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 owned a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while her nephew was driving at 51 MPH, a drunk driver in the opposite direction nearly caused a head-on collision. The contact's nephew veered to the left, but the other driver's vehicle swiped the rear passenger door and rear quarter panel. The vehicle jerked and flipped three times before landing on its roof in a residential yard. The air bags did not deploy. The contact's nephew was unharmed, but the contact's son and a third passenger were injured. The contact's son was transported by ambulance to the hospital with a fractured neck, but the right vertebral artery was unable to be detected. The third passenger was airlifted to the hospital with a fractured sternum and internal bleeding after a plastic piece from the front passenger seat dislodged and struck the third passenger's chest. A police report was filed. …
The contact owned a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 40-45 MPH, the vehicle rear-ended another Jeep vehicle stopped at the red light; however, the air bags failed to deploy. The contact mentioned that there was no brake pedal depressed in attempts to stop, therefore the vehicle was going at full speed. The windshield washer fluid warning light was flashing, and there was smoke coming from the driver's side front end of the vehicle after the crash. The contact stated that the radiator was caved in due to the impact. The contact did not sustain major injuries. The vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. A police report was filed. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 187,000. The VIN and the License plate numbers were not available.
me and my girlfriend where driving when out of no where the air bags deploed causing us to crash. there was no warning lights on the car. no one has had a chance to look into this other then me and the research that i have done i did find that there is an open investigation for the airbigs and this jeep was listed as one of the possible affected cars im not sure what i shoud do next that is why im reaching out to you guys
My paint on the roof of my Jeep Grand Cherokee started bubbling and visible rust started appearing. After about a month my windshield cracked all the way across starting from where the rust made the paint bubble, this is the only part of the vehicle with any rust. I had USAA send Safelite to come repair my windshield and what I thought was minor rust damage. To my horror the damage from the bad paint/seal was extensive and the windshield can't be replaced until the body of the Jeep is fixed. The windshield needing replaced is the original from the factory no part of my Jeep has ever been replaced, the only reason it needs to be fixed is because of the faulty paint/seal. I now have no windshield or drivable car. I have reached out and there are quite a few Jeep owners that experienced this same issue in the same exact location. …
I have gone back and forth to the dealership since I purchased my Jeep. It's been a horrific time dealing with all of the issues. Seatbelt sensor's, windshield sensor, fuel pump problem over and over. I'm alive by the grace of God, while on the freeway the Jeep latterly stop. Completely died on me. Nothing to warned me simply shut off. For the longest all I got from the dealership was no replacement was available. Finally in December 2021 it was replaced. But right after I drove off the lot the air bag light came on, I returned to the service department and once the service technician turned on the Jeep- nothing came on. So I went home a few weeks later the same thing on and then off . It would stay on for a couple of days then off. Now it's on for months and off for about a day two the most. The lights on the dashboard are continuous flickering on and off. …
The Horn has stopped working and it appears to be the Clock Spring. This is a safety hazard as it can cause the airbags to engage randomly or NOT engage in the case of a crash. This is an expensive repair that should not be at the expense of the owner since it is a defect in the Clock Spring. I am aware that there have been Clock Spring recalls on other models of Jeeps, but not on this one.
On December 26, 2014 I was rear ended in my 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee as I was making a right turn onto my road. I was slowed down to approximately 10 MPH or less as I was turning and got hit by a large pick-up truck. First of all, I am happy that my Jeep tolerated the force from the rear end collision as well as it did, and it even took bouncing off a guide rail pretty well too; however, the safety feature in the headrest is something that needs to be addressed. Since I had no front or side impact, none of my airbags deployed. However, the airbag in the headrest made the headrest slam my head forward causing whiplash and a neck injury. I understand this is supposed to be a safety feature; however, it caused me more injury. I was never aware that my car had this feature. …
Was involved in a collision wherein I was "t-boned" on the driver's side door/pillar while crossing a four lane intersection. My vehicle subsequently flipped multiple times before coming to a rest. I was able to crawl out of the car with my dog via the rear passenger side door. Not one single airbag deployed during the incident, including the side-impact airbags form the collision itself nor the side curtain airbags from the multiple rollovers. When I asked Jeep to investigate, I was sent a letter essentially saying: "your accident wasn't severe enough to warrant airbag deployment." - this despite, as I said, it being a multiple rollover event. My injuries consisted of soreness on my left side, a laceration on my right hand, and a heck of a bump on my head. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving approximately 60 MPH and attempting to make a sudden stop by depressing the brake pedal, the brakes failed. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the rear of two other vehicles. Prior to the crash, the brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard, but the vehicle did not stop or slow down. In addition, the air bags did not deploy and the driver sustained a concussion and back injury, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was 122,813.
Tl* the contact owned a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving 30 MPH, another vehicle had a tire blow out, crashed into the front driver's side wheel of the contact's vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained minor injuries to the chest, back, and left arm. Medical attention was received at the hospital. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and the police had it towed to an unknown tow lot. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was 50,100.
NHTSA investigations
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Airbag complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 60 complaints about the air bags of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4% of the model year's 1,642 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags 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 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 25 crashes, 1 fire and 22 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.