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2006 Jeep Commander Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,635 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Jeep Commander, most often about the electrical (42% of complaints, typically around 85,500 miles). It is the most complained-about Commander model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2006 Jeep Commander problems
Electrical
687 complaints · 42%Half of these problems showed up before 85,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel, 12v/24v/48v battery, wiring.
Reference complaints 10244597, 10247128. Today, driving in the rain, lights dimmed and car hesitated, eventually stalling while in motion. While we were at a stop, the car again stalled and took several tries to restart. I no longer drive with the children in the car, and have not since the previous incident at 61k. I…
Additional problems reference odi complaint #10244597. Received car back from dealership ran fine for two weeks. The car is now stalling on the highway at 40 MPH near our home. Thank god I was able to get the car to the side of the road. Then the park assist service light came on and went off again. I got the car…
Engine
450 complaints · 28%Half of these problems showed up before 57,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
I bought this Jeep Commander in march 23, 2006. The first time that the vehicle stalls while driving at 65 MPH on the freeway was four months after I bought it. The power went off as if the ignition is turned off and the steering wheel hardened which made it impossible to turn to the shoulder lane. I ignored this…
Driving on highway traffic came to almost a complete stop and engine stalled. Put vehicle in park keyed off then restarted. This is the second time the engine has stalled while driving. Service department indicates nothing will be done if problem can not be duplicated.
Transmission
295 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, transfer case (4-wheel drive), axle assembly.
I'm a owner of a 2006 Jeep Commander limited and starting to become frustrated and scared to drive this beautiful car. The problem is that the car stalls out (looses power, electrical, power brakes/ steering, everything) when slowing down at a red light, stop sign, parking spot, etc. I have contacted the dealer and…
Had cruise control set to 65 MPH on the freeway. Out of nowhere the car began accelerating on its own to reaching speeds of 85 MPH. If cruise control is turned on now it accelerates on its own and I ma not able to control the speed at all. Have taken car to dealership but they say nothing is wrong. Front windshield…
Body and structure
189 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
My wife exited the car on the front passenger side on august 22 and noticed the door handle had shattered. She wasn't rough and didn't abuse it in any way. That door may be opened 2-3 times a week. It's a 2006 Jeep Commander with 70000 miles. Now the door has to be extremely gently opened in fear that it may break.…
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated when it rains the water leaked through the bars and the windows. The leak was in the driver and passenger side windows. The entire electrical system also failed including the speedometer and radio. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was…
Other or unspecified
87 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles.
2006 Jeep Commander randomly will not start. Battery tests fine...took it to the dealer and paid over $400 and the replaced the starter and yellow solinoid cable which brings power to the starter. Still will not start occasionally. The dash lights up, but the engine doesn't turn over...wait 5 minutes and it may start…
The vehicle door handles do not function on any of the four doors. They all have the same defect and the only way to exit the vehicle is to let the window down if you are able to and unlock the door from the outside. This is a safety issue when the vehicle is smoking, fire, etc., and passengers are unable to get out…
Speed control
79 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 86,000 miles. Parts named most often: cruise control.
While driving the Commander at various speeds everything suddenly turns off. Acceleration is immediately decreased and all dashboard functions are gone. I have to shift to neutral and re-start the engine, all while still driving. This is very dangerous. I have had this car for 2 months.
Was driving the vehicle first noticed the electric mirrors turned upward and unable to correct. Then the left window went down and moves up or down at random. The electric door locks became inoperative from driver side. The warning gauges started to go off and on and display started to flash different problems with…
Brakes
74 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 80,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, antilock, conventional.
The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The contact also mentioned that the brakes seized and would not immediately release. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the mechanic stated that there were no recalls.…
My Jeep Commander turned off, causing my brakes to fail along with steering and airbags to fail. I crashed into the back of someone towing a pontoon boat. The total cost of damage was over $7,000. My insurance had to cover it. This is because of the recall p41. I have called and complained several times about my dash…
Steering
68 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 94,500 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist system.
While driving on sunday july 6, 2014, my vehicle suddenly shut off and lost power steering. We were able to pull off and restart the vehicle. This happened a couple of times and then seemed to run normal.
Help please!!!!!!! I have come here and filed complaints on this vehicle a few times! There is currently a recall on this vehicle, however there is no solution so we are forced to drive in a very dangerous situation! My Jeep dies on me almost twice a week!!! I am 5'1 my knees are no where near the ignition switch! I…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Jeep Commander recalls
Electrical: switch
Risk: If the ignition key inadvertently moves into the off or accessory position, the engine will turn off, which will then depower various key safety systems including but not limited to air bags, power steering, and power braking. Loss of functionality of these systems may increase the risk of crash and/or increase the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Chrysler sent interim notifications to owners in september 2014. The recall began on october 9, 2015. Owners may contact chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is p41.
Full defect summary
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, drivers should adjust their seat to allow clearance between the driver's knee and the ignition key, and remove all items from their key ring, leaving only the vehicle key. Chrysler group llc (chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 jeep grand cherokee vehicles manufactured february 11, 2004, to july 5, 2007, and 2006-2007 jeep commander vehicles manufactured january 31, 2005, to july 5, 2007. In the affected vehicles, the driver may accidentally hit the ignition key with their knee, unintentionally knocking the key out of the run position, turning off the engine.
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: If the vehicle shifts into neutral, it may roll away increasing the risk of a crash or personal injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the final drive controller which governs the transfer case, with new software, free of charge. The recall began on august 15, 2013. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is n23.
Full defect summary
Chrysler group llc (chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 jeep grand cherokee vehicles manufactured february 11, 2004, through march 9, 2010; and 2006-2010 jeep commander vehicles manufactured january 31, 2005, through march 10, 2010. A transfer case electrical failure may result in an unintentional shifting of the transfer case into the neutral position.
Transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Risk: This could cause a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the PCM software in all 4.7l engine equipped my 2006 jeep commanders built prior to january 11, 2006. The recall began on may 19, 2008. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
Chrysler is recalling 24,461 my 2006 jeep commander vehicles equipped with 4.7l v8 engines. The powertrain control module (PCM) was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall under certain operating conditions.
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: This could cause a crash without warning.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the ABS electronic control module with new software that prevents this condition free of charge. The recall began on october 22, 2007. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, the software programmed into the ABS electronic control module may allow a momentary delay in braking when coasting up a hill during certain conditions.
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat belt may not properly restrain the third row occupant which can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the third row seat belts for damage and replace any damaged belts. In addition, an injected molded cover will be added to the retractor bracket on both third row seating positions to prevent future damage from belt contact with the retractor bracket. The recall began on march 13, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Full defect summary
On certain sport utility vehicles, the integrated retractor bracket edge on the third row seat may contact the seat belt during certain operating conditions causing damage to the belt webbing.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Air bag non-deployment
Summary
Chrysler is conducting a safety recall of approximately 643,618 model year 2006-2007 jeep commander and model year 2005-2007 jeep grand cherokee vehicles to address the problem of ignition turning off while driving (see NHTSA recall 14v-438 for more information).according to chrysler, these vehicles may experience an unintended change in ignition switch position while driving, which may result in loss of engine power, power steering, and braking assist, increasing the risk of a crash and disabling one or more of the vehicle's safety features including the frontal air bags.most of the reported incidents occurred as a result of driver interaction with the ignition key.based on the recall actio
Fleet vehicle recall completion audit
Summary
On november 18, 2010, NHTSA's recall management division (rmd) opened an audit query (aq10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.it was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.rmd queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (ford, chrysler, and general motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.the rental
Engine stalling
Summary
On may 5, 2008, chrysler llc (chrysler) submitted a defect information report to NHTSA concerning an engine calibration issue that could result in engine stall in approximately 24,461 model year (my) 2006 jeep commander vehicles equipped with the 4.7l v-8 engine and built from february 25, 2005 through january 11, 2006.according to chrysler, the powertrain control module (PCM) was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall during certain operating conditions.chrysler dealers will reprogram the PCM software in the recalled vehicles. Information provided by chrysler during pe07-009 and ea07-007 indicated that a revised engine calibration was implemented in production effective
Engine stall
Summary
Odi has received 76 vehicle owner complaints alleging incidents of engine stall while driving in model year (my) 2006 through 2007 jeep commander vehicles (subject vehicles).some of the complaints reported one or more incidents of engine stall with a simultaneous loss of some or all lighting systems, including headlamps.two engine stalls resulted in a vehicle crash.in its response to a request for information, daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) indicated that it has not determined the cause of engine stalling in the subject vehicles and that it hasformed a multi-disciplinary task force to investigate the issue. This investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea07-007) to furt
Petition re: unintended acceleration
Summary
Odi received a petition requesting a defect investigation concerning unintended acceleration in the 2006 jeep commander stemming from a fatal incident that occurred in delaware in december 2005.after a careful review of the circumstances surrounding this incident, odi finds no evidence to indicate the influence of a manufacturing defect.likewise, no similar complaints concerning this model exist in the odi complaint database.accordingly, the petition is denied.odi reserves the right to revisit this issue in the future should circumstances warrant.
Questions about the 2006 Jeep Commander
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Jeep Commander?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (687 complaints, typically around 85,500 miles); engine (450 complaints, typically around 57,000 miles); transmission (295 complaints, typically around 80,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Jeep Commander have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from July 21, 2014 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Jeep Commander?
- It is the most complained-about Commander model year since 2000, with 1,635 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.