While attempting to execute a left-hand turn across oncoming traffic, the vehicle suffered a severe and sudden throttle hesitation and loss of acceleration power. Despite applying pressure to the gas pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate quickly enough to safely clear the intersection, creating an immediate, life-threatening safety hazard with oncoming traffic. There was about a 6-second delay and this kept happening. Following the hesitation, the vehicle accelerated painfully slowly. Prior to this incident, a heavier rumble or rough idle was noted upon engine startup. There was no Check Engine Light or warning message displayed on the dashboard. Bypassing the issue via Sport Mode was unsuccessful. This is a brand-new vehicle leased only two weeks ago. I am fearful to drive it at this point.
Jeep Grand Cherokee L misfire problems
10 of the 386 owner complaints about the Jeep Grand Cherokee L describe misfire or rough idle, most of them for the 2026 model year.
- owner complaints
- 10
- worst model year
- 2026
By model year
- 20267
- 20221
- 20212
Often reported together
Trouble codes mentioned
P0302 1P0301 1
What owners say
car doesn't idle well, when attempting to merge into traffic car stalls and hesitates to move. continues to misfire. has been in two dealerships for checking my complaints. [XXX] in [XXX] and Myrtle Beach Jeep. still continues to misfire. very scary to drive because afraid it is going to stop at any time INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle: 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Location: [XXX] Safety Issue Description: When using the remote auto‑start with the key fob, the engine starts briefly and then shuts off. When the vehicle is manually started, the check‑engine light immediately illuminates and begins flashing, and the vehicle jerks violently even while in park. The flashing check‑engine light indicates an active engine misfire, which poses a significant safety risk due to potential engine stalling, sudden loss of power, and potential catalytic‑converter damage. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine failure while driving on the highway. Jeep dealership confirmed failure due to a cylinder 4 misfire. Spark plug in cylinder 4 porcelain came out of the plug and resulted in damaging the pistons and valves. My family's safety was put at risk because we were driving on a highway and suddenly the engine stopped working. Could not accelerate or keep the engine running. Issue confirmed by the service team at local Jeep Dealership where car broke down. The team provided images of exploded spark plug and pieces of it in pistons and valves. Vehicle is in process of being transferred to dealership where car was purchased so that it can be inspected further by manufacturer. Police was not involved. A claim has been opened with insurance company, but they have not inspected it yet. There were no warnings prior to the engine failure. It just happened out of the blue.
On 7/16/2026 exactly 1 week after i purchase the vehicle after fueling i drove about 1 mile when the car started to misfire, when attempting to accelerate. Check engine light flashes a few times and then went off. I then attempted to reverse into my driveway and when attempting to do so the vehicle shut off completely. But started right back up. I then called the dealership and was asked to bring it in. The dealership has the vehicle about 2 days and said it has been repaired it had bad spark plugs. When to get the car it drove fine with no issues until 7/28/2026 when i made an attempt to drive to work, i had driven about a mile from my home and car to a red light when the light turned green i attempted to accelerate and the vehicle was hesitate. Then a few warning lights came on that showed issues with electronic throttle control and electronic stability system service. The car would not accelerate over 20 mph and would shake when i attempted to press on the accelerator, the car was then towed to the dealership and much it has been at since 7/28. I received a online request for service approval from the tech on 7/29 in which they stated cylinders 1 &4 were showing misfired and they would look into replacing the spark plugs but that they would continue to work on the car. I then received a message from my service advisor on 7/31 that stated the spark plugs were replaced but the vehicle was still having issues, i should wait until 8/3 for an update. I have not even had the vehicle for 30 days and it’s been in the shop twice for the same issue with about 1,000 miles on it.
While driving my 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the check engine light began flashing (a flashing, rather than steady, check engine light typically indicates an active engine misfire). At or around the same time, the vehicle began shaking/vibrating noticeably, consistent with the misfire condition indicated by the flashing light. Separately, I experienced a failure of the vehicle’s push-button Start/Stop ignition system. When attempting to shut the engine off by pressing the Start/Stop button, the engine did not turn off as expected. The button had to be pressed several times before the engine finally powered off.
I purchased a brand new 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit in April 2026. At approximately 1,205 miles, while traveling with my wife and [XXX] child in [XXX] , the vehicle suddenly developed a flashing check engine light and severe engine misfire condition. The engine began shaking violently, idling rough, and lost smooth drivability during operation. I scanned the vehicle using an OBD-II scanner and the PCM stored diagnostic trouble code P0302, indicating a cylinder #2 misfire. Due to concern for vehicle safety and possible engine damage, the vehicle was towed to Vaden Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM for diagnosis. The dealership later advised me that the spark plug in cylinder #2 had cracked porcelain and that the vehicle requires spark plug replacement. The dealership also stated they were awaiting authorization/approval from Stellantis before proceeding with repairs. This failure occurred extremely early in the vehicle’s life and caused my family to become stranded during travel. A flashing check engine light indicates an active misfire severe enough to potentially damage emissions components and raises concerns about engine reliability and safety. I am concerned there may be a manufacturing defect, ignition system defect, spark plug defect, improper assembly issue, or another underlying engine-related problem. I am submitting this complaint so the issue is documented in case other owners experience similar early engine failures or ignition-related problems on this vehicle platform. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was driving my vehicle home after a nearby out of town errand. I was on US-95 between Potlatch ID and Moscow ID which is a very hilly, curvy 2-lane 60mph highway with little to no cell service. As I ascended my first big hill, my engine light came on flashing and the ride became noticeably bumpy. I could not call anyone for many miles yet, so I put on my safety hazards and continued driving, hoping to make it to town. With each hill my car became more unstable and seemed to be struggling to accelerate. Once I had cell service just outside of Moscow I called my husband to tell him what was happening, where I was at and proceeded to head to an auto repair shop. Once I drove into Moscow, my car was incredibly shaky and noisy and the engine seemed to struggle to stay engaged at stop lights. I brought it to Hive auto repair and they told me that my engine was misfiring, but that they would run a level 1 diagnostic that day. When they called with the results, they confirmed the following information: Scanned for DTCs and found P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected. On this 3.6L engine, Cylinder 1 is located beneath the intake manifold, requiring intake removal for further access and testing.-- I continued to level 2 inspection and removal of the manifold which showed significant problems within the engine at Cylinder Head 1. There was oil intrusion and low compression, consistent with warping of the head. They said that this was a known issue with this engine on Stellantis vehicles because of an EGR valve on cylinder 1 2018/2022. Even though I had my Jeep regularly serviced at McGee Jeep in Barre VT, they never tested for this because it wasn't recommended or in the scheduled maintenance. But when I spoke with them they confirmed this is a known issue. I understand it is a severe, dangerous and expensive repair, but usually occurs after the warranty expires. I now have an unsafe, undriveable vehicle with a $14k repair pending.
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the check engine warning light started flashing. The engine was misfiring, and the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a misfire in cylinder #5; and two cam shafts were replaced. The contact stated that the metal cam shafts were worn. The dealer expressed that the metal used in manufacturing the cam shafts was too soft. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. After reversing from the driveway, the check engine warning light illuminated and started flashing. The vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to pull over in the driveway. The vehicle failed to move. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. The VIN was not available.
Presented as camshaft position sensor with loss of power, poor acceleration and general misfires. After many weeks of diagnostic and repairs, turns out to be a problem with the camshaft intake. Specifically the entire cam kit. Appeared 1 week after purchase as a check engine light. This problem had been confirmed by the chrysler dealership where I bought the car and sent it for diagnostic. Problem with the cam could result in sudden loss of power while driving/and or limp mode. Damage to transmission and other parts such as timing chain. I do not have any invoices, however this vehicle was in for service at greenwood auto in cortland ohio for a week before being transferred to Mig chryler in bellafontaine ohio where it was bought for service. Currently no invoice for the repair because the parts are not available due to high amount of demand for this specific problem. My jeep has now been in the shop for 4 weeks with no timeframe for parts.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Jeep Grand Cherokee L misfire
Which Jeep Grand Cherokee L years have misfire or rough idle problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2026 (7 complaints), 2021 (2 complaints) and 2022 (1 complaints).
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