2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2021 Grand Cherokee most often write about electrical glitches and power steering failures, with the steering complaints clustering around warning lights, loss of assist and difficulty turning. Engine and transmission complaints describe stalling, loss of motive power and rough or delayed shifting, while a smaller group covers lighting, brakes and fuel-system problems. Many reports are filed at low mileage, and several owners say the dealer could not duplicate the symptoms.

1. 1
   Steering

   Power steering assist loss / steering warning lights

   • 104 complaints (25%)
   • median 18,573 mi at 1.9 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe a power steering warning message appearing, after which the wheel becomes hard to turn or the assist cuts out entirely, sometimes while driving at speed. Some report the symptom clearing after a restart and others say it kept returning; dealers have cleaned connectors, replaced the steering column or steering gear, and in several cases could not duplicate the problem. Reported from a few hundred miles up to roughly 70,000, with many between 12,000 and 40,000 miles.

   Recall 23V352000Recall 24V1320001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the steering column and knuckle recalls have been completed, and have a mechanic check for stored power steering codes. Confirm the assist works from a cold start and after a long drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the power steering failure warning light had illuminated. While attempting to steer the vehicle, the steering wheel felt loose while driving at various speeds and the vehicle was difficult to steer. The failure had become more persistent over time. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11625226, filed 2024-11, 58,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the power steering assist, traction control, lane assist, emergency brake, backup assist, air bags, and check engine warning lights all illuminated and the vehicle failed to operate and function as needed. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle off the road and had to repeatedly pump the brake pedal. Additionally, the turn signals and warning lights failed to operate as needed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11458587, filed 2022-03, 19,146 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Stalling and sudden loss of motive power

   • 75 complaints (18%)
   • median 19,500 mi at 2.1 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   Complaints describe the engine quitting or the vehicle refusing to accelerate, sometimes with a check engine light and messages such as 'Shift to Park and Restart' or transmission temperature warnings. Owners report the vehicle usually restarts, but that dealers often could not reproduce the fault; repairs mentioned include software updates and, in one case, engine parts replacement. Spread widely, with several reports under 20,000 miles and others past 50,000.

   Recall 22V2840002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a scan tool read stored codes and check whether engine and transmission software updates were applied. Note any hesitation, rough idle or stalling on a test drive.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving my new Grand Cherokee with 121 miles on the odometer. As I was moving forward with the vehicle in drive and was attempting to turn around to- re-enter a highway the engine stopped. I immediately put the vehicle in park and attempted to restart the vehicle numerous times with no luck. The vehicle was stuck in park with the wheels turned to the left. The rest of the electronics worked but the the vehicle locked in park it could not be moved. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11413752, filed 2021-04, 121 miles

   “Just got a brand new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited x for lease two days later noticed the transmission is stalling engine is stalling there is no power when I hit the gas the car doesn't go. It happened in motion on the street.”

   NHTSA complaint #11399189, filed 2021-03, 119 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Electrical glitches: modules, screens and starting

   • 127 complaints (31%)
   • median 21,000 mi at 2.0 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners report multiple warning lights at once, blank or frozen screens, SOS and turn-signal error messages, and occasionally a vehicle that will not start because of a failed module. According to complaints, dealers have replaced electrical modules and body control units and performed software updates, sometimes without a lasting fix. Many reports come in under 5,000 miles, with the rest scattered up to about 50,000 miles.

   Recall 24V436000Recall 23V577000Recall 21V729000Recall 21V8730004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle through every screen and driver-assist feature, check for stored module codes, and ask whether radio and camera software updates have been done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving, the navigation system became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that a software update was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11460711, filed 2022-04, 1,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 20-25 MPH, the GPS navigator screen inadvertently turned blank. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11430435, filed 2021-08, 31 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Unintended acceleration, braking or rolling while parked

   • 93 complaints (23%)
   • median 17,500 mi at 2.8 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 12 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   A group of complaints describes the vehicle jerking forward, accelerating when the driver was braking, or rolling after being shifted into park and shut off. Some owners report automatic emergency braking engaging with nothing in front of the vehicle, and dealers generally could not duplicate the events. Reports span very low mileage (under 2,000) into the 50,000s.

   What to check: Test the park brake and park engagement on a slope, and on a test drive watch for surging at idle or unexpected braking from the driver-assist systems.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I stopped on a slight forward facing hill, put the car into p for park so it was stationary, and turned it off. I got out, and walked around the car to open the back passenger side door to let my son out. Then after about 1 minute of being parked correctly, the car started rolling forward down the hill on its own (note that the wheels were turning so the car was not sliding). …”

   NHTSA complaint #11395797, filed 2021-02, 486 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while she was stopped at traffic light, as she was taking her foot off the brake pedal to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle's automatic emergency braking system engaged and the vehicle came to a stop. The engine was running. The contact stated she was not aware of any warning light being illuminated. The contact had injured her right foot and was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11458636, filed 2022-03, 700 miles
5. 5
   Exterior lighting

   Tail light and headlight failures

   • 35 complaints (9%)
   • median 38,000 mi at 3.5 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Complaints describe rear tail lights that stop illuminating while driving, headlights that quit in automatic mode, and high beams that only work while the stalk is held. Owners say some dealers had no parts available for the lighting recall, and others were told their vehicle was not covered. Mostly between about 15,000 and 25,000 miles, though a few appear near delivery mileage.

   Recall 22V544000Recall 21V950000Recall 21V797000

   What to check: With the vehicle running, walk around and confirm tail lights, brake lights and both headlight modes work, and check whether the lighting recalls show as completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the headlight switch set to the Automatic Off/On position, the headlights blinked continuously, the bulb became red, and then the headlights became inoperable. While the headlight switch was in the on position, the headlights operated as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11723113, filed 2026-03, 70,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that he had to manually hold the high-beam headlights switch with his left hand while driving for the high-beam headlights to operate as needed. The contact stated that the high-beam headlights would deactivate and not operate as needed without the switch being held. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11505360, filed 2023-02, 100 miles

Buying note. Check the open recall list against the VIN and confirm the steering and lighting campaigns were actually performed. A pre-purchase scan for stored codes plus a test drive covering lighting, driver-assist features and parking on a slope will surface most of what owners describe.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.