CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2012 Grand Cherokee hasn't seen the same complaint volume as the 2011, at least not yet.

It's worth noting both model years are part of a class-action lawsuit that focuses on a defective TIPM and a long wait for replacement parts.

The 2012 also received national attention after it failed a Swedish Magazine's "moose test". The test measures a vehicle's ability to swerve out of the way of an obstacle you wouldn't want to hit while driving down the road ... like a moose.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
19 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
10 / 0
Average Mileage:
25,568 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.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 1 of 14)

problem #270

Jan 212023

Grand Cherokee

  • miles

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

I was leaving work and made a right turn. The vehicle steering and breaks locked up and I hit a telephone pole. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle did not stall. Serious injury could have occurred. Police report and involvement happened as it was a large accident.

- West Mifflin, PA, USA

problem #269

Jun 012018

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
The brake booster of my 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was supposedly inspected and or replaced as part of a recall that I had performed on the vehicle on 12/22/2017 has intermittent failure. Prior to having the recall work performed on the brake booster I had no issues with my power brake systems. However, within a year of having the recall work done I had the BRAKE warning light come on while driving and noticed that my brake pedal was extremely firm when trying to start my vehicle. I made an appointment at a Jeep dealer to have the problem diagnosed and fixed immediately but the problem went away before my scheduled appointment. The problem recurred (BRAKE warning light and extremely firm brake pedal upon starting) about 2 weeks ago. I immediately drove to the nearest dealership and asked that they scan what error code was causing my BRAKE light (suspecting that it was a faulty brake booster but wanting a definitive diagnosis prior to pursuing the matter). Thankfully even though the light had gone off by the time I got it to the dealer they said the error code was still stored and came back as "C0021-02" or "Brake Booster - General Signal Failure" that likely indicates a failing brake booster BUT the dealer also said I was out of warranty and so no work would be covered even though the brake booster recall work led to this dangerous intermittent failure. I have had multiple occasions recently where my vehicle has taken longer to stop than expected and I never know when its going to happen and so I have to leave very long stopping distances now or else risk rear-ending a stopped vehicle if my brakes randomly stop working effectively (also to keep my kids safe from being in an accident when I need to get them to school). I can provide the brake booster for inspection if/when this defective part is replaced properly at the manufacturer or the dealership's expense. The time and specifics below refer to the first time the first time the BRAKE light activated.

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

problem #268

Apr 222022

Grand Cherokee

  • 131,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph when traffic began to back up. When the contact was attempting to get into the left lane, the vehicle's ahead suddenly stopped. The contact depressed the brake pedal, however, the vehicle suddenly accelerated forward causing them to rear-end the vehicle in front. The air bags did not deploy. There was damage to the vehicle in front where their entire rear end was crushed inward. The contact's vehicle was towed. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. There was no medical attention needed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,000.

- North Charleston, SC, USA

problem #267

Jan 182022

Grand Cherokee

  • miles

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

Vehicle has inexplicably, and randomly stalled, and lost power steering and power brakes while operating. This has happened on multiple occasions, during random times of the day/season, while in movement, and while stopped at a traffic light/stop sign. There is no rhyme or reason to how or when this happens, and frustratingly cannot not be reproduced by a mechanic or dealership. When it happens, all other systems that were operating continue to operate (eg. radio stays playing, climate control (AC or heat), and the instrument panel doesn't indicate that anything is abnormal. Safety is a huge concern, as its difficult to control and/or slow the vehicle down, and we have barely avoided collisions. It has been taken to a dealer on multiple occasions, but to no avail, as the condition could not be reproduced. Other than the dealership's service department, the vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were NO warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. We took ownership from the vehicles first and only other owner (my father in law) upon his passing back in April 2018. The condition happened within months of taking ownership, and has happened at least 8-10 times since then. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. We would like to sell the vehicle (for this, AND other reasons), but do not feel comfortable selling an unsafe vehicle to anyone. We have incurred rental car costs while the car is in the shop for diagnosis. Upon a quick search online, there was quite a bit of evidence of this condition happening with others.

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #266

Dec 152021

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
While driving down a main road, the power steering went out, the brakes locked up, and the accelerator locked up. I had to put the car in park and then turn it off and back on. Yes, it is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk because since my brakes were not working, it means my brake lights also were not, meaning someone would not have seen me stopping and I could have been rear-ended. Others were put at risk because my car could have hit someone else. This has happened 4 other times on different dates and a Jeep dealer has done a fuel pump relay BYPASS twice, but the fuel pump itself was never replaced. There were no warning lamps or messages to warn me about the problem before it failed. I am terrified to drive my own car. This needs to be addressed asap.

- Earlysville, VA, USA

problem #265

Nov 142019

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
I've been waiting well over a year, names on a 'list' at various dealerships for both recalls, specifically the fuel pump. Manufacturer recall numberv62 NHTSA recall number19V-813

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #264

Nov 282020

Grand Cherokee

  • 186,000 miles

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

I have been having my car randomly shut off while in drive for over a year. I'm scared of driving my own car. It has happened to me well over 25 times. I've asked the Connecticut dealerships (wetmore's and northwest hills) about this multiple times and as of today they say there is no fix and they can't do anything because there is no fix for the recall. It happens when I'm driving and braking and turning left, such as turning left off a ramp or going down a hill and slowing to turn left or slowing on a big hill at a stop light. The car completely stops. The brakes stop working and power steering is lost. Then I have to put it in park and when I press start it restarts. But this is dangerous. I also have a special warranty I paid for and because there is a recall the dealership said my warranty that I paid $4K for is useless because of the recall. Does someone have to die for this to matter?

- Torrington, CT, USA

problem #263

Apr 012020

Grand Cherokee

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V572000 (service brakes, service brakes, hydraulic) and 19V813000 (electrical system) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, she felt a vibration under the front driver's seat. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the RPM revved. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The contact stated that the failures were experienced 3 times. The contact also stated that on several occasions the vehicle failed to start, with an abnormal fuel odor. The vehicle was taken to viva Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram located at 8434 gateway blvd E, el paso, tx 79907, (915) 834-6300, where it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #262

Jun 292020

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 112,000 miles
The engine stalled completely while I was at a traffic signal, preparing to make a turn onto a busy highway. Loss of power to brakes & steering since the engine completely shut down. I shifted the vehicle into park, started the engine again, shifted into drive but the vehicle would not move. Eventually (in a matter of seconds) the vehicle lunged forward and I was able to safely drive home.

- Star, ID, USA

problem #261

Oct 162019

Grand Cherokee

  • 58,738 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving 35 mph, the vehicle failed to stop when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact applied the parking brake to stop the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to jones junction Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (1510 bel air rd, bel air, md 21014, (410) 879-6400) where a test drive was completed. The dealer noticed failure with the brake pedal, but a failure code could not be found. The technician informed the contact to bring the vehicle back when the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. Prior to purchasing the vehicle, it was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 17V572000 (service brakes, service brakes, hydraulic); however, the recall repair did not correct the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,738.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #260

Nov 132019

Grand Cherokee

  • 10 miles

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

While slowing down to make sharp turns the vehicle will spontaneously shut off causing the power steering and breaking to not work. There are no error codes that come up and the radio and air/heat continue to work. The only reason you know the car shut off is because the breaks and power steering won't work. This has happened multiple times but you can never recreate the problem on cue. It just happens randomly without warning. This has happened both coming off the highway ramp around a turn and on a normal back road street going around a turn. The last time this happened was 11-13-2019

- Pequea, PA, USA

problem #259

Oct 262019

Grand Cherokee

  • 128,000 miles
It was raining I had to start breaking was getting close to a red light, could not stop and crashed into another car and totaled mine and injured me.

- Rowlett, TX, USA

problem #258

Oct 052019

Grand Cherokee

  • 110,000 miles
I was pulling into a parking spot and transitioning the vehicle to park when the vehicle accelerated. I had my foot pressed firmly on the brake but it did not stop and it went up and over a parking barrier into another parked vehicle.

- Plain City, OH, USA

problem #257

Jul 242019

Grand Cherokee

  • 5 miles
Jeep turns off and won't turn on for hours then it trued

- Marlborough, MA, USA

problem #256

Jul 162019

Grand Cherokee

  • 78,000 miles
I recently purchased this vehicle and it completely shuts off unexpectedly. When it does it affects both the braking and the steering. The first time I was stopped at a light and was an easy fix but the 2nd time I was getting off an exit around 50 mph. I have young children and now I am scared to drive them around in it. I know in not the only one this is happens, there's complaints all over the internet. There should be a recall before someone dies.

- West Springfield, MA, USA

problem #255

May 312018

Grand Cherokee

  • 95,293 miles
I have had multiple lights pop up on my dash, usually after it rains, but once for no reason. I will be driving anywhere from 20-65mph and the lights will just pop up. (ABS, brake, and traction control lights) once I turn my Jeep off and back on, it disappears. But when the lights are shown, my Jeep drives a little differently.

- Heidrick, KY, USA

problem #254

Apr 292019

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 67,000 miles
I was driving my Jeep on the highway at 55 mph and traffic slowed down. I went to brake to slow down and my vehicle didn't slow. It felt as if my brake pedal went all the way to the floor and I attempted to move into the other lane, but my Jeep hit the car in front of me and suffered $9,000 worth of damage. I also was injured requiring surgery on my foot that was on the brake pedal. Consumer stated car is repaired. Consumer stated I have the invoice, however from my understanding they did not do anything with the brakes. I still feel there was/is an issue with them. I can forward the invoice if needed, but it does not mention the brakes. I did ask the shop and my insurance to have the brakes checked. My father in law picked up the car for me and said that the shop told him the brakes were fine. Consumer did not have issues before with brake system. Parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- South Amboy, NJ, USA

problem #253

May 082019

Grand Cherokee

  • 55,000 miles
Engine stalls for no reason under braking and deceleration. Happens more often when braking and turning. Loss of power steering when it happens. Does not happen frequently, more often in the cold when the car has been started. Cant replicate it when car is hot. Dangerous when it has happened on exit ramps as car has to be controlled with no power steering and car has to come to a complete stop, put in park where it has always restarted. People behind me not happy when stopping on exit ramps. Have brought to dealer after it has happened and the car has not thrown any codes. There is not real pattern to this stalling, but, having to stop the car to restart it posses a danger of getting rear ended. Happens at speeds between 30 to 60. Happens most frequently in rotaries (roundabouts) when slowing down to enter.

- Smithfield, RI, USA

problem #252

Dec 212018

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 84,909 miles
Safety recall was done incorrectly, leading to brakes freezing up. Dealership was unable to provide paperwork showing that the recall had been done accurately. According to recall T59/NHTSA 17V-572 a vacuum test should have been completed. If the booster did not pass testing, the brake booster should have been replaced. The brake booster was not replaced, allowing moisture to enter and freezing up. Images of the correct installation should have been taken in order to be submitted for the recall. The Jeep was in a shopping plaza, moving from parking lot to another when the brakes froze up. Unable to get call back from dealership service manager. Consumer stated rust built up inside, because moisture was getting in.

- Sistersville, WV, USA

problem #251

Jul 012018

Grand Cherokee

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle had faulty brakes. On occasion, the brake pedal had to be depressed all the way to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. On other occasions, the brake pedal could not be depressed at all. Pomoco Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of newport news (12629 jefferson ave, newport news, va 23602, (757) 369-3565) repaired the water shield above the brake booster per an extended warranty. However, while the contact was driving and came to a rolling stop, a minor fender bender occurred with the preceding vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact was not injured. Two independent mechanics diagnosed that the brake booster cable was the cause of the failure. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer in williamsburg, va where the brake booster cable was removed and replaced with a new part. The manufacturer was contacted and the faulty part was sent to them for analysis. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Emmitsburg, MD, USA

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