Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Jeep Commander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while trying to enter the vehicle, the rear door handles were inoperable. The contact stated that the doors could only be opened from inside the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 142,700.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that while attempting to exit the vehicle on several occasions, the interior door handles failed intermittently to unlock the doors. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Orlando Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram located at 4101 west colonial dr. Orlando, fl 32808 and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. While the vehicle was parked, all the internal door handles fractured. The contact had to roll the windows down in order to open the doors from the outside. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the door panels and latches needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 84,000.
'06 Jeep Commander 4x2 - (1) stalls intermittently during turns which are both from moving and stopped positions. Many have occurred during a u-turn from a stopped position - unable to duplicate, in shop again (2) has a rough idle, which at times is more severe than others, but has never died - has just shaken severely a few times. There is no set pattern. It occurs during cold and hot weather, with electrical devices on or off, in park/neutral/drive, if the engine has warmed up or is still cold (3) the original windshield - continuous rock chips, cracks, etc - replaced @ 11,000K with a non-Jeep brand glass and to date the new windshield has only 1 star chip. …
1. Normal use of the vehicle. 2. The inner door handles break and you cant exit the vehicle. 3. The only current solution is to replace the entire OEM door panel for every door. The door handle is plastic and is molded into the door panel so there is no easy way to repair it without replacing the whole panel at a very large expense. Unfortunately the replacement door panels are the same design so it is only a matter of time before they fail also. My fear is that in a time of crisis one or all of the doors could fail to open. Below was sent to Chrysler.com there is a major design flaw with the inner door handles on the Jeep Commander. The housing is entirely made of plastic and is very brittle. After a few years of use the plastic starts to crack then break away and the inner handle will not function. In order to replace the handle you are forced to replace the entire inner door panel. …
2006 Jeep Commander.....door handles and door handle rosette have failed on the drivers door and the rear passengers door. The materials used for this door handle assembly have failed due to normal wear and tear. The plastic appears to be very very thin. This now poses a serious safety issue with exiting the driver side front door and the passenger side rear door. About 6 months after I bought the Jeep on the front drivers side door...a small hole (1/4") appeared in the center of the plastic door handle rosette. I was told by the dealership that this was due to abuse. Now after three years I see that many many people have had the exact same problem. Oh by the way my 5 year old granddaughter used the rear passenger door one day, after which we first noticed the broken door handle and handle rosette there. …
My 2006 Jeep Commander continually stalls, threatening the lives of whoever is in the car. There is no warning. Suddenly there will be a complete loss of control over the vehicle. No warning lights, no bells, sounds, whistles...nothing! The only way to remedy is to turn vehicle off and restart. This turns in to a life threatening incident when the traffic behind you is unaware that you are in fact stalled. The dealership has no updates or complaints of this problem (ya, right) and drives it around the block...with no incidences occurring. If they think it's going to happen while they're driving the vehicle, they're wrong. I 'm risking my families lives every time we get in the car. It's the most expensive piece of junk I've ever owned! Visibility out the rear window when the 3rd row seats are up is just about zero. This is extremely dangerous. …
I own a 2006 Jeep Commander, and have 3 doors in which the interior door handle bezel has broken. By researching price of repair, I have found that this is actually a very common issue. I was told by my dealership that it was my own fault for being too rough on my door handles, however I have never had this problem with any other vehicle I've owned. I have 3 daughters ranging in age from 18 months to 14 years, and I doubt they should be strong enough to break door handles. I'm reporting this as I feel this is a defect from the manufacturer, in light of the multitude of examples I'm finding on the internet, and in talking to other Commander owners. This is also a safety issue, since in the event of an emergency, my daughters May not be able to open the doors. …
We own a 2006 Jeep Commander and have failing interior door handles that are preventing our family from exiting and entering the vehicle on demand. For safety reasons this problem could lead to the death of anyone riding in the vehicle and is involved in an accident, stalled vehicle or other event. Because of the faulty design the entire panel has to be replaced and is quite costly($500 + each). I do not feel this burden should be placed on Jeep owners simply because of the bad design. I would suggest a recall of these door panels before a law suit is brought against the people or design and manufacture of these panels. I do have an extended warranty to 100,000 miles and paid to have the highest plan I can have and these still are not covered. I implore you to please search the internet see all the loyal Jeep owners and recall these panels before Jeep is no longer a trusted name.
The plastic housing on interior door latches is faulty. The driver side rear door is completely inoperable. It must be opened from the outside. The front two door latches are cracked and beginning to loosen. The rear door was noted as a safety concern by a coworker during a work-related trip. The employee understandably refuses to drive in the vehicle going forward. The problem is a safety concern and an embarrassment when conducting business junctures. I attempted to get the faulty door handle repaired on 4/20/11, but received documentation that the panel assembly is not covered under the platinum dealership warranty. The out-of-pocket expense for one handle is over $500 as the entire door panel must be replaced. The repair was not completed.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Commander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2006 Jeep Commander?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2006 Jeep Commander, 3% of the model year's 1,782 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Jeep Commander door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2006 Jeep Commander, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Jeep Commander door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 72,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to locks & latches problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.