10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
8 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
47,100 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.

2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee electrical problems

electrical problem

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2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 19 of 23)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #87

Jun 232008

Grand Cherokee

  • 6,000 miles

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

The vehicle shut down while driving. I lost power steering & brakes but the radio and ac stayed on. I had to put it in neutral to restart and then continued driving. This has happened many times since then, even after the dealership replaced my key fobs.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #86

Jul 272013

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 54,989 miles
I bought a new 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee straight from the dealer. In January/February 2013 I started experiencing intermittent instances of the vehicle powering down & stopping without any warning. I would be driving at 35mph, and out of nowhere the electrical would cease, the truck would seize up, power down and would come to a halt. I took the truck to the dealer on 6/27/13, had diagnostics run. The dealer's recommendation was to have a new keyfob unit installed. There was an internal defect found in the wireless control module. Module on backorder, so alternate repair option given which included the installation and programming of a new remote starter unit which came with a new wireless control module and two new keyfobs. Previous to this I also had a new battery & shocks put in to remedy the problem. To date, still having same issue and now the "malfunction indicator light" intermittently appears lit on my dash. I see Jeep up to 2007 being included in the latest 7/21/14 recall for "faulty ignition switches that cause vehicles to stall" & I want to ensure that the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee's get included in the investigation as a result of my filed complaint.

- Syracuse, NY, USA

problem #85

Apr 192008

Grand Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • 350 miles
Vehicle shuts off and all electrical and power steering inoperable. Shut offs happen intermittently at speeds from 20 mph to 70 mph. It generally occurs upon hitting road bumps, rail road tracks or pot holes. These incidents have happened 4-6 times per year. I have taken the vehicle to Chrysler's service engineering garage and Suburban Chrysler Jeep and they are unable to replicate or fix the issue. There have been 2 additional shut off incidents in the past 3 days with 2 different drivers. Vehicle will restart upon placing transmission in neutral and restarting. Based upon Chrysler recall campaign for similar issues with 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, I believe my 2008 Grand Cherokee is subject to the same issues as earlier models. Updated 4/24/2015

- Novi, MI, USA

problem #84

May 012012

Grand Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • 35,000 miles

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

Ignition switch problems - I am now using my third ignition switch. The first one failed instantly, shortly after I purchased this used vehicle. I parked the car in the driveway and when I tried to restart it the switch would not read and accept my key fob. Therefore it would not start the engine. Car had to be towed to dealer for a replacement switch and programming. The second failed (approximately a year later) intermittently with increasing frequency. When I would turn the key fob to start the car and then release the key to let it return to the "on" position the engine would turn off. Sometimes it would stop immediately, but there were other occasions that it would turn off after I started driving. The third switch is now still working but is operation is not as smooth as it was originally. This is the condition that preceded the failure of the second switch. I've been driving for almost fifty years and have never experienced failures as I just described. This is more than an expense and inconvenience. When your car shuts off while you are driving it...now that is dangerous and unacceptable.

- Mount Gretna, PA, USA

problem #83

Aug 162013

Grand Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
Vehicle engine shuts off if key fab is disturbed while driving. Three times this has happen in the past year. All power is lost when this occurs. I removed items from key ring in an attempt to temporarily stop this situation until a recall is announced to fix this issue permanently.

- Hamburg, NJ, USA

problem #82

May 202014

Grand Cherokee 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,500 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 5-10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,500 and the current mileage was 41,088. Updated 9/4/14 the dealer installed a new ignition module. Updated 11/18/14

- Hudson, MA, USA

problem #81

Jun 032014

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 53,200 miles

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

When attempting to turn vehicle off the key becomes trapped in the ignition and will not come out until the key turned to the on then to off position several times. At times the vehicle starts on its own even without the key in the ignition at all and there are times when the vehicle is running and in drive on the roadway that you hear the ignition area by the key clicking again and again. This causes the alarm system light to come on and flash then go off and no after driving the vehicle it seems to be happening more frequently and becoming harder to get the key out of the ignition. So far the vehicle has not stalled out while driving but I am afraid to drive it much since out of fear this may happen with me my wife and three children inside.

- Rockaway Park, NY, USA

problem #80

Jun 112014

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • miles
Yet again the Jeep dies out while driving and eventually does not start. Had it repaired in June 2014. Today 7/14/14 it will not start again. I looked up recalls and see that there was an exact match to our problems. Several years ago we had the locked windshield wiper problems too. I called Jeep the 1st time it happened and they said although our problem was identical to the recall, our serial number was not involved. They nee to expand the recall based on the problems or people will be harmed in accidents due to the faulty vehicle. The Jeep just shuts off while driving and you lose your steering and can cause a crash. I narrowly avoided one several times. Please look in to this. Many online complaints identical to mine.

- Lincoln Park, NJ, USA

problem #79

Jan 012014

Grand Cherokee 4WD

  • miles
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Consumer writes in regards to final drive controller module recall. Consumer states recall repair damaged vehicle. The consumer stated the recall was performed in October 2013. However, he did not know at the time, it damaged the vehicle. It wasn't until January 2014, that the vehicle would not go into towable mode. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. An inspection revealed the vehicle needed a new transfer case motor, and Chrysler would pay for the repairs, but the part would not be available for six months. The consumer filed a claim with Chrysler, and five weeks later the part arrived, and was eventually installed. Late April 2014, the vehicle would not shift into towable mode. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was fixed again. The dealer guaranteed that it wouldn't happen again. But, it did happen again, and a warning appeared on the dashboard, that read service 4-wheel drive system and the transmission light illuminated. The consumer was informed, there was no permanent fix at the moment.

- Sedona, AZ, USA

problem #78

Jun 272014

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 99,000 miles
My Jeep stalls every month or every month. I have brought it to the dealership for over a year regarding this issue. Jeep stalls while driving at low and high rate of speeds. This mostly happens to me at high rate of speed. My road is a 50 mph road and I have had to pull off to the side of the road and restart my Jeep. This is very dangerous no matter what road I am on, but I do live on a major road which has lots of traffic. The dealership cannot seem to find what is the cause of this stalling and says no codes show in the computer. I put the latest stalling episode above. Chrysler really needs to step-up and fix this issue. I am not the only one with this problem.

- Garrison, NY, USA

problem #77

Oct 172012

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • 55,234 miles

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

Vehicle stops running with absolutely no warning. This can happen at any speed. Lose engine, lights, brakes, steering, and air bags. I no longer feel I can safely operate this vehicle on a highway with multiple lanes. Chrysler refuses to replace the part(s) at their cost. They have been aware of this condition in 2008 vehicles since 2008.

- London, OH, USA

problem #76

Jun 152014

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • 63,782 miles
Driving on an onramp to the garden state parkway truck shut off and lost all power to motor.. had to cost to side of highway and try to restart vehicle.. this put me in danger of not only causing a major highway crash leading to injury and death but also had to figure out what is still wrong with this truck.. the only way to start this vehicle is to come to a complete stop.. put it into park... remove the key fob... re insert key fob and truck starts right back up... since 2008 I have filled reports of this exact problem happening.. and no fix has come from Jeep or a recall forcing action of these Jeep Grand Cherokee.. in researching this problem I have found this has been a common problem in the Jeep Grand Cherokee line going back to 2007 and still you or Chrysler corporation has not taken action. Please my life as well as others driving on the road could be saved be a recall to address this very serious issue... I ask you will it take me death or the death of others to get a response from some one. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Freeport , NY, USA

problem #75

May 042014

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl Diesel

  • 93,290 miles
I have a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee diesel limited two wheel drive. I bought the vehicle with 92,289 miles. At 93,290 miles the check engine light came on which according to the Dodge dealership indicated that the eeg valve and battery was bad. So I replaced the gr valve in the battery. Periodically since then the check engine light would come on and then go off. On a trip to Ohio the engine light came on and the car died on the freeway during a rainstorm. It was towed to a local Jeep dealership for diagnosis. The dealership told me that the airflow control valve was bad, but they needed to pull the battery out and disconnect the powertrain control module to get a true reading and make sure it was the airflow control valve. The powertrain control module is located underneath the battery. Upon pulling the battery and box the mechanic noted that there was battery acid on the power control module and on the wiring harness that connects to the power control module. I was told that in order to get proper readings the power train control module would have to be replaced as well as the engine wiring harness for a total cost of $2091. And they also indicated that after this was done they would be able to check to see if there were any other problem. I believe all the problems may have been false readings because battery acid had eaten through the powertrain control module and damaged the wiring harness connector, causing false readings when hooked up to the diagnostic machine. I do not have $3000 a month to invest in this vehicle to continue to find additional problems. Please help me!!!

- Kankakee, IL, USA

problem #74

Nov 072013

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • 60,000 miles
Had N23 recall done in September 2013 in November 2013 when I was going to tow Cherokee behind motorhome would not go into neutral in transfer case. Dealership replace actuator. January 2014 same problem, dealership replaced actuator again, they said the one previously replaced was bad. February 2014 same problem, dealership reflashed tcm. May 2014, same problem, reflashed tcm again. Later May 2014, same problem, dealership opened ticket with star engineers, checked every wire harness, connection in transfer case and actuator. Now June, same problem...my question Chrysler customer care only helps communicating with the dealership and the dealership can not email the star engineers. Why haven't they looked at the final drive control module, that is where the problem started with the recall"?? since the new models are ok what changed from the 2008 to the 2011 and newer??" need help!! Chrysler needs to fix the problem. Many people have this problem since the Cherokee is such a popular vehicle to tow.

- Pearland, TX, USA

problem #73

Apr 102010

Grand Cherokee

  • 11,000 miles
Owner of 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee on a regular basis hear a click and the power shuts off. You find yourself with no power steering, no power brakes, and no lights. This also occurs sometimes when you go over a bump or if your knee touches the key ring. The ignition key and mechanisms was replaced in 2010, and this above problem has been occurring off and on since then. In the past two years the occurrence has increased. The technicians can find nothing wrong in the car. Chrysler will not admit that the ignition fob and housing is defective, or that their is any problem. This problem is potentially life threatening if it occurs when there is no place to pull over and if hit, air bags will not deploy when the engine is off.

- Moon Twp, PA, USA

problem #72

Feb 042014

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 90,000 miles
I started the vehicle and then pulled out onto the highway. As my speed increase, the fob key clicked to the off position. Before I knew what happened I had no power and had to pull to the side. Luckily I was in the right hand lane. This has happened maybe 5-6 times so I brought it to the dealer. They could not find a problem not could they duplicate the problem. Ironically I just needed to install a new starter motor but the problem still exists and it is happening more often. Sometimes I start the car, do not even get a chance to put it into park because the fob key turns to the left into the off position. I am afraid this will eventually cause an accident.

- Natick, MA, USA

problem #71

Jun 152011

Grand Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph making a turn, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the ignition switch was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred three years later. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 80,000...updated 08/11/14 the consumer stated the vehicle repaired on 06/13/2014

- Geneva , IL, USA

problem #70

Jun 172013

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • 89,500 miles
On June 10 2013 we purchased a 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. 6 days after the 30 day warranty expired, was the beginning of a series of incidents that have continued until now 6/3/2014. About a week after purchasing vehicle the motor died in traffic. My wife drove to the dealer and told them what happened. They drove the vehicle but nothing happened and told her it was probably nothing and not to worry. But over time the problem has worsened to the point that it is not safe to drive. The ignition is on, everything is working, then the ignition kicks off, motor dies, and steering is lost and we have to roll to the curb and restart the engine. Drive a few blocks or maybe a mile or two then the ignition kicks off again. This has happened once on a freeway here in California, luckily close to an exit where we were able to roll off. Now the dealer wants to charge a very large sum to analyze and repair the problem and we feel they knew about this at the time of sale. I see on the net others have the same problem we have with their Jeep cutting off. The dealer informed the consumer the ignition module needed to be replaced. Updated 09/03/14

- West Hills, CA, USA

problem #69

Feb 032014

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
Approximately 10 times, while driving my vehicle at various speeds (10, 30 and 70 mph) my vehicle has stalled. One time, while driving 70 miles, with my children in the car, my vehicle stalled while in the outside lane. I had to get across five lanes of traffic, with no power, including no power steering and I barely made it over. My vehicle has also stalled while pulling out of my development, which is on a road that is posted 45 mph and on a bend. So when I have stalled in the middle of the intersection, I have cars who round the bend at 45 mph and I, and my children, our sitting ducks unable to move. It is only a matter of time before someone gets killed. I brought it the dealership, they kept it for several days and several hundred dollars for them to tell me they do not know what is wrong. Two things to note: It always stalls after hitting a bump, and I carry approximately 30 keys and rings on the chain that holds my ignition key. I do not think that this is a coincidence and I take this very seriously. My children, other innocent people, or myself are going to be seriously hurt or killed and I want this investigated aggressively.

- Rensselaer, NY, USA

problem #68

Apr 232014

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 129,000 miles
While traveling at 55 miles per hour on southern blvd. In West palm beach the key turned from the on to the off position. This caused a lockup of the steering and brakes. The automobile returned to full function when the key was turned back to the vertical position. There were no keys or weight hanging from the key and it just clicked off. This condition was recently repaired at arrigo Dodge on okeechobee blvd. The key now sticks in the ignition. The radio failed soon after and it was noted that fuse 27 & 28 were covered in lithium grease from the prior repair which stopped the fuse from making contact with the plug. Cleaning restored the radio function, but key is still stuck in the ignition. Later, the computer stated "key damaged". updated 04/13/15.

- Loxahatchee, FL, USA

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