10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,661 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 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee:

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

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #76

Dec 112021

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Dear NHTSA, I am submitting a complaint regarding persistent power steering issues in my Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The recurring problem, specifically the "power steering unavailable / ALM unavailable" error, remains unresolved despite repeated attempts to address it through service appointments. This issue is concerning, and I believe it poses a safety risk that requires urgent attention. 1. Component/System Description: The power steering system in my Jeep Grand Cherokee L consistently displays the "power steering unavailable / ALM unavailable" error. 2. Safety Concerns: The unresolved power steering issue has created significant safety concerns. The sudden unavailability of power steering functionality affects the vehicle's maneuverability, posing a risk to both the driver and other road users. 3. Dealer Response: I have brought this matter to the attention of the dealership during multiple service appointments. However, a satisfactory resolution has not been provided. The unavailability of loaner vehicles during service appointments has further exacerbated the issue, as I rely on my car as my sole mode of transportation. 4. Documentation: I have documented the issue with screenshots of the error messages, providing clear evidence of the recurring problem. 5. Seasonal Limitation Claim: Disconcertingly, I was informed that a resolution could only be pursued during the winter season. This limitation is puzzling and raises concerns about the effectiveness of the proposed solution. 6. Prevalence of the Issue: A cursory online search has revealed that many other Jeep Grand Cherokee L owners are experiencing similar power steering problems. This indicates a broader issue that requires thorough investigation and resolution. I am willing to provide any additional information or collaborate in further investigations.

- Normal, IL, USA

problem #75

Dec 132023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
I was traveling on a road with light snow. There was a bend in the road. I lost steering and manual breaking causing the vehicle to strike a telephone pole head on. My air bags did not deploy.

- Manlius, NY, USA

problem #74

Sep 022023

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • miles
Chrysler (corporate = Stellantis) is refusing to accept manufacturing responsibility for the extensive damage to my 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L (16,000 miles -?" with completely timely and up-to-date maintenance) when the steering components literally FELL APART while navigating out of my paved driveway at under 5mph with NO collision, provocation or explanation on September 2, 2023, rendering the vehicle undriveable. There was an -??unofficial-?? recall on the components. It should still be under warranty but, although none of the automotive professionals can come up with a reason why this happened, Stellantis Corporation is refusing to take any responsibility (or even communicate with anyone -?" other than to send generic emails saying -??no-??, with no viable explanation). NOTE: This vehicle was purchased new from Stateline Jeep/Chrysler in Fort Mills, SC. RECALL: [XXX] Many thousands of $$ in repair costs (IF, in fact, it can even be repaired -?" as the required parts have been on national backorder for all of these months.) and many thousands of $$ in rental car costs (vehicle has been at the dealership for 3+ months). All details, reports and pictures have been carefully documented by me. If this had happened on the major/busy road that I was about to drive on and/or ultimately the highway where we were headed instead of in my driveway, the results would 100% have been catastrophic for me/passenger and very probably other victims on the road. NOTE: I have pictures and other important documentation - this website won't let me upload. Please give me an email address to send them to. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Clover, SC, USA

problem #73

Sep 062023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Steering assist stopped working and EPS fault warning light, front crash collision detection fault, and front crash collision detect turned off, and traction control indicators appeared. After 3 cycles of the ignition and driving for 10 minutes to a safe location the warning lights went off and steering assist was restored.

- Stafford, VA, USA

problem #72

Oct 082023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Power steering became unavaible with no warning upon turning on my car.

- Crown Point, IN, USA

problem #71

Sep 092023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
EPS steering warning light activated. My VIN is not subject to NHTSA recall 23V-352, but that recall applies to Jeep Grand Cherokees built between 1/27/21 and 4/4/23, and mine was built 9/2021, so I'm not sure why it doesn't show a recall for my VIN.. This warning light seems related to that recall, and there might be many owners not being subject to the recall that should be.

- Dacula, GA, USA

problem #70

Aug 282023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
While driving 70mph on highway, all lights on dash illuminated, lane assist malfunctioned, wipers went on, blinkers stopped working, vehicle lost speed quickly. Was able to move it off the road, but stopped running before being completely on shoulder. Vehicle would not turn on again in any capacity and hazard warning lights would not function. Needed to have vehicle towed, awaiting final report on issues. No warning was given before this malfunction occured.

- Earlton, NY, USA

problem #69

Mar 012023

Grand Cherokee

  • 12,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 25-?"30 MPH, the power steering became inoperable. The contact stated that the Lane Keep Assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. While driving 45-?"50 MPH, the power steering became inoperable, and the vehicle shut down. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

- Dryden, MI, USA

problem #68

Aug 212023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
I have under 13,000 miles on my car. When i had barely 11k miles, my whole computer system and power steering system shut down 8 hours from my home while on a road trip with my three children and our dog. It left me in the middle of busy traffic and easily a target for oncoming traffic and was very dangerous. The steering g could barely be turned at all. We had this fixed and it-??s happened again. I just returned from a trip. I was on my way to school and got stuck in rush hour traffic with my child in the car. The power steering and computer system locked up again and no air would work in the vehicle and the heat index is 115 today! I cannot trust this car and there are numerous lawsuits and complaints regarding this same issue! We could easily wreck and it would be life altering. The current situation is not showing up in my app so I only have the one incident. I-??ve never felt so vulnerable. And Jeep is no help.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #67

Jul 012023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
On May 4, 2023, immediately upon starting the car, warning lights were illuminated: Blind Spot Alert Unavailable - Service Required; Stop/Start Unavailable Service Stop/Start System; Service Electronic Stability Control; Oil Change Required; Service Power Steering; Check Engine Light. Vehicle had no power steering. It was taken to the dealership several hours later, and at that time no warning lights came on and the car had power steering. Dealership indicated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. On July 1, while driving 75 mph on I-95 in New Hampshire, while on a road trip from NY to Maine, multiple warning lights illuminated and vehicle immediately lost power steering. I was barely able to get it to the shoulder. Not one Jeep dealership in the area was available to see the car. A local mechanic was able to hook it up and determined that the car lost connectivity. He agreed to keep the car while we continued on our trip with a rental car we found and contacted our Jeep dealer. Two days later, while waiting for our Jeep dealership to tow it home, we learned that the vehicle was completely dead and won't even accept a charge to the battery. Chrysler Customer Service was called and a case was opened on July 3rd. Upon calling back on July 5th, I learned that they "closed" the case. No one could explain to me why and I asked for it to be reopened. Called back on July 11th and spoke with a different representative who indicated the case was "closed" and there was no indication of my call from July 5th. Reiterated and clarified all information and now await a call from a Specialist. The car is still not in NY and is still at the mechanic in NH waiting to be picked up by Jeep to be inspected and fixed. My safety and that of my family, and those in the cars around me, were put at risk as a result of this incident as I lost the ability to steer the vehicle while traveling at 75 mph.

- Selden, NY, USA

problem #66

Jul 042023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Not the first time but while I am driving the car steering will lock and I can no longer move it. The latest was when I went to see fireworks with my kids and while on the way there I was going to turn and while turning the steering locked and I couldn-??t turn anymore so I had to break before I hit a pole but another car almost crashed into me, honked at me, and flicked me off. On the way home I was driving straight and Had to turn but couldn-??t because the steering wheel locked and I almost drove into a canal. This is a safety issue that concerns me and I am scared for my life and my kids life and at this point I-??m scared to drive because I don-??t know when it will lock. I-??ve taken it to jeep many times with no solution.

- Palm Beach , FL, USA

problem #65

Jun 102023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
While driving on a major interstate going 75mph lost power steering suddenly and was unable to control the vehicle. Air alert went off stating they were not functioning. Adaptive cruise control stopped working, lane departure stopped working. Every single alert that could be alerting was going off simultaneously. Seat belts were fastened, however seat belt alarm continued going off. Very scary and unsafe situation on major highway with 2 children in my car.

- Claysburg, PA, USA

problem #64

Apr 242023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
I was sitting in school pick up line with the Jeep off. I started it and everything was normal, until I pulled into the road. The power steering went out and the light on dash said lane management not working needs service. The light for the adaptive lane cruise control came on. I was driving and when I was trying to turn I would have to turn the wheel almost 360?! There was no issues or warnings lights prior to this happening. I called dealer and they got me in the next day. They say it needed a update but it's scary if this just happens without warning, especially if you are on the road.

- Canton, OH, USA

problem #63

Mar 022023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
While driving a short distance from home, the power steering in the vehicle went out. Unable to straighten the vehicle out, the car jumped onto a sidewalk, knocked over a light pole and drove through someones yard until the power steering kicked back in and allowed the vehicle to return to the road. Had there been someone walking on the sidewalk, or someone in the front yard of the home, it could have caused a death. Since the accident, the car has been in the body shop awaiting repairs. There were no codes present when doing diagnostics.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #62

Feb 112023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Car has had erratic electric steering at low speed when making turns. Weird noise from electric steering system. We drove 6 miles to a local park. Walked the trails then got back into this car. Started up. Warnings came up on screen. 1 Service Stability system, 2 service blind spot monitor system, 3 rear collision avoidance unavailable, 4 Blind spot monitoring system became inoperative. 5. Electric steering became extremely difficult to operate. We restarted car 2 times and all the above warnings came on each time. As it was Saturday Evening, we limped car home. Parked in Garage and I started it 2 hours later with all the above warnings. Left overnight and started Sunday afternoon 2/11/23, no warnings. Drove car to selling dealership, parked in line for repairs and it is still there. Dealership has finally gotten in an entire electric steering assembly, as this was the stored codes from 2/10/23, and they are supposed to be installing it tomorrow 2/24/2023. Failure of an electric steering unit on a car that has no physical connection between the steering wheel and the front tires is a chilling event that needs tobe investigated. Thankfully I did not wreck the car, but I parked it because of the malfunction, and on hindsight, I should have had it hauled to the Dealership instead of driving it there.

- Bessemer City, NC, USA

problem #61

Feb 142023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Turning the car on, there was a failure of our power steering and the steering wheel was not functional. Check engine light and power steering error lights came on. After turning car on and off, we were able to drive (check engine light remained on) to a dealership. They performed a software update that Chrysler released in Oct 2022. This is the second time this has happened to us (first in April 2022, car had to be towed), there are forums of similar issues for this model. Dealer was able to pull the codes and said they have seen other similar instances of this issue. "We cannot guarantee this won't happen again" it was physically inspected and did not see any obvious issues. This is absolutely a safety issue and should result in a recall in my opinion if it is a known issue that is a safety hazard.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #60

Dec 232022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Driving down a steep icy hill all warning lights illuminated and power steering completely failed. This is the second time for this specific failure. The vehicle is extremely hard to control without power steering and could have easily caused an acident. The vehicle was repaired at a local dealership both times.

- Richland, WA, USA

problem #59

Dec 222022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Vehicle had no high beams. Vehicle has no running lights at night. Rear console climate control intermittently works. Idles at 1500 on a cold start. Vehicle doesn-??t have power steering when started in a cold day. Have to turn off and on to fix.

- Crowley, TX, USA

problem #58

Nov 062022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Power steering failed for a day then was fine the next day. Our safety was not affected as it occurred at home. We received no recall regarding the issue. Dealership reported it was an "RSU" and corrected the issue with a software update

- Schenectady, NY, USA

problem #57

Nov 212022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Power steering unavailable icon shows on dash and power steering is unavailable. Loss of power steering is safety hazard placing us and others at risk. Seems to occur more often in cold temps. Have contacted service department but have not heard back from them as of yet.

- Uniontown, PA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »