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2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee: engine and transmission complaints

ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
38%
596 of 1,550 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

38% of relevant owner complaints on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.

Better than 56% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 88 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 36%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
596
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
1,638
this model year
Fires reported
61
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
6
53 crashes · 47 injuries

Complaints by component

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM779 · 48%
SERVICE BRAKES350 · 21%
ENGINE343 · 21%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM247 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER132 · 8%
POWER TRAIN90 · 5%

The years either side

2010
38%
41 of 117
2011
38%
596 of 1,638
2012
33%
525 of 1,640
2013
30%
227 of 802
2014
44%
894 of 2,375
2015
48%
574 of 1,355
2016
57%
163 of 308
2017
58%
195 of 364
2018
27%
215 of 853
2019
33%
108 of 365
2020
42%
91 of 236
2021
37%
151 of 480
2022
35%
147 of 439
2023
31%
141 of 471

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other midsize SUVs with no elevated signal in 2011

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE03/11/2017CRASH2 INJURED
CAR STALLS WITHOUT WARNING. COLLIDED WITH TREE, MAJOR FRONT END DAMAGE. NO POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES, NO AIR BAGS WERE DEPLOYED, SEAT BELTS DID NOT TENSION. VEHICLE HAD STALLED PREVIOUSLY AND TAKE TO DEALER. DEALER REPLACED IGNITION COILS AND SAID PROBLEM WAS FIXED.
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS03/21/2017CRASH1 INJURED
2011 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE OVERLAND SUMMIT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO SUDDEN VEHICLE ACCELERATION. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INTO THE REAR OF A TRUCK, FLIPPED MULTIPLE TIMES, AND ROLLED APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET DOWN AN EMBANKMENT. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE SEAT BELT FAILED TO LOCK…
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/04/2015CRASH1 INJURED
I WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS AND HAVE NO MEMORY OF CRASH JEEP WAS TOTALED I NEVER SAW IT AGAIN TOOK 4 MONTHS TO RECOVER.

Three of 596 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 3.6, 5.7, or 6.4 liter engine and previously recalled …
SERVICE BRAKES
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles. The affected vehicles had brake booster shields installed under a pr…
SERVICE BRAKES
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles manufactured from January 5, 2010, through Septembe…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.