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:
5 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
86,227 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2006 Jeep Commander Owner Comments (Page 1 of 11)

problem #214

Jun 052023

Commander

  • miles

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

Transmission over temp is a never ending light that lights up daily. I've had 3 reprogrammed PCMs and the ECM replaced as well. The car was also reprogrammed at the dealership twice with the results the same. It will work for a couple days then right back to the original issue and including a few more. Recently the trans over temp came on and stalled in rush hour traffic. Resulting in a almost serious accident. Several attempts made to restart the car. Started and stalled immediately. After the 4th time and reving the engine very hard it stayed running. I've called the recall line on this and several other recalls (1 that was under warranty) with no resolution. This is now a safety issue for me and others on the road. This car is a lemon and should be taken off the road. I've waisted money at the dealership being charged over $300 each time to reprogrammed with no improvement. Bought 3 PCMs at $1200 each. I replaced almost everything under the hood and car with no positive results.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #213

May 012022

Commander

  • 265,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact researched the cause of the failure and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V203000 (Power Train) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed him that the vehicle was not under the recall. A dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 265,000.

- Franklinville, NC, USA

problem #212

Apr 112020

Commander

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while driving at 55-65 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated and the vehicle lost electrical power temporarily. The contact stated that he veered to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the failure could not be replicated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly and the vehicle would stall while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle would go into limp mode and would not shift out of third gear. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring intermittently. The contact also stated that the transmission was shifting hard. The contact stated that the warning message "Passenger Air Bag Off" and the front passenger air bag warning light would illuminate when a lightweight passenger sat in the front passenger-€™s seat. The dealer was notified of the failures and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under unknown recalls because the VIN was not included. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

problem #211

Mar 012022

Commander 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 215,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was stalling while driving. The contact stated that the failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V203000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 215,000.

- White Oak, PA, USA

problem #210

Jul 242021

Commander

  • 170,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Reno, NV, USA

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problem #209

May 272021

Commander

  • miles
2006 Jeep Commander Limited 5.7L V8 Message as appears on dash - TRANSMISSION OVER TEMP While driving a short distance the message TRANSMISSION OVER TEMP appears, the fan kicks on HIGH & is very loud, and it feels like the transmission disengages like being thrown into neutral, but is still drivable. About 2 weeks prior, I noticed smoke coming out from under hood & the engine coolant tank was almost empty. There were no visible leaks on carport. I refilled the tank & immediately called Kilby Automotive repair shop, then took it in. They said that the radiator cap needed to be replaced. The also said the valve cover gasket was leaking. They replaced the radiator cap & made an appointment for June 3rd to replace the valve cover gasket. Before that appointment the vehicle started displaying the TRANSMISSION OVER TEMP message. I took it into Kilby Automotive on May 27, 2021. They said it was a faulty transmission temperature sensor, but they could not repair. They have done a lot of repairs on the vehicle for several years. I called Ultimate Luxury Auto Service explaining the issue. The man said that he could put a new sensor in & there is a broken transmission mount. He replaced the sensor. Fix mount later. When I was driving home, the same message appeared & the fan kicked on as before. I messaged the shop & took the vehicle back in. They put a 2nd sensor in, drove it & received the same TRANSMISSION OVER TEMP message. They returned the 2 new sensors & put my original sensor back in. They said they were sorry they could not fix it & dropped the price of repairs. I entered the make, model, & message online & found out a lot of people have the same problem. Some people have said they replaced numerous parts & it did not fix it, and others say they replaced the PCM. I am disabled and do not want to be stranded or have a vehicle fire. I am afraid that it would pose a risk to me & others, as transmission oil can ignite on hot surfaces and cause a fire in the engine.

- Hot Springs National Park, AR, USA

problem #208

Mar 062021

Commander

  • 174,100 miles

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

My vehicle died in the middle of me driving without warning. I was on a main road turning into a mcdonald's when my car died. I was going about 20 when my car died. My steering locked up, couldn't brake or accelerate, and had to pull over and turn my car off to and back on to get it running again. Once I got my car started again the idle kept pulsating above one thousand RPM and would have to keep it in neutral at a stop so it would lurk forward.

- Paintsville, KY, USA

problem #207

Jan 192021

Commander

  • 146,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the RPM fluctuated and dropped to zero. The vehicle stalled the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. Gaddis Chrysler Dodge (1717 N wheeling ave, muncie, in 47303, (765) 273-4728) was contacted to schedule an appointment to have the vehicle diagnosed. The failure recurred intermittently. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 08V203000 (power train) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 146,000.

- Muncie, IN, USA

problem #206

Jan 232021

Commander

  • 285,161 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while driving at 45 mph, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled. The contact pushed the vehicle to the side of the roadway and had the vehicle towed to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 285,161.

- Penescola, FL, USA

problem #205

Oct 042020

Commander 8-cyl

  • 1 miles
While driving the car will shift off for no reason. It appears to be something wrong I have a new battery and don't now why it's losing power.. it cuts off while driving and when I made a turn but also while driving straight. Also the wheels feels like they are wobbly while driving in the front.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #204

Jul 012020

Commander

  • 120,500 miles

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

I have a 2006 Jeep Commander that I bought 2 months ago. It has been one problem after another. First of all the first day it rained the whole entire cab was soaked, come to find out that there is a problem with the sunroof drainage of these Jeep. The drain lines don't stay connected to the floor and when that occurs the carpet get drenched. I had to pull all of the carpet out of the Jeep because of mold concerns. Secondly shortly thereafter the check engine light came on the first time I drove the Jeep. Took it too a mechanic and the code showed a crank sensor and a cam sensor. Got both of those replaced and it required a driveshaft repair kit. Another day later the check engine light went off again. The truck started to shake and shimmy so we had to pull over on the side of a highway because it wasn't safe. Took it into another mechanic that was closer to where I was having the issues and they put another set of crank and cam sensors in again. Supposingly I was good to go but just 2 days later the check engine light came back on.went back to another mechanic that was close in proximity to where I was having trouble in which the truck started to shake and shimmy again. This mechanic found a short to the ground in altanater unit which required a new altanater because the other one wasn't pulling enough voltage. Today (Sept 5th) went to start the truck and it stalled again and when I restarted it the check engine light was back on. I have spent well over $2000 on this situation and it still isn't fixed. I have read a lot of other customer complaints about this model as well as others who are having the same problem. There should be a recall on this from Chrysler to fix whatever issues these cars are having. They have been getting away with this crap way too long now. Going down the freeway 70 plus miles an hour and all of a sudden the check engine light comes on.

- Miller Place, NY, USA

problem #203

Aug 152020

Commander

  • 168,000 miles
When I accelerate it sometimes says something like transmission temp high and beeps

- Plainfield, IN, USA

problem #202

Jul 252020

Commander

  • 103,000 miles
Worst vehicle ever! we got it with around 98K miles on it, and it now only has 103K miles on it and in the last 4K we've put over $5K into it trying to get it to run. We had to put a new transmission in ($2K) and have the lifters in the engine replaced ($2,600). Currently it's been shutting off on its own a few seconds after I start it and giving random "transmission over temp" and "service 4X4 system" messages even though there's not a problem with those systems. I turn the key, it runs for 3 seconds, then shuts off. Sometimes it does this several times in a row and then won't start at all. Other times it starts fine so it's ridiculously hard to diagnose. Sometimes when it's doing it's shut down bit, you can get it to stay on a little longer by revving the engine, and it will let you pull out of the driveway, but then shuts off in the middle of the street. The sun roof leaks horrifically, even after I've tried the "clip the nipples off the bottom of the hoses" trick.

- Philipsburg, PA, USA

problem #201

Aug 012020

Commander

  • 113,311 miles
Transmission over temp keeps appearing after fluid, shift solenoid, and filters have been changed. Shift solenoids where new from Chrysler and still it states transmission is over temp.

- Alverton, PA, USA

problem #200

Jun 012020

Commander

  • 139,000 miles
Car rolls in park from time to time unless the emergency brake is set. Makes very loud grinding noise when in reverse afterward. Has "service 4WD system" message. No mechanic has been able to identify the problem.

- Redmond, OR, USA

problem #199

Aug 082019

Commander

  • 112,000 miles
My Jeep loses power every time I drive it stalls out while driving (scary when it happened on the freeway) at times it stops shifting and then slams like the whole transmission fell out of Jeep.

- Gladstone, OR, USA

problem #198

Sep 172019

Commander

  • 120,000 miles
Repeated transmission over temp error messages displayed on dash. Error is intermittent, occasionally causing vehicle to turn off unexpectedly during operation. Happens while driving in normal conditions.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #197

Oct 222019

Commander

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled and hesitated without warning. While driving various speeds, the transmission independently shifted into third gear and the vehicle simultaneously jerked forward. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 08V203000 (power train). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 160,000.

- Bloomington, IN, USA

problem #196

Jul 012019

Commander

  • 141,000 miles
The mechanic's customer owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. While driving at an unknown speed, the cruise control failed without warning. The owner took the vehicle to the contact's independent mechanic where a failure code was discovered for the power traiin. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 08V203000 (power train). The contact spoke with crown Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram greensboro (3710 w wendover ave, greensboro, nc 27407, (336) 790-9850) and was informed that the recall had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the recall and stated that more information was needed to see if the vehicle was included in the recall. The contact found on the internet that the vehicle was repaired per the recall on May 5, 2008. The vehicle had not been repaired after the most recent failure. The failure mileage was 141,000.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #195

Oct 132019

Commander

  • 120,000 miles
I have a 06 Jeep Commander with the 5.7 hemi. I have been having a problem tied the vehicle stalling at random time. Most of the time it is while the vehicle is in motion. A few times at highway speeds. Also and I dont know if its coincides but the Jeep will buck like you hit something and the traction control light will illuminate and stay on. (dry roads). Thank god no accidents but was told by countless Jeep dealers there is no issue.

- Jersey Shore, PA, USA

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