2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee: What to check before buying

The most common report is sudden loss of propulsion. The vehicle stalls, shuts off, or shifts itself into park while moving, sometimes at freeway speed. Owners describe either an emergency braking alert or no warning at all. One such event ended in a rear-end crash with 2 injuries. On the 4xe plug-in hybrid, hybrid battery failures appear within the first 3,000 miles. That model is also under a battery fire recall that tells owners to park outdoors, and no remedy is available yet. Other complaints cover drained 12-volt batteries, false emergency braking alerts, and flickering screens. Dealers often cannot find a cause.

The transmission shifts into park or the engine shuts off while driving. This sometimes happens at highway speed with no warning light. One report puts it near 3,000 miles. Other owners describe rough shifting and hesitation from low speeds, a thump near 70 mph, and shudder at highway speed that starts around 8-10,000 miles. Some vehicles will not start, will not turn off, or will not move in drive. On the 4xe, hybrid service warnings come before a total loss of power. Dealers often cannot reproduce the fault. Replacing batteries and start buttons often fails to cure it.

These few reports involve fire and stalling. In one case a parked, switched-off vehicle filled with smoke and then caught fire at the driver's side front, with no earlier warning. On the plug-in hybrid, the 2.0L engine is under a recall for sand contamination that can cause catastrophic engine failure and fire. Owners say dealers cannot complete that recall because remedy parts are unavailable. Other complaints describe the engine shutting off at 30 mph with total power loss, and a service hybrid electric system warning that the dealer cannot fix.

Driver-assist warnings stay on or stop working, and dealers struggle to fix them. One owner reports an emergency braking Limited Functionality, Service Required alert as often as every two hours. Other reports describe a lane departure warning that no longer vibrates and a blind spot alert light that stays lit. Dealers often find no stored codes. One vehicle sat at the dealer for weeks without a repair. None of these reports involve a crash or injury.

Fuel economy on the 3.6 V6 falls well short of the rating. One report describes 16 to 17.5 mpg against a 22 mpg combined figure, plus an occasional smell of the engine running rich. The dealer says nothing can be done. A separate complaint is about a fuel door that does not lock with the doors, even though the manufacturer says it should. Neither report involves a safety event.

Automatic emergency braking either triggers when it should not or never works. In one case the brakes locked in a busy intersection at 8,855 miles. The car stopped and lost engine power for 10-15 minutes. In another, forward collision warning and emergency braking reportedly never worked from new. Repeated dealer visits, including a road test and a system reboot, found no root cause. Both reports involve nearly new vehicles, and one owner reports a buyback in progress.

The wheel can lock solid at startup with no warning lights, leaving the car undriveable. In that case the car was towed and the dealer replaced the entire power steering rack. Another report describes the buttons on the wheel failing at 65 mph, followed by an ABS warning light at the next start. The dealer replaced the ABS unit and the instrument panel. Reports are few, but both ended with a tow to the dealer.