While driving this vehicle under normal conditions, the engine developed abnormal ticking/knocking noises, loss of power, and misfire symptoms that progressively worsened. The vehicle was frequently used to transport children. Due to the nature of the failure and unpredictability of progression, continued operation posed a serious safety risk. An authorized dealer later confirmed that the engine suffered a catastrophic internal valvetrain failure involving collapsed lifters/rocker arms and severely damaged camshafts. The dealer technician explicitly stated this failure mode is “typical” for this engine design and documented progressive internal damage affecting both cylinder banks, not an isolated component. This failure mode is not sudden; it develops gradually over tens of thousands of miles and can lead to sudden engine power loss, stalling, or seizure without warning. A loss of propulsion at highway speed, during lane changes, intersections, or while transporting children creates a clear risk of crash, injury, or worse. There was no evidence of driver abuse, lack of maintenance, lubrication failure, or misuse. The dealer confirmed oil condition and service history were appropriate. The defect appears to be internal, latent, and manufacturing-related, consistent with numerous consumer complaints, technical service bulletins, and ongoing litigation involving this engine family. Had the vehicle continued to be driven, the failure could have escalated to: •Sudden loss of engi
2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2018 record →
Warped cylinder head without engine overheating. Cylinder 4 misfire.
The check engine light keeps coming on. The Jeep repair shop says that it has to do with the flap on the gas tank where you put the gas in. Hence, the repair light keeps coming on so you never know if its real and needs to be addressed or if its the gas tank issue again
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, with the message "Electronic Stability Control" displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The failure mileage was 88,000.
I Purchased my my vehicle from a dealer approximately two and a half months ago. While driving the transmission of the vehicle gave out. The car rpm shot up to seven thousand and only goes 30 mph. My safety was in jeopardy because the vehicle lowed down rapidly and I had to maneuver to the side of the road in order not to be struck from the rear. I had taken it to get inspected by AAMCO and was informed that the transmission failed.
1-Rear driver-side Power Lift-gate actuator ball bolt snapped right off while rear gate is open. 2- It came right down on my head and caused severe bump and bleeding from a 250 pound rear door. I am 6ft 1 in, but if it is someone small it can cause sever injuries and possible death from the heavy door coming down on the person. 3-problem was looked at by my mechanic and they cannot fix issue as bolt broke off inside the thread area and no room to remove such bolt. They recommended I take it to a body shop to cut the area out in order to get the broken broke removed. 4-unknown 5- There was no signs of any failures at all.
I have noticed the upper edge on my radio screen appears to the bubbling or separating from itself. It has recently become worse and causes "touches" on the screen. It makes calls and ends calls, switches the screen on and off, changes heating settings, disconnects devices, changes or cancels navigation. It makes it very difficult to drive as I cannot turn the screen off.
The car keeps saying the turn signals are out when they all function properly. The car is equipped with the LED factory headlight systems. When it thinks the bulb is out it makes everything flash or turn off so other drivers can’t see your signal. Several other users are also reporting issues online. Dealer says the only way to fix is an entirely new head light assembly at $1300 since the turn signal bulbs are built into the headlight and should be a lifetime part.
I own a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. On December 5, 2025, the vehicle received a transmission fluid exchange service at a Jeep dealership. Prior to this service, the transmission operated normally with no hesitation, harsh shifts, or warning lights. Within a few days after the service, I began noticing delayed engagement and hesitation during shifts. On December 14, 2025, while driving at highway speed, the transmission suddenly shifted harshly with a rapid increase in engine RPM followed by a hard engagement. Later the same day, when stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle hesitated to move forward, revved abnormally, then engaged abruptly. A check engine light illuminated at that time. The vehicle behavior was unpredictable and created a safety concern while driving in traffic, particularly during acceleration from a stop and at highway speeds. The vehicle was driven directly to the servicing dealership and is currently available for inspection. The issue began only after the transmission service was performed. The transmission had no prior symptoms before the service. Warning indicators: Check engine light illuminated on December 14, 2025 after the transmission exhibited harsh shifting and hesitation. Inspection status: The vehicle is currently at the dealership that performed the transmission service for diagnosis.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the infotainment screen was significantly delaminated, causing unintended screen activation, preventing the driver from activating some vehicle safety functions as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to purchase a new screen because the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Transmission line has worn a hole from the location it sits under the jeep. The metal hose now has a flat spot. This is because its rubbing on the metal plate below it. I attached photos. I do have a video of what we are seeing and how it’s happening. Yes, it was taken to a dealership for proper diagnosis. Part is unavailable, because of a common issue. No dealership’s are willing to sell the part. It just stated leaking drives fine for now.
8/2023 one rear seat belt would no longer retract. The problem was reproduced by the service center and they replaced the rear seat belt. 10/2025 the same rear seat belt would no longer retract and 11/2025 the other rear seat belt would no longer retract. Brought into Jeep dealer and they verified there are no obstructions affecting the seat belt and they are no operating as intended. They replaced both rear seat belts in 12/2025.
I purchased my Jeep in 2023 and have consistently stayed up to date on all required maintenance. I had no issues with the vehicle until recently, when the check engine light and the start/stop warning appeared out of nowhere. After inspection, the mechanic determined that the entire engine needs to be replaced due to severe coolant leakage. My vehicle has now been in the repair shop for over three months because the engine is on national backorder. I contacted the dealership, but they dismissed my concerns and told me that once the car is purchased, it’s no longer their responsibility. I then reached out to the manufacturer requesting a goodwill resolution, given the unreasonable repair delay and the national backorder of such a critical component. Lemon law mileage limits do not apply to goodwill assistance, trade-in support, or corporate escalations. Despite this, the manufacturer has refused to provide any explanation or documentation for why they cannot assist and it has been three months with no progress. There were no warnings or indicators that something was failing internally, and my mechanic confirmed there was absolutely nothing I could have done to prevent this. I’ve also seen numerous reports of this same issue affecting my specific make and model. Stellantis needs to take accountability. It is completely unfair that I am left without reliable transportation for months over an issue that was entirely out of my control.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service electronic control warning light, the check engine, and the traction control warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at night and looking in the rear-view mirror, the brake lights remained activated. The contact stated that the brake lights eventually deactivated. The contact stated that the brake light remained on after the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the failures were related to an unrepaired recall. The contact stated that the vehicle was not officially diagnosed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, parts for the recall repair were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure several times. The contact was informed that the parts would be available in mid-November 2025. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
My brake light light up, check engine light comes on and my Stability Control system does not work. My car won't electric start as the check engine light is illuminated. I took the vehicle to the dealership and they could not help me as there is no fix in place.
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.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The ABS, 4WD, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact was employed by an independent mechanic, where the codes were reset, but the codes returned after driving the vehicle for five minutes. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the repair was not available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
This applies to ALL vehicles not just this one. The bulbs should be designed and able to be changed in the lot of a store not only by a dealer. I will be forwarding this to my rep and the White House. This BS has been going on for decades and this department has allowed this extreme safety concern to continue. Lights can burn out anywhere and anytime and to make this dealer maintenance is BS since they all have backlogs, limited hours and limited qualified workers.
Recall as known for 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited (Service Electronic Stability Control) that is not fixed and no fix in sight. Unsafe to drive. Can’t get a Maine state inspection sticker. Can’t sell. Many electronic codes show on dash. Rear lights stay on and will just go on automatically anytime and when using key fob to lock car. Dealership can’t fix. Manufacturer doesn’t know when there will be a fix. No answers.
Multiple times now, the rear view camera stays on while driving and there's no way to get it to turn off. Hitting the x in the corner of the screen does nothing, the power button nor the screen off button work, and I cant access anything on the screen. While driving, theres a constant view of the road behind me and it's incredibly distracting. This appears to line up with Recall 20V-191, although my specific car isnt included in that but im absolutely experiencing the same things. No warning messages or anything indicating an issue before it happens - it seems completely random. ive tried soft reset and many button press sequences ive found on forums but the only thing thats ever worked is leaving the car off for 20+ minutes so it resets. This has happened on at least 4 different occasions, I have videos of 3 of them.
Touch screen went black a year ago , cannot use back-up cam or change the settings for my car temperature settings. warranty has expired and jeep refuses to fix, quoting $1,700 although it’s a known issue for this year vehicle. prior to screen going black it would ghost button change the stations, there were lines in the radio screen and it would randomly shut off and on when driving.
In September 2025, the vehicle was shaking upon idle when we started it. We did a test and learned it was somehow losing coolant. We took it to a mechanic who discovered it was burning coolant in the 5th cylinder. They diagnosed the issue as blown head gaskets caused by the engine being machined incorrectly by the manufacturer. This resulted in the need for a short block removal and replacement, resurfacing the cylinder heads, replacing the head gaskets, among with many smaller repairs. The cost was over $8,000 total for a manufacturing error. If left unresolved, this could have caused further mechanical issues and potentially a crash or other safety issues.
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.
My 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee suffered a sudden, catastrophic engine failure with no warning lights or alerts. Dealer confirmed the engine seized from overheating and cannot be repaired—replacement engines are on national backorder. This is my only vehicle, I’m 7 months pregnant, and I’ve been without transportation for 30+ days. This appears to be a widespread 3.6L Pentastar defect and a serious safety concern.
I have a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the screen is delaminating and now my screen is completely black. I cannot do anything on my screen which controls everything in my car. I'm unable to have my heat or air come out of anything except defrost. I had the heat on to defrost my windshield, and it kept switching to a cold setting causing my windows to not defrost. My car will randomly call people from my contacts list or if I'm on a call will place it on hold or mute. When a feature is supposed to help with distracted driving this is doing anything but that and causes all drives to be very distracting. The temperature of my vehicle is constantly switching because of the screen issues. Before my screen went completely black if I was using GPS it would randomly switch my location sometimes to a different continent again causing for a very distracting and unsafe drive because I didn't know where I was going and had to fumble around to find my phone so I could get my maps and not make a wrong turn. I'm thankful a serious accident hasn't occurred yet because of this distraction but if it does Jeep will be taking responsibility. I have called a jeep dealership and states jeep is saying sorry about you, absolutely unacceptable. There is no warning when this happens it starts out as slow minor things happening and is now extremely unsafe to drive because of the distractions it causes. Not to mention no back up camera for that extra step of safety.
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
A vehicle that is able to start and shift out of park without depressing the brake pedal can result in unintended vehicle movement which can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning and/or injury to others outside the vehicle. There has been a recall out for over an year yet no available solution.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted, and was unable to provide a date for parts availability. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
My ACC/FCW LIGHT IS ON, I HAVE NOT BEEN IN A CRASH. AND WHILE DRIVING AFTER THIS LIGHT CAME ON MY PASSENGER HEADREST AIRBAG BROKE APART. AND MY CRUISE CONTROL IS OUT, ALONG WITH TRACTION CONTROL. MY CAR JUST WENT HAYWIRE.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the infotainment system screen experienced ghost touching, causing the U-Connect system to engage the heat and other functions unintendedly. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the infotainment system screen was delaminated, which the contact related to the failure. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact was able to move the gear shifter without first depressing the brake pedal. In addition, the "Service 4WD" and "Service ABS" messages were displayed on the instrument panel while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. While with the independent mechanic, the vehicle failed to move while shifted in reverse(R). The vehicle was then taken to a dealer and the drivetrain control module, and the transmission control module were replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics); however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 88,312.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while sitting at a stoplight, there was a loud pop on the interior of the vehicle. After a visual inspection, the contact became aware that the front passenger’s side seat active head restraint had deployed unintendedly. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the active head restraint. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Water pump failure.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact called a second dealer, Benson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram [XXX] ); who also confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The 2018 Jeep Grand Cheeroke Uconnect/Radio screen delaminates and causes the unit to make all kinds of error calls, GPS location changes and disabling events, without being touched. This is a serious safety concern and that Jeep or Stellantis should voluntarily recall these units for replacement. The driver's attention gets constantly divided to take care of these extra things while driving.
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.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the back-over prevention APP independently uninstalled. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle had not been started in eight days. In addition, the stabili-trak warning light had illuminated a month prior, which was the initial failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed transfer case. The contact was informed that the transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to two additional dealers for confirmation; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure might be related to the UCONNECT connection. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 88,727.
They extended to far have to pull back manually Suspension creeks and sometimes lowers by itself , Radio screen is completely black cannot access any features.
The radio in this vehicle has a widespread issue where the screen delaminates and starts ghost touching . Options are randomly selected , people are randomly called , emergency services are attempted to be contacted. Basically anything that the radio controls in the car could be changed or activated . This is extremely distracting and could cause someone to take their focus off the road and cause an accident. The radio controls heater, navigation, seat heaters, phone calls , steering wheel heaters , and many other functions in the car some of which cannot be changed without the malfunctioning radio being on. Fixing this issue is somewhere in the range of $1300 at the dealership. I feel like this is and important safety issue that causes a lot of distraction when driving the vehicle and is really difficult to work around or avoid as the random screen touches are not predictable and seem to happen at random times.
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 .
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
CAM shaft and yes it is available to be looked at. The vehicle was misdiagnosed multiple times and sent back home with the same error code while fixing other items that were not the root cause of the issue. The engine light was on with the misfire code when I brought it in and was repeatedly sent home and within 20 miles the same code returned.
Every time the vehicle proceeds over a speed bump or a dip in the road, it feels as if something is lose and banging in the steering and suspension of the vehicle. I have taken it to the dealer on numerous occasions, and they say they can never find anything wrong nor duplicate the issue. I’m concerned that at some point something may fail and I may lose control of the vehicle.
Delamination of infotainment system has occurred, causing a safety hazard if (or when) needing to use the SOS calling, hands free communication, or heads up navigation system. This is a manufacturers defect that may cause safety to myself or others due to distracting the driver by turning on and off seat warmers, adjusting climate control, randomly calling people and makes the operation of utilizing SOS features impossible. The component has not been inspected, but seems like a common occurrence amongst these this model year. No warning lamps or messages appeared and I was taken off guard when my infotainment system appeared to have a life of its own on the interstate.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the instrument cluster screen failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the instrument cluster switched applications independently. In addition, the instrument cluster occasionally displayed a blurred screen due to the glue. The contact stated that the failure began after the glue around the instrument cluster started to bubble up. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed instrument cluster. The contact was informed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 24V838000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issues. The contact had not experienced a failure.
TURBO supply line broke causing coolant to go all over the engine.
The vehicle experienced a failure of the engine lifters/rocker arms, which also caused failure of the intake camshaft. This resulted in severe misfires, loss of power, and left the vehicle completely inoperable. The failure created a hazardous situation when the vehicle lost acceleration and was unable to maintain safe driving speeds, placing my safety and the safety of others at risk of collision. The problem was confirmed by Lou’s Car Care and multiple Stellantis dealerships, including Maguire Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. All inspections identified failed rocker arms/lifters and the intake camshaft as the cause of the malfunction. Critically, Stellantis no longer produces replacement intake camshafts for this engine, and the part is listed as indefinitely back ordered and unavailable. This means there is no factory fix, leaving the vehicle permanently disabled. Prior to the failure, the only symptom was a faint ticking noise from the engine. No warning lights or dashboard messages appeared before the incident. The problem escalated suddenly without adequate warning, causing the vehicle to lose power unexpectedly. This failure has caused severe negative consequences for me and my family. Because the vehicle became inoperable and the repair could not be completed, I lost my job due to lack of reliable transportation. I also experienced financial hardship, including losing my vehicle to repossession. My family, including my newborn child, was left without dependable transportation
Since the beginning of this year, vehicle began to misfire. So far I have spent over $2000 in repairs including replacing spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors and oil cooler and vehicle continues to misfire and blow white smoke from exhaust. I have been advised that it may be a head gasket issue, which could cost anywhere from $3000 to $5000 but could cost more in the event the engine needs to be completely replaced.
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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