My car blew an engine while I was inside the car. The car was in park and running in a parking lot when the parking brake automatically engaged unexpectedly. Then, the gauge cluster instructed me to press the brake and push the start/stop button. I then got a warning on my gauge cluster, this time notifying my car entered starter protection mode. Repeating the process three times, me, my four year-old daughter, and were put at high risk of suffering burns as my car started to give off a burning smell of oil, as well strong white smoke from the hood, and shut off the car and opened the hood to release the smoke. If I had waited longer, there would have been a fire. The car is available upon inspection and is currently at my local dealer as of 8/11/2026 (Thunder Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, Bartow, Florida) for repairs. An engine failure was confirmed by discoveries by the dealer of a broken valve spring, a dropped cylinder, a cracked piston head, and an oil-coolant mixture. The dealer confirmed that this stemmed from Stellantis's faulty "Multi-Displacement System" (MDS) cylinder-deactivation system and "eTorque" mild-hybrid system. Both systems work together to save fuel at cruising speeds and stoplights. However, due to the constant cycling of both systems, they contribute to the excessive engine stress and oil pressure fluctuation, which are known for the "WS" Jeep Wagoneer, the "DT" RAM 1500, and the "WL" Grand Cherokee equipped with the 5.7L HEMI eTorque V8. The dealer relayed the issues to Stellantis North America, showing videos and photos of this catastrophic mechanical failure.
2022 Jeep Wagoneer: fire, smoke or burning smell
5 of the 214 complaints about the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- recalls
- 0
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
- 20231
- 20225
- 20011
What owners say
UNKNOWN I have had this jeep to 3 different dealerships multiple times over the 2 years I have owned it. I am getting my 3rd set of tires put on today. I have put approx 30k on it. It is eating tires. Down to the belt. The vehicle starts to vibrate at 70mph. I just had it aligned in March 2026, they said tires were fine. Vehicle started to vibrate at high speeds again and I took it in. It is so far out of alignment that the belts are showing on the front right tire. I smell burning rubber almost after every drive. This cannot be safe. What is causing is to go out of alignment constantly? I have read multiple threads where this is a known issue and something needs to be done about it, PLEASE
When driving the car this winter, noticed the smell of something burning. After that, the heated steering wheel stopped warming. Took it to a repair shop since there was open no recall related to this. Repair shop diagnosis: - heated steering wheel not working due to electrical short. More info below, pictures included. Finding Confirmed customer concern. Attempted to activate the heated steering wheel and found the light to come on for roughly 4-5 seconds then shut itself off. Scanned the vehicle and found 2 fault pertaining to the heating element and steering wheel having an open circuit. Removed the airbag and visually inspected all connectors for the steering wheel. Found the 2 pin connector from the steering wheel to the clock spring to be stuck in the clock spring. Further removed the steering wheel and trim pieces around the steering column and visually inspected the clock spring. Found the 2 pin connector between the steering wheel and the clock spring to be melted together and noticed the wires were getting hot to touch when activating the heated steering wheel. Back probed the connector between the clock spring and the heated steering wheel connector and found less than 2 volts present. Monitored and found while the steering wheel was being moved left to right the voltage would fluctuate dramatically. Recommend replacing the air bag clock spring and steering wheel due to melt damage and further monitor voltage and functionality of the heated steering wheel and other accessories. Highly recommend not operating the heated steering wheel until repairs have been made. Could cause more damage to the surrounding components.
The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Wagoneer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled, and smoke was coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the smoke had also entered the passenger cabin. The contact stated that her husband had not mentioned whether any warnings had illuminated. The contact stated that when she arrived to pick him up, the fire was extinguished. The fire damage was confined to the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, but it was not a manufacturer dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the generator and the start/stop battery had caught fire and needed to be replaced. The contact was advised that the battery was on national back order. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she had searched online and associated the failure with an active the federal safety agency National Action Number: PE24018 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System, Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
I was driving and the vehicle shut down and shifted into idle mode while in driving mode. Smelled something burning. Turned car off and back on quickly (as was on the road) and the smell was gone but the check engine light was on. I took to dealership next morning and it has been three weeks now that it has been at the shop. They are saying it’s an issue with the hybrid part of the battery/engine that has gone bad.
Service bulletins that may apply
- R1H Radio U41.10 Software Update
- Rotary Shifter Lights Blinking, Shifter Not Moving, Not Going Into Gear.
- PUMP, Auxiliary Coolant, High Temperature Before replacing the High Temperature Auxiliary Coolant Pump,...
- Motor - window regulator
- Service Electric Power Steering (EPS) Message On Instrument Cluster
- PUMP, Auxiliary Coolant Before replacing the Auxiliary Coolant Pump, please perform the following steps:...
- Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) and Radio Compass Display has Dashes (--)
- Camera - rear view
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer?
5 of 214 owner complaints about the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer (2%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2022.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer?
There are 0 recalls and 178 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer
Check engine light 25Stalling 21Loss of power 19Power steering loss 17Brake failure 10Start-stop 10ABS 8Lane assist 7Collision warning 6Headlights 6Warning lights 6Adaptive cruise 5Battery drain 5Screen failure 5
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