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 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space with the foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to lose control of the steering wheel and crashed into a building. During the crash the air bag deployed and the driver sustained injuries to the head back and neck which required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 66,000.
Malfunction of the engine RPM governor, adaptive cruise control, or Electronic Throttle Control (ETC), or some combination of all of the above. On June 7-9, 2022, spontaneous high engine RPM occurred, which resulted in vehicle speeds that were above urban speed limits unless heavy braking pressure was applied. Additionally, on rural highways, the speed setting for the adaptive cruise control was exceeded without driver input. This also required manual breaking in order to control speed. During this situation, the "driver override " message would appear although no accelerator pedal pressure was being applied. Additionally, the ETC warning light would randomly light up and then clear. When the vehicle was stopped and placed in park, the engine would rev to approximately 4000-5000 RPM. Especially in congested traffic conditions, this runaway engine RPM condition is a terrifying situation. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. After backing into the driveway and attempting to place the vehicle in park, the vehicle accelerated in reverse without warning. As a result, the person behind the vehicle was struck and pinned underneath the tires. The victim was fatally injured. The vehicle accelerated all the way through the garage and traveled up a three foot high concrete wall behind the garage where it finally came to a stop. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to the failure. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to one ten towing and then towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was declared a total loss. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 130,000.
On May 28, 2016 while navigating my driveway, my car suddenly accelerated forward and crashed into the back wall of my garage. Damage was done to my home and my car. I had no control over the vehicle. Hitting the brake and trying to hit the ignition button did nothing to stop the vehicle. On another occasion, about two weeks earlier, I had parked the car at walmart, pressed the brake and the ignition button to turn it off. While in park and the engine off, the vehicle lurched forward and bumped the SUV sitting in front of me. I am now afraid to drive this vehicle! I have reported this incident to my local auto dealership and chysler corp. The damage is being repaired at my cost.
7/27/15 I was at a complete stop before I was going to turn into the parking space. I waited until a van passed and again, was at a complete stop. I gently pressed the gas pedal when within seconds the car took off on its own. Within seconds my car revved on its own and took off; slamming me into a concrete wall barrier that saved me from driving into a dry cleaning store window.during this entire time, my foot barely pressed the accelerator and my car took off. Thankfully a man came to me and told me to just put the car in park as I was hitting the break and my wheels were still spinning. The barrier was literally keeping me from going through the large window. It wasn't until then that my car stopped. According to the police report I was going 5 MPH. …
7/27/15 I was at a complete stop before I was going to turn into the parking space. I waited until a van passed and again, was at a complete stop. I gently pressed the gas pedal when within seconds the car took off on its own. Within seconds my car revved on its own and took off; slamming me into a concrete wall barrier that saved me from driving into a dry cleaning store window.during this entire time, my foot barely pressed the accelerator and my car took off. Thankfully a man came to me and told me to just put the car in park as I was hitting the break and my wheels were still spinning. The barrier was literally keeping me from going through the large window. It wasn't until then that my car stopped. According to the police report I was going 5 MPH. …
Two recent events, when braking in slow traffic there was sudden acceleration with foot on brake. Even with stronger and forceful brake pressure the Jeep was still moving and wanting to keep going with engine revving. Had to shift into neutral and then engine quit revving and things returned to normal. I have this Jeep 10 years and am very familiar with it. Never any wrecks. No medical problems. The floor mat was not interfering with any pedals. The dealership was not aware of any recalls about this problem but they serviced the throttle-body after the first incident. This apparently was not the problem as the unintended acceleration when braking occurred a second time. In googling this problem a blog mentioned this could be the Jeep brake-booster which has been recalled and was replaced on my Jeep 2 years ago. …
While driving my 2011 Grand Cherokee and my speed was 50mph the car start losing power,start dropping from 50mph to 45pmh to 40mph to 35mph and I was not able to accelerate at all, and I realized that the car going to stop ,so I was lucky to enter to parking lot area were my car stalled. I tried to start the car on but the car wont start. After being towed to the dealer and tell them about the including the dealer called me after couple hours and told me that the fuel pump is not good and I need to replace it. Three months ago I had my car in the same dealer for the p54 recall were my car was inspected and installed external fuel pump relay were the mileage were 54,224. When the incident happen the mileage were 57,626 . My car never lost power before, I think this happen after performed the p54 recall into my car. The dealer is asking for $ 823 to replace the fuel pump. …
Prior to receiving the current recall on my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, I was merging onto the freeway and my Jeep lost complete power. I started to panic because there was nothing I could do to control my Jeep. Luckily, I was on the outside lane and just coasted to a stop. Then, I sat there for about 10 minutes while I called my wife to let her know she would need to come get me. Then, I went to see if my Jeep would drive one more time and it drove off just fine. Then, when I received this notice I called the Jeep dealership to ask them to fix my Jeep due tot he recall and they told me that they were waiting on parts and would let me know when they come in. However, now my air bag lights are on as well as my traction control light is on. I also intermittently when I push on my brakes it will feel as if I have been rear-ended. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the automatic windows raised up in only small intervals. The contact felt that this was a safety issue if a quick exit was required. While driving with the cruise control engaged, braking was required and the vehicle almost came to a complete stop. The failure nearly caused the contact's vehicle to be rear ended. New carlisle Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram - tobey auto group (580 n main st, new carlisle, oh 45344) required the contact to leave the vehicle for a couple of days with no guarantee of being diagnosed. The contact did not leave the vehicle at the dealer and it was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 39,000.
Acceleration complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2% of the model year's 1,642 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 6 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 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 31% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries and 1 death 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.