2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Typical pattern

2.4% of complaints about the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (839 complaints), typically at 5.0 yr or about 70,017 miles.

Complaints: 2,328
Median age at failure: 5.3 yr
Median mileage: 65,000 n=1465
Crash / fire / tow: 12.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 10

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

839 reports · 70,017 mi

5.0 yr

16.4%

Engine

283 reports · 75,000 mi

6.5 yr

10.2%

Service brakes

277 reports · 50,000 mi

2.9 yr

9.7%

Fuel / propulsion

215 reports · 76,500 mi

8.2 yr

3.3%

Other

119 reports · 80,000 mi

7.2 yr

8.4%

Steering

102 reports · 60,000 mi

5.7 yr

6.9%

Power train

101 reports · 68,000 mi

6.5 yr

11.9%

Air bags

43 reports · 78,345 mi

7.6 yr

27.9%

Exterior lighting

35 reports · 50,000 mi

4.2 yr

28.6%

Speed control

35 reports · 53,000 mi

4.2 yr

20%

Suspension

32 reports · 53,000 mi

6.6 yr

6.2%

Service brakes, hydraulic

31 reports · 32,500 mi

2.8 yr

16.1%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

19V813000 2019-11-14

Electrical system

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 3.6, 5.7, or 6.4 liter engine and previously recalled under NHTSA Recall 14V530 or 15V115. The fuel pump relay inside the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM-7) may fail, causing the vehicle to stall without warning.

A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.

17E061000 2017-10-19

Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Accessible Technologies, Inc. (ATI) is recalling certain ProCharger Superchargers, model numbers AB037A-100, AB037A-100P, and A037A-100B, sold for installation on 2012-2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and SRT vehicles. The supercharger mounting bracket may contact and damage the ABS line, possibly resulting in a brake fluid leak.

A brake fluid leak may lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

17V572000 2017-09-18

Service brakes

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The affected vehicles had brake booster shields installed under a previous campaign to prevent water from entering the brake booster and limiting braking ability. This recall is to verify that the brake booster shield installation was performed properly.

If the brake booster shield was not installed properly, the vehicle's braking ability may be reduced, increasing the risk of a crash.

17V435000 2017-07-10

Electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, Dodge Durango, and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The affected vehicles have electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS) and are equipped with a 5.7L or a 3.6L engine and a 160, 180 or 220 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.

If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. There is also the possibility that the alternator may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

15V879000 2015-12-28

Electrical system:wiring

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured December 3, 2009, to September 1, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the wiring for the vanity lamp in the sun visor may short circuit, after having been remedied for a prior recall for the vanity lamp wiring. This recall is also addressing certain vehicles that have not been remedied under that prior recall.

The vanity lamp wiring may short, increasing the risk of a vehicle fire.

15V115000 2015-02-27

Electrical system

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured September 17, 2010, to August 19, 2013, and equipped with a 3.6, 5.7 or 6.4 liter engine, and 2012-2013 Dodge Durango vehicles manufactured January 18, 2011, to August 19, 2013, and equipped with a 3.6 or 5.7 liter engine. In the affected vehicles, the fuel pump relay inside the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM-7) may fail, causing the vehicle to stall without warning.

A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.

14V634000 2014-10-08

Electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Durango; and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured April 22, 2010, to January 2, 2014, and equipped with a 3.6L engine and a 160 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.

If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.

14V391000 2014-07-02

Electrical system:wiring

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured January 5, 2010, through December 11, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the wiring for the vanity lamp in the sun visor may short circuit, after a service repair is performed.

If the vanity lamp wiring shorts, there is an increased risk of fire.

14V154000 2014-04-01

Service brakes

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles manufactured from January 5, 2010, through September 8, 2013. The subject vehicles have a brake booster with a center shell that may corrode and allow water to get inside.

The water inside could freeze and limit the braking ability of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

14V104000 2014-03-04

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip

Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured October 11, 2011, through October 1, 2012. Under certain braking events, the Ready Alert Braking System (RAB) may result in the driver experiencing a hard brake pedal feel.

If the driver experiences a hard brake pedal, the driver may not push the pedal as intended, lengthening the distance needed to stop the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Exterior lighting 24,000 mi 2.3 yr in service

ONE OF THE FRONT END DRIVING LIGHTS NO LONGER WORKED. I CONTACTED JEEP, AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT A WARRANTY ITEM. SINCE THEN, I HAVE NOTICED NUMEROUS SAME YEAR/ MODEL JEEPS ALL WITH A NON-WORKING FRONT DRIVING HEADLAMP. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS COINCIDENCE, RATHER I AM OF THE OPINION THAT THIS IS AN INHERENT FLAW IN THE VEHICLE. *TR

Exterior lighting 11,800 mi 3.0 yr in service

SUDDEN UNEXPECTED STOP AVOIDING HITTING ANOTHER CAR, FRONT LEFT AND RIGHT SEAT SAFETY BELTS FAILED TO LOCK. AFTER SEVERAL TEST BACK SEAT SAFETY BELTS ALSO FAILED. WINDOWS AND DOOR SAFETY ELECTRICAL SAFETY LOCK DID NOT OPERATED ( 2 TIMES REPLACED). *TR

Exterior lighting mileage not reported 3.1 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V391000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

Engine cooling 5 mi 4 mo in service

WE PURCHASED A NEW JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE WITH 5 MILES ON IT. UPON LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP THE ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A STRANGE NOISE. WE BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE MECHANIC TOLD US TO LEAVE THE CAR. IT'S 5 DAYS LATER AND ALL WE KNOW SO FAR IS THAT THEY HAVE REMOVED THE FRONT END OF THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY ARE STILL WORKING ON IT. WE DON'T HAVE THE CAR. ADDITIONALLY, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WAS NOT FLUSH WITH THE BODY OF THE CAR. WE ASKED THEM TO LOOK AT THE DOOR TO SEE IF IT WAS NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY. THEY OFFERED TO HAVE THE BODY SHOP BEND THE DOOR. *TR

Other Grand Cherokee model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.