2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

I am reporting a serious safety failure in my 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L (1,483 miles). On XXX, the vehicle was parked with my wife and young children inside. Upon starting it, the vehicle would not shift into gear, the steering wheel locked, and the front windows stopped working. The lane departure symbol lit up during the failure, and the vehicle would not shut off through normal controls. After two hours, we shut it off by disconnecting the battery. When restarted, the check engine light and other warning lamps came on, and the vehicle began shaking and rattling. No crash occurred, but with steering locked and children in the car, I had no way to safely disable the vehicle for two hours. This could have caused loss of control if it happened while driving. No prior warning signs occurred before the incident. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer or repair shop, as no certified Jeep dealership exists on Lanai, Hawaii, where I reside; shipping the vehicle requires barg transport to XX or XXX. The vehicle is available for inspection on request and is currently not in use. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Dear NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, I am filing this formal safety defect complaint regarding the complete failure of the airbag system to deploy during a serious motor vehicle collision on [XXX], involving a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Altitude (VIN: [XXX] ). This failure occurred in direct connection with a known manufacturer defect covered under NHTSA Recall #26V-328. The driver, [XXX] , sustained serious injuries that were significantly enhanced by the airbag failure. Neither the driver nor the vehicle owner, [XXX] , had any prior knowledge of this defect. We request that NHTSA open a formal investigation and take all appropriate enforcement action against Stellantis/FCA On [XXX], at approximately [XXX] PM, [XXX] was operating the 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Altitude southbound on [XXX] . Conditions at the time were ideal — clear weather, dry roads, and full daylight visibility. [XXX] was traveling straight through a signalized intersection at the posted 35 MPH speed limit when his vehicle was struck by a 2024 Ford Expedition that failed to yield while making a left turn from northbound [XXX] . The result was a serious angle collision that caused disabling damage to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was towed from the scene by Police Impound Quality Towing [XXX] ). [XXX] was wearing his shoulder and lap belt seatbelt and was the sole occupant of the vehicle. He was transported by ambulance to Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital for injuries sustained in the crash. The official State of Michigan Traffic Crash Report (Southfield PD, Incident #[XXX], Crash ID [XXX]) confirms all of these facts and documents that [XXX] bore no fault for this collision. QUESTION 1: WHAT COMPONENT OR SYSTEM FAILED AND IS IT AVAILABLE FOR INSP INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited - Mileage 8,855 - Owned for 6 months!!! - 11/22/2025 System failure with the Forward Collision Warning (FCW) & Active Braking (AB). Available for inspection upon request until vehicle buyback is complete. - At the point of failure the brakes locked up while traveling through a busy intersection bringing the vehicle to a complete stop and resulting in total engine power loss. The jeep was disabled for approximately 10-15 minutes before being able to start and move it clear of traffic. The abrupt braking could have caused a rear-end collision had someone been close behind us which also could have caused numerous vehicles to be involved. We turned off the FCW & AB system through the setting on the vehicle infotainment screen. - 11/26/2025 The dealership where we purchased the vehicle, confirmed numerous transmission codes and found metal shaving in the transmission fluid through a fluid test. Chrysler advised them to perform a "relearn" on the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and required us to drive it 500 miles to complete the "drive relearn" putting our safety at risk should this not be effective. On 11/27/2025 after turning the FCW & AB system back on, within 2 miles of performing the "drive relearn" the check engine light came back on and noise from the transmission was prominent. The vehicle went into limp mode not allowing acceleration past 10-15mph. On 12/1/2025 The Jeep was taken back to the dealership where they scanned and found code P0729 for gear error in 6th gear. They found the transmission internally failing. For 68 days Chrysler requested numerous testing from the dealership until finally agreeing to the warranty for a new transmission. Work completed 1/29/2026. - The vehicle has only been inspected by the dealerships mechanic who also performed the transmission swap. - There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

The Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Emergency Braking does not function, and we believe it has never function properly since we purchased the vehicle NEW on 8/22/25. The vehicle has been to the local Jeep dealer on numerous occasions to have the issue corrected, but to date, they are unable to determine a root cause or affect a repair. On the last repair visit, they conducted a road test with their employee driving and the service and myself in the car. They could not get the FCW to function either, despite a call to the Jeep remote assistance line and a reboot of the main control panel. The service manager indicated that he would reach out to their factory technical representative for assistance. They called me a few days later and asked my to bring the vehicle in again. It has now been at the dealer for an additional three days, with no apparent progress made. On a prior service visit, they indicated that they needed to open a " STAR record because they weren't seeing any error codes. I have no idea if either the STAR record or contact with the factory representative actually occurred. At this point, we don't feel safe driving the vehicle with our grandkids in it. In addition, these safety features, and the Jeep safety ratings, were a big factor in our decison to buy the Grand Cherokee. We can't help but feel that this is a known defect in the 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit Reserve, and that Stellantis/Jeep and their dealer are either unwilling or unable to correct the serious safety issue this has created.

Updates to the case#11679471. Since my initial report, Jeep arranged for an independent technician to retrieve and review the Event Data Recorder (EDR) from our vehicle. While Jeep has not shared the expert’s conclusions with us, we obtained a copy of the raw EDR data file from the same tech (attached). Based on the EDR data: 1. The brake pedal was fully applied approximately 0.4 seconds before impact and remained depressed. 2. The vehicle’s deceleration was only ~0.5 g, significantly below the expected ~0.8–1.0 g for dry asphalt conditions. 3. The ABS did not engage, indicating that hydraulic brake pressure was not reaching the level required to approach wheel lock. 4. The Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system was “On” but did not engage. 4. The Advanced Brake Assist (ABA) activated only ~0.3 seconds before impact, too late to reduce the stopping distance. 5. No DTC (diagnostic trouble codes) were recorded at the time of the event. These EDR findings indicate that the driver executed proper emergency braking, but the brake-by-wire system did not deliver sufficient hydraulic pressure to achieve normal deceleration. This may suggest a potential electronic or hydraulic brake system defect. The vehicle remains undrivable, and we have been declined by two separate Jeep dealerships to obtain an effective inspection or repair. Given the direct connection to FMVSS 105 (Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems) requirements for service brake performance, we respectfully request that NHTSA treat this case as an urgent safety concern.

This complaint is an update to my previous complaint #11679471 submitted on August 8, 2025. Please consider this as additional information to the original case. Since my initial submission: Second Dealership Refusal: I attempted to bring the vehicle to a second authorized Jeep dealership for inspection and diagnosis. They refused any service, stating they would not inspect or repair the vehicle. This is now the second dealership to reject the vehicle after the incident. Obtained Diagnostic Printouts: Despite refusing service, the second dealership was convinced to provide printed codes from the vehicle. These codes show multiple system errors recorded at a very low vehicle mileage, including communication failures with the ABS control module, brake system internal failure, and CAN bus errors. These indicate potential electronic or computer system faults that could have occurred immediately before or during the brake failure. Manufacturer Warranty Issue: Immediately after the incident, Jeep opened a warranty case #93917003 for the vehicle. However, during subsequent communication, I was informed that this brand-new vehicle has no manufacturer's warranty at all. This is extremely concerning, as the vehicle was purchased new with only minimal mileage and no prior damage or modifications. Vehicle Condition: The vehicle remains undrivable and unsafe to operate. Jeep or its authorized dealers have performed no corrective action. Given that this was a brand-new vehicle with extremely low mileage purchased solely for personal family travel, and that both authorized dealerships have refused to address a major safety defect, I am requesting that NHTSA treat this as an urgent safety matter. The refusal to investigate by Jeep dealerships, combined with the unexpected claim that there is no manufacturer warranty, leaves this defect unresolved and poses an ongoing safety risk if similar failures occur in other vehicles.

While driving on the Belt Parkway towards Coney Island in stop-and-go traffic at approximately 25–35 mph, the vehicle in front slowed and came to a stop. The distance to the vehicle ahead was more than two car lengths. The brake pedal was fully depressed, but the vehicle did not decelerate adequately to come to a complete stop. The driver's record is clear of any car accident All forward collision warning alerts were sounding, but the ABS and automatic emergency braking (AEB) did not activate. There was no tire screech or pulsation from the brakes. The vehicle slowed but continued to move forward, resulting in a low-speed frontal collision. After the collision, the vehicle refused to move until the engine had been turned off for several minutes. Airbags did not deploy. This incident happened on a brand-new vehicle with only 318 miles on the odometer. We immediately contacted Jeep Corporate and opened a safety case. However, the first authorized dealer we visited, as was told by the Jeep advisor at 111 58th St., Brooklyn, NY 11220, refused to inspect the brake, ABS, or AEB systems under warranty, after we said that we have case number from Jeep and we need to read the computer while it still has information about the acident in the memory. Also were refused to provide a written denial, and directed us to a collision center instead, which repairs only the body but doesn't have equipment to read the car's faults. Due to this refusal, Jeep Corporate initially closed our case without resolution or notification; we had to insist on having it reopened, as the issue wasn't investigated. We are aware that Jeep models from 2024–2025 (though not exactly this trim) have had recalls for ABS, brake module, and electronic stability control issues, and these systems share similar or identical computer modules across model lines. Given these known issues and the seriousness of a complete brake system failure on a new vehicle, I believe this warrants immediate investigation by NHTSA.