2023 Jeep Wagoneer Transmission Problems

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2023 Jeep Wagoneer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I bought this vehicle used form Carmax, <12000 miles. Drove about 12 miles, when while parking I noticed the car stopped and asked to start engine and engage gear again. Didn't think much of it. Then started driving again and the check engine light turned on. There are lots of reports of wagoneers with engine light problems (in fact we had test driven a different one with both check engine and transmission lights on which for obvious reasons didn't buy). I reported to Carmax. Finished my drive and stayed idle for a while trying to see if there were any settings that may be responsible, but the engine was stuttering, almost shutting off, with the entire thing, even the driving lights shutting off intermittently. The following day I took the vehicle for a check at Carmax, and while slowing at an intersection to let a school bus pass, the car completely shut down. …

This Jeep has gone back to the dealership 3 times for dangerous Undrivability, twice on the back of a tow truck, and third time retrieved by the dealer for repair. It has endangered my family on multiple occasions, each for a different reason, making this car unsafe to have my family drive in. It is less than one year old. Only 1 month after purchasing, it died in a parking lot with my family in the car. It had to be put on a flatbed back to the dealer for a computer replacement. The second time, it died in my driveway and again had to be brought on a flatbed to the dealer. The third incident was the most dangerous and the incident that must be flagged. With my kids in the car, my wife came to a stop sign. The car shook and jittered, the entertainment system went out, and the headlights flashed. …

Vehicle: 2023 Jeep Wagoneer Series II 4WD VIN: [redacted] I am reporting a significant vibration/shaking condition in my 2023 Jeep Wagoneer. At approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle develops a noticeable shudder/shake that can be felt while driving at highway speeds. The condition is repeatable and raises concerns about the stability and safety of the vehicle during normal interstate/highway driving. I am concerned because other Wagoneer owners have reported similar highway-speed vibration conditions. I would like the cause of this vibration properly identified rather than having it attributed to normal vehicle characteristics. The vehicle should be evaluated for possible tire/wheel road-force variation or runout, suspension components, propeller shaft/driveshaft, CV joints, transfer case/output components, or other driveline components that could produce a speed-related vibration. …

On the highway and interstate highway, during stop in stop-and-go traffic, the vehicle randomly automatically shifts into park and apply the parking brakes when attempting to accelerate from standstill. This only happens when you try to move again after stopping, and the vehicle is shifted into park in the most inopportune times. It requires you not only to shift it back to drive with your right hand, and reaching under the dash with your left hand to release the parking brake. When task saturated during an emergency it is highly likely to cause an accident, such as turning left onto a divided country highway while the car is temporally stopped between the two highways. No dealership involvement yet. This occurs randomly, and I have not been able to find a way to replicate it at will. This has occurred more than a dozen of times. …

For the past five months, the vehicle has stalled nearly every other day, including while backing out of driveways or parking spaces and when slowing to stop. Each time, the engine suddenly shuts off without warning, the transmission automatically shifts into Park, and the emergency brake engages. An engine warning light appears with a "battery fault" message. The repeated engine shutdowns and automatic braking create a serious safety risk, particularly when backing into traffic or stopping at intersections. In several instances, the vehicle would not restart for several minutes, leaving it disabled in the roadway. The vehicle has been taken twice to the authorized Jeep dealership in Stonecrest, Georgia, but the service department was unable to reproduce or correct the issue. The problem persists, and the "battery fault" light continues to appear intermittently. …

Engine overheated and oil pressure low warnings came on suddenly and lost power. I had my two grandkids and was on a dark country road with ditches and no shoulders. Pulled off at the next cross street to get to safety. Was stranded at night in a rural area with my [redacted] and [redacted]. Had to have vehicle towed and wait for someone to pick us up. Thermostat failed, which is a known problem but my VIN wasn't listed on the 26b notice. Engine was damaged beyond repair. It took three weeks for them to replace the engine. The morning after I picked up the Wagon, the brake warning light came on when the grandkids were in it again. The dealership told me to have it towed. They said they spilled brake fluid when they replaced the engine and refilled it. I paid nearly 100k for this unsafe car! There is no excuse for not replacing a cheap $50 thermostat to avoid this issue. …

Three times my car has suddenly stopped and went into park. It happened once pulling into the median of a roadway. The second time I was slowing in traffic to stop at an upcoming traffic light and the most recent was backing out of a park spot. In addition to the sudden stops while in traffic it also has had hesitancy when starting from a stopped position. I have to restart the car while in traffic. Could seriously cause an accident to happen. Dealer found several CPM codes, completed an update and cleared the codes 2 days ago and now it happened again. Cabin filter, air filter were changed on 7.6.26 and the first time the car did this was a few days after that. So this has been happening for about 1 month.

While driving the vehicle the oil engine light came on as well as a front collision warning lamp. The car then would not go into a higher gear. The air condition shut off and the car started making an electric type of noise and started slowing down and eventually stopped leaving myself and my two children stranded. This put both myself and my two children at risk. We had to get transportation home and get the car towed to the dealership and they confirmed that it is a malfunction of the thermostat which they relayed is a KNOWN ISSUE with this model of car and its engine. There has been a recall with Jeep, but only with a portion of its vehicles and my VIN was not included.

The contact owns a 2023 Jeep Wagoneer. The contact received notification of Customer Satisfaction Program 13B (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer's VIN tool confirms parts are available. Parts distribution disconnect.

While driving my 2023 Jeep Wagoneer on 12 Jun 2025 I stopped at an intersection preparing to make a right turn. When I took my foot off the brake and prepared to accelerate, the vehicle abruptly turned off and lost all power and control. The instrument cluster said to shift to park in order to restart. I was able to restart the vehicle and drove it immediately to the Jeep dealership service. The dealership immediately scanned it, but was unable to diagnose the issue. We drove the vehicle back to our home and are now afraid to drive it due to concern over the vehicle shutting down while driving.

Related recalls

Transmission complaints in other Wagoneer years