2008 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE Complaints

WE ARE HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH THE IGNITION KEY, IT SOMETIMES RELEASES EASILY AND SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO START THE CAR AGAIN AND MOVE IT AND THAT CAN HAPPEN UP TO AS MANY AS 5 OR 6 OR AS LITTLE AS 2 OR 3 TIME. INITIALLY IT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A PROBLEM, BUT NOW IT IS BECOMING SCARY. TAKING IT TO THE DEALER AGAIN BECAUSE WE MENTIONED IT THE LAST TIME WE WERE THERE AND WE WERE TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE OK UNTIL THE CHECK ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT GOES ON. WE JUST CAN'T WAIT AND CONTINUE DRIVING THE CAR LIKE THIS. THERE SEEM TO BE OTHER COMPLAINTS WITH SIMILAR ISSUE. WE HOPE THAT ALL OUR CONCERNS CAN BE REMEDIED. *TR

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. *TR

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 JEEPS 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. *TR

THE VEHICLE HAS TWO CHRONIC PROBLEMS, THE MOST SEVERE OF WHICH IS THAT IT SUDDENLY SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL WHILE BEING DRIVEN, RESULTING IN A SUDDEN & DANGEROUS LOSS OF ACCELERATION AND MANEUVERABILITY . RECOVERY ACTION REQUIRES PULLING OFF THE ROAD TO SHUT OFF AND RE-START THE ENGINE. THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST TWENTY TIMES, USUALLY IN DAMP OR RAINY WEATHER CONDITIONS. TWO DIFFERENT JEEP DEALERS HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE PROBLEM! ONE DEALER THOUGHT REPLACING A MODULE FOR ABOUT $900 WOULD SOLVE THE ISSUE BUT IT DID NOT. THE OTHER CHRONIC PROBLEM IS THAT THE CAR SOMETIMES WILL NOT START FOR NO APPARENT REASON! *TR

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 CHEROKEES, I BELIEVE MY 2008 GRAND CHEROKEE IS SUBJECT TO THE SAME ISSUES AS EARLIER MODELS. UPDATED 4/24/2015 *JS

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. *JS

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. *JS

TL* 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*CN THE DEALER INSTALLED A NEW IGNITION MODULE. UPDATED 11/18/14

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT PLACED THE KEY FOB IN THE OFF POSITION AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER TEN MINUTES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

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. *TR