2006 Jeep Commander: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Mar 26, 2018 · Suspension · 120,000 miles · MD

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 jeep commander. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the front passenger side tire ball joint failed. The contact stated that after the ball joint fractured, the steering wheel seized as well as braking was difficult due to a brake fluid leak. The contact veered off into oncoming traffic and was only able to stop the vehicle after the axle fractured. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer or dealer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Filed Sep 7, 2015 · Lights · 56,070 miles · MI

Dash lights and gauges began flickering and on / off. Eventually over a period of months, all vehicle lights began occasional going on and off completely. This included head lights, tail lights, dash lights. Began doing this more and more often. Do a lot of mechanical work myself. Saw that this was a fairly common problem with jeeps as reported on the internet. Cause was a faulty light control switch on the steering column. Bought a new control arm/switch for about $130. And installed it myself. Problem appears to be repaired now. Should be a safety recall for these switches in losing all inside and outside lights while driving at night. Have checked around and do not see any recall as of yet for this problem.

Filed Mar 15, 2011 · Suspension · 75,000 miles · NC

Driver was making a right hand turn out of a parking lot onto a street. 10-15 feet into the turn, the vehicle became stationary and wouldn't move forward. Stopped vehicle and put it into park. Went outside vehicle and checked underneath and rear of vehicle. No obstruction found. Reentered vehicle and placed transmission into drive. Vehicle would not move forward. Put transmission into reverse and vehicle would not go backward. Placed vehicle into park and exited vehicle. Upon further inspection, the right front tire/wheel had come off of the vehicle and the right front of the vehicle was resting on top of the wheel tire. Vehicle had to be towed to manufacturer's dealership. Dealership determined the upper control arm had failed.

Filed Feb 28, 2009 · Steering · 70,000 miles · MA · crash

I was driving my jeep commander home from work. I turned the corner and the jeep abruptly stopped moving. It felt like I hit a cement block. The jeep would not move backward or forward. I got out to see what happened, and to my amazement I saw the front right tire folded underneath the vehicle. Because of the way it was positioned, it had not changed the height of the vehicle. When the tow truck pulled it onto the flatbed, the tire dislodged and the front end crashed to the ground, smashing it. In the morning I determined that the ball joint broke and the tire came off the axel. I am lucky to be alive because I drive all day for work and could easily have been on the highway. My wife could have been driving. We are afraid that even if we get this repaired that maybe it will happen again. This should not be an issue with only 70k miles and a vehicle that has been well maintained by a jeep dealer.

Filed Oct 26, 2007 · Brakes, Transmission · 25,000 miles · IA · crash

I have experienced 3 separate accidents on may 31 2006, august 2 2006 and september 20 2007 with the 2006 jeep commander limited. I had just left the stop sign in the first accident and proceeded into the intersection of a 2-way stop. My vehicle stalled and I collided with a grand am. The driver of that vehicle has filed a civil action against me in which metlife auto & casualty has hired an attorney to represent me. I was found to be primarily at fault for this accident. The lawsuit is claiming I was negligent. The second accident occurred when I was turning around to get a better "shot" into a private driveway. I successfully turned around in a parking area across the street from the driveway and I was in the process of entering the driveway when my vehicle stalled and my driver side front bumper was struck, breaking the tie rod. The police and the other party's insurance found the other driver who was 93 to be at fault for the accident. The third accident occurred on september 20 2007, when I was attempting to turn left on a green light from a turn lane. I was in the process of turning left when another driver who was speeding collided with my vehicle which had stalled during the left hand turn. The passenger front bumper was damaged including a broken tie rod. The other driver's insurance has determined I am primarily at fault for that accident.