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 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
After turning into a parking lot and VERY slowly turning right to enter a designated parking space my 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee suddenly, with no warning or prompting, highly accelerated forward causing the Jeep to jump up over the curb, ran over a bush which lifted the left side front tire off the ground, continued high acceleration forward making an immediate and abrupt stop colliding into an eletrical power pole at the right front end, both airbags deployed. This happen in a moment's time with no time to react, distance from acceleration to impact with electrical pole approximately 12 feet. No passengers, the driver received contusions and abraisions. 911 was called, local city police responded & report written, Ambulance called to assist injured driver, tow truck transported Jeep to requested Body Shop, Insurance company notified. …
We have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 5.7L Hemi engine. Today on [redacted], we were moving slowly in traffic on a street in Linden, New Jersey, and suddenly the vehicle accelerated by itself. My wife pressed on the brakes all the way to the floor but the vehicle kept jumping forward - the engine was revving and trying to move the vehicle forward while my wife was firmly pressing on the brake pedal. Because we were in stop and go traffic, the vehicle eventually lurched into the car in front of us and caused an accident. The front of our vehicle was damaged as was the rear of the car in front of us. This sudden acceleration has happened a few times in the last 3 years. During the previous instance of this sudden acceleration, on [redacted] we also hit a car in stop and go traffic. The air bags deployed and we had extensive repairs done because of that. …
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly shifted into neutral and lost motive power. The contact received Police assistance when the vehicle failed to immediately restart. The contact was then able to pull the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The transmission and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure due to a lack of power. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V332000 (Electrical System, Vehicle Speed Control) for which the VIN was included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,000.
While maneuvering in a parking garage and switching between reverse and forward, the engine suddenly and unprompted revved excessively, sounding as though the accelerator pedal was floored. The vehicle forcefully lunged forward against braking pressure into a cement wall, causing front-end damage to the vehicle. Cruise control was completely disabled and no check engine light or warning indicators illuminated on the dashboard. At no time did I feel like I had control over the car. I sustained some contusions. No one was in the vicinity at the time; however, other cars and/or people could have been struck. The vehicle has yet to be examined by anyone although I am in the process of arranging for an autobody repair shop. Prior to this, the car was in its usual state of health without any issues.
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle was operated by diesel fuel. The contact stated while merging onto the highway the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to increase to 75 MPH. The contact stated that the ECS warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he was able to continue to drive to the residence. The contact reviewed his service record and found out that his spouse had taken the vehicle to the dealer prior for the same failure. The paperwork stated they were unable to duplicate the failure. No repairs were completed. The contact stated that he was awaiting an appointment with the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 57,000.
Our car was stopped and then engine started intermittently lunging forward for no reason. Rear ended the car in front of us and had to use the emergency brake to stop the car. Jeep Corp sent an independent inspector to check the car but only shared the car was drivable and didn't say there was a problem. They wouldn't share the computer findings with us or the dealer, only that is was drivable. They also wouldn't allow the dealer to see the computer while it was being tested. The car is currently parked and we bought another car. Waiting for Jeep to cover replacing parts or do something to the Jeep before it has another accident.
Cruise control Didn't disengage and continue to accelerate. Tried to apply brakes but they went straight to the floor and didn't work. Placed the car into neutral and kept trying brakes until they started to come back. With the car continuing to accelerate went into breakdown lane and rubbed up against guardrail to avoid car in front.
My Son just bought the car from a private party. On our way home the engine light and a lightning bolt icon illuminated on the dash, followed by the vehicle going into limp mode. We had the vehicle scanned for codes and it came back with P0336 (crankshaft position sensor performance). After much investigation online, we found out that this is a known issue with the crankshaft position sensor and, most importantly, the tone wheel on the back of the engine. We looked up recalls on the vehicle and found a safety recall had been issued. While some vehicles affected received replacement of the tone wheel and sensor, others just received a software update. This particular vehicle received the software update. The issue is that the magnetic material on the tone wheel delaminates from the tone wheel. …
6 months ago, I was driving on the interstate and the ESC system light came on, the vehicle lost power/ability to accelerate, and would only allow acceleration after pulling over and restarting the car. This happened several more times on the interstate, and when the ESC system kicked in it would suddenly lurch the car down about 15 mph and leave no ability to accelerate, causing near collisions at high rates of speed. After eventually taking it to the dealership, it turned out to be failed lifters on the driver's side cam shaft, a known design issue that has apparently plagued the Pentastar engines. This all happened in spite of meticulous maintenance and no warning signs from the engine whatsoever. How is such a significant, known design defect that causes such dangerous driving conditions never been flagged for a recall?
My instrument cluster (where the speed, gas level, engine temperature, etc. Is displayed) had completely blacked out. It was periodically coming on. But it's not coming on at all anymore. I've taken it to the dealership, had it replaced (with a used part), had the wiring checked, also tried reprogramming the instrument cluster. Nothing has worked. There was a recall for this same exact problem, with the same exact vehicle except my vehicle was manufactured 3 months after the recall notice called for vehicle manufactured through Aug 2013 my was November 2013. I feel that my vehicle also should've been part of that recall notice.
Acceleration complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 105 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4% of the model year's 2,383 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 18 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 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 17,000 miles, and 65% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 22 crashes, 1 fire and 5 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.