CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee shows an early trend of transmission complaints. Most of the complaints are for rough shifting — things like jerking & hesitation when shifting gears.

The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee also has the same transmission issues.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
78 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
18 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,751 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.

2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 11 of 16)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #111

May 262016

Grand Cherokee

  • 3,800 miles

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

The transmission seems to slip when I come to a stop and then try to accelerate at intersections. I'll depress the gas, nothing happens, and then suddenly it jerks forward. It does it all the time, but worse when the vehicle is cold/hadn't been driven. The transmission seems to constantly struggle to know which gear to be in, especially at lower speeds and especially between gears 1 and 2, and stopping and starting from intersections. There is such a delay while the transmission tries to decide what gear to be in to accelerate away from an intersection stop, that I'll often have people steal my turn at the intersection because they don't think I am going to take my turn. I'm waiting for the transmission to lurch and have someone pull out in front of me and hit them or be hit. This is such a dangerous vehicle. I will be having the dealership look at it this week, but have heard multiple reports online that the software "fix" being applied to the transmissions does not remedy the situation. This is the most difficult to drive automatic transmission I have ever experienced in low speed situations. Chugs and lurches in parking lots when taking foot off gas to coast. Have never experienced such a horrible and dangerous transmission.

- Shoreview, MN, USA

problem #110

May 252016

Grand Cherokee

  • 190,511 miles
R rolled into tree, drivers door was jammed. Walked to house got keys and husband who climbed over the console and backed the car out from between two trees drove to our house.the car was originally in park standing still I was not in the car when this happened, home is located on a rural road. The damage was extensive.

- Harvard, IL, USA

problem #109

May 222016

Grand Cherokee

  • 11,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the vehicle was parked on an incline, the contact started the vehicle and it rolled backwards in reverse. The contact's vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V240000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.

- Westlake Village, CA, USA

problem #108

May 112015

Grand Cherokee

  • 2,021 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the vehicle was parked in front of a store, it rolled forward into the store and a fence. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired due to lack of parts. The approximate failure mileage was 2,021.

- Richmond Heights, OH, USA

problem #107

Mar 302016

Grand Cherokee

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the vehicle was parked, the vehicle accelerated without warning and crashed into the contact's garage with a passenger in the vehicle. The passenger was not injured. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V240000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.

- Texas City, TX, USA

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problem #106

Mar 192016

Grand Cherokee

  • 2,340 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to shift gears without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V240000 (power train). The failure mileage was 2,340. The VIN was unavailable.

- Willow Grove, PA, USA

problem #105

Dec 102015

Grand Cherokee

  • 200 miles

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

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Within thirty days of owning the vehicle, the gears inadvertently shifted into reverse when the contact placed the vehicle in park. The only indicators that alerted the contact of the failure was the vehicle rolling in reverse and the backup camera. The dealer was notified of the failure and stated that the parts were not available regarding NHTSA campaign number: 16V240000 (power train). The contact was unable to determine when the vehicle would be repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 200. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #104

May 162016

Grand Cherokee

  • 10,000 miles
Recall 16V-240: Last night, I received a call while in the grocery store that my car had been involved in an accident. When I went outside, my car had run into the car front of me in the parking lot. The car was running, the doors were locked and the engine was in gear. There appear to be several failures here. First, the gear shifter does not move into a gear, but instead seems to operate as a toggle switch. So you never know for sure if you are in out of gear like you do in every other automatic transmission car I've ever owned. Second, when I pushed the on/off button, the car apparently remained on. Shouldn't I have at least been alerted that I had attempted to turn off the car while in gear. Third, I opened the door with the car in gear. Shouldn't I have been alerted again. Fourth, I used the fob to lock the car and then walked away with the roc, all while it was running and in gear. Again, shouldn't I have been alerted. I'm sure there were some electronic beeps when I did some of these things, but that's clearly not enough. My wife's car has the horn honk when you leave the car with the fob and the engine is just running. I think I should have received much more attention-grabbing warnings than any I may have received given the danger posed by my car still running and in gear.

- Glenview, IL, USA

problem #103

Apr 262016

Grand Cherokee

  • 10,000 miles
I am putting in a complaint for my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the electronic shifter. On multiple occasions, I have been in a situation where quickly selecting gears or switching gears was necessary in order to avoid a hazardous situation. I have also experienced instances where I thought I had put the car in park when I had actually selected reverse, because the tactical feedback of the shifter varies from time to time, and is not consistent at all. I am extremely disappointed in the choice of shifter for this vehicle. I have had about 15 cars in my life, both manual and automatic, and this is by far the worst design I've ever seen/used. This is a dangerous shifter and should be completely switched out for one of a different design. Cars should never be allowed to use the mono-stable shifter design. They are terrible. Please help fix this problem before someone else gets hurt!

- Winnabow, NC, USA

problem #102

May 142016

Grand Cherokee

  • 17,000 miles
There are a total of three incidents that had occurred, all within a couple months of each other. The first incident happened late December/ early January. Finishing up work I leave the building and start my car up. When I put it in reverse, to pull out, the Jeep lurched violently forward colliding with the cement barrier. I took it to the dealership where they held on to my car for several weeks, refusing to disclose any information to me about the status of my vehicle. Once they returned my Jeep to me they concluded nothing was wrong, and declined any financial assistance. The second incident I was driving on the highway, late March during the evening. Admittedly speeding slightly, I was going only five-seven over. And just randomly my Jeep starts accelerating by itself. At its peak I was going 80-85 mph and continued at that speed for several minutes before I was able to regain control of my vehicle. The third incident occurred on May 14th, where I was coming off the ramp about to merge on to the highway, when my car inexplicably kicked in its four-wheel drive and dropped gears in to low. The car violently shuddered to an almost near stop with busy traffic coming from behind, resulting in a very close collision. How it was able to change gears, and why, I have no idea. But I definitely do not feel safe in my vehicle anymore.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #101

May 112016

Grand Cherokee

  • 6,500 miles

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

Vehicle started to jerk/hard shift and slip when shifting from 1-2 and 2-3 while driving on a city street. I took the vehicle into the dealer who replaced the valve body, ran the flash software update and reprogrammed the PCM. The dealer test drove the vehicle and indicated that the "trans shifts very smooth now". 20 miles later while I was driving the vehicle on city streets it began to clunk and jerk when deceleration at 30 mph and then again at 8 mph; much worse than before during acceleration. The vehicle also now lunges forwards and shakes when you come to a stop at a light/stop signs with your foot on the brake. I took the vehicle right back to the dealer who has ordered a new transmission. The vehicle only has 6500 miles on it. This vehicle is very unsafe with all the jerking and clunking and control issues. It appears these vehicles have transmission issues with no "fix" available; so I anticipate the same problem to occur when I get the vehicle back from the dealership with the new transmission.

- Jenison, MI, USA

problem #100

May 062016

Grand Cherokee

  • 10,000 miles
The shifter does not always go into park. I have to sometimes make multiple attempts pushing up on the shifter for it to go to park. This has happened more than a dozen times. For example, once I was going into park I pushed the lever up all the way until it stopped. I believed I was in park because the lever would not go up anymore, but I was in reverse. When I would push it up again it went to neutral and stopped. Then I would repeat to go into park. The last incident I was actually in reverse and did not know and the kids were attempting to get out of the car and the vehicle began moving backwards. Although I was not physically looking at the gear I was in...I felt as though I should have been in park. I am 36 years old and have owned over 15 brand new vehicles (Chevy, Subaru, Ford, Toyota etc.) I have never had this happen to me before as I am a very good driver with a clean record and never have been involved in any type of accident. This tells me that beyond the shifter being totally different than what people are used to...it sometimes does not even go into park when you are trying and sometimes needs multiple attempts.

- Masury, OH, USA

problem #99

Dec 312015

Grand Cherokee

  • 100 miles
The shifter in the vehicle is definitely not a good design. After months of owning the Jeep, (Dec 2015) I still could not safely assume I had it in the correct gear. Can not trust without looking, and in the sunlight I's extremely difficult. I thought some of the complaints early on were people who probably shouldn't be driving but after 5 months, I still cannot got to a gear correctly 50% of the time. I can drive a straight 6 but this shifter is horrible. I've hit reverse when attempting park, neutral or back to reverse when attempting drive. Makes me feel pretty incompetent but my husband who is a truck driver has problems as well.

- Utica, KY, USA

problem #98

May 012016

Grand Cherokee

  • 18,000 miles
Transmission cannot be placed from neutral into drive if the vehicle is moving. The vehicle and driver was in a car wash (delta sonic) being moved by an automated conveyor system. At the end of the car wash cycle, the driver is instructed by car wash lights to move the car forward out of the car wash bay. However, the car is still in motion and the transmission cannot be placed in drive. Braking the car to a full stop allows the transmission to be placed into drive, however, the conveyor system continues forward causing the car to jump out of the conveyor rollers. This places the car in jeopardy of being struck by the following car still progressing in the conveyor. Also, while driving forward out of the car wash bay, the vehicle must now progress over the conveyor rollers and hopefully not off the sides of the conveyor. Testing the car on flat and sloped pavements shows that with the car in neutral, stopped and not moving, the car can be moved into drive. With the car in neutral and rolling down a sloped pavement, the transmission cannot be moved from neutral to drive. There is no mention to the owner that this condition exists and could potentially result in an accident.

- Wheaton, IL, USA

problem #97

Oct 202015

Grand Cherokee

  • 3,000 miles
I have a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a monostable gear shifter. Numerous times I have had the car go into an undesired gear. On October 20, 2015, I drove the car into the garage to park it; I placed it in what I thought to be park, exited the vehicle, and then the vehicle (in reverse) started to drive out of the garage. I was caught between the door and car and unable to get back in due to the speed of movement. As the car backed out, the door caught on the main support column to the house and bent backwards; eventually the door hinge gave out and the car cleared the garage. Once in the driveway and with the door out of the way, I was able to run fast enough to get into the car and stop it before it drove into the house across the street. The car had enough speed to screech when the brakes were applied. My shoulder and arm were badly bruised but I did not seek medical attention. The house damage was mostly minor; we are awaiting an inspection to verify the column's integrity. The car damage was substantial, requiring a new door and two new panels. My insurance company, usaa, covered the damage (minus deductible). My brother had a similar experience in a Chrysler 300 with the same shifter, he backed into another car when he thought the vehicle was in park. My wife has made the mistake on our Jeep a number of times as well, but she had not gotten out of the vehicle completely before noticing the error.

- Roseville, CA, USA

problem #96

Mar 292016

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,800 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. After parking and exiting the vehicle, it rolled away without warning and crashed into a tree. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician was unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 6,800. Updated 06/29/16

- Oracle, AZ, USA

problem #95

Mar 012016

Grand Cherokee

  • 5,400 miles
Shifter design is very poor. Cannot tell when it is in park or reverse. Also cannot shift between drive and reverse without going into park first. On more than one occasion I had to shut the vehicle off and restart before it would go into reverse. That created an unsafe situation. I was on a busy city street and parallel parking.

- Wharton, NJ, USA

problem #94

Feb 172016

Grand Cherokee

  • 15,000 miles
On more than one occasion I have started to get out of my Jeep to find that it was not in park. On one occasion it was in neutral rather than park and the car rolled down the driveway unoccupied. It rolled into a ditch. It is also very easy to leave the car with the engine running by mistake. Serious design problem. Key fobs are also less safe than a key what must be turned and pulled out before leaving.

- Reno, NV, USA

problem #93

Mar 022016

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Vehicle does not go into park at first attempt. Goes to reverse and if not careful you think you have placed it in parked and it will roll away or move in reverse. I noticed they changed the gear shift control mechanism in 2016, they need to correct these 2015 with the same fix the manufacture felt was needed for the 2016 models, they must of known of the issue

- Madison, MS, USA

problem #92

Apr 152016

Grand Cherokee

  • 4,400 miles
The vehicle recently rolled away after being placed into what I believed was "P" park. The electro in transmission shifter does not seem to function properly and fails to provide certainty as to when the vehicle is truly in park. The incident happened in my driveway and fortunately nobody was hurt in the incident. I have had electronic shifting cars before and this has never been an issue. The salesperson did mention that the 2016 models were going back to a traditional shifting mechanism, so he obviously knew of the issue. Unfortunately, I did not pick up on this during the sales process. This issue absolutely needs to be repaired.

- Waxhaw, NC, USA

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