2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle was idling roughly, shuddering while turning, and hesitating while accelerating. The failures had occurred approximately three times. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 15-20 MPH and attempting to merge onto the highway, several unknown warning lights illuminated, an alarm sounded, and there was an abnormal burning odor, prompting the driver to pull over to the side of the road, where the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted after several minutes and operated as intended. Additionally, the contact stated that while making a left turn onto a street, the vehicle stalled, nearly causing a crash with oncoming traffic. The contact promptly shifted into Park (P), restarted the vehicle, and continued driving. The contact also stated that while going through a car wash with the gear shifter in neutral(N), the Auto Park mode engaged, and the vehicle was almost rear-ended. The car wash was shut down, and the vehicle was pushed with assistance before being restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice; however, the contact was informed that no trouble codes were retrieved. The spark plugs were replaced under an unknown recall, and the shuddering ceased temporarily, but the failures persisted. The failure mileage was approximately 357.

NHTSA ID

11765885

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

Mileage

357 mi

The engine lag before the turbo kicks in has on two incidents now almost created 2 accidents. We have only owned this vehicle for one month. Out of that month 2-weeks of that it was in the dealership. 1- trying to merge into a roundabout 2- trying to cross an intersection My wife refuses to drive the vehicle now because it's unsafe. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer for the problem. They had it for 2-weeks and told us there is nothing wrong that's how it's supposed to run. There are no warning lights on the dash

NHTSA ID

11765468

Incident

Sep 17, 2026

Final NHTSA Complaint Vehicle information * Year: 2026 * Make: Jeep * Model: Grand Cherokee * Trim: Limited Reserve * Engine: Hurricane four-cylinder * VIN: [XXX] * Current mileage: 1,199 miles * Incident mileage: 1,181 miles * Incident location: Parking lot in [XXX] * Manufacturer case number: XXX * Dealerships involved: Sarasota Jeep and Venice Jeep Complaint title Bucking, jerking, rough running, unexpected forward movement, and stalling in Reverse Complaint description I am reporting a possible safety defect involving my 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited Reserve equipped with the Hurricane four-cylinder engine, VIN [XXX]. The vehicle repeatedly bucks and jerks during acceleration, including at approximately 5 mph in parking lots. It also runs roughly and has demonstrated unexpected forward movement. These problems affect the vehicle’s ability to accelerate and operate smoothly and may create a safety risk near pedestrians, parked vehicles, other objects, and surrounding traffic. On XXX, at approximately 4:49 p.m., in a parking lot in [XXX], and with the vehicle at approximately 1,181 miles, I shifted the vehicle into Reverse. The Jeep shook severely and stalled. After I restarted the Jeep, it ran very roughly, continued bucking, and jumped forward unexpectedly. This created a potential risk of striking another vehicle, pedestrian, or object in the parking lot. The vehicle also continues to buck and jerk at approximately 5 mph in parking lots, creating an additional risk of unexpected movement near pedestrians, parked vehicles, and other obstacles. On XXX, at approximately 6:22 p.m., I contacted Jeep Customer Care and reported that the vehicle had stalled when I shifted into Reverse and that it ran very roughly after restarting. The manufacturer case number is XXX. I previously reported the bucking and jerking condition to Jeep dealerships. A service advisor at Sarasota Jeep stated INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11765188

Incident

Sep 17, 2026

Jeep is violating federal recall mandates under Case #97911550. My 3-month-old vehicle was grounded at the dealership for two mandatory safety recalls, and the dealer had no loaner cars available. While my third-party rental stayed well under the company's $60 daily cap, Stellantis has refused to fully reimburse the mandatory, non-discretionary state fees (New Jersey Domestic Security Fee and Vehicle Recovery Fee), as well as an uber transportation cost to retrieve a third party loaner, leaving me with a $58.20 out-of-pocket balance. The manufacturer has failed to provide a zero-cost remedy as required by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act despite several requests for them to do so.

NHTSA ID

11764173

Incident

Jul 24, 2026

2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited - Once I shut down engine, when I opened the door to exit, it started beeping at me. After a few minutes looking around to make sure I hadn't left a door open or something, I thought maybe it hadn't registered that it was in Park, and Shut Off. I pushed the "Start" button, and the dash had a message "Ignition On". When I tried to put it in Reverse, it moved on it's own back into Park, and again displayed "Ignition On". I tried putting it in Drive, and the "D" just flashed at me and finally moved back to "P". I'm not sure exactly when this was displayed, but there was a message at one point that said something about the "Start/Stop" function, but it wasn't visible long enough for me to catch what it said. I called my son who came over and we troubleshooted (I was afraid to remove my foot from the brake due to other horror stories I've heard about, so I sat there for several minutes with my foot on the brake waiting for my son to hopefully know what to do). Once he was there, he asked me to slowly remove my foot from the brake. When I did, he could feel the Jeep trying to move forward. After some other testing/troubleshooting, he asked me to lock the door and see what happened. I did so, waiting a few minutes and turned it back on. This time it worked as expected and started. I'm driving this car all the way to Texas next week, and I'm terrified (especially now that I see ANOTHER recall - that's 3 since I bought the car 60 days ago) that something horrible is going to happen! I do not feel safe in this car, and I just spent ALOT of money on it!

NHTSA ID

11763979

Incident

Sep 13, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact had received an undisclosed recall; however, the recall repair was not performed while the contact was out of town. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shuddered abnormally. The check engine warning light was illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, it was indicated that the recall repair was claimed at another authorized dealer, LaFontaine Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Walled Lake (1111 S Commerce Rd, Walled Lake, MI 48390). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ID

11763164

Incident

Aug 31, 2026

Mileage

75,000 mi

I have purchased brand new a 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee The engine is the new 4 cylinder hurricane engine with turbo I have had multiple incidents of flat to dull pick up when in motion between the speeds of 15-30 mph resulting in multiple near misses for serious accidents. I submitted a ticket with Jeep, had the vehicle reviewed by my dealer only to be told this is within normal limits Two days ago my vehicle went into full rattle mode and shut down on me in an intersection causing another near miss. My jeep is in the shop again as of this writing i also have had multiple shutdowns of my electronic screens when the vehicle is under load.

NHTSA ID

11761030

Incident

Aug 28, 2026

This engine does not run smoothly, it jerks coming out of a stop so there is delayed acceleration and it jerks every time you change gears. So I am almost rear ended at every stop light and stop sign. It also can lose acceleration or fail to accelerate on highways.

NHTSA ID

11760147

Incident

Aug 26, 2026

I purchased a new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit equipped with the new 2.0L Hurricane 4 Turbo. The vehicle has a repeatable and potentially dangerous accelerator-response problem. From a complete stop, I can apply substantial/full accelerator input and the vehicle initially provides little or no expected acceleration. The vehicle may begin creeping forward and the tachometer may begin moving, but there is little corresponding engine sound or vehicle acceleration. After approximately two seconds, the vehicle begins responding and accelerating however it is still extremely sluggish and dangerous. The condition has been repeatedly reproduced in both Normal and Sport modes. I have also experienced delayed RPM increase and delayed transmission response/downshift while already moving. The condition has occurred when attempting to enter traffic and creates a safety concern because the vehicle does not immediately respond as expected to accelerator input. The dealership initially told me the vehicle was operating normally based on diagnostic readings amd that because of the computers and software there is no direct throttle response on these drive by wire vehicles anymore. That is simply intrue. The dealership subsequently had the shop foreman test drive with me in the vehicle. The foreman experienced the condition and agreed there was an issue with the lack of throttle response. I repeated the issue multiple times from stop, ehile turning, and at speed. The dealership is now involving a technical advisor. The dealer has told me that a Stellantis service bulletin concerning similar drivability symptoms does not apply to my VIN. I am not alleging that the bulletin applies to my vehicle. I am reporting the actual safety-related behavior because I believe it warrants investigation regardless of whether my VIN is currently included in that service action.

NHTSA ID

11758823

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

This is for Jeep's brand new Hurricane 4 engine. The buyer has no option to chose the reliable 3.6L 6 cylinder in the 2026 Summit model. Theis 4 cylinders throttle response lag, from a stop or slow speed, is EXTREMELY dangerous! When trying to move into traffic from a street or driveway the Jeep just rolls slowly as if it was in Neutral; there is no acceleration. I can floor the accelerator pedal & it takes literally a full 2 seconds every time before the engine responds. All the while the traffic you are trying to safely merge into is rapidly approaching. I took my Jeep to the Jeep Service Department & their response was "NO DTCS. COMPARE TO LIKE VEHICLE, AT THIS TIME WORKING TO SPEC . NOTE ENGINE IS TURBO EQUIP AND MAY HAVE A SLIGHT DELAY UNTIL TURBO KICKS IN". No throttle response for 2 seconds does not fall into the category of a "SLIGHT DELAY". When a vehicle is approaching at 45-50+ MPH and you have no throttle response ... it's an accident waiting to happen.

NHTSA ID

11752942

Incident

Jul 26, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated and started blinking quickly before remaining continuously illuminated. The vehicle was jerking, and while it was in park, it vibrated excessively. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. STAR engineers later determined that the spark plugs were inoperable. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred shortly afterwards. The vehicle was then towed back to the local dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact requested a loaner vehicle, but the request was denied. The manufacturer had not been contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 788.

NHTSA ID

11749938

Incident

Apr 20, 2026

Mileage

788 mi

I bought the vehicle less than 60 days when it had a major engine failure. The spark plug broke off into the engine and bounced around causing a failure. This is a known problem with this vehicle from the factory, from which I was not aware. At first they said they were putting a new engine in and now corporate is trying to get it out the door asap so they cant be forced to buy back the vehicle as a lemon, which I requested through corporate and started an arbitration process per the contract. The vehicle is being serviced at diehl of moon. The service manager there I am dealing with is James. They have had my vehicle since the check engine light came on and was flashing on June 17th.

NHTSA ID

11747473

Incident

Jun 17, 2026

First, after a trip of approximately 100 miles, the vehicle would not advance after stopping at a STOP sign. I had to shift from DRIVE to PARK and back to DRIVE before the vehicle would move. In the second case, again after a trip over 100 miles, primarily on the highway, the vehicle failed to shift out of first gear while the engine revved to over 7,000 RPM when I left an intersection. In that instance a warning light came up on the dash indicating RPMs in the red zone. Once again I had to pull over, put the vehicle in PARK and re-engage DRIVE before the vehicle would drive in a more normal fashion. It was the following day, when I entered the dealership for a service appointment, that the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle did not run smoothly. The service department determined it was a spark plug issue and claims the problem has been resolved. They also said this issue is fairly common on new (2026) Jeep Grand Cherokee models. There is less than 1,200 miles on the vehicle. I feel I was very lucky that the situation in both instances was relatively safe and there was minimal risk of injury, death and/or property damage. I have lost all confidence in the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11737390

Incident

Apr 21, 2026

Heavy vibration of entire vehicle when in reverse. Occasional lack of power when accelerating. Issues with the transmission occasionally failing to shift gears.

NHTSA ID

11722714

Incident

Mar 5, 2026