Earlier this week we covered the serious troubles that some Grand Cherokee L owners were having with their new Jeeps. In short, the car’s key fob loses connection with the SUV, and any attempts to unlock it with a physical key are mistaken by the vehicle as attempted theft. It’s then rendered effectively inoperable. Several forum users on Jeep Garage reported the issue, and since our article’s publication, about half a dozen owners of both the three-row Grand Cherokee L and the regular two-row Grand Cherokee have emailed us to say they’ve been affected as well.
The exact cause of this issue was previously unclear. However, a notice sent to dealers from Stellantis’ FCA wing claims that a stop sale of the vehicles has been issued due to faulty electronics installed on the Jeeps. Specifically, the document alleges a “Radio Frequency Hub Module” can cause communication issues between the car and the key fob.
“We have identified a solution and are expediting delivery of the appropriate parts to our dealer network,” a Jeep spokesperson told The Drive. “This issue affects a limited number of vehicles and does not require a safety recall. We are contacting customers to advise them that free service is available.”
The issue seems to be affecting trucks sold at dealerships in February. Exactly how many Grand Cherokees have been affected is unclear, though. As far as a fix goes, the document claims that these faulty RFHMs must be replaced, a process that will supposedly begin in March. For some owners of affected vehicles, that could mean more than a month without the new SUVs they just bought. For unsold trucks still at the dealership, they can’t go anywhere until they’re fixed.
The experiences of affected owners all sound similar. Their Grand Cherokees are totally non-functional or were temporarily fixed before breaking down again. One reader who emailed us claims he bought a 2022 Grand Cherokee Overland in early February, and he couldn’t drive the truck off the dealer lot because of the issue. After disconnecting the battery, the issue temporarily resolved itself, but it reappeared a few days later. “My car wouldn’t start in the parking garage under my office building in downtown Chicago,” the reader told us. “That was a long night.”
Another reader had the same to say, noting his woes were like the owner’s who initially alerted us of the issue in our story from Wednesday. This person’s vehicle is a non-L Grand Cherokee, which seems to confirm the suspicion that it’s affecting both the two-row and three-row versions of the vehicle. So far, it’s unclear if this can be traced to any specific trim or engine configuration.
Jeep told The Drive that it’s prioritizing current customer vehicles and explained owners will be contacted shortly to arrange a fix for their Grand Cherokee.
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