CarComplaints.com Notes: Whenever a new product is introduced, there's bound to be some problems. And man oh man, does the 2006 Commander have some problems.

It's the plight of the 1st-generation adopter: you get the newest and shiniest in exchange for a handful of issues that get ironed out in future versions. But what happens when that handful of issues becomes a bucketload? The 2006 Commander has quality control issues like the door handles breaking off and the sunroof leaking. But what's truly worrisome is the electrical problems like the vehicle shutting down unexpectedly, gauges going crazy or the cruise control having a mind of its own.

Bottom line: if you want a Jeep Commander, you're better off looking at a later model year.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 0
Average Mileage:
52,823 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Jeep Commander body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2006 Jeep Commander Owner Comments (Page 4 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

May 022011

Commander

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

All interior door handles are cracked due to plastic material cracking. Handles are all exposed and hanging by a spring. At times handles won't open doors & they have to be opened from exterior. Extremely dangerous if in a situation where you couldn't exit vehicle. It appears from research that the manufacturer will not replace even though this is an extreme widespread problem. Many threads online discuss this issue. The fix is to replace entire door panel at up to nearly $700 each. I can't imagine having to pay $2800 to fix my door handles due to a manufacturer's faulty design.

- Montgomery, TX, USA

problem #23

Jul 122011

Commander

  • 46,533 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that the front driver side interior door fractured. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the entire door panel would need to be replaced. The contact also stated that the front passenger side window regulator failed and would not remain closed. The failure mileage was 46,533.

- Willmington, NC, USA

problem #22

Jul 152011

Commander 4WD 8-cyl

  • 67,542 miles
The interior door handles of 3 out of 4 doors have all cracked and broken into pieces. These handles have no become a safety concern, based on the ability to free the passengers from inside the vehicle in the event of an emergency. I have two small children under the age of 5 and it has become virtually impossible to open the doors from the inside.

- Lake Wales, FL, USA

problem #21

Aug 222011

Commander 6-cyl

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My wife exited the car on the front passenger side on August 22 and noticed the door handle had shattered. She wasn't rough and didn't abuse it in any way. That door may be opened 2-3 times a week. It's a 2006 Jeep Commander with 70000 miles. Now the door has to be extremely gently opened in fear that it may break. Chrysler has acknowledged that it is an inferior design but still wants to charge anywhere from 600-900$ to repair it with the same weak design. I have a 3 year old son, and fear that in an emergency situation the other handles may fail leaving him and anyone else trapped inside. I feel Chrysler has no choice but to replace the door panels with a better design. This is a major safety issue that involves thousands of people.

- Commerce, GA, USA

problem #20

Feb 112010

Commander 6-cyl

  • 54,000 miles
I have a 2006 Jeep Commander 4X4 and all the interior door handles are broken. This is dangerous because I have three kids that sit in the backseats and when it is time to exit the vehicle they cant get the doors to open. I have to work with my door handle to get it to open and then go to their door to open it. This is extremely dangerous because on all but one door U can only exit out when someone opens the doors from the outside.

- Canton, GA, USA

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problem #19

May 012010

Commander 8-cyl

  • 48,000 miles
There are no events leading up to the failure, other than normal opening and closing of doors. I have a 2006 Jeep Commander and the door handles are cracking and breaking off. The front passenger door handle is completely broken and my daughter can not open the door unless she opens the window and uses the outside door handle. The driver side back passenger door has now done the same thing. The driver door handle is now cracking and I am afraid it will do the same thing. The car only has 51,000 miles on it and it is very dangerous that if the car were to wreck and power windows couldn't be used, my passengers would be unable to get out.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #18

May 152011

Commander 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The thin plastic housing for the door handles on the 2006 Jeep Commander have both cracked, fallen apart and fallen into the door. Now I continue to get scratched and cut on the pieces that remain. After reviewing online post, it is apparent that this is a defective part.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #17

Mar 052010

Commander

  • 52,000 miles
2006 Jeep Commander. Interior door handles have broken on my Jeep which do not allow a passenger to exit the car. Potentially very dangerous. There has been no recall on the door handles and the owner has to pay for the repair which is about $550. Per door.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #16

Jun 162008

Commander

  • miles
I own a 2006 Jeep Commander. In less than one year all four of my vehicle doors have cracked and broken beyond recognition. Pieces have fallen from the doors, and the lever mechanisms work only half the time. Most of the time the doors have to be opened from the outside, by another passenger. I feel that this is a saftey issue. Each time that we attempt to exit the vehicle, it is very difficult to open the doors. If we should have an emergency, we will not be able to exit the vehicle. I have taken the car in for recall information, but I have never received a recall. Each time that I have talked to a dealer, they have stated that no recalls are on file.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #15

Jan 142010

Commander

  • 50,000 miles
Got a 2006 Jeep Commander defected door panels door knob has fallen off on two doors such a safety issue ever had a fire or was to hav a accident in water would be screwed not cool and why is Jeep being made so cheap these days days never seen such cheap plastics like this vehicle was made of should have stayed with Toyota please help us fix this issue thanks.

- Bedford, TX, USA

problem #14

Apr 232011

Commander

  • 78,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driver door handle back panel cracked then broke without physical damage being done to it. Jeep Commander 2006.

- Miami, FM, USA

problem #13

Jan 182011

Commander 4WD 8-cyl

  • 92,000 miles
We own a 2006 Jeep Commander and have failing interior door handles that are preventing our family from exiting and entering the vehicle on demand. For safety reasons this problem could lead to the death of anyone riding in the vehicle and is involved in an accident, stalled vehicle or other event. Because of the faulty design the entire panel has to be replaced and is quite costly($500 + each). I do not feel this burden should be placed on Jeep owners simply because of the bad design. I would suggest a recall of these door panels before a law suit is brought against the people or design and manufacture of these panels. I do have an extended warranty to 100,000 miles and paid to have the highest plan I can have and these still are not covered. I implore you to please search the internet see all the loyal Jeep owners and recall these panels before Jeep is no longer a trusted name.

- Sahuarita, AZ, USA

problem #12

Aug 032010

Commander

  • 50,000 miles
On the 2006 Jeep Commander the area behind the door handles very easily breaks causing the handle to go up in to the door preventing it from opening. In the event of an emergency with the need to get out of the car fast you would not be able to exit. The only fix is replacing the entire door panel with is over $500. But the problem would not be fixed since it would just be putting the exact door panel back on. 3 of my door panels are either broken or cracked. I've found website where lots of people with this same year model have the exact same problem. My Jeep has not been mistreated. The plastic behind the handle broke in to many pieces when I just went to open the door.

- Lexington, SC, USA

problem #11

Jan 272011

Commander

  • 67,900 miles
On my 2006 Jeep Commander, 3 out of the 4 interior door handles are broken. The plastic on the doors first began to crack, producing holes in the handle cut-out. Now the interior handles move up and down, and if not situated properly, prevent you from entering or exiting the vehicle. Obviously, this is a safety concern for every passenger in the car. After doing online research, it appears that this is a pervasive problem. The dealership informed me that the whole door panel needs replacing at an approximate cost of $500 per panel and is not covered under my extended warranty. They suggested I look online for replacements and they would happily install them.

- Williamsville, NY, USA

problem #10

Sep 062010

Commander

  • miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The vehicle was parked and shut off when the contact opened the front driver side door from the inside; the plastic material behind the door handle suddenly fractured. The same failure occurred on the front passenger side door. The door could no longer be opened from the interior. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but the vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 68,000.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #9

Dec 012006

Commander

  • 6,000 miles
2006 Jeep Commander.....door handles and door handle rosette have failed on the drivers door and the rear passengers door. The materials used for this door handle assembly have failed due to normal wear and tear. The plastic appears to be very very thin. This now poses a serious safety issue with exiting the driver side front door and the passenger side rear door. About 6 months after I bought the Jeep on the front drivers side door...a small hole (1/4") appeared in the center of the plastic door handle rosette. I was told by the dealership that this was due to abuse. Now after three years I see that many many people have had the exact same problem. Oh by the way my 5 year old granddaughter used the rear passenger door one day, after which we first noticed the broken door handle and handle rosette there. I have duct tape covering the hole and holding the door handle in a position that makes the door operable. This is a safety hazard that Chrysler Jeep needs to address. Final insult. The dealer that I bought the Jeep Commander from was closed by Chrysler.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

problem #8

Oct 302010

Commander 4WD 8-cyl

  • 79,895 miles
Physical deterioration and detachment of the inner door handle mechanisms on 2006 Jeep Commander. Through normal wear, the rear driver side inner door handle physically failed fully. Through normal wear the front driver side inner door handle has started to fail beginning with the recessed plastic portion directly behind the door handle becoming detached and separating along what appear to be stress lines. It appears that this will shortly lead to the full failure of the door handle from the inside of the vehicle making exit from the vehicle infeasible without access to the outer door handle.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #7

Oct 302006

Commander 4WD 8-cyl

  • 79,895 miles
Physical deterioration and detachment of the inner door handle mechanisms on 2006 Jeep Commander. Through normal wear, the rear driver side inner door handle physically failed fully. Through normal wear the front driver side inner door handle has started to fail beginning with the recessed plastic portion directly behind the door handle becoming detached and separating along what appear to be stress lines. It appears that this will shortly lead to the full failure of the door handle from the inside of the vehicle making exit from the vehicle infeasible without access to the outer door handle.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #6

Sep 152010

Commander

  • 51,000 miles
1. normal use of the vehicle. 2. the inner door handles break and you cant exit the vehicle. 3. the only current solution is to replace the entire oem door panel for every door. The door handle is plastic and is molded into the door panel so there is no easy way to repair it without replacing the whole panel at a very large expense. Unfortunately the replacement door panels are the same design so it is only a matter of time before they fail also. My fear is that in a time of crisis one or all of the doors could fail to open. Below was sent to Chrysler.com there is a major design flaw with the inner door handles on the Jeep Commander. The housing is entirely made of plastic and is very brittle. After a few years of use the plastic starts to crack then break away and the inner handle will not function. In order to replace the handle you are forced to replace the entire inner door panel. Part 5js891D1ag for the drivers door. As you can imagine purchasing the entire oem panel for each door is ungodly expensive but necessary if you and your family actually want to exit the vehicle without having to go "dukes of hazard" and climb out. The replacement panels are in no way improved from the original design so it is only a matter of time that they will break as well in the same manner. I am very concerned for my family that they will not open the door in a time of need. I am a member of several online forums and this is a known issue with several Commander owners. From what I have found the Jeep Liberty has the exact same issue....poor design.

- Springfield, MO, USA

problem #5

Jul 162010

Commander

  • 60,000 miles
My son tried to open the passenger door and found it would not open due to a broken panel around the door latch handle. I also find that other door latches are experiencing the same problem and find that a person could become trapped in the vehicle. The drivers door latch is about to fail also at this time. I have not replaced the parts as yet and find that this is an ongoing problem with these vehicles.

- Duluth, GA, USA

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