10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
10 / 0
Average Mileage:
49,813 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #29

Mar 192021

Grand Cherokee

  • 122,000 miles
While in park, the driver headrest deployed into the back of my head. No collision took place, it randomly deployed. It will not reset as it seems a plastic bracket broke inside. No recall for this issue but when researching the problem, it seems to have affected a large group of 2011-2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners.

- St Augustine, FL, USA

problem #28

Nov 142020

Grand Cherokee

  • 145,000 miles
My 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland 4X2 'active head restraint' (ahr) headrests manufactured by grammer ag suffer from a defect. Fca us and grammer ag's active head restraint is meant to spring forward in the event of a rear-end collision to catch a vehicle occupant's head to prevent whiplash, the feature has deployed without warning or external force from a collision, and forcefully struck the back of my passenger's (wife) head while we were in motion. The force of the impact to the back of my vehicle passenger's (wife) head and without warning or cause while the vehicle is in operation. She was initially startled and we did not know what had happened. Then we discovered the broken headrest. Later, my wife experienced a headache and neck discomfort over several days. I have seen several lawsuit documents online filed by other Jeep owners who state the cause of the defect as the failure of a 'cheap plastic component' inside the defendants' ahr. Specifically, the feature contains a plastic bracket that acts as the triggering mechanism and holds the feature's spring-loaded release in place until a sensor signals that the vehicle has been hit in its rear, the case explains. As a 'cost-saving measure, ' the plaintiffs say, Chrysler and grammer ag designed the ahr bracket with 'an inferior and inexpensive form of plastic' that can crack and break down prematurely due to the 75 pounds of constant pressure applied by the ahr's springs onto the bracket. I may have missed it, but I have only seen a recall for 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee headrests. I would like the parts on these headrests replaced. Not sure if the same defect also exists on rear passenger seat headrests.

- Midlothian, TX, USA

problem #27

Sep 152020

Grand Cherokee

  • 130,000 miles
The airbag in our headrest has become detached and is just hanging no accidents.

- Franklinton, NC, USA

problem #26

Aug 022020

Grand Cherokee

  • 135,000 miles
Driver seat active headrest has activated and broken the clips that hold the headrest in the reset and/or ready position. The car was moving at a normal rate of speed and no collision or contact with anything has occurred. Simply appears to be a malfunction of the seat active headrest caused by poor engineering or being constructed of faulty materials which have caused a failure in the intended use of the active seat headrest.

- Conway, SC, USA

problem #25

Jul 302020

Grand Cherokee

  • 97,985 miles
2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo passenger headrest deployed while crusing at 65mph on smooth, straight dry highway. Passenger seat was vacant at the time. Upon inspection, it was found that the plastic housing retaining the metal clip/release bar had broken.

- Winter Springs, FL, USA

problem #24

May 312020

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 76,000 miles
While vehicle was in motion, passenger side head rest deployed unprovoked and without warning, striking the passenger in the back of the head. There was no accident, no sudden stop, just normal driving at approx. 40 mph. The plastic pieces that hold the headrest have failed causing a potentially dangerous or fatal accident.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #23

May 262020

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 105,000 miles
Today I was sitting in a parking lot when my head was jerked forward after the headrest was deployed while stationary. I called the dealership in St. George, ut and they instructed me to contact Chrysler to file a claim. I did call them today and was given a claim number. Now I wait while the headrest sits deployed in my Jeep.

- Logandale, NV, USA

problem #22

May 242020

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 76,888 miles
Got into my vehicle and noticed the passenger headrest was popped open. The vehicle had been parked for days since we are under a stay at home order due to covid-19 pandemic. We googled how to pop it back in, but it wouldn't attach. Noticed the plastic tab was broken. I'm just grateful no one was sitting in the seat when it happened. It could have shot their head forward and injured them.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #21

Apr 182020

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
I was driving down the highway when the passenger headrest deployed out of nowhere smashing into the back of my fianc's head. There where no other vehicles around me at the time and no collision occurred. Consumer stated fiance had a suffered a headache and perhaps a minor concussion.

- New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA

problem #20

Apr 032019

Grand Cherokee

  • 105,000 miles
The headrest safety feature malfunctioned and deployed incorrectly. It deployed during normal use of the vehicle and not during an accident. There was no impact to the vehicle when it deployed, the vehicle was not even in motion. There is clearly a manufacturing defect and there should be a recall on this product. My wife and I are worried about the other headrest deploying while we are driving and concerned about our safety. We were in tampa, fl when this happened and reported the incident to Chrysler but they didn't seem concerned, despit acknowledging the danger this could cause while driving.

- Tamp, FL, USA

problem #19

Dec 102019

Grand Cherokee

  • 40,000 miles
The headrest popped open. I just came out one morning and it had split. This is apparently a safety device. Service department was no help said headrest must be replaced will cost about $1000. This should be a recall item.

- Ferndale, WA, USA

problem #18

Aug 102019

Grand Cherokee

  • 145,000 miles
The headrest on my Jeep Grand Cherokee violently popped (exploded) while driving without cause. When this happened it produced a loud startling noise and struck my daughters head. The vehicle was traveling straight at about 25 mph on a city street when this happened. An internal plastic mechanism in the headrest appears to have broken and now the headrest is permanently in the popped position.

- Worden, IL, USA

problem #17

Sep 152019

Grand Cherokee

  • 59,000 miles
Right front "active" headrest, which is part of the supplement restrain system, failed at 59,000 miles for no reason. The plastic latch just broke; appears to be too small. Car was not being driven at the time the headrest failed. Replacement cost $900.

- Martinez, CA, USA

problem #16

Oct 102019

Grand Cherokee

  • 83,159 miles
While driving the vehicle, the passenger headrest safety device deployed. Had someone been sitting in the seat, it could have caused serious head and neck injuries. There was no accident involved, it appears it just failed due to a defect in the locking mechanism. Now we are worried about the driver headrest deploying while we are operating the Jeep and it causing an injury or accident.

- Santa Clara, UT, USA

problem #15

Oct 032019

Grand Cherokee

  • 71,000 miles
Active head rest deployed on front passenger side due to failed plastic tabs inside the headrest. When it deploys it shoots forward and can cause serious head injuries. The deployment happened while the vehicle was in motion. It was a random deployment not caused by any impact (the design is actually to deploy when there is impact) in this case it deploys due to a defect in the housing of the pin which holds the headrest in place.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #14

Sep 292019

Grand Cherokee

  • 37,350 miles
While I was wiping down the driver side active-headrest it deployed on it's own as if the vehicle was in an accident. The car was off and parked on my driveway with the transmission in park, I was cleaning the inside of the car when it happened. The part in question is the driver side active head-rest. I was told by the technician at the dealership that he had seen 5 of these and it happened because the plastic clip that holds the headrest in place had deteriorated and broke. I was told by the dealership that there are no recalls for this and to call fca to file a claim to see if they would cover the cost of the repair which I did. Fca told me if I fixed it before they look at it they won't pay for the repair. Fca informed me that someone would call me to set up a time and location to look at my car in 2 to 4 weeks. In the meantime they said to drive it as is with no concern for my safety. This is obviously a serious safety issue and if it had happened while I was driving someone could have been killed.

- New Port Richey, FL, USA

problem #13

Jul 302019

Grand Cherokee

  • 78,800 miles
Driver side headrest (ahr system) has deployed and is broken. It appears the plastic clamps that hold the headrest in place are brittle which caused the failure.

- Sylva, NC, USA

problem #12

Dec 212018

Grand Cherokee

  • 28,000 miles
While my Jeep was parked, engine off, in my driveway (flat surface), my 7 year old daughter went to get out of the back seat. She touched on to the metal pole frame of the drivers headrest with her hand to assist her in getting out of the car, the headrest exploded and hit her in the side of the head. It hit her hard enough for her to be stunned and to say she saw stars. There are dozens of complaints online about this happening yet no recall. Chrysler has had to recall these so called active headrests before but my Jeep was not included. There needs to be a recall and fix as soon as possible.

- St. Thomas, VI, USA

problem #11

Dec 162018

Grand Cherokee

  • 80,500 miles
We were driving down a country road at roughly 20mph, my wife was in the passenger seat when out of nowhere the head rest exploded and injured my wife in the back of the head with some serious force. After pulling over and inspecting the issue I noticed the head rest's plastic bracket holding it on had failed and broke in half. I believe this is a feature for a rear end collision but we have never been in an accident in this vehicle, especially not when the head rest exploded.

- Exeter, CA, USA

problem #10

Sep 132018

Grand Cherokee

  • 41,000 miles
The plastic retaining brackets in the headrest's active restraint system failed while driving down the road, causing the headrest to fly into the back of my head. This caused some temporary disorientation and I thought someone had rear-ended me. Luckily I did not lose control of the vehicle and continued on my way.

- Marana, AZ, USA

Read the next 9 complaints »