JEEP Commander Reliability by Year
Best & Worst Years, Problems & Recalls β NHTSA Data
Comparing used JEEP Commander options? We analyzed 5 model years (2006β2010) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
Model-year trends show patterns. Run a VIN check for the exact JEEP Commander you plan to buy.
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the JEEP Commander has 3,355 owner complaints and 24 safety recalls across model years 2006β2010. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
- Make
- JEEP
- Model
- Commander
- Model years analyzed
- 2006β2010 (5 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 3,355
- Safety recall campaigns
- 24
- Crash-related complaints
- 115
- Fire-related complaints
- 31
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2008 (436 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Poor
β NHTSA NCAP Crash Test Ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
What the Complaint Data Suggests
PoorThe JEEP COMMANDER has 3,355 NHTSA complaints and 24 recalls on record. 115 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 3,355 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 24 federal recall campaigns
- 115 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
π Problems by Model Year (Best vs. Worst Years)
π NHTSA Safety Recalls
24 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2006β2010. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
π§ Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 3,355 NHTSA complaints.
π NHTSA Complaint Reports
3,355 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
ENGINE FIRE UNDER NORMAL OPERATION
My jeep will not crank sometimes...the key will not turn. The ignition control module seems to be a problem.
Started the vehicle by inserting the key fob. Turned the key and the vehicle dash lit up and went out immediately. Tried to turn the key again and nothing happened. Could not turn the key and it was difficult to remove the key fob from the ignition.
The engine failed while driving at major intersection. Multiple individuals had to assist and avoid causing an accident. After a week at diagnostic Jeep service department, techs determined compression failure in cylinders 2 and 4 with 0 psi. There no codes or check engine lights other than a brief blinking right before failure.
The electrical system of my car malfunctioned intermittently causing lights, ac, and the engine itself to go off and on in the middle of the freeway. There was a recall on the 2010 Jeep Commander (same as my car) for faulty electrical system, yet my VIN was excluded. I believe it should have been included in the recall and this faulty electrical system was the cause of multiple repairs done at my expense to the tune of a couple thousand dollars. I ask for a query into this. The electrical system is the nexus of a carβs mechanical system and if not functioning correctly causes all else to eventually fail. The lights would not turn off after I turned them off, removed keys, and exited vehicle. Various lights would flash on the dashboard then suddenly disappear not providing enough time to read them. Many or all dashboard lights and AC would go out intermittently sometimes reappearing shortly later. Sometimes the car would shock me while driving on the freeway and therefore poses a safety threat to everyone else and me. Ultimately the engine went out while on the freeway. Jeep takes close to a month to fix a Power Control Module and fuel pump replacement and fuel line. Reconsider requiring them to extend the electrical system recall to more 2010 Jeep Commanders. An electrical system main control is not a typical thing to need to replace in a low mileage car.
FOUR (4) Cooper Adventure HT 245/65R17 were purchased in late 2019 from PepBoys at 6900 Highway 6 North, Houston, Tx 77084. One tire (front Driver side) began separating on November 2021 and was replaced at no charge by PepBoys under Mfg Warranty. 2nd Tire (Rear Driver side) experienced a blowout while driving to Houston along I10 east of Shulenburgh, Tx, on Sunday July 24th. Fortunately i was able to replace blowout tire with the spare but my son's safety and my own safety was compromised as the shoulder on that stretch of the interstate is not very wide as i replacing the tire within 4Ft of zooming 18-wheelers and other vehicles going by in 100F degree weather. The incident ocurred at 545pm aprox - The blowout caused the rear fender to break and the moulding above the tire and rear door broke from the car also. I estimate the repair will cost around $5-6K or so aproximately. PepBoys replaced blowout rear tire and the other 2 tires as well.
Engine stalled at stop signs, Daughter was driving the vehicle and engine stalled at an intersection. Not able to restart it. Vehicle was pushed to the side. I went to assist her and after many tries the engine restarted, I started to drive and the engine will stall as n DC shutdown at all stop signs/ traffic lights. I managed to drive it to the Jeep dealer shifting into neutral and pressing the gas to keep the engine running. No engine lights were present, temperature was normal and vehicle had 1/4 tank of gas. After a 5 days in the the dealer, they indicated that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle, no codes.
THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON ABOUT 5 MINUTES AFTER I STARTED DRIVING THROUGH RESIDENTIAL STREETS AND ONTO A FREEWAY. I EXITED THE FREEWAY AND WENT TO THE AUTO STORE WHERE I HAD ORIGINALLY PURCHASED THE BATTERY FROM, ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WHICH IS LESS THAN 5 MILES FROM MY HOUSE. THEY TESTED MY BATTERY AND SAID THE BATTERY WAS GOOD BUT MY ALTERNATOR WAS BAD. I DROVE MY JEEP COMMANDER HOME AND PARKED IT IN THE GARAGE, PER USUAL. WHEN I EXITED MY JEEP THERE WAS NO ODOR, NO SMOKE, NO SOUND OF ANY SORTS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. LESS THAN 20 MINUTES OF PARKING MY JEEP, MY JEEP WAS ON FIRE AND CAUGHT MY HOUSE ON FIRE. NO WARNING NOTHING! MY JEEP WAS 10 YEARS OLD AND JUST TURNED 103,000 MILES. I FAITHFULLY SERVICED MY JEEP AT THE LOCAL JEEP DEALERSHIP OR MIDAS. MY JEEP HAD NO PREVIOUS ISSUES OF ANY SORT (NO LOSS OF POWER, NO LEAKS, WASN'T RUNNING HOT, ETC.).
IGNITION KEY WOULD COME OUT OF SWITCH WHILE ENGINE WAS RUNNING.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 JEEP COMMANDER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HIS WIFE WAS PARKED AT THE SUPERMARKET HIS WIFE ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE TWICE WITH NO AVAIL. THE THIRD TIME SHE ATTEMPTED SHE STEPPED OUT THE VEHICLE AFTER SHE SMELLED ABNORMAL FUMES AND SOMEONE ALERTED HER THAT THERE WERE FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE WAS LOCATED ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHERE THE ENGINE WAS LOCATED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FLAMES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOT WITHOUT BEING DIAGNOSED AS TOTALED. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 JEEP COMMANDER. WHEN THE CONTACT PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE, SHE WAS NOT INFORMED OF ITS RECALL HISTORY. WHEN INITIALLY PURCHASED, THE VEHICLE MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE AND THERE WAS EXTENSIVE WOBBLING AND A STRONG VIBRATION IN THE REAR. THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN IF THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO A POTENTIAL "DEATH WOBBLE" AND THE REAR TRAC BAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VARIOUS INDEPENDENT REPAIR FACILITIES, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE INTERMITTENT FAILURE CONTINUED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 JEEP COMMANDER. WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED TO 120 MPH WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE DID NOT DECELERATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. ALSO, AN UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER, SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL, AND TURN OFF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN.
WHILE DRIVING MY RADIO SHUTS ON AND OFF CONSTANTLY. SOMETIMES MY DASH LIGHTS FLASH AND BEEP THEN MY ODOMETER DIALS START TO FLUTTER UP AND DOWN AND MY BLINKER WILL HESITATE WHEN IT'S ON.
TIMING CHAIN BROKE ON MOTOR CAUSING CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE V8 HEMI. RECALLS ON OTHER VEHICLES WITH THIS MOTOR BUT CHRYSLER SAYS NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED TO CAUSE RECALL ON JEEP. STUPID ANSWER. PROBLEM IS NOT THE VEHICLE MOTOR IS IN ITS THE MOTOR. JEEP WAS STILL FINANCED SO HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR A NEW MOTOR WHILE STILL PAYING FOR THE JEEP.
" TAKATA RECALL" I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2010 JEEP COMMANDER. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS PAST WEEK THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE AND LEFT ME STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THANK GOODNESS IT WAS NOT DURING RUSH HOUR. THERE WAS NO WARNING AND COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. LET ME START BY STATING THAT THIS JEEP HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY CARED FOR FROM DAY 1 AND EVERY RECOMMENDED SERVICE AND OIL CHANGE HAS BEEN DONE ON TIME. THIS IS OUR FAMILY CAR AND NOT AN OFF ROAD TOY. I DROVE MY JEEP WITH RESPECT AND CARE. SO, HOW AND WHY DID THE TIMING CHAIN BREAK AND DESTROY THE ENGINE? I CALLED 3 OTHER LOCAL JEEP DEALERSHIPS ASKING THIS QUESTION AND THE RESPONSE WAS THE SAME WITH EACH CHRYSLER MECHANIC 'NEVER HEARD OF THIS ON THE JEEP COMMANDER' AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, I DID FIND SEVERAL CHAT BOARDS AND AN ARTICLE IN HOT ROD MAGAZINE TALKING ABOUT THE 5.7L HEMI TIMING CHAIN BREAKING IN CHALLENGERS, CHARGERS AND 300'S. EVENTUALLY, THERE WAS A RECALL TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. ACCORDING TO SEVERAL SOURCES, MY COMMANDER HAS THE SAME ENGINE FROM THE SAME TIME PERIOD THE RECALL OCCURRED. SO WHY ARE JEEP'S NOT INCLUDED? CHRYSLER KNOWS THIS IS AN ISSUE AND HAVE CHOSE NOT TO ADDRESS IT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN BAD, HAD MY VEHICLE STALLED OUT THE WAY IT DID ON THE HIGHWAY IN RUSH HOUR.
WITH NO WARNING,(NO NOISE FROM ENGINE) TRAVELING ABOUT 25MPH ENGINE LIGHT FLASH ON, LOST ALL ENGINE POWER, BECAME HARD TO STEER, WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE ROAD. LATER LEARNED THAT THE TIMING CHAIN BROKE. I ALSO LEARNED THAT CHRYSLER CORPORATION RECALLED THIS ENGINE 5.7 HEMI IN OTHER PRODUCTS, BUT NOT THE JEEP. THIS IS A TIME BOMB
I WAS IN MATTOON ILLINOIS,HAD BACKED OUT OF A PARKING SPOT FROM DAIRY QUEEN ONTO A SIDE ROAD I PULLED UP TO A STOP SIGN FOR A MAIN ROAD AS I HAD THE CLEAR TO MAKE MY TURN I PROCEEDED TO DO SO WHEN I HEARD A LOUD POP. I LOST MY STEERING, MY BREAKS AND ACCELERATION. WHEN I CAME TO A STOP HALF WAY IN THE TURN LANE OF THE MAIN ROAD I GOT OUT TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. MY FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE WAS LAYING UP UNDER MY JEEP. IT HAD BUSTED MY UPPER AND LOWER BALL JOINTS, MY CV SHAFT, AND MY BREAK LINES AND ALSO BENT MY INNER AND OUTER TIE ROD ENDS AND MY TIRE AND RIM. FROM THERE IT HAD TO BE TOWED CLEAR BACK TO MY HOME IN TOLEDO ILLINOIS. I THANK GOD EACH AND EVERY DAY THAT I HAD NOT MADE IT TO THE HIGHWAY AND WAS DOING 55MPHS BECAUSE I HAD MYSELF AND THREE SMALL CHILDREN RANGING FROM 3MONTHS OLD UP TO 3 YEARS OLD IN THE VEHICAL WITH ME AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY HAD I MADE IT TO THE MAIN HIGHWAY AND WAS GOING ANY FASTER.
STALLING WHILE DRIVING
ALONG THE ENTIRE UPPER BODY OF THE CAR THERE ARE CRACKS IN THE PAINT WHICH I ATTRIBUTED TO A PAINT DEFECT. IT NOW HAS RUST DAMAGE TO THE UPPER FRAME ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD AND ON THE ROOF OF THE VEHICLE WHERE THE CRACKS WERE. ABOVE THE WINDSHIELD IS THE WORST DAMAGE WHERE IT HAS EATEN INTO THE FRAME.
I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY IN MY CAR 4 TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE 5 YEARS AGO.
Showing 20 of 3,355 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Before You Buy, Check the Exact JEEP Commander
These pages show model-year patterns across 5years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
π Understanding This Data
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is β but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The JEEP Commander has 3,355 complaints on record across 5 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The JEEP Commander has 24 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 115 of the JEEP Commander's 3,355 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions β a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable β simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all JEEP Commander vehicles on the road β not any specific car. Two JEEP Commander vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage β NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The JEEP Commander has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
Buyers Also Compare
How does the JEEP Commander stack up? Compare complaint history with similar vehicles.
π Check a JEEP Commander by State
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used JEEP Commander.