IllustrationTHE BEZEL ASSEMBLY MALFUNCTIONED BY THE GEAR SHIFT SLEEVE BUNCHING, WHICH PREVENTED THE GEAR SHIFT FROM STAYING IN "DRIVE". WITHOUT ANY PHYSICAL MANIPULATION, THE GEARS SHIFTED FROM "DRIVE" TO "NEUTRAL". *TR
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Grand Cherokee years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee are substantially higher than the model-year median of 726.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Grand Cherokee years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1890–25K
16025–50K
29250–75K
27175–100K
324100–150K
127150K+
1,363 reports with mileage · 688 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 927 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 405 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 253 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
82 crash reports24 fire reports50 injury reports
Power Train complaints
253 reportsMY 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE GETS STUCK IN FIRST GEAR WHEN STARTING UP FROM A STOPPED POSITION. THIS IS RANDOM, AND HAPPENS ONLY ONCE EVERY 15 TO 20 STOPS. THE ONLY WAY I CAN GET IT TO SHIFT IS TO MANUALLY SHIFT GEARS. I HAVE HAD IT INTO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES AND THEY CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I CALLED JEEP CUSTOMER SERVICE AND TH…
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MY 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE GETS STUCK IN FIRST GEAR WHEN STARTING UP FROM A STOPPED POSITION. THIS IS RANDOM, AND HAPPENS ONLY ONCE EVERY 15 TO 20 STOPS. THE ONLY WAY I CAN GET IT TO SHIFT IS TO MANUALLY SHIFT GEARS. I HAVE HAD IT INTO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES AND THEY CANNOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I CALLED JEEP CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY TOLD ME TO GO TO ANOTHER DEALER. AS THE CAR IS ON EXTENDED WARRANTY IT COSTS ME $100 EACH TIME I TAKE IT IN. *TR
2005 JEEP AT CAR WASH. PUTTING JEEP FROM PARK TO DRIVE JEEP WENT INTO HIGH REV AND STRUCK CAR SIX FEET IN FRONT OF IT. I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH FOUR OF THESE AND HAVE SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANYONE HANDLING THESE VERY UNSAFE VEHICLES. *TR
2005 JEEP CHEROKEE WHILE IDLING JUMPED FORM PARK TO REVERSE, HITTING ANOTHER PARKED CAR, ALSO KNOCKED THE OWNER TO THE GROUND WHILE TRYING TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR
2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO WITH 36,000 MILES ON IT, TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED AT 28,000 MILES DUE TO VEHICLE SHUDDERING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS UPON ACCELERATION, VEHICLE WAS FINE UNTIL NOW, 36000 MILES AND IS DOING THE SAME THING... *TR
THE 2005 JEEP CHEROKEE HAS SEVERE PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED WITH 10,000 MILES ON. I HAD 5 TRANSMISSION RELATED PROBLEMS WITHIN 12 MONTHS. TWO OF THESE PROBLEMS LEFT THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE; ONE OF WHICH THE VEHICLE ALMOST CAUGHT ON FIRE. THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AND I WAS STILL NOT…
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THE 2005 JEEP CHEROKEE HAS SEVERE PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED WITH 10,000 MILES ON. I HAD 5 TRANSMISSION RELATED PROBLEMS WITHIN 12 MONTHS. TWO OF THESE PROBLEMS LEFT THE VEHICLE INOPERABLE; ONE OF WHICH THE VEHICLE ALMOST CAUGHT ON FIRE. THEY REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AND I WAS STILL NOT HAPPY. I TRADED IN FOR A 2007 BUICK LUCERNE - WHICH HAS BEEN A GREAT CAR. NO MORE CHRYSLER PRODUCTS FOR ME! *TR
I HAVE A 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO AUTOMATIC WITH HEMI ENGINE. SEVERAL TIMES, I HAD THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATE WHEN CHANGING GEAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE. FORTUNATELY, I ALWAYS HAD MY FOOT FIRM ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THAT PREVENTED THE VEHICLE TO LAUNCH AND CAUSE DAMAGE TO SURROUNDINGS. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL T…
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I HAVE A 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO AUTOMATIC WITH HEMI ENGINE. SEVERAL TIMES, I HAD THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATE WHEN CHANGING GEAR FROM PARK TO DRIVE OR REVERSE. FORTUNATELY, I ALWAYS HAD MY FOOT FIRM ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THAT PREVENTED THE VEHICLE TO LAUNCH AND CAUSE DAMAGE TO SURROUNDINGS. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE 2005 WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. I TOOK THIS VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR SERVICE AND REPORTED THIS PROBLEM, THEN I CHECKED THE INTERNET AND FOUND THAT THIS IS NOT A SINGLE CASE. *TR
UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OF MY JEEP. I HAD IT IN PARK. I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE SHIFTED TO DRIVE AND THE CAR ACCELERATED WITH MY FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE I SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL, THE CAR CONTINUED TO RACE FOR A FEW SECONDS. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED IN 2 YEARS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO. WHILE DRIVING OVER 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND DROPPED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY DEDUCTIBLE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID CAUSED BY A SEAL FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS CO…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO. WHILE DRIVING OVER 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK. THE DEALER REPLACED THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND DROPPED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY DEDUCTIBLE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID CAUSED BY A SEAL FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS COMMON FOR THE SEALANT TO FAIL AND CAUSE THE LEAK. THE CONTACT INQUIRED ABOUT A TSB AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WERE NO SERVICE BULLETINS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 1,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 33,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 05V396000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE RECALL REPAIR PERFORMED. A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, TH…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 05V396000 (POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE RECALL REPAIR PERFORMED. A FEW MONTHS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY DISCOVERED THAT ONLY PART OF THE RECALL WORK WAS DONE. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER ARE REFUSING TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR BECAUSE THE CONTACT IS THE THIRD OWNER OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000.
Official recalls
314V438000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Jul 21, 2014
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, drivers should adjust their seat to allow clearance between the driver's knee and the ignition key, and remove all items from their key ring, leaving only the vehicle key. Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, to July 5, 2007, and 2006-2007 Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured January 31, 2005, to July 5, 2007. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the ignition key inadvertently moves into the OFF or ACCESSORY position, the engine will turn off, which will then depower various key safety systems including but not limited to air bags, power steering, and power braking. Loss of functionality of these systems may increase the risk of crash and/or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Chrysler sent interim notifications to owners in September 2014. The recall began on October 9, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P41.
13V175000 · Electrical System; Power Train:transfer Case (4-WHEEL Drive)
May 7, 2013
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, through March 9, 2010; and 2006-2010 Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured January 31, 2005, through March 10, 2010. A transfer case electrical failure may result in an unintentional shifting of the transfer case into the neutral position.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the vehicle shifts into neutral, it may roll away increasing the risk of a crash or personal injury.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the final drive controller which governs the transfer case, with new software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N23.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Electrical System
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, through March 9, 2010; and 2006-2010 Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured January 31, 2005, through March 10, 2010. A transfer case electrical failure may result in an unintentional shifting of the transfer case into the neutral position.
Consequence: If the vehicle shifts into neutral, it may roll away increasing the risk of a crash or personal injury.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the final drive controller which governs the transfer case, with new software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N23.
Power Train:transfer Case (4-WHEEL Drive)
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, through March 9, 2010; and 2006-2010 Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured January 31, 2005, through March 10, 2010. A transfer case electrical failure may result in an unintentional shifting of the transfer case into the neutral position.
Consequence: If the vehicle shifts into neutral, it may roll away increasing the risk of a crash or personal injury.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the final drive controller which governs the transfer case, with new software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N23.
05V396000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Sep 14, 2005
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.7L ENGINES AND NAG1 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE AIR CONDITIONER EVAPORATOR CONDENSATE WATER MAY ENTER THE TRANSMISSION AT THE FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL. THIS CAN RESULT IN SHUDDER DURING TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IT CAN LEAD TO INCREASED TRANSMISSION OPERATING TEMPERATURES, BOILING OF THE WATER, AND A SUBSEQUENT PURGING OF TRANSMISSION FLUID INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT POTENTIALLY RESULTING IN AN UNDERHOOD FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION FOR LEAKAGE AT THE FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL. IF NO LEAK IS DETECTED, A NEW FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL AND WATER DEFLECTOR SHIELD WILL BE INSTALLED, AND PROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE FILL TUBE VERIFIED. IF THE PRESENCE OF A LEAK IS DETECTED, THE VEHICLE WILL BE EVALUATED FOR SHUDDER DURING TORQUE CONVERTER ENGAGEMENT. IF NO SHUDDER IS DETECTED, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE TRIPLE FLUSHED, AND NEW FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL AND WATER DEFLECTOR WILL BE INSTALLED AND PROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE FILL TUBE VERIFIED. IF SHUDDER IS DETECTED, THE TORQUE CONVERTER WILL BE REPLACED, A NEW FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL AND WATER DEFLECTOR WILL BE INSTALLED, AND PROPER ALIGNMENT OF THE FILL TUBE VERIFIED. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 31, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE14017 · Air Bag Non-deployment
Opened Jun 16, 2014 · Closed Dec 23, 2014
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:ignition; Electrical System:ignition:module; Electrical System:ignition:switch
Chrysler is conducting a safety recall of approximately 643,618 model year 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and model year 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles to address the problem of ignition turning off while driving (see NHTSA recall 14V-438 for more information).According to Chrysler, these vehicles may experience an unintended change in ignition switch position while driving, which may result in loss of engine power, power steering, and braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash and disabling one or more of the vehicle's safety features including the frontal air bags.Most of the reported incidents occurred as a result of driver interaction with the ignition key.Based on the recall action taken by Chrysler, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed.Additionalinformation on this closing resume, and the investigation are in the PE14-017 public file available online at SaferCar.gov.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10101116 10103300 10106060 10112589 10116788 10126986 10128093 10130780 10145501 10146213 10153018 10155291 10156396 10158165 10162933 10166746 10178559 10183305 10186545 10189530 10192237 10193106 10194092 10199552 10199986 10221500 10222283 10227253 10231011 10328609 10358324 10392364 10577532 10585326 10585976 10599142 10604990 10605091 10605209 10606494 10606610 10607043 10607614 10607785 10608196 10615565 10615671 10615761 10616124 10633266 10633313 10633724 10639371 10640010 10644827 10652526 10653000 10653382 10654009 10654139 10654809 10655095 10659448 10662220 10662703
Additional source detail variants (3)
Electrical System:ignition
Chrysler is conducting a safety recall of approximately 643,618 model year 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and model year 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles to address the problem of ignition turning off while driving (see NHTSA recall 14V-438 for more information).According to Chrysler, these vehicles may experience an unintended change in ignition switch position while driving, which may result in loss of engine power, power steering, and braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash and disabling one or more of the vehicle's safety features including the frontal air bags.Most of the reported incidents occurred as a result of driver interaction with the ignition key.Based on the recall action taken by Chrysler, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed.Additionalinformation on this closing resume, and the investigation are in the PE14-017 public file available online at SaferCar.gov.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10101116 10103300 10106060 10112589 10116788 10126986 10128093 10130780 10145501 10146213 10153018 10155291 10156396 10158165 10162933 10166746 10178559 10183305 10186545 10189530 10192237 10193106 10194092 10199552 10199986 10221500 10222283 10227253 10231011 10328609 10358324 10392364 10577532 10585326 10585976 10599142 10604990 10605091 10605209 10606494 10606610 10607043 10607614 10607785 10608196 10615565 10615671 10615761 10616124 10633266 10633313 10633724 10639371 10640010 10644827 10652526 10653000 10653382 10654009 10654139 10654809 10655095 10659448 10662220 10662703
Electrical System:ignition:module
Chrysler is conducting a safety recall of approximately 643,618 model year 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and model year 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles to address the problem of ignition turning off while driving (see NHTSA recall 14V-438 for more information).According to Chrysler, these vehicles may experience an unintended change in ignition switch position while driving, which may result in loss of engine power, power steering, and braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash and disabling one or more of the vehicle's safety features including the frontal air bags.Most of the reported incidents occurred as a result of driver interaction with the ignition key.Based on the recall action taken by Chrysler, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed.Additionalinformation on this closing resume, and the investigation are in the PE14-017 public file available online at SaferCar.gov.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10101116 10103300 10106060 10112589 10116788 10126986 10128093 10130780 10145501 10146213 10153018 10155291 10156396 10158165 10162933 10166746 10178559 10183305 10186545 10189530 10192237 10193106 10194092 10199552 10199986 10221500 10222283 10227253 10231011 10328609 10358324 10392364 10577532 10585326 10585976 10599142 10604990 10605091 10605209 10606494 10606610 10607043 10607614 10607785 10608196 10615565 10615671 10615761 10616124 10633266 10633313 10633724 10639371 10640010 10644827 10652526 10653000 10653382 10654009 10654139 10654809 10655095 10659448 10662220 10662703
Electrical System:ignition:switch
Chrysler is conducting a safety recall of approximately 643,618 model year 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and model year 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles to address the problem of ignition turning off while driving (see NHTSA recall 14V-438 for more information).According to Chrysler, these vehicles may experience an unintended change in ignition switch position while driving, which may result in loss of engine power, power steering, and braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash and disabling one or more of the vehicle's safety features including the frontal air bags.Most of the reported incidents occurred as a result of driver interaction with the ignition key.Based on the recall action taken by Chrysler, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed.Additionalinformation on this closing resume, and the investigation are in the PE14-017 public file available online at SaferCar.gov.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers: 10101116 10103300 10106060 10112589 10116788 10126986 10128093 10130780 10145501 10146213 10153018 10155291 10156396 10158165 10162933 10166746 10178559 10183305 10186545 10189530 10192237 10193106 10194092 10199552 10199986 10221500 10222283 10227253 10231011 10328609 10358324 10392364 10577532 10585326 10585976 10599142 10604990 10605091 10605209 10606494 10606610 10607043 10607614 10607785 10608196 10615565 10615671 10615761 10616124 10633266 10633313 10633724 10639371 10640010 10644827 10652526 10653000 10653382 10654009 10654139 10654809 10655095 10659448 10662220 10662703