Transmission failure at 19,481 miles in my 2021Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 V6. The vehicle has not been abused, and the mileage is low for its age. The symptoms—erratic shifting, limp mode, and “Service Transmission” warnings— are consistent with a known defect pattern affecting multiple FCA vehicles using the same transmission.
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee transmission complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 61, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I believe it is something with the engine or an electrical component. I was driving and as I was parking my car shut off, was not able to completely park back end of the car is sticking out. I looked up if there were any current recalls using my VIN and nothing appeared. I did my own researching and found that there have been recalls for that model regarding the PTU, Power Steering and Power Loss which is the issue I am experiencing. My car turns off on its own and does not get any type of power. Started having trouble turning on my car over Labor Day weekend was not able to travel due to what I thought was my battery having issues, people were jumping me to be able to start my car. I then had my battery tested at O'Reilly's on 9/3/2025 and when trying to jump start my car they shorted my engine block fuse which I was told after having my car towed to the mechanic and they took a look at it. I replaced my main battery thinking that would solve the issue and it did not and this was before the mechanic looked at it. I then had it towed to a mechanic where they replaced the engine block fuse and I was told that the car was good and running after paying on 9/19/2025. I left the mechanic and came to work where after two hours I tried to start my car and it did not. I called the mechanic and was told it was my auxiliary battery after they came to look at the car and inspect it once again that same day 9/19/2025. I purchased and replaced the auxiliary battery and was able to start and drive the car for 1.6 miles to my brothers apartment from my work before the car turned off on me as I was trying to park. There was an error message on the car at the time when it turned off which read with a caution symbol, "Stop Safely Vehicle Will Shut Off Soon" and then turned off.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ESC and “Service 4WD” warning lights illuminated, causing the vehicle to shake abnormally. Additionally, the transmission unexpectedly shifted to 4WD Low while driving. The steering wheel vibrated while making a turn, and the vehicle jerked. The vehicle also intermittently failed to start immediately and made a clicking sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the ABS had failed, and that the drive train control module and transfer case control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
This Car have a lot issues we the computer in the car, the car I was missing oil in the engine ,the piston. Blows out No light 💡 engine On the car have a lot problems we trans mission No light On,I Have problems we transfer Case No light on, Now still having problems if backups sometimes is No light on,I don’t know if Normal but if have a lot safety concerns in this car.
Vehicle shifts from park to drive jumping gears ,making loud noises, Accelerating by its self and jumps aggressively into gear. Transmission is slipping, late engagement when shifting, and shifting rough. sometimes it will low rpm. Rpm is going up and down. Making total transmission failure and transfer case failure. Melting the hot and cold lines. Mechanic found aluminum melted and oil burn. Rpms fluctuate and gets hung up during shifting while driving.
Service shifter message keeps showing every-time I turn on the vehicle. Eventually it just stays on. Took vehicle in for service and when dealer was installing new shifter, it shorted out other components. Jeep still hasn’t found a permanent fix.
Vehicle code: C1562-98 AIR PUMP CONTROL - air suspension compressor is overheating or there's a problem with the control system, leading to issues with adjusting the vehicle's height. With further inspection he found a leak in the air bag fittings. Vehicle Power Control Module has caused vehicle to shutoff while driving on the highway. Air suspension and electrical issues continued after 60 days of attempted repairs.
Once you start driving after letting the vehicle sit the transmission will “slip” multiple times jerking the car and everyone in it. Occurs every day around 4 pm and various times
The car have a lot of problems engine total failure, mounting joints failure, acelere by him self, jerking,,while driving vehicle kicks aggressively in to gear, oil cup broken down make in the engine to blow oil over , no oil in engine. Sometimes missing 3. Quarters of oil because the seal of the engine no last , is a lot problems in this car
Since it was brand new it likes to shift hard into reverse or drive from park. Sometimes it shifts with NOTHING going on like it should Other times there is subtle thump into gear other times it's a harder thumb into gear. There is 2 or 3 levels of hard shift into gear. Valve body and Output shift kit have already been replaced and it's STILL happening
I was driving down the highway and all of the sudden and with zero warning the engine cut off but the effect it had on the car was very severe engine braking as it automatically downshifted very aggressively which caused me to go from about 80mph to a stop VERY quickly. The dash looked as if I simply had the car switched to on without starting the engine. There were no warning lights lit. Shifting into park and turning the car completely off and back on allowed it to start again with no further symptoms.
I drove my car out of my garage on the way to work and just outside my house, the transmission bucked when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear and the p0733 code appeared. I turned around and went home and took another car to work. I had previously taken my jeep with ~85,000 miles to my local dealer wanting the 4 wheel drive and transmission service as I do with all of my cars. It was driving fine, but seemed like the gas mileage was decreasing a bit which I shrugged off. The dealer informed me that the transmission wasn't serviceable. I thought this was odd, but they did the 4 wheel drive service and said everything was good. When I got the error code, I called my local independent transmission shop who said they could look at it in 2 days, so I didin't drive it until the ~10 minute drive to drop it off. They called the next day and said the transmission was done- burnt fluid and bits of clutch in the fluid. They couldn't even find a rebuilt trasmission because according to them so many are failing. They quoted me $8700 for a new transmission from Jeep which I begrudgingly agreed to because what else could I do? I've had one car's transmission fail (Jeep Wrangler but it had 220,000 miles and was 15 years old so I could accept it. The shop received the new transmission from Jeep and then called me saying the valve body was bad, it would not communicate with the car. They went through warranty struggles with Jeep who after another week finally sent another valve body, which also did not work. Finally, they figured out they were sending unprogrammed valve bodies with the transmission and the car needed to be towed to the dealer to program...more $$$. So, after a3+ weeks I finally got my car back today. I've looked online and wondered what I could have done- there are so many similar examples out there of similar experiences, Wrangler transmissions failing with low miles; it's unforgivable that Jeep says the transmission can't be serviced!
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that after his wife had parked and turned off the vehicle in the driveway, the vehicle inadvertently rolled down the driveway. The contact restarted and parked the vehicle in the driveway again, and activated the parking, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and Golling Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (2405 S Telegraph Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302); however, both dealers were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,500. The VIN was unavailable.
Started my 2021 Grand Cherokee Jeep started to drive light on dash transmission service and my vehicle would not go over 35 had to get off highway and get towed .10pm on 12/18/2024
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the message to" Shift to Park and Restart" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled but was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to a dealer during the first failure however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,100.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle started shaking violently. The vehicle then briefly lost motive power and was unable to accelerate as intended before returning to normal functionality; however, the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 18,000.
The electronic stability control has malfunctioned and the 4wd svc light has comeon. The vehicle shifts hard when taking off at low speed. When coming to a stop there is a loud pop from transfer case. Also the 4wd low and neutral comes on by themselves. This vehicle definitely has safety issues. I just bought this vehicle and just barely have 1000 miles on it. How is thus safe? The hard shifting started around 6/1/2024 the electronic stability, svc 4wd, going into 4wd low and neutral all started on 6/23/24
Vehicle shuts down puts itself in park and applies the parking brake and states that the hood is not closed when it is and has not been opened. It also disable the auto stop/start . It does this at traffic lights or when ever a vehicle comes to a stop creating a potential rear end collision due to having to manually restart the vehicle, disengage the parking brake and put the vehicle in drive.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power before stalling and shutting off. During the failure, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The messages "Service Shifter" and "Transmission Temperature High" were displayed. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer and was reprogrammed; however, after retrieving the vehicle, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,899.
In 2022 I attempted to back into a parallel parking space and the emergency braking system kept activating to prevent backing up. Attempted getting corrected at dealer but no trouble codes available. Was driving, slowing down to stop at about 22mph, emergency braking system kicked in, shifted into auto stick, switched back reactivated normal drive. Six months later, was at a stop sign, on green light, turned left from left lane, accelerating to approximately 25mph, suddenly emergency braking activated again, again had to use auto stick to kick out of emergency braking. Luckily car behind me was not tail gating. end of message 04:56-Fri-01/05/24
Started noticing hard reverse shift when vehicle was cold. Took to the dealership, tech could not find any issues other than it shifted hard in reverse. Tech found no leaks, performed PCM reflash. Still no problems found. Tech did not check transmission fluid level on vehicle. Must be checked at the dealership. Tech recommended replacing transmission even though could not find any issues. A few days later while driving at highway speed the vehicle suddenly downshifted to 3rd gear nearly causing me to loose control. Vehicle would not shift into fourth gear. Had to limp vehicle home.
Driveshaft became loose while driving
The vehicle turned off once while driving and the check transmission light comes on periodically. l took it in for service, however, the dealer was not able to find the problem. Since leaving the repair shop the check transmission indicator comes on while driving and turning.
Paddle shifters are disabled with no way to enable them. While towing, there is no way to reduce downhill speed maximizing the use of the power train while minimizing the use of the brake system causing the brakes to overheat and a potential crash incident.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that after accelerating from a stop light and driving approximately 45 MPH, the wheels locked up causing the vehicle to abruptly stop, and the vehicle stalled. After restarting the vehicle, the failure immediately reoccurred. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,000.
We were stopped for redlight at busy multilane intersection, light turned green, went to accelerate vehicle revved to over 3000 rpms but would not shift out of first gear, got to side of road put vehicle in neutral and then back into drive and was able to proceed. Took vehicle to Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealer service center after doing diagnostic they did computer update; they then got a diagnostic code to replace transfer case. The vehicle did this again about 3 months later took it to dealer they did diagnostic unable to find anything. Vehicle did it again about 2 weeks later took it to dealer and they performed a computer update. This is a very dangerous situation when vehicle will only barely move at busy intersections, and you are in a middle lane and can't get into and outside lane and off the road in a timely manner. When this happened the first time the vehicle only had a bit over 10,000 miles on it, it currently has slightly over 12,000 miles on it. This problem is intermittent, and the dealer has not been able to replicate it. Anytime that it happened there were no light indicators on dash.
Turning the car on, there was a failure of our power steering and the steering wheel was not functional. Check engine light and power steering error lights came on. After turning car on and off, we were able to drive (check engine light remained on) to a dealership. They performed a software update that Chrysler released in Oct 2022. This is the second time this has happened to us (first in April 2022, car had to be towed), there are forums of similar issues for this model. Dealer was able to pull the codes and said they have seen other similar instances of this issue. "We cannot guarantee this won't happen again" it was physically inspected and did not see any obvious issues. This is absolutely a safety issue and should result in a recall in my opinion if it is a known issue that is a safety hazard.
While in gear if would not go. Within the first 5,000 miles it was in the shop twice and had to have a new transmission installed. Drove it for another 5-6k miles and same thing happened again and dealership is saying it will need another transmission.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? *radio, sound, bluetooth connection, dashboard, entire screen of radio, navigation, speakers, transmission slipping occasionally - yes it was available for inspection How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? screen often updates itself while driving or the screen and dashboard turn completely solid white or black, preventing me from seeing speed, navigation or anything at all. The transmission often slips causing the jeep to lag. I still have a few dates of service following the forms that were uploaded. please contact me for all documents. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? YES Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? inspected by the original dealership Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no they first appeared on 12-22-21
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the vehicle failed to accelerate after shifting from reverse(R) into drive (D) without warning, with the RPM revving without the vehicle responding. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer after the second failure; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact also stated while going downhill at low rate of speed, the vehicle independently downshifted twice without warning, which brought the vehicle to a near stop. The contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward with her foot on the brake pedal with an abnormal cranking sound coming from the transmission. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history