My car would not shut off and left running in the driveway for about 3-4 hours. The car would not shift into gears and began making clicking sounds under the hood. When opening the hood the noise became louder and car began to catch on fire. Requiring me to call emergency services but I was able to contain the fire with my garden hose. The fire department and police had to manually disconnect my car to maintain safety.
Jeep Grand Cherokee fire or smoke problems
518 of the 29,174 owner complaints about the Jeep Grand Cherokee describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2012 model year.
- owner complaints
- 518
- worst model year
- 2012
- typical repair cost reported
- $1,000
- typical mileage
- 72,000
Is there a fix? There are 22 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 31Check engine light 25Won't start 21Overheating 20Whining noise 17Loss of power 17Wipers 12Door locks 11
Trouble codes mentioned
P0303 1
What owners say
The contact owned a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the electronic control warning light illuminated before the failure. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle; however, the vehicle independently restarted. The contact exited the vehicle shortly afterwards, and the vehicle suddenly caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Complaint Number: 20V699000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was contacted by email and phone and opened a claim. The claim was declined. The investigator had taken photos. The contact was informed that the mileage had been exceeded. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was large puff of smoke coming from the driver's side of the vehicle while coming to a stop. The contact became aware of a brake fluid leak, causing a complete loss of brake pressure and braking power. The brake fluid was leaking more when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic and the technicians discovered that the catalytic converter was melted, causing severe heat damage to the adjacent brake lines. The contact stated no other parts were damaged. The vehicle was towed to a dealer; however, the technicians were unable to duplicate the original failure. The dealer was unable to determine what caused the catalytic converter to collapse onto the heat shield near the brake lines. The contact stated that the dealer offered to repair the vehicle by rerouting the brake lines. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,116.
Recall R71 was marked as completed on this vehicle, but the headliner caught fire exactly as described in the original defect narrative. SUV caught fire, blew up and took out four other vehicles and a parking structure.
I recently was driving and my headlights went out, then smoke appeared on the passenger side of my car and immediately caught fire and my car was completely burned down.
Since Nov 2025 there has been a recall with still no remedy for repair. The recall is a huge safety risk regarding the hybrid battery worrying me about it exploding or catching on fire as it warns me to not charge it in my garage and be careful charging it which is the only reason I purchased this hybrid.
I was on the highway and the truck escalated in speed then it would decreased In speed . (61 mph to 45-41mph. Then it decreased speed all the way to a complete stop. Then burst into flames in front of truck. Truck made crackling sounds and proceeded to burn all the way back to the back seats of truck.
vehicle had a strong odor of gasoline then started spuddering and then caught fire while driving.
Abs module malfunctioned and caught on fire
The contact owned a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle rear-ended another Jeep vehicle stopped at the red light; however, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact mentioned that there was no brake pedal depressed in attempts to stop, therefore the vehicle was going at full speed. The windshield washer fluid warning light was flashing, and there was smoke coming from the driver's side front end of the vehicle after the crash. The contact stated that the radiator was caved in due to the impact. The contact did not sustain major injuries. The vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. A police report was filed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000. The VIN and the License plate numbers were not available.
Related recalls
Electrical system: propulsion system: traction battery
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Jeep Wrangler 4Xe and 2022-2026 Grand Cherokee 4Xe vehicles. The high voltage battery may fail internally and lead to a vehicle fire while parked or driving.
- Risk
- A vehicle fire can increase the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures and not to charge their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Dealers will update the high voltage battery software, and replace the high voltage battery, as necessary, free of charge. Some owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 17, 2025. The remaining owner notification letters will be mailed at a later date. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 68C. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning November 6, 2025. Vehicles that were previously recalled for the same issue under the federal safety agency Recalls 24V720 and 23V787 will need to have the new remedy performed.
Recall number 25V741000 · Recall details
Electrical system: propulsion system
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2022-2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV) vehicles. A software error within the hybrid control processor may result in a loss of drive power.
- Risk
- A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the hybrid control processer software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 14, 2025. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 73C. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning September 11, 2025.
Recall number 25V576000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument panel: speedometer/odometer
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L vehicles. A software error in the instrument panel cluster may cause the speedometer to display the incorrect vehicle speed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Displays and Controls."
- Risk
- Driving without knowing the vehicle's actual speed increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and update the instrument panel cluster software as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2024. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA's number for this recall is B8B.
Recall number 24V872000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 3.6, 5.7, or 6.4 liter engine and previously recalled under the federal safety agency Recall 14V530 or 15V115. The fuel pump relay inside the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM-7) may fail, causing the vehicle to stall without warning.
- Risk
- A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) will replace the affected fuel pump relay and related wire harness. Interim notices informing owners of the safety risk were mailed beginning December 19, 2019. Vehicles that experience a fuel pump failure will receive an interim repair. Owners will receive a second notice when the final remedy becomes available. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 10, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V62.
Recall number 19V813000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: front underhood
- 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: software
- 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
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014 Dodge Challenger, Charger, Durango, Chrysler 300, and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 3.6L engine and a 160 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.
- Risk
- If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the alternator, free of charge. The recall began December 15, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T75.
Recall number 17V741000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, Dodge Durango, and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The affected vehicles have electro-hydraulic power steering (EHPS) and are equipped with a 5.7L or a 3.6L engine and a 160, 180 or 220 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.
- Risk
- If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. There is also the possibility that the alternator may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the alternator and depending on the part number, will replace the alternator, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T36.
Recall number 17V435000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured September 17, 2010, to August 19, 2013, and equipped with a 3.6, 5.7 or 6.4 liter engine, and 2012-2013 Dodge Durango vehicles manufactured January 18, 2011, to August 19, 2013, and equipped with a 3.6 or 5.7 liter engine. In the affected vehicles, the fuel pump relay inside the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM-7) may fail, causing the vehicle to stall without warning.
- Risk
- A vehicle stall increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump relay with one external to the TIPM. The recall began on August 7, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R09. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 14V‑530. Note: This recall has been superseded by recall 19V813.
Recall number 15V115000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Challenger, and Durango; and 2012-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured April 22, 2010, to January 2, 2014, and equipped with a 3.6L engine and a 160 amp alternator. In the affected vehicles, the alternator may suddenly fail.
- Risk
- If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will replace the alternator, free of charge. The recall began on February 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P60.
Recall number 14V634000 · Recall details
Questions about the Jeep Grand Cherokee fire or smoke
Which Jeep Grand Cherokee years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2012 (75 complaints), 2011 (58 complaints) and 2014 (37 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix fire, smoke or burning smell on the Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,000 (median of 27 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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