Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
We own a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. When we start the vehicle, for about the first 20 minutes of driving, the vehicle will shut off multiple times when driving slow or coming to a stop. My wife was coming home from work and she was leaving the parking garage she parked at for work. When she was driving up the ramp to exit the garage, the Jeep shut off on her and it rolled backwards down the ramp into a building support pillar. This caused damage to the back bumper and taillight. We were lucky nobody was hurt or behind her when this happened. When I drive the Jeep it seems like it happens more often. When I leave for work in the morning and arrive at the first stop light, the Jeep will shut off. Sometimes it turns green at the same time so I have to shift back to neutral to start up, making some people miss the green. …
Slowly pulling up to a food mart, I applied brake to come to a normal stop. Jeep slowed slightly for a brief moment, then suddenly and powerfully accelerated approx. 3 feet forward into the building while my foot remained firmly on the brake, causing damage to both vehicle and storefront. A dangerous design flaw, this is the 2nd time the accelleration problem it has occurred (local authorized dealer thought it was fixed). I've since found many instances online with other Jeep owners experiencing the same exact thing - some of which resulted in fatalities. The cause of this accident was total brake failure, and sudden unintended accelleration (sua) - an issue which former connecticut attorney general (and current senator) has urged general motors to address on numerous occasions.
My car ignition inadvertently turned off and disabling power steering, brake etc. This resulted in the driver not being able to control the keep. The Jeep rolled down the hill and hit the car behind and damaging both the cars and injuring one of the passengers in the car behind.
All four door handles on my 2006 Jeep laredo had broken for no reason. Jeep had been contacted numerous times via chat and phone to no avail. This issue was originally addressed at an original complaint submission dated back a year ago but the issue on the door handles was never addressed. This vehicle is used to carpool kids to/from school and about two weeks ago, a friend of my daughter's had hurt (pinched) his hand trying to exit the vehicle. This May seem to be a small matter, but as a parent driving kids to/from school and school events, I cannot just wait for an "emergency" to occur before taking action. This May not be electrical or engine related but as I see it, doors are used to exit the vehicle and in the event that there's an emergency, I would like to think that my family (and other passengers) can safely exit the vehicle. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving at unknown speeds, the contact looked through the rearview mirror and noticed metal debris falling from underneath the vehicle. The contact pulled the vehicle off the roadway to inspect underneath it and noticed that the skid plate under the fuel tank was bent and rotting away. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously at the dealer (bob richards Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 1666 jefferson davis hwy, graniteville, sc 29829 [phone]) for power steering replacement and transmission inspection. While the vehicle was on the lift for the transmission inspection, the dealer's mechanic noticed that the skid plate was damaged, which could have been a fire hazard with a fuel leak. …
I got in a head on collision on July 11 in the city of paramount . I was at a red light making a left as soon as it turn green I went into motion lost control making a wide left turn and went into the side walk. I hit a cement trash can and a cement wall as well none of my air bags came out . Both insurance and the body shop where the Jeep is now stated that it was odd the air bags didn't come out . They stated that the hit was big and the bags should have came out . I hit front on my whole front end was damaged bumper, lights , grill .I hit my face in the steering wheel causing my lip to bust open and I hit my head as well in the top left side handle. …
Inner interior inside door handles cracked making the door inoperable from the interior. My nine year old daughter closed the door with regular force and the inner door handle cracked. Upon trying to open the door, the plastic completely broke making the door inoperable. This trapped her inside and prevented her from exiting. On a separate occasion, another inner door handle broke on the same vehicle and cut my hand on the sharp plastic as I tried to open the door. This would be a serious issue in an emergency. All 4 are now cracked or broken with no evidence of excessive use or improper use. No excessive impact to the inner door handles has ever been noticed. This is a common problem reported by many Jeep owners on Jeep forum websites.
All 4 interior door opening handles cracking/breaking/failing: 2 rear door handles totally inoperable. Driver's side handle almost completely fallin into door fram due to cracked casing. This is a Jeep- these are the last things that should fail this in what is supposed to be a rugged vehicle ***this is a dangerous safety issue ' if handles break or are inoperable in certain emergency situations, passengers May not be able to exit the vehicle, causing serious injury or death!*** manufacturer charge to replace/repair handles is prohibitively expensive: in my case, the cost of eight (8) monthly car payments! Manufacturer safety recall warranted!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the plastic housing that supports the chrome latch for all four doors had fractured causing the latches to hang unsecured to the doors. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who indicated that the interior door assembly would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 06/14/16
All four of my door panels have cracked/disintegrated behind the door handle. August 1, the drivers door handle is now non functional requiring the lowering of the window to exit vehicle. This would be a safety hazard in a crash. Dealer states all door panels must be replaced at part cost of $450 each (install extra) - this is obviously a defect given that all four doors have done this and there are many internet threads about the issue.
Body complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 119 complaints about the body & structure of the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 9% of the model year's 1,280 complaints. The component named most often is body (54 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 4 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 Grand Cherokee body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries to body & structure 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.