2024 Jeep Wagoneer Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2024 Jeep Wagoneer most often describe the engine stalling, shutting off, or losing power while driving, sometimes without a warning beforehand. Other frequent themes are unexpected shifts into park or drive, power steering warnings or loss, and engine overheating, which several complaints link to a thermostat. Where mileage is stated, several complaints come from vehicles with only a few thousand miles, while the stall complaints range from about 150 to 52,000 miles.

1. 1
   Engine

   Engine stalling, shut-off or power loss while driving

   • 28 complaints (49%)
   • median 27,800 mi at 1.7 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the engine stalling, shutting off, or losing power while driving, sometimes at low speed in traffic or when pulling away from a stop, and some describe the vehicle coasting to a stop. Some say no warning appeared beforehand, while others describe warning lights and a message asking the driver to shift to park and restart. Dealers sometimes could not find the reason for the events, and some complaints link them to overheating or a thermostat repair. Where mileage is given, complaints range from about 150 to 52,000 miles, and several come from vehicles with only a few thousand miles.

   What to check: Ask whether the engine, transmission, and cooling system were scanned for stored codes after any stall, and whether the thermostat was replaced and documented. On a test drive, watch for hesitation or stalling when pulling away from a stop, and ask about any software update or PCM reset, since complaints describe the events returning after such repairs.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have taken my vehicle in several times to get it checked out regarding an issue i have been having since the beginning of the year. I have a severe, recurring engine-stalling safety defect. The vehicle has been in the shop in Boerne texas several times. The engine completly dies, requiring a full manual key/button cycle to restart in/out of traffic. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11765265, filed 2026-09

   “While firing on the highway in the middle lane my car lost all power as soon as an Engine overheating light came on. This almost caused a larger pile up as cars starting swerving all over the highway to avoid my vehicle. I was able to safely coast to the shoulder without being hurt. After getting it looked at I was told my vehicle had a faulty thermostat yet by 2024 wagoneers VIN was not included in the batch they had put out.”

   NHTSA complaint #11718335, filed 2026-02
2. 2
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Vehicle shifting into park or drive on its own

   • 16 complaints (28%)
   • median 27,800 mi at 2.8 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle shifting into park while being driven, or into drive from park, without the driver selecting it, sometimes with a message asking the driver to shift to park and restart. In some complaints the gear selector sticks or the shifter lights blink, and the car will not go into gear until it is turned off and back on. Some events happened on highways, and a complaint describes a vehicle that moved into drive while parked and hit a parking barrier. Where mileage is stated, these complaints range from under 500 miles to about 34,000 miles, and most do not list mileage.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: On a test drive, shift through all gears and check that the selector moves smoothly and that the shifter lights and park indicator behave normally. Ask whether the shifter and transmission software were checked and whether the bulletin on blinking shifter lights was applied, since complaints describe stuck selectors and shifts without driver input.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While sitting at the gas station in park, my feet were on the floor not touching the brake or gas pedal, the wagoneer shifted itself into drive and started driving forward and collided with the parking barrier in front of me.”

   NHTSA complaint #11598629, filed 2024-07

   “Leaving for work this morning and reversed out of parking spot, tried to pull out onto a busy road and almost died. The car just kinda rolled forward a bit and would not accelerate or do anything! The ignition switch was blinking. I could not reverse or go forward or put it in park, the gear shifter lights were all blinking as well. I couldn’t shut the car off to restart it. I could not change gears or go anywhere but sit in the middle of an intersection with cars approaching me at a high rate of speed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11662529, filed 2025-05
3. 3
   Steering

   Power steering warnings, loss or locked steering

   • 11 complaints (19%)
   • median 19,075 mi at 2.4 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe a power steering warning light, loss of steering assist, or a steering wheel that feels stiff or locked, often at the same moment as an engine shut-off. Some say steering assist returns only after the vehicle is restarted. Another complaint describes repeated power steering warnings, with the vehicle shifting itself into park while driving. According to complaints, a PCM reset and software update did not stop the failure from returning. Where mileage is stated, these complaints range from about 150 to 34,000 miles, and most do not list mileage.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: On a test drive, confirm that the steering assist feels steady and that no steering warning appears on the dash, and ask for records of any PCM or steering software updates. Ask whether the electric power steering message bulletin was checked, since a service bulletin covers that message on the instrument cluster.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We purchased a Jeep Wagoneer L from Liberty Jeep in Libertyville, IL in May of 2024 and have had issues since. The first issue was on August 25th 2024 when I was driving my vehicle it stopped in the middle of the road and turned off. I had to turn my car back on and thankfully was only a block away and drive it to my driveway with the steering stiff the whole way. After this, the Jeep had to come tow my car on August 26th. There was no warning until after it happened. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11714108, filed 2026-01

   “On 5/14/26 around 8:00am, I just dropped the kids off to school and entered onto the 5 lane freeway, 290, driving into work. Driving 70 miles an hour, the steering light and a warning light came on and then other lights started flashing. The engine shut off, and the steering wheel felt like it locked-up. I managed to exit off the freeway and the car came to a stop. The car would not restart. A tow was called to take to the nearest dealership. In August 2025, this happened and we were told it was a bad AUX battery and it was replaced. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11738673, filed 2026-05
4. 4
   Engine

   Engine overheating, often linked to a thermostat

   • 14 complaints (25%)
   • typically at 2.5 yrs old
   • filed 2025–2026

   Owners describe engine overheating, often with a high temperature or coolant warning, and sometimes a sudden loss of power or a stop in traffic. Several complaints say a thermostat failed or stuck closed, and a complaint says the vehicle was not included in the thermostat batch that was put out. Some owners report low coolant or low oil pressure alerts, towing, or long waits for a tow truck. Mileage is mostly not stated, but where it is, a thermostat failure is described at about 37,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask whether the thermostat was replaced and documented, and whether the vehicle is covered by any cooling system campaign. During a test drive, watch the temperature gauge and coolant warnings, and ask for records of any towing or warranty repairs for cooling system work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving and the car started making a weird noise. It then started to slow, the temperature went to red and the car started beeping. It kept going slow and then just stopped in the middle of the road. I could not move and was almost hit by multiple cars.”

   NHTSA complaint #11659882, filed 2025-05

   “On November 17, 2025, my vehicle engine overheated and shutdown while my wife was driving and left my wife and school aged daughter stranded on the side of the road. Took vehicle to dealership and they identified the Thermostat to be faulty and needing replaced. on March 27, 2025, NHTSA issued a Technical Service Bulletin (09-006-25) and a Rapid Service Update (25-047) to Dealerships advising them of the issues nationwide with faulty Thermostats. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11700562, filed 2025-11
5. 5
   Forward collision avoidance

   Unexpected automatic braking or park engagement

   • 13 complaints (23%)
   • median 150 mi at 1.7 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the vehicle braking hard on its own, including when turning through an intersection, parking, or slowing in traffic. A complaint describes a sudden stop that nearly led to a rear-end collision, and some report that the electronic parking brake engaged or the vehicle shifted to park after a sudden stop. A separate complaint describes an engine shut-off that applied the emergency brake on a highway, and according to complaints a dealer kept a vehicle for days without a clear answer. Mileage is not stated, and the events are described while turning, parking, or slowing for traffic.

   What to check: During a test drive, note any unexpected braking or gear change to park at low speed, and ask whether the automatic braking software was updated. Ask for records of any electronic parking brake or engine shut-off events, since complaints describe sudden stops without warning.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At stoplight getting ready to turn left light turns green I proceed going about 15 20 mph in the middle of the intersection middle of the turn the car just slammed on its brakes. I thought I got in a car accident but looked around and there was no other cars around. This was very dangerous and could’ve been catastrophic the car now the next morning was taken to Jeep and they’ve been working on it for two days with no answers. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11692427, filed 2025-10

   “The Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system falsely engages under normal driving conditions when no obstacles, vehicles, or other hazards are present. These false activations occurred at very low speeds, while stopped, while parking, and while the vehicle is in neutral. When this happens, the vehicle brakes abruptly, shifts itself into park, and shuts off entirely. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11746347, filed 2026-06

Buying note. A buyer considering a 2024 Wagoneer could ask for records of any engine stall, thermostat, or software repairs, and whether the vehicle was covered by any relevant campaigns. On a test drive, pay attention to engine restarts, shifter behavior, and power steering warnings, since these are the themes owners describe most often.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 53 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.