2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, ODI sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled population. After review of information request response materials from both FCA and BMW, NHTSA determined that sufficient information to identify a comprehensive recall population could not be produced by FCA and BMW.During the investigation FCA filed recalls 22V406, 22E048, 22V767, and 22E087 which include vehicles not identified in the initial subject population by ODI. ODI also received recall 21V586, involving loss of motive power due to failed CP4 fuel pumps on certain BMW manufactured vehicles. An information request letter response received from BMW indicated that failed pumps on their vehicles were caused by an interaction between pump internal components and US market diesel fuel, leading to increased slip and eventual particle-generating wear surface. Additional work will be done to identify whether a similar root cause is associated with the FCA recalled population and if similar wear dynamics occur on pumps supplied to vehicle manufacturers other than those included in the recalled population.ODI has upgraded this investigation to an EA in order to 1) determine engineering specifications of internal pump components that are correlated with pump failure leading to loss of motive power or other safety related hazards, 2) identify vehicle populations equipped with alleged defective pump variants, 3) assess if vehicles equipped with alleged defective pump variants result in an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety and 4) gather and review any other relevant information related to high pressure fuel pump failure associated with the subject populations of recalls 21V586, 21V880, 21E094, 22V406, 22E048, 22V767, and 22E087.Review of the above information will allow NHTSA to confirm root cause and recall remedy viability, and identify and evaluate vehicle populations equipped with pump components that may pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID using the following complaint identification numbers: 11257550, 11351441, 11361603, 11361616, 11365300, 11365426, 11365858, 11366401, 11372337, 11373793, 11374797, 11376793, 11377871, 11378173, 11384377, 11386063, 11387018, 11399710, 11402550, 11415339, 11418868, 11418870, 11427075, 11434276, 11436807, 11437226, 11437249, 11437273, 11437292, 11437294, 11437394, 11437399, 11437403, 11437405, 11437423, 11437528, 11437565, 11437579, 11437580, 11437590, 11437679, 11437744, 11437781, 11437842, 11437993, 11438006, 11438008, 11438121, 11438138, 11438155, 11438392, 11438629, 11439359, 11439879, 11440397, 11443030, 11446542, 11448163, 11453556, 11458918, 11460558, 11469337

From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled inflators was, or will be, an inflator using either propellant 2004 or 2004L that does contain a desiccant. None of these "desiccated" remedy parts (which were installed in older model year vehicles) are currently under recall for a degradation concern. Certain subsets of desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004 for use as original equipment, however, have been recalled for a degradation concern. All Takata inflators produced with propellant 2004L contain desiccant, and none of these desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L are under recall for a degradation concern. There have been no reported field ruptures in any non-recalled desiccated PSAN inflators.It is understood that desiccants fully saturate at some threshold, at which point any additional moisture will not be captured. This means the degradation process observed in non-desiccated inflators using propellant 2004 may also occur in non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004, assuming additional moisture enters the inflator and high temperature cycling occurs. Based on available information, desiccant saturation can occur within the first five years in the worst environments, and the time required for full saturation is affected by multiple factors. While no present safety risk has been identified, further work is needed to evaluate the future risk of non-recalled desiccated inflators using propellant 2004.Three entities -- Takata (now known as TK Global), the Independent Testing Coalition, and Exponent -- have been studying the long-term behavior of Takata desiccated PSAN inflators using propellant 2004L (as well as 2004) in the presence of moisture and temperature cycling. The research efforts, which include development of predictive modeling techniques and field sample analysis, are ongoing. To date, none of the researchers have identified field evidence showing that propellant 2004L is undergoing a degradation process that leads to aggressive deployment and potential rupture. However, the time in service of such inflators remains short compared to that of the inflators using propellant 2004. Further study is needed to assess the long-term safety of desiccated inflators using propellant 2004L.The Office of Defects Investigation is opening this investigation to examine whether a safety defect related to propellant degradation exists in non-recalled desiccated PSAN frontal inflators manufactured by Takata. This investigation will require extensive information on Takata production processes and surveys of inflators in the field. Lists of recall actions that may have used desiccated PSAN inflators as remedy parts, as well as the makes and models originally manufactured with them, is available with the downloadable version of this document (see nhtsa.gov/recalls?nhtsaId=EA21002 -- note this information is subject to change/revision as the investigation proceeds). This investigation does not supersede EA15-001, which remains open.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early Warning Reports identified driver and/or passenger front seat AHR inadvertent deployments without a rear impact event.Reported safety consequences resulting from the AHR deployments include concussions, headaches, soft tissue injuries, disorientation, nausea, vomiting and/or loss of vehicle control as a result of being surprised and distracted by being struck in the head by the inadvertent AHR deployment. On September 24, 2019, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).ODI requested certain detailed information from FCA related to the following subject vehicles: MY 2010-2014 Dodge Avenger 200, MY 2010-2014 Dodge Calber, MY 2010-2014 Chrysler Sebring, MY 2013-2015 Ram Tradesman, MY 2012 Ram Van, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan, MY 2010-2016 Chrysler Town and Country, MY 2010-2017 Jeep Compass, MY 2011-2020 Dodge Durango, MY 2011-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, MY 2010-2019 Dodge Journey, MY 2010-2012 Jeep Liberty, MY 2010-2011 Jeep Nitro, and MY 2010-2011 Jeep Patriot vehicles.On December 2, 2019, ODI received a response from FCA that included vehicle production data, consumer complaints, field reports, warranty claims, manufacturer actions, production changes, and other data related to the alleged defect from the start of production (2010) through September 24, 2019.On January 27, 2020, ODI received an update to the December 2, 2019, IR response from FCA.On September 22, 2020, ODI requested additional subject vehicle AHR information from FCA.ODI received FCA's response on October 21, 2020.ODI subsequently received an update to FCA's October 21, 2020, response on February 16, 2021.During the investigation, ODI requested updates to certain IR questions on two occasions.FCA provided updates to question #2 on March 5, 2021, and questions #2 and #5 on May 26, 2023. FCA’s IR response data identified approximately 7.5 million subject vehicles (with approximately 15 million AHR assemblies).Due to the large number of vehicles and failure reports, ODI focused its analysis on the FCA vehicle model with the highest failure rate to represent the worst-case scenario.For this purpose, ODI focused on MY 2012-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles for its analysis.This population includes 710,890 vehicles that FCA manufactured between August 19, 2011, and August 8, 2015.ODI identified 2,839 alleged AHR failures within this limited population.ODI identified 263 alleged injuries that were caused by AHR failures in MY 2012-2015 Grand Cherokees vehicles.Of these alleged injuries, ODI categorized them as eighty-two (82) soft tissue (neck/whiplash, bruise) injuries, four (4) concussions, fifty-nine (59) headaches, and one hundred eighteen (118) without a specific injury description.Although complainants have alleged injuries, ODI has been unable to obtain evidence to substantiate or validate any injuries where medical treatment was required.Consumer outreach was conducted by ODI, where sixty-three (63) FCA complainants with alleged injuries were contacted.Twelve of the sixty-three FCA consumers responded and were interviewed by ODI.ODI requested medical records, however, only one response was provided. Attorneys representing the responding complainant provided a synopsis that indicated they had experienced prior neck-related injuries dating to the mid-1990s.ODI also contacted one hundred (100) consumers who submitted Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQ) in an attempt to validate alleged injuries. Despite the efforts of ODI, the office has been unsuccessful at obtaining substantive documentation/evidence supporting complaints that allege serious injuries (where pre-existing medical conditions did not already exist). In addition to the low severity of alleged injuries caused by AHR deployments, there have been eleven alleged crashes and two alleged lane departures within the entire subject vehicle population that has been in the field up to sixteen years (with over 8,500 AHR inadvertent deployments).ODI was not able to validate that the alleged crashes were the result of inadvertent head rest deployments, and the crashes were minor in nature. ODI has conducted a thorough investigation of the alleged safety defect and with up to sixteen years of exposure for some vehicles and over 8,500 inadvertent AHR deployments, no serious crashes or injuries could be validated in the sub-population of focus.The lack of serious injuries validated by ODI with such large period of field exposure is consistent with thework done by NHTSA’s Human Injury Research Division and the Biodynamic Research Corporation, which support that an inadvertent AHR deployment is not likely to cause serious injury.In addition to the low risk of injury, FCA released an extended warranty program that covers inadvertent AHR deployment for ten years / unlimited mileage from the vehicle's in-service date. PE19014 is closed with the FCA extended warranty program.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances. To review a complete closing summary, please the attached closing report. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Vehicle Information: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 3.0L V6 EcoDiesel 4x4Component Affected: Fuel/Propulsion System (High-Pressure Fuel Pump) Safety Incident Narrative: The vehicle previously underwent a mandatory manufacturer safety recall replacement for the Bosch CP4 High-Pressure Fuel Pump under FCA Safety Recall Z46 (NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V-406). At 111,948 miles, while operating the vehicle, the engine suffered a sudden, catastrophic mechanical failure accompanied by an immediate and total loss of engine oil pressure. This caused the engine to suddenly stall and lose all propulsion while in motion, creating an immediate and severe highway safety hazard to myself and surrounding traffic.The vehicle was towed to an authorized Jeep dealership under Repair Order #5823328. The manufacturer (Stellantis) and the dealership are currently refusing to authorize diagnostic teardown labor or a mechanical review of the internal safety recall componentry to investigate an acute internal fuel-pump shaft seal leak or residual micro-particle metallic debris from the prior campaign. An internal drive-shaft seal failure on this replacement pump architecture dumps raw diesel fuel directly into the engine's internal oil crankcase, causing severe oil dilution, an immediate collapse of structural oil pressure, and catastrophic engine seizure. The manufacturer is attempting to shift 100% of the financial burden ($25,000 engine replacement cost) onto the consumer, actively obstructing an essential safety failure investigation into a federally recalled component.

NHTSA ID

11756569

Incident

Jun 17, 2026

The transmission goes into neutral. It has gone into neutral on the highway,local streets, also from a stop. From a stop in drive the electronic D on the instrument panel starts flashing. I turn on the hazards put transmission shifter in Park and start engine. This problem is intermittent, it can be cold or hot, it has happened 4x in 2 years. No accidents thankfully. The engine does not stall, the transmission goes into neutral.

NHTSA ID

11756332

Incident

Jun 1, 2024

Went for an oil change and learn the cooler has a leak. Car was getting over heated. What cause this issue as I just got it in Feb.2026

NHTSA ID

11755365

Incident

Aug 6, 2026

I was initially traveling at the posted speed limit of 65 when all of a sudden the engine started shaking profusely, and I lost total power of the vehicle. Therefore, I had to immediately jump onto the shoulder without being rear ended and come to a complete stop while trying to coast safely to a place so I wouldn’t be hit by traffic . My car was then brought to the local Jeep dealership and they had told me that my left camshaft needs to be replaced also the lifters rockers and oil cooler need to be replaced as well. I have not drove my vehicle since it’s been seen by the dealer , I was told that any type of Driving could completely mess up my engine, so it’s been sitting for a couple of months .

NHTSA ID

11755335

Incident

Jan 15, 2026

This car seat does not click into the base properly and I cannot loosen the straps properly. This form does not let me upload videos however, I do have video evidence of both malfunctions happening

NHTSA ID

11754549

Incident

Jun 6, 2026

VEHICLE & PURCHASE DETAILS: 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee (3.6L V6 Pentastar Engine). Purchased on/around April 27 in agreement with my credit union. INCIDENT & DEFECT DESCRIPTION: Upon taking delivery, the vehicle immediately displayed diagnostic warning codes. The selling dealer attempted diagnosis/repair for a week before directing me to take it to Bonham CDJR in Bonham, TX. Bonham CDJR cleared the codes and returned the vehicle. A couple of weeks later, while my wife was driving home, the engine suddenly and severely overheated without warning. I instructed her to pull over immediately to prevent engine destruction or stall in active traffic. My wife was stranded on the roadside in extreme Texas heat until a flatbed wrecker towed the vehicle back to Bonham CDJR. WARRANTY OBSTRUCTION & KNOWN FAILURE POINT: Upon arrival at Bonham CDJR, I informed service advisors that my third-party warranty provider (First Guard) would handle coverage. However, the dealership demanded a $1,300 upfront, out-of-pocket engine teardown fee just to "prove" the cause of failure to the warranty company. The 3.6L V6 Pentastar platform is notorious for cracking plastic oil filter/cooler housing units and failing thermostat assemblies, causing rapid coolant loss and overheating. Requiring consumers to pay massive teardown fees out-of-pocket to diagnose a known, unaddressed manufacturer design flaw creates an administrative barrier that leaves defective, dangerous vehicles on the road. SAFETY HAZARD & IMPACT: Sudden engine overheating at driving speeds causes sudden power loss, severe traffic hazards, thermal fire risks, and roadside stranding in hazardous ambient heat. This ongoing ordeal has caused severe personal distress, financial strain, and loss of wages. REQUESTED ACTION: I request NHTSA open a safety defect investigation into 3.6L Pentastar engine cooling failures and mandate a manufacturer recall with consumer repair reimbursement.

NHTSA ID

11752136

Incident

Jun 8, 2026

I own a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel that has experienced repeated high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failures despite completion of the NHTSA HPFP safety recall. After the recall was performed, my vehicle developed the exact failure described in the recall. Metal contamination was found in the fuel system, requiring replacement of the HPFP and major fuel system components. Approximately 13,000 miles later, during routine fuel filter maintenance, I suspected the failure had returned. I asked the dealership to inspect the fuel filters for metal contamination, but they declined. I then removed and cut open the filters myself and documented visible metal shavings consistent with the recall failure. This is the second occurrence of metal contamination after the recall repair. I retained the filters, saved fuel samples, and documented everything with photos and video. I provided this evidence to the dealership and Stellantis. A STAR case was opened, but the Stellantis District Manager instructed the dealership not to perform any repairs because the vehicle has no check engine light and remains operable. The recall warns that HPFP deterioration can contaminate the fuel system and cause a sudden loss of engine power, increasing the risk of a crash. It also states this failure may occur without warning lights. My concern is that Stellantis is requiring complete pump failure before authorizing repairs, despite documented evidence that the recall failure condition has returned. I still possess the contaminated filters, fuel samples, photographs, video, and service records and will provide them upon request. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate whether the recall remedy adequately corrects this defect and whether Stellantis' refusal to repair a vehicle exhibiting the same safety-related failure condition is appropriate.

NHTSA ID

11750690

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

while driving the car puts itself in park, then the gear shift D starts blinking and the dashboard says put into Park. I've took it to jeep to figure it out and fix it. i got it back and while on the highway it did it again causing me to almost get hit by several cars. I was on the highway doing the speed limit and no brake lights also when it happens. I took it back to jeep and they still have no clue but my jeep is to dangerous to drive period. There are not warning signs when it happens.

NHTSA ID

11750319

Incident

Jul 11, 2026

Backup Camera Poor Image Quality Inspection

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

Power Liftgate Inoperative.

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.