51,000 mi
Steering
Filed Feb 20, 2017

MY VEHICLE HAS UNDER 65K MILES AND HAS GONE THROUGH 3 RACK AND PINION UNITS UNDER WARRANTY. THEY GO OUT EVERY 20K MILES OR SO. EACH TIME THEY DO, STEERING BECOMES LOOSE AND UNPREDICTABLE AND HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THIS ISSUE IS NOT UNIQUE TO MY VEHICLE AS I HAVE READ OF MANY OTHERS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSES TO ADDRESS THE CORE ISSUE, THE RACK AND PINION UNIT IN THIS VEHICLE IS PRONE TO FAILURE AND NEEDS TO BE PERMANENTLY ADDRESSED. MY CURRENT RACK AND PINION UNIT WAS REPLACE JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, LESS THAN 6000 MILES AND IS ALREADY FAILING AGAIN. UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT MAINTAIN ALL OF MY DOCUMENTATION AS I HAD NO IDEA THIS WOULD BE AN ONGOING CONCERN.

NHTSA ID
10955631
Incident
Jan 6, 2017
Mileage
60,000 mi
Powertrain (other)Steering
Filed Jan 18, 2016

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR THE CAR LOOSES THE ABILITY TO STEER AND DROPS INTO NEUTRAL. THE DEALERSHIP SWEARS THAT THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I TOOK IT IN FOR THE N23 RECALL TODAY AND AS I WAS DRIVING INTO THE DEALERSHIP IT HAPPENED AGAIN - YET THEY STILL COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. NOW I'M WORRIED THAT MY 4WD WON'T WORK

NHTSA ID
10820838
Incident
Jan 18, 2016
Mileage
55,000 mi
EngineFuel systemSteering
Filed Mar 14, 2015

VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING, KEY WAS IN THE ON POSITION SUDDENLY SHUTOFF CAUSING NO POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, INSTRUMENT PANEL AND GAUGES WENT TO ZERO. WAS ABLE TO RESTART AFTER A FEW MINUTES. DROVE HOME, WENT TO START VEHICLE 1 HOUR LATER AND NOTHING HAPPENED. THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE AND IS SIMILAR TO SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS FOR THIS MAKE AND YEAR. CHRYSLER HAS NO RECALL OR FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IS NOT WILLING TO RECOGNIZE IT AS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. SOMEONE WILL BE KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS OR ALREADY HAS, DEAD PEOPLE DO NOT COMPLAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID
10694263
Incident
Mar 12, 2015
Mileage
77,723 mi
Steering
Filed Mar 4, 2015

HAD TO HAVE THE LEAKING POWER STEERING PUMP LINE REPLACED DUE TO HOLE IN THE LINE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10692005
Incident
Feb 19, 2015
Mileage
51,700 mi
Steering
Filed Jan 17, 2015

PURCHASED NEW IN 2009. THE JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE 2009 LIMITED 8 CYLINDER HEMI ENGINE STARTED LEAKING POWER STEERING FLUID FROM THE POWER STEERING LINE WITH VERY LOW MILEAGE. THE MECHANIC BACK IN 2012 SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING LINE LEAKING DUE TO PRESSURE AND NEEDED TO REPLACE IT. SAID IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE AND LOSS OF STEERING SO I PAID THE LARGE PRICE TO FIX THE ISSUE. I THOUGHT IT WAS A ONE-OFF PROBLEM. THE EXACT SAME ISSUE HAPPENED ONE MONTH AGO IN 2014 (EXACTLY 2 YEARS LATER) AND I WAS CURIOUS IF OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I DID SOME RESEARCH TO FIND THAT SAME CHRYSLER ENGINE AND POWER STEERING USED IN MANY 2009-2012 JEEPS AND DODGE RAM TRUCKS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE OF A POWER STEERING LINE FAILURE. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM AS IT CAN CAUSE FIRES AND/OR LOSS OF STEERING. I BELIEVE THERE IS ALREADY AN INVESTIGATION BY THE NHTSA # PE 12-020. THE ODI NOS. 10465379, 10461736, 10459178. PLEASE ADVISE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10676194
Incident
Nov 15, 2012
Mileage
25,000 mi
ElectricalSteering
Filed Dec 4, 2014

WE WERE DRIVING AT APPROX 55 MPH (NOT BRAKING OR TURNING) WHEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE LOST ALL ACCELERATION, THE GAS AND MPH AS WELL AS DIRECTIONAL AND TEMPERATURE GAUGES WENT DARK/DROPPED TO ZERO, THEN THE CAR LOST POWER STEERING. WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, PLACE THE CAR INTO PARK, REMOVED THE KEY, AND THEN RETURNED THE KEY AND RESTARTED THE CAR. THE CAR THEN STARTED NORMALLY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10662135
Incident
Nov 27, 2014
Mileage
107,000 mi
ElectricalEngineSteering
Filed Jul 21, 2014

WHILE DRIVING THE JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE, THE CAR COMPLETELY TURNS OFF WHILE IN DRIVE. WITHIN SECONDS POWER STEERING IS LOST. THIS OCCURS WITHOUT ANY INITIATING EVENT AND OCCURS AT RANDOM. MOST RECENTLY THE ISSUE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH. THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED 8 TIMES, WITHOUT ANYTHING BEING RESOLVED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10615153
Incident
Sep 8, 2009
Mileage
32,000 mi
Steering
Filed May 29, 2014

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING IN JAN . POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED. IN MAY SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED WHILE EXITING I-91 ON RAMP. THE CAR IS PRESENTLY AT DEALERS NOW FOR , HOPEFULLY , A SOLUTION. *TR

NHTSA ID
10594927
Incident
Jan 15, 2010
Mileage
54,000 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .