Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Jeep Commander owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Unknown. While my vehicle is set on cruise control and the weather is over 50 degrees or the air is running my cruise control will shut off. Warning lights abs, esp bas, & stability control will come on, then my cruise control won't work anymore. Now just this morning going up a hill my car wouldn't go pass 20 mph while my foot was to the floor basically. Then almost to the top of the hill it took off. The rmps went high Jeep shifted to next gear. Of course took my foot off petal and pushed brakes slightly. As slowing down it started shifting hard with high rmps still. I have done a new tune up and new transmission within the last 6 months. Before the new transmutation it was still doing this. The reason to replace the transmission was my Jeep just stopped completely moving. …
I was driving home from picking up my daughter from a school event when suddenly my car slowed down on its own down to 10 MPH. Then the car completely stopped. On the control console it only read "service park assist" and the drive position controls where all highlighted and boxed out (drnp). I lost all control of the vehicle other than turning the wheel. I tried to accelerate by pressing the gas and it just revved the engine and did nothing else. I swerved off the road and hit a median that took out the tire and left damage to the left of the car under carriage. I had to shift the gear into park and back to drive in order for the car to start up again. …
It is the second time this happens to us when on a highway. The first time my husband was driving and we have our child with us. We thought it was a part of the latest recall we received in the mail regarding the key ignition. This time I was driving on a highway, going about 60-65 MPH when the engine light came on, I starting losing power, tachometer starting going down and the accelerator pedal was completely unresponsive and significantly hard to push down on it, the speed continued to go down as I was trying to get to the shoulder as fast as I could but with an unresponsive engine it was very difficult. It was also difficult to move the steering wheel as this got harden. I managed to pull over on the shoulder and had to turn the engine off. After waiting 10-15 minutes, I turned the engine back on and was able to get to my destination which was not far from where I had to pull over. …
While driving straight in the fast lane on the highway at around 65 MPH, my vehicle suddenly shut off with no warning and I noticed that all dashboard warning lights came on. Fortunately, there was a fast-lane shoulder that I was able to steer it on, or I might have been killed by oncoming traffic. Vehicle would not re-start so I disconnected the negative battery cable, waited a few minutes and re-connected it and then the vehicle re-started but ran very rough. I proceeded along the shoulder to try and get off the highway, but the vehicle shut down again. I repeated the same process and it again re-started and I managed to drive home on back roads at 40 MPH. This has happened on at least three other occasions, but the incidents occurred many months apart, which made me think it was a one-off situation. …
2007 Jeep Commander (purchased used in the fall of 2012): as I was pulling out of a parking lot, the car abruptly sped up, causing me to lose control. I crashed into an utility pole directly across from the parking lot exit as a result. The car is now totaled and the utility pole was damaged (leaning over). I traveled approximately 26 feet, at a speed high enough to create that amount of damage. As someone who has driven professionally for many years, this was unnerving and unusual. Also, around 3 months ago the same situation happened while driving down the road. I was following a car going 45 MPH, and my Commander suddenly sped up, causing me to apply the brake to slow down. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but now I am wondering if there is/was a problem with the vehicle.
While in motion on an interstate, going about 70 MPH the vehicle began to decelerate. The electrical warning panel flickered. When the accelerator pedal was depressed the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle would only go 30 MPH with accelerator pedal depressed completely. Needing to get off of interstate, the vehicle continued to only go 30 MPH on a city street. Occasionally, the vehicle would shake, jerk, and the electrical warning panel would flicker. Transmission over temp warning light then came on. Took vehicle to a transmission repair shop. Unable to put vehicle in reverse, vehicle will not respond. Waiting to be inspected to determine the problem.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired according to a recall for the final drive module, which was reprogrammed and re-flashed. After the repair and driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle would downshift without warning, which caused the final drive module to overheat. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the final drive module needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case regarding the failure; however, a decision of the repair was not finalized. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
For a number of years now I intermittently receive a "transmission over temp" message in my dash and the car won't start for about 24 hours later. This usually happens after a good rain. I will drive to somewhere and then park for about 10 minutes. When I try to start the vehicle, it doesn't start until about 24 hours later. I replaced the battery and still have the same issue. Auto shops were not able to fix this issue and no one seems to have a clue how to fix this. Right now the vehicle is unreliable as if I go somewhere there is a risk that I will be stranded.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Jeep Commander 4x4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate as the vehicle jerked forward. The failure recurred two times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact mentioned when the vehicle was started from overnight, the vehicle would function as normal. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000. The vehicle was repaired on 2-24-16.
Vehicle completely shut down on freeway due to recall causing anxiety, fear of life and potential accident on major highway. The ignition switch on your vehicle May experience an unintended change in ignition switch position while driving. This May result in a loss of engine power, power steering assist, power brake assist or disable the airbag function. Disabling one or more of the vehicle's safety features could increase the risk of vehicle occupant injury during a crash and/or cause a crash without warning
Acceleration complaints in other Commander years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2007 Jeep Commander?
NHTSA has 61 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2007 Jeep Commander, 6% of the model year's 1,035 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Jeep Commander acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2007 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 2007 Jeep Commander acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.