Radiator coolant system failed and caused the engine to overheat and loss of power while traveling on an interstate highway. Pulled over to side of highway. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic shop. The shop evaluated the engine could not start as it had seized from overheating. It was determined that the radiator plastic end caps suddenly failed causing the engine to overheat and seize. The radiator temperature is very high and the plastic and aluminum materials expand and contract at different rates therefore weakening the connection between the two materials until the part fails. This is a bad design, application, and mix of materials in a part that does follow the basic principles of thermodynamics.
Jeep Commander loss of power problems
173 of the 2,753 owner complaints about the Jeep Commander describe sudden loss of power, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 173
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,130
- typical mileage
- 72,500
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 72Power steering loss 25Check engine light 22Warning lights 12Hesitation 8Headlights 7Won't start 4Harsh shifting 4
Trouble codes mentioned
U0404 1P1521 1P0607 1B1A28 1
What owners say
When driving at various speeds, the engine shuts completely off, causing loss of power steering and brakes. Jeep dealer said no recalls for this problem. Very dangerous condition, I have been almost involved in several accidents because of this. There are other people on the computer who have this same problem.
2008 Jeep Commander, 4.7L, QDII system. Vehicle experiences a sudden an unexpected loss of power and braking action while driving at speed. After loss of power, ABS, Stability Control, Brake, Check engine light, dash board warning lights illuminate and flash. Park assist and service 4wd error messages flash intermittently. Vehicle begins to buck and surge, accelerator becomes unresponsive. Has occurred at highway speed of 70mph, 50mph, 35mph. Loss of control of vehicle is sudden an unexpected with no advance warning. Vehicle has been to my local jeep dealer 4 times for repair (in under 1000 miles) multiple components replaced with no correction to issue.
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing engine power and then the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart after one attempt. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
Was driving cars engine started shaking was stalling losing power in the middel of the road engine light came on we barely male the car home it was stalling out happend only less than 5 miles from home put code reader on vehicle had 5 codes one was Power train and other spark plug ect going out dealer ship they had it towed the tow truck driver couldn't get the 2 front tires to move took him 2 hrs finally he told me he had to remove my drive shaft to tow it the dealer ship cleared the codes told me nothing is wrong with the vehicle and I have to come get it and drive it home 1 hr 30 min from there I am not willing to do that it's unsafe also they sold it to me with broken seat belts and a water leak that flood in entire front of the car so now my car is sitting there and I have no help on this.they refuse to fix anything except the seat belts and won't tow it back to me.
The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that occasionally while driving 35 – 65 MPH, the vehicle would shake and hesitate. The vehicle also lost power steering and braking functionality and stalled with an audible tone. There were no warning lights illuminated. On another occasion the vehicle lost motive power and was struck by the vehicle in the rear. There was no physical damage to the vehicle and there was no injury sustained. The police were not notified and both vehicles were able to drive away from the scene. On another occasion the vehicle stalled and was towed to the residence; then towed to the local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed however, the contact was unaware of the results or if the vehicle was repaired. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
While driving the car will shift off for no reason. It appears to be something wrong I have a new battery and don't now why it's losing power.. It cuts off while driving and when I made a turn but also while driving straight . Also the wheels feels like they are wobbly while driving in the front.
The battery light came on about 5 minutes after I started driving through residential streets and onto a freeway. I exited the freeway and went to the auto store where I had originally purchased the battery from, about a year ago, which is less than 5 miles from my house. They tested my battery and said the battery was good but my alternator was bad. I drove my jeep commander home and parked it in the garage, per usual. When I exited my jeep there was no odor, no smoke, no sound of any sorts coming from under the hood. Less than 20 minutes of parking my jeep, my jeep was on fire and caught my house on fire. No warning nothing! My jeep was 10 years old and just turned 103,000 miles. I faithfully serviced my jeep at the local jeep dealership or midas. My jeep had no previous issues of any sort (no loss of power, no leaks, wasn't running hot, etc.).
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 jeep commander. The VIN was not provided. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle started to lose power. A smell of fuel was perceived without warning. The vehicle was taken to the performance chrysler jeep dodge ram columbus (1130 auto mall dr, columbus, oh 43228) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle burnt the fuel lines and melted the fuel tank. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that nothing could be done. The contact called the attorney general and was referred to the federal safety agency. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 172,000. The VIN was not available.
Check engine light came on. Engine surged rpms and lost all power while driving. I put it in neutral and started it back up. Upon parking, rpms surged again, vehicle tried to pull forward before the rpms dropped and stalled the engine in drive. I checked used my scan tool to check the code and it came back p1521 which is for wrong engine oil. I used royal purple 5w20 in my last oil change. It drove the vehicle for 2098 miles before this incident occurred with no issues in between. I noticed the 4.7 litre had a recall done for the same exact issue and it being a software update for the power control module.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Jeep Commander loss of power
Which Jeep Commander years have sudden loss of power problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (100 complaints), 2007 (55 complaints) and 2008 (15 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix sudden loss of power on the Jeep Commander?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,130 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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