2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Interior & seats Problems

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11743276

Incident

Apr 27, 2026

While driving my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x2, the driver side Active Head Restraint deployed without any collision, rear impact, crash, or other triggering event. There was a sudden loud bang directly behind my head, which startled me and created an immediate safety distraction while the vehicle was in motion. I did not know what had happened at the time. The head restraint remains deployed/open and cannot be reset. The vehicle was not involved in a crash, there was no rear impact, and there was no airbag deployment. FCA/Stellantis has issued an X88 Active Head Restraint warranty extension for certain Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles involving inadvertent deployment of the front Active Head Restraint where it cannot be reset due to internal damage. My vehicle appears to have experienced the same failure mode, but Jeep/Stellantis has advised that my VIN does not qualify for X88 coverage, apparently because the vehicle was built after the selected warranty extension population. My vehicle build date is January 2018, with MDH 011623. I am filing this complaint because this was a safety related head restraint failure that occurred while driving without a collision. The sudden deployment caused a loud impact immediately behind my head and created a dangerous distraction. I am concerned that vehicles outside the current X88 warranty population may still be experiencing the same inadvertent Active Head Restraint failure. The vehicle was factory ordered and delivered in February 2018, which may explain the later January 2018 build date, but it is still a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and appears to have experienced the same inadvertent Active Head Restraint failure mode described in FCA’s X88 warranty extension.

NHTSA ID

11743217

Incident

Jun 5, 2026

The active head restraint on my driver seat deployed and pushed my head forward suddenly. I could not push my head back into position. This happened while driving on the evening of May 3. I have a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I was not able to reset the head rest position. I took the vehicle to the dealership. They said that the whole headrest needed to be replaced. It could not be reset because the molded plastic piece was degraded. From a search online this appears to be common in the 2014-2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee with active head restraints. Even though this is a failure of the equipment, and other Jeep Grand Cherokees from 2014 -2018 received a 10-year extension on their head restraints, the dealership and Jeep Customer Care said that my vehicle is not covered. Nor will they let me buy a seat from them that does not use the active head restraint. They said that because My vehicle's VIN specifies a vehicle with active head restraints, they cannot sell me otherwise. I will not be comfortable driving this vehicle again with an active head restraint that could randomly fail and punch my head forward while I am in rush hour traffic. I believe this is a safety risk as it is disorienting to not know why your head is suddenly pushed down and forward while you are driving at 45 mph. Distracting the driver in such a way endangers the driver, passengers, and other vehicles' occupants on the same roadway. It throws off your view of the roadway and your mirrors. There were no warnings ahead of time.

NHTSA ID

11739582

Incident

May 3, 2026

Electrical goes crazy when driving and parked , radio comes on, switches from AC to heat , on its own , calls people in my contact list , calls 911, screens goes blank at times , flashes on and off , heated seat on driver side gets way to hot , passenger seat ok so far , headlight keeps going out on passenger side fails to get it off heated seats at times or it freezes, it jumps from defrost to vent to floor , heat to AC , have to turn on AC when it rains to keep windows from fogging up. Hard to drive when it’s lighting up like a Christmas tree , radio won’t stay on same station , jumps from station to station , when on speaker phone it mutes the calls, or hangs up the person you are talking to. Navigation won’t work most of the time freezes up also.

NHTSA ID

11732862

Incident

Apr 10, 2023

To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to formally report a serious safety defect regarding the Active Head Restraint (AHR) system in my vehicle. On 11/28/25 the headrest deployed spontaneously while I was operating the vehicle. Incident Details: • No Collision: There was no impact, collision, or sudden braking event that would trigger a safety deployment. • Safety Risk: The forceful deployment occurred without warning, striking me in the back of the head. • System Failure: The internal plastic bracket responsible for holding the spring-loaded mechanism failed—a documented issue in many similar Stellantis vehicles. I contacted a certified Jeep dealership and Stellantis customer service regarding this failure. They have declined to provide a remedy, repair or reimbursement the component under any "goodwill" or extended warranty program, stating that my specific VIN is not included in existing service bulletins or recalls. Request for Action: The "VIN-specific" limitation is arbitrary when the mechanical failure is identical to those in recalled units. A safety component that deploys violently without an accident is a defect, regardless of whether the manufacturer has acknowledged that specific production batch yet. I request that the NHTSA investigate this failure as part of an expansion of existing inquiries into Stellantis AHR systems. I have attached photos/repair quote of the deployed unit for your records. Sincerely,

NHTSA ID

11721296

Incident

Nov 28, 2025

While driving on I-95 on 11/14/25, the passenger headrest suddenly and unexpectedly exploded forward with great force while I was sitting in the seat. We were not in an accident or collision. The headrest is now push so far forward that it pushes my face down toward my chest. We cannot reset the head rest to its original position and there is some broken plastic inside the headrest mechanism. A warranty extension has been issued for this known problem with 2014-2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. When I called my dealership, I was told that my vehicle model was NOT included in this warranty extension.

NHTSA ID

11700044

Incident

Nov 14, 2025

My passenger headrest is coming apart spontaneously. It has an active airbag system. Apparently my vin is just outside a known recall range. I have called Jeep and the dealership, both stated i needed to report to NHTSA. The Jeep will be serviced tomorrow at the dealership for diagnosis and repairs.

NHTSA ID

11695718

Incident

Jul 22, 2025

I have videos, but my cars electrical system keeps glitching, It will turn my heated seats on to the pint they burn me, it connects to my phone and will randomly call anyone in my contacts, it changes radio stations, messes with my automatic start, took my traction control off and does this on a regular basis. I had this system fixed in March of 2023 just after I bought the car but it’s already doing it again. It also will randomly just cut off when I’m driving and then will be fine very randomly. - I will have to send you the videos I took it says they are too large to upload here

NHTSA ID

11694820

Incident

Oct 17, 2025

Drivers head rest has a whiplash protection, the headrest exploded and there was no impact, accident, literally just pulling into the target parking lot. The front of the headrest hit the back of my head while I was driving which was unsafe and painful. The noise it made was also extremely loud and occurred right in my ear which was frightening. I have not sought out for help on this issue or had it looked at, but online i was checking for a recall and I saw many others have had this happen. This is available for inspection though. There was no warning, lights, etc. but this happened completely unprovoked.

NHTSA ID

11685935

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

My active head rest internal plastic clips that hold the headrest from releasing randomly broke. The headrest propelled forward while driving almost causing an accident. I looked in the headrest and the retaining clips broke without a cause event. I've liked online at threads and this is incredibly common in the grand cherokee

NHTSA ID

11683510

Incident

Aug 22, 2025

I WAS DRIVING MY JEEP AND MY DRIVERS HEADREST RANDOMLY POOPED OUT AND HIT THE BACK OF MY HEAD! I WAS SHOCKED AND THE POP HURT MY NEXT AND CAUSED ME TO ALMOST HIT THE CAR NEXT TO ME .

NHTSA ID

11683391

Incident

Aug 25, 2025

The 2018 grand Cherokee has issues with mother board and electrical ghosts. 1st it was headlights and dome lights. they would flicker. i had to change the front lights 2x in a year. i thought this was odd. never did this with any car before. then I was driving home from work during rush hour and it started to rain. started the wipers front and back. the back wiper started and went halfway and got stuck. what happen? the front wipers went on for several revolutions (say 10-20 ) then stopped. started again. then stopped again. the rain intensity grew. Now the -wipers would only work when turned in opposite direction (the manual 1 pass move). this happened as i was trying to get home and stuck bumper to bumper on [XXX] . on this dangerous highway in middle of now a torrential downpour the front wipers now decided it wouldn't work AT ALL. i couldn't see anything and veered off to the shoulder thank god - waiting for rain to stop and then safely proceeded home. the next day the wipers worked. no check engine or anything. this goes on for a week or so with no issue. then out of nowhere the driver seat decides it has a mind of its own and pushes me all the way to the steering column. it wouldn't return when pushing the back button. i had to drive like that for my trip and then it magically went back upon restart. i take to dealer. pump motors bad on front and back. i say not sure your correct and explain. motor changed on front. not fixed. ok we think its the BCM. changed not fixed. finally the PDM was changed and wow it worked. 2 weeks at dealer and this shows that this issue with the control module is certainly risking peoples safety. i hope Jeep does the right thing and prevents a serious catastrophic event. read on the jeep electric issues and my vehicle had a previous "corrected" recall for Electrical Cruise Control. I dont think the fireware updates or software changes fixed all the bugs. be safe out there jeep INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FO

NHTSA ID

11666425

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

The active headrest on the driver's seat deployed spontaneously on it's own during normal operation of my vehicle. The headrest is now unable to be reset as it appears some components of the active headrest mechanism were faulty. This put my safety at risk as a driver as the active headrest can not activate in the event that it needs to activate during a possible collision. The headrest and seat causes strain and injury to my neck while driving as it is now positioned forward from the seat. This also causes strain to the rest of my spine. This issue is not covered by the original dealer that sold me my vehicle. There are no warning lamps or messages that have appeared since this problem first occurred.

NHTSA ID

11661963

Incident

May 18, 2025

Component Failure: The control screen is going through a process of delamination. It creates "ghost touches" and behaves erratically. Safety at Risk: In one instance the backup camera came on and stayed on randomly, while I was driving forward. Another time it activated the phone and began calling down the contact list. It called, then hung up. Dialed the next person and hung up. And continued through the contact list. People began "returning my call" and it got worse. I was driving on the interstate during heavy traffic and couldn't just pull over anywhere. It was distracting, alarming, and unnerving. It also randomly turns the radio on. It will randomly change heat/ac turning it on/off. Turns the heated/cooled seats on/off. All of the controls in that panel are subject to these ghost touches. It's distracting when driving but also could be dangerous. Dealership Confirmed: The dealership has looked at it, analyzed it, and confirmed the issue. They see it frequently. Jeep customer service is kicks you to the dealer and the dealer kicks you to customer service. No resolution except to pay out of pocket for this manufacturing defect. Warnings or Symptoms: There was no warning that the delamination was going to occur. And it first happened at the end of 2024. My car is a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

NHTSA ID

11647672

Incident

Oct 1, 2024

Active head restraint went off while parked in a parking lot with individual sitting in affected seat. No accident/collision happened, no warning lights or other symptoms prior.

NHTSA ID

11610723

Incident

Jun 12, 2024

I was driving to work with the heated seat on. I began to feel my lower back getting extremely hot. I leaned forward and when I did I could smell something burning and my back began to burn. I quickly pulled over and jumped out of the car as quickly as possibly to see that my seat had physical flame coming from it. I contacted Jeep about the situation and was ultimately told it was somehow not a manufacturing issue. In addition to the seat fire my touch screen has completely delaminated and sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Making it a safety hazard with the back up camera only showing when screen is operational. The screen also does things on its own. Changing radio stations, blasting radio volume, turning on/off. This is extremely distracting while driving.

NHTSA ID

11609997

Incident

Oct 21, 2022

While I was driving home from work the headrest deployed and hit me on the back of the head. I thought that I was hit from behind due to how my head jerk forward. When I inspected the headrest to try and reset it back to the normal position but realized that the plasitc clip had snapped off. In searching online I noticed that others were having the same issue. The vehicle did not and currently does not have any warning lights turned on.

NHTSA ID

11591403

Incident

May 28, 2024

Crash safety feature in the headrest deployed on its own. Dealer verified the headrest deployed but Jeep is refusing to repair/replace the unit. Jeep has a limited recall on this problem already but says my vehicle doesn't qualify (see attached). Dealer charged $209 for evaluation and wants an additional $290 to repair the headrest.

NHTSA ID

11590903

Incident

Apr 10, 2024

I was driving down the interstate and heard a very loud pop and got smacked in the back of the head. Later inspection seems that plastic ears connected to the foam portion of my headrest broke off both sides of a horizontal pin they were connected to

NHTSA ID

11580191

Incident

Mar 30, 2024

Front passenger headrest popped out (exploded out) for no reason. I was not in an accident and nothing happened to make it pop out.

NHTSA ID

11568823

Incident

Jan 27, 2024

passenger front headrest basically seemed to explode for no reason. Like a jack in the box. Like it sprung forward. Now you can see the insides and broken plastic pieces inside.

NHTSA ID

11557000

Incident

Nov 25, 2023

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Radio screen delamination, causing heating/defrost/seats/clock reset/radio channels cycling quickly, lack of navigation on screen. Very distracting when traveling/trying to reach the hospitals. At first it was very distracting while traveling, and didn't allow me to use any features/controls, and could've easily took my eyes off the road and have an accident. I can't use the radio when I need to, for certain situations, not just entertainment but location as I travel with work at times, and my wife and I both frequent hospitals with my heart issues and her lower GI issues. It just started appearing late in July 2023 and you can see something under the radio screen as if its a sticker/protective cover on the radio and it looks like its separating from the inside. I have it going into the shop for diagnosis 11/29/2023 but it is continually getting worse to where I can't use the radio/nav/comfort features at all and need to for our safety/travel, and winter is rapidly approaching.

NHTSA ID

11554904

Incident

Jul 23, 2023

2018 Grand Cherokee....As you are aware of this already, the radio screen started delaminating and now the crystals are leaking out of he bottom of the screen. This in turn causes all the systems to go off and on at random, that can be controlled by the screen. All safety functions are now disabled due to this problem. Several attempts were made to contact the dealership and jeep customer care, only to be told that here is nothing they can do and to buy a new one. They also said there was no guarantee that the new radio wouldn't do the same thing. This is a top of the line high altitude grand cherokee that now doesn't have any of the safety features and comforts that i paid top dollar for. Jeep should honor their quality control issues but have been blowing everyone off. I have been on many forums and they are having the same issue. I got your website from one of the forums and can't believe that is has been a long time since they posted and you couldn't do anything about it so far. Thanks for listening, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11553763

Incident

Nov 6, 2023

Have a 2018 jeep grand Cherokee that audio and, computer control screen is delaminating, causing erratic behavior of the stereo and other random controls like the heated seats turning on and off caused by the delamination of the screen shortly out of the manufacturer warranty of 36,000 miles and I took it to the dealership and they told me it was not covered under warranty and that I would have to pay for a new computer controlled screen I feel this is a safety concern because it can cause distracted driving

NHTSA ID

11549094

Incident

Oct 20, 2021

Component: Active headrest suddenly exploded and hit my head pilot seat while driving in a highway at 55 MPH, the head restraints inadvertently deploy without crash impacts. Safety: I was driving with my wife and my kid 6 years old, when the headrest exploded I lost control of the vehicle for second, lucky they were not cars close to me. Dealer: I went to the dealer, and they check the part and they explained that it has to be replaced for a new one and that I need to pay around $800. Inspected: I called JEEP/FCA number they gave me a case number never called me back and then I called them again after 4 days and they said even 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee have this problem, my VIN number is not cover with their warranty. Warnings: Zero warnings, no lamps, messages, sounds, etc...

NHTSA ID

11547444

Incident

Sep 2, 2023