Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was approaching the location where I was about to turn and began to slow down. Out of no where, the forward collision detection system was set off and automatic braking was applied, causing the SUV behind me to go right off the roadway to avoid a rear end collision. Traffic was extremely heavy at the time. The motorist caught up with me at the location I eventually turned into and accused me of slamming on brakes on purpose. I explained to them the malfunction that occured; however, they were still rightfully upset due to them having children in their vehicle, which caused panic. I let them know I would be reaching out to report the situation, as well as turning off the supposed safety feature until the issue could be rectified. This was a very dangerous situation and could have resulted in a major traffic collision, causing serious injury or death. …
My son's car drifted to the right past the white line and he ended up hitting a hydrant and continued at least 100 ft before stopping. Our dash cam showed a slow smooth drift to the right without any lane assist being activated to pull the car back. All safety features were activated and turned on the day we bought the car for him. It was the main reason we chose this model. He is very lucky to be alive. After the impact, the car just barely missed a business sign, a telephone pole and a tree. The car was declared totaled. Unfortunately, the total amount the insurance is offering is about 4k short of what we still owe. Words cannot express how lucky we are that our son is okay, but we are very angry that the features we bought the car for, failed him.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 25-30 MPH, the power steering became inoperable. The contact stated that the Lane Keep Assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. While driving 45-50 MPH, the power steering became inoperable, and the vehicle shut down. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while she was stopped at traffic light, as she was taking her foot off the brake pedal to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle's automatic emergency braking system engaged and the vehicle came to a stop. The engine was running. The contact stated she was not aware of any warning light being illuminated. The contact had injured her right foot and was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon. The contact had taken the vehicle to a unknown local dealer, where it was had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 700.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance module was not working as needed. The contact stated that the warning light illuminated and remained illuminated without any vehicles being nearby. Additionally, the light remained illuminated and failed to deactivate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with defective wiring and that the Forward Collision Avoidance module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 30 MPH, the Forward Collision-Avoidance system erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the road. During the failure, no other vehicles or objects were nearby to cause the system to be activated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure or identify the cause of the failure. No service was performed. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,000.
I was driving north on I64, and a car in front of me suddenly stopped. Cruise control was on, but when i applied the brake, my car did not stopped, and cruise control speed up, before decreasing speed. Instead of turning off, and allowing the car to slow down. I had to swerve, causing to go off on the side of the highway, and held my foot on the brake for almost a mile, along the side of the highway, before the car came to a stop
On many occasions, warning lights come on for no reason. The dealer has "updated" software, but to no avail.. Collision warning, stop/start error, throttle body error and more. On the last event we were driving uphill, approx 25 mph, nobody in front of us, and the brakes slammed on with multiple errors showing.. the car then lurched forward with active breaking, stop start error, throttle body sensor all showing up and going away. This happened 4 times on the evening of Sep 15th. The errors and random and intermittent.. They replaced a "secondary" battery at one point, and that did nothing. They told us we needed to drive it for over 100 miles, to charge the battery, but it did not fix the stop/start or any other error. Now it is in the Cerritos dodge dealer and we have a formal complaint filed with Chrystler.. The dealer states they can't find any problems.. …
Purchased new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland in December 2021. The SUV has 2900 miles on it. Since purchase, the auto park engages at random moments most recently today when pulling out of drive thru lane. I began to drive the jeep forward and it locked up and engaged park brake. This has happened on numerous occasions. I went to get in the Jeep a few days ago. Started the engine and the brake engaged itself before even putting the vehicle in reverse. The touch screen in the dash that controls all functions of the SUV including radio, car play, heat/cooling, vehicle settings will randomly shut off and go black while traveling. While using the paired phone setting when making a call, the speakers produce a swishing/scrubbing sound that will not stop while the call is in session. New today, the windshield washer fluid light is on and the fluid is full. …
The automatic braking system/parking collision system on our vehicle regularly causes it to slam on the brakes when the vehicle is in reverse, despite there not being any objects anywhere close to the vehicle. We have had this occur when we are trying to get out of oncoming traffic into a parking space, move out of the way of oncoming traffic into a driveway or parking garage, and when trying to back the car out of oncoming traffic to avoid a collision. This problem has been inspected by, and reproduced by, the dealer (Dishman Jeep in Spokane, WA). No other individuals have inspected the components causing this issue. There were no other warnings or symptoms of the problem before they appeared--just the slamming on of the brakes in reverse accompanied by a loud noise and message on the dash about potential collision, despite there being no objects or people anywhere close by.
Related recalls
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Dodge Durango, 2021-2023 Chrysler Pacifica, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, 2022 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Chrysler Voyager, 2022-2023 Jeep Compass, Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, and Ram Promaster vehicles. The radio software may prevent the rearview image from displaying.
Remedy: Dealers will update the radio software or the software will be OTA, "Over-The-Air," free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning July 9, 2024.
Back over prevention › Display function
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2022-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2021-2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee L, and 2022-2024 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer vehicles. The Central Vision Park Assist module (CVPAM) software may prevent the rearview image from displaying when the vehicle is placed in reverse.
Remedy: Dealers will update the Central Vision Park Assist Module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 31, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vehicles. A radio software error may prevent the rearview image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: FCA US LLC will update the radio software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on December 28, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 54 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 13% of the model year's 409 complaints. The component named most often is automatic emergency braking (19 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee collision avoidance problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 24V-436 (camera, Jun 13, 2024); NHTSA recall 23V-577 (display function, Aug 14, 2023); NHTSA recall 21V-729 (camera, Sep 21, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 12,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to driver assistance 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.