If you wanted a home-grown version of the Land Rover, something that can also do rigors of off-road trails and cocoons you in luxury at the same time, you would be looking at the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. We know it is a great car but what about its reliability? With a reliability score of 84 out of 100 according to J.D. Power, as well as the predicted maintenance expense of $2798 for five years, it looks good but the real-life performance needs a thorough evaluation. Depending on the trim level you pick, it could cost you anywhere between $37,332 and $56,145 without options. At this price range, it has to prove itself against the Kia Telluride, the Hyundai Palisade, and the Mazda CX-9. Let us see how Jeep Grand Cherokee's reliability compares to others in the segment.
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee User Complaints and Problems
Mechanical problems:
- One owner states that the vehicle went into limp mode with a stabilizer system malfunction while the car had only 2000 miles on it. This resulted in the gas pedal becoming unresponsive and the vehicle stalling. 500 miles later, there was a power steering failure and the car could not get out of the garage.
- One owner reported that the driver lost control of the vehicle because the front driveshaft broke while driving at 45 mph. This almost resulted in the vehicle flipping over and the manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle causing concern to the owner.
- Another owner reported that even though the vehicle was in Park and was on the driveway, it started rolling backward. There are a lot of Jeep Grand Cherokee transmission problems being reported and this is one of them.
- Several owners have reported complaints about the power steering assist, traction control, lane assist, emergency brake, backup assist, airbags, etc stopping functioning one by one or as a combination of the above. This makes the car undrivable.
Electrical system problems:
- One owner reported that the car had an issue associated with the auto start-stop function. Even after this was repaired, the car was not fully fixed and the owner continued to have reliability problems.
- One contact stated that the third-row seat overheated the phone charging cord and caused a hole to be burned in their gym bag and there was light smoke inside the cabin which woke up some passengers on time for the right intervention.
Interior problems:
- Many owners have reported that the infotainment screen used to have a lot of glitches. Although this was undertaken as a recall by the brand, owners have reported that the screens have not been able to function properly and the infotainment continued to malfunction.
Safety problems:
- One contact has reported that while taking her foot off the brake pedal and depressing the accelerator pedal, the emergency braking system kicked in and the car came to a sudden stop. This injured her tendon. The same incident was reported by another owner as well.
- There have been multiple complaints about the power steering and the lane keep assist failing even when the vehicles barely have any miles put in.
- Several owners of Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs have reported that there have been miscommunications with the body control module. This causes multiple units of the car to malfunction and several of them threaten the safety of the passengers and driver.
- One owner has stated that the vehicle was involved in two significant front-end accidents and a rear-end accident. However, during all of this, the airbags failed to deploy and the passengers were put at risk.
Exterior problems:
- One contact has stated that while driving at highway speeds, the front hood flutters up and down very fast. This causes a huge distraction as it draws a flashing beam of light with a strobe effect into the driver’s eyes. It is also a matter of safety as the hood can open and hit the windshield.
|
Category |
Number of complaints |
|---|---|
|
Mechanical |
26 |
|
Electrical System |
35 |
|
Exterior |
1 |
|
Interior |
1 |
|
Safety |
4 |
|
Miscellaneous |
0 |
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Recalls
|
S. No. |
Date |
NHTSA Campaign Number |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
March 24, 2022 |
22V180000 |
Tether belt missing from seatback frame |
A missing weld from the seatback frame to the child seat tether anchorage could result in the seat separating during a crash. |
|
2 |
December 9, 2021 |
21V950000 |
Inoperable headlights |
An incomplete SLM software update may cause one or both headlights to be inoperable. This fails to comply with the requirements of the FMVSS. |
|
3 |
Number 10, 2021 |
21V873000 |
Disabled airbags |
The occupant restraint controller may have incorrect software and this will disable airbags without warning. |
|
4 |
October 14, 2021 |
21V797000 |
Difficulty activating high beams |
The high beam headlights may have issues activating when the master lighting switch is set to automatic. |
|
5 |
September 21, 2021 |
21V729000 |
Rearview camera image may not display |
A radio software error will prevent the rearview camera image from displaying properly. |
Should you buy the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee is part of a generation that has been around for a long while but the fact is that the brand has not been able to fix many of the issues with the car. And because most of these are serious, we believe that it is not a car that could be trusted. With an update coming in 2022, we hope that things are better in the near future but currently, it is not a car we would recommend. The number of complaints seems to keep growing and despite the manufacturer following up with adequate recalls, they do not seem to be over.
