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2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee: fire, smoke or burning smell

12 of the 856 complaints about the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee describe fire, smoke or burning smell.

owner complaints
12
of this car's complaints
1%
typical mileage
74,000
recalls
2
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls and 79 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year

What owners say

Filed Mar 30, 2026 · Engine · 74,000 miles · PA · fire

The contact owned a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while unloading groceries out of her vehicle with the vehicle in park(P) and the engine on, grayish-white smoke began to emit from the vehicle without warning. The contact turned off the vehicle and checked under the hood, where she saw flames in the engine. The contact then ran to the fire department, which was nearby, and informed them of the fire. The fire department arrived at the scene with a fire truck and extinguished the fire. The police department also arrived at the scene, and a police report was filed. No injuries were reported due to the fire. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire, but was not towed. The dealer or manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

Filed Aug 4, 2025 · Engine · 104,000 miles · CA · fire · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving for approximately 10-minutes, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal. The RPM lowered and the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The failure persisted, and the contact coasted into a parking lot and there was an excessive amount of yellow-grayish smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact exited the vehicle and became aware of an unknown liquid pouring onto the ground underneath the vehicle, with little pieces of debris and sparks igniting underneath the vehicle. While the contact was on the phone with 9-1-1 Emergency Services, there was a popping sound coming from the vehicle and underneath the hood and over the windshield became engulfed in flames. The Fire Department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The contact sustained severe emotional distress because of the failure but had not sought medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow facility where the vehicle remained. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V699000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that the Insurance Company had not yet determined if the vehicle was a total loss. The dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

Filed Aug 21, 2024 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CA · fire

I was driving to work with the heated seat on. I began to feel my lower back getting extremely hot. I leaned forward and when I did I could smell something burning and my back began to burn. I quickly pulled over and jumped out of the car as quickly as possibly to see that my seat had physical flame coming from it. I contacted Jeep about the situation and was ultimately told it was somehow not a manufacturing issue. In addition to the seat fire my touch screen has completely delaminated and sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. Making it a safety hazard with the back up camera only showing when screen is operational. The screen also does things on its own. Changing radio stations, blasting radio volume, turning on/off. This is extremely distracting while driving.

Filed Jul 9, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · CA

Starting around February 23 after about 10 minutes into driving. The hot temperature lamp would show up . I pull over an it was always empty of coolant I had done that few times within one week. I also didn’t use air conditioning for a few weeks left . An it was ok for few weeks. Then I noticed smoke coming out back pipes . Send to first reipair shop. They found Coolant in a combustion chamber They told me I should send to Jeep shop .

Filed May 30, 2023 · Electrical · TX · fire

Car caught on fire while engine was off

Filed May 17, 2023 · Electrical · 100,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that she noticed a burning odor while operating the heating system. The contact then stated that she noticed smoke coming through the vent. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that she was concerned for her safety. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where no failure could be determined. The dealer nor the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Mar 29, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · NJ · fire

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 55,575 miles was parked in a parking garage all day in Brooklyn NY and when the vehicle was move to the front of the garage by parking attendants the engine started smoking and caught fire. There were no leaks, dashboard symbols or open recalls to cause the fire; additionally the car was linked to a iPhone App CarRx that can scan for any issue and no issue noted. This engine fire not only put all of the other vehicles in the park garage at risk of catching fire but the parking garage sits under a luxury apartment building putting the working and residents at risk. Additionally I commute between Brooklyn and NJ 3x a week and cant imagine what would have happened if I was driving the vehicle over the Brooklyn Bridge, on the Brooklyn Queens Express or in the Holland Tunnel during high commuter rush hour traffic. Car was checked out by a Jeep Dealership who confirm fire was not caused by any leaks or electrical issue but did mentioned it seems to have started around the engine air cleaner. The current status of the issue has been an open investigation with Jeep Corporate for going on the 3rd week with no communication or updates on status. The entire issue and fire from pulling into the garage to the when the car was moved to it smoking and catching fire is all documented on security video.

Filed Mar 21, 2022 · Electrical · WA · fire

The battery under my passenger seat caught on fire. The car was completely turned off and parked in my driveway. When I went to leave I opened the car door and black smoke was rolling out. 30 minutes prior I drove the car and there was no warning lights or issues. It was driving like normal. The car is currently being inspected by Jeep and my insurance. My husband and I's safety would have been at risk if we did not catch the fire as soon as we did, not only our lives but it could have hurt our neighbors who live close. As we were outside working when the fire started you could not smell or see the smoke coming out of the car.

Filed Aug 18, 2021 · Fuel system · MD

I have a reoccurring problem filling up my gas tank. More often than not, I cannot fill the tank. If the tank is on “E”, I can usually only put approximately 8 gallons in my tank before it starts to spew out of the tank and into the overflow tank. I had a nightmare with this just a few days ago trying to put gas in my tank at Royal Farms on Rt. 3. Gas flowed out of my tank yet my tank wasn’t full. I am sick of this problem and Jeep needs to stand behind it. I want you to make this a recall. It’s dangerous. If anyone at the gas pumps had been smoking, my entire car and the parking lot would have caught on fire.

Filed Jan 16, 2021 · Electrical · 40,000 miles · CT · 1 injury

The vehicle spontaneously erupted in flames by itself while it was parked with the engine turned off.......see attachments

Filed Apr 9, 2018 · Electrical, Fuel system · 1,593 miles · TX · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 jeep grand cherokee. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. Prior to the failure, the contact noticed an abnormal fuel odor and smoke coming from the passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to river oaks chrysler jeep dodge ram (4807 kirby dr., houston, tx 77098, (713) 524-3801) where it was diagnosed with an electrical failure. The contact was informed by the mechanic that the failure was not due to the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v048000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was advised to have the vehicle towed to another authorized chrysler dealer to be repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 18v048000 (fuel system, gasoline). The approximate failure mileage was 1,593.

Filed Mar 21, 2018 · Engine · 300 miles · MI · fire

I drove this vehicle to work and parked it in a parking structure at 8:00 in the morning. By 4:00 in the afternoon, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The vehicle sat all day in the structure. Unknown as to why it caught fire, but the fire originated somewhere in the engine compartment. I took delivery of this vehicle 8 days before this happened and it only had approximately 300 miles on it. *tt *js *dt

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Electrical system: wiring: front underhoodReported August 9, 2018 · 12,779 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
Risk
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.

Recall number 18V524000 · Recall details

Electrical system: softwareReported May 17, 2018 · 4,815,661 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
Risk
If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.

Recall number 18V332000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee fire or smoke

Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee?

12 of 856 owner complaints about the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee (1%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2012.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee?

There are 2 recalls and 79 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Backup camera 78Check engine light 53Stalling 38Screen failure 25Won't start 24Misfire 21Overheating 21ABS 20Engine failure 20Headlights 19Start-stop 15Adaptive cruise 14Loss of power 12Fuel pump 11Jerking 11Wipers 11No deployment 10Sudden acceleration 10Warning lights 9Seat belt 8Knocking 7Hesitation 7Grinding brakes 5Collision warning 5Power steering loss 5Transmission failure 5

All model years of the Jeep Grand Cherokee

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