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).
My family and I were driving down the highway at 75 MPH and without any warning, the engine died. When the engine died, the engine indicator light came on. Power steering and braking were fine at first. I steered the car to the side of the road. Before coming to a stop, the power steering stopped working. Once on the side of the road, I turned the ignition off and then tried to restart the vehicle. The car re-started immediately, however, the engine light remained on. I have taken the car into the shop and the technician was unable to find any problems with the vehicle. ...updated 09/22/15 about one week prior to the above event, I was driving home from the train station on a perfectly dry and clear day and when I was driving, the various traction control lights came on and the car would periodically buck while the RPM's would rev higher for a moment. …
My favorite, Jeep Commander 2006 3.7 v6. 103600 mileage. The car shuts down without warning. This has been happening from last November. I feel like I'm in a death trap because when cars going 60 - 70 MPH on I-495 and car lost power. All I can really do is pray that my family don't get killed. The dealer fixed flipping key problem at the same year of summer because of the recall. This is really not related I believe. It happened 6 times mostly winter season between November through January eastern time last year, and this stalling problem came back last Sunday dec 10th, 2017 while driving on northern state parkway to micro center in ny. 3 times already this season. The best way only I found for our safety. Slowly move over on the shoulder finding place to stop while speeding down, and have one chance of stop to break vehicle without power. …
The problem started in January 2019. The vehicle started having idling issues, cold start in morning idles around 900, when put in reverse it dips to around 500 and wobbles back and forth while backing up, put in drive and it would be OK but would stall sometimes at stop sign- check engine light never came on. I had throttle body cleaned and fuel system service done and the engine light came on same day. Took it to the dealer for recalls and they replaced throttle body also. It drove OK for a day and I have the unstable idle back and the RPM jumps up while in drive but stopped at a light. About a week ago I am slowing down to stop at a light ahead and it starts vibrating like it is going to stall and the etc and TCS light came on and I shut it off and it cranked right back up and drove it the rest of the day with no issue. …
Takata recall my Jeep Commander has been nothing but trouble since I purchased it I have had all the recalls done by my local Jeep dealership and still have to constantly replace wheel speed (ABS) sensors and reprogram the computer. At low speeds off aproxamitly 15-20 MPH I loose power like the vehicle is trying to starve itself from fuel affecting accelerate so if you pull out into a intersection it practically dies and the. When you go to brake the pedal gets hard and the vehicle keeps rolling I have to replace all 4 wheel sensor (ABS) and get computer reprogrammed for it to stop costing hundreds of dollars to do over the time that I have owned the vehicle I have learned to perform such task on my own . …
I have a 2006 Jeep Commander 4.7. Last month after coming home from another state, the car parked for several days while I was out of town it would not crank when I went to start it... Just the clicking sound. My boyfriend jumped it and it overheated his cable. Then it happened after sitting just overnight, same scenario. I did not leave anything on like lights, etc. I had the battery checked and it was fine. It began to happen more frequently (several nights in a row). Took it into a dealer and he replaced a few parts but nothing changed. Then the battery started draining after sitting for 15 minutes with the ignition off. Took it to a friend who's an auto mechanic, he said something was discharging from somewhere.
2006 Jeep Commander limited 4wd. 179,000 miles. Traction assist is activating while driving straight on dry pavement causing unexpected deceleration power loss. While driving on flat dry paved highway, at approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle began to stumble and lose power. The traction control light was blinking during this time. During which time, when I turn off the traction assist via the button, the effect disappeared. No fault codes were stored or set. This issue has just begun to occur periodically and has happened approximately 5 times. Have almost had a crash event occur when trying to merge into traffic, and had to turn off the traction assist via the button on the center console.
First annoyance was the inside door handle on the drivers side. It failed to open the door at around 45,000 miles. Then the rear passenger inside door handle just crumbled out of nowhere around 47,000 miles. Then around 50,000 miles the brakes 'felt different' when braking and it felt to hard to press down on the pedal to stop the vehicle. The brake pedal felt hard as a rock then the ABS warning lights came on and after a diagnosis I was told that it had to be replaced. Whenever we went through a puddle of water on a turn the jeeps steering would lock up and just kept moving forward & not turning.
Often my whole electrical system will flash on and off and has since jan 2009. Three times since March of last year vehicle has turned its self off while driving (complete steering loss), fortunately at low speed. Also, in 2010 ( I have repair receipt) my transmission control module went out. I had to pay a $200 copay per request of Jeep to have it replaced, after much argument. They said my particular 2006 Jeep Commander wasn't part of the recall, as was all other failing parts included on 2006 Commander recalls, excepting ignition. Still waiting on ignition fix, its been a year.
The first time was turning in store all dash lights and engine light on only had Jeep week,then find out recall take to Dodge ,Chrysler they do not know how fix yet.next ESP,bas and engine lights place I bought said bring Monday they will check it then on way home it cuts off while moving manage stop.we hope all this covered by Chrysler.
Transmission stop shifting properly and shuttering in motion..took it to transmission shop, they said transmission needed replaced. Got new transmission, still had same problem. Took it back to shop, they did a second repair and charged me $2959.50. They didnt described what they did the second time. I had no problems since..so far.
Traction Control complaints in other Commander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2006 Jeep Commander?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2006 Jeep Commander, 2% of the model year's 1,782 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2006 Jeep Commander traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.