2018 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE Engine Problems

Issue with camshaft. Dealership said there has been an influx of vehicles with the same engine and the same issues.

While driving this vehicle under normal conditions, the engine developed abnormal ticking/knocking noises, loss of power, and misfire symptoms that progressively worsened. The vehicle was frequently used to transport children. Due to the nature of the failure and unpredictability of progression, continued operation posed a serious safety risk. An authorized dealer later confirmed that the engine suffered a catastrophic internal valvetrain failure involving collapsed lifters/rocker arms and severely damaged camshafts. The dealer technician explicitly stated this failure mode is “typical” for this engine design and documented progressive internal damage affecting both cylinder banks, not an isolated component. This failure mode is not sudden; it develops gradually over tens of thousands of miles and can lead to sudden engine power loss, stalling, or seizure without warning. A loss of propulsion at highway speed, during lane changes, intersections, or while transporting children creates a clear risk of crash, injury, or worse. There...

Warped cylinder head without engine overheating. Cylinder 4 misfire.

The check engine light keeps coming on. The Jeep repair shop says that it has to do with the flap on the gas tank where you put the gas in. Hence, the repair light keeps coming on so you never know if its real and needs to be addressed or if its the gas tank issue again

I purchased my Jeep in 2023 and have consistently stayed up to date on all required maintenance. I had no issues with the vehicle until recently, when the check engine light and the start/stop warning appeared out of nowhere. After inspection, the mechanic determined that the entire engine needs to be replaced due to severe coolant leakage. My vehicle has now been in the repair shop for over three months because the engine is on national backorder. I contacted the dealership, but they dismissed my concerns and told me that once the car is purchased, it’s no longer their responsibility. I then reached out to the manufacturer requesting a goodwill resolution, given the unreasonable repair delay and the national backorder of such a critical component. Lemon law mileage limits do not apply to goodwill assistance, trade-in support, or corporate escalations. Despite this, the manufacturer has refused to provide any explanation...

In September 2025, the vehicle was shaking upon idle when we started it. We did a test and learned it was somehow losing coolant. We took it to a mechanic who discovered it was burning coolant in the 5th cylinder. They diagnosed the issue as blown head gaskets caused by the engine being machined incorrectly by the manufacturer. This resulted in the need for a short block removal and replacement, resurfacing the cylinder heads, replacing the head gaskets, among with many smaller repairs. The cost was over $8,000 total for a manufacturing error. If left unresolved, this could have caused further mechanical issues and potentially a crash or other safety issues.

My 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee suffered a sudden, catastrophic engine failure with no warning lights or alerts. Dealer confirmed the engine seized from overheating and cannot be repaired—replacement engines are on national backorder. This is my only vehicle, I’m 7 months pregnant, and I’ve been without transportation for 30+ days. This appears to be a widespread 3.6L Pentastar defect and a serious safety concern.

Water pump failure.

CAM shaft and yes it is available to be looked at. The vehicle was misdiagnosed multiple times and sent back home with the same error code while fixing other items that were not the root cause of the issue. The engine light was on with the misfire code when I brought it in and was repeatedly sent home and within 20 miles the same code returned.

TURBO supply line broke causing coolant to go all over the engine.

The vehicle experienced a failure of the engine lifters/rocker arms, which also caused failure of the intake camshaft. This resulted in severe misfires, loss of power, and left the vehicle completely inoperable. The failure created a hazardous situation when the vehicle lost acceleration and was unable to maintain safe driving speeds, placing my safety and the safety of others at risk of collision. The problem was confirmed by Lou’s Car Care and multiple Stellantis dealerships, including Maguire Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. All inspections identified failed rocker arms/lifters and the intake camshaft as the cause of the malfunction. Critically, Stellantis no longer produces replacement intake camshafts for this engine, and the part is listed as indefinitely back ordered and unavailable. This means there is no factory fix, leaving the vehicle permanently disabled. Prior to the failure, the only symptom was a faint ticking noise from the engine. No warning lights or...

Since the beginning of this year, vehicle began to misfire. So far I have spent over $2000 in repairs including replacing spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors and oil cooler and vehicle continues to misfire and blow white smoke from exhaust. I have been advised that it may be a head gasket issue, which could cost anywhere from $3000 to $5000 but could cost more in the event the engine needs to be completely replaced.

Rockers & cam shaft are worn and making ticking noise. I only have 86k on my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and am diligent with upkeep on the maintenance. This is a very known issue and should be recalled as I have not driven it anymore to prevent further damage to the engine, and also don't have the funds to fork out almost 5k.

I have been without a vehicle for over 5 months. Paying on a vehicle that I cannot even get out of the garage. Paying storage insurance on a vehicle. There is a major issue with camshafts right now. I have had the spark plugs changed, coils, oil and I was waiting on the camshaft which is on back order for who knows how long. This needs to be addressed and recalled. With the amount being over 14,000 parts on back order I think this should be recalled. Even people who have had the camshaft fixed are still having engine issues with the 3.6L. Please do something about this, I have put so much money into this and I need a vehicle. At 75,000 miles this should not be happening.

As many others have reported, only 56K miles on this 3.6L Grand Cherokee. When I engage the passing gear an auto stop/start light comes on on the dash followed by the check engine light. Vehicle rides very rough (from a misfire). Taken to an independent shop; they changed plugs and coils but the problem persists. Also a knocking / ticking noise can be heard when accelerating.

I was driving my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 on the highway at approximately 65-70 MPH, when suddenly the car started sputtering and my check engine light came on and started blinking. The car was essentially not drivable, so I pulled over at a gas station and had the car towed. This is dangerous as I was going uphill, and could have caused an accident, or worse. I did not have a check engine light prior to this! The next day the car was inspected and diagnosed by independent service center, who said there was a cylinder 4 engine misfire, so they replaced the spark plugs and the coils. Car was fixed, or so I thought, fast forward a couple months later while driving to work, same issue (misfires and sputtering) occurs again and coolant now runs low even though there are no visible signs of coolant leakage. I...

The Head gaskets are leaking. Cost of parts to replace is $200 and cost of LABOR is over $4000 quoted from Cross Motors Jeep.

Head gasket/engine failure. Constant check engine light. First it was for a misfire and my engine was overheating. Had oil clogging the filter even though it was changed within the appropriate mileage. I got the check engine fixed April of 2024. May 20,2025, head gasket blew, causing me to now have to replace my engine completely. Same issues as previously reported

The head gasket blows around 80,000 miles. This is a known problem consumers have with this vehicle. My estimate to have this fixed is over $6,000.00.

Three concerns: (1) the engine light is on. mechanics cannot determine why. (2) the car has trouble starting. When I park indoors, the car doesn't start. The engine turns over several times and the RPM goes all the way up, but the car will not start until the 3rd or 4th try. mechanics cannot determine why. (3) when I pump gas, the fuel pump automatically shuts off even though the gas tank is not full. So I have to hold the pump in place and use the gas gauge to determine when the tank is full. mechanics have seen this problem in other jeeps but haven't given me a reason why.

I just bought this vehicle in February. Since then, about 4 times while driving when i came to a stop the car will not accelerate and the screen tells me to put car in “P” then shift into gear. One time I had to restart the car to put into gear. Then the car drives again.

Shifter park select a gear and engine lights on

Grandfather bought the car for me in December 2024. It was sold and wasn’t told there were any issues with the car. It was bought in Texas. I drove it to Colorado. Two and a half weeks into driving the car, it was leaking a lot of oil. Had it looked at and was told The oil housing unit was dumping oil out of it bc it was made of plastic not aluminum. I was trying to go through extended warranty not knowing the severity of the issues of the car. I was going to have it looked at by jeep instead of Midas. They were booked out for over 2 weeks. I was trying to keep oil in the engine while waiting to get it looked at by Jeep. The engines ended up seizing on me. I had put more oil in it the day it seized up on...

Dear National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I'm writing to report a critical safety concern regarding the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee's water pump design. As an owner, I've experienced persistent coolant leaks, which I've found is a widespread issue affecting many others. This problem stems from a fundamental design flaw in the water pump, not typical wear and tear. The issue centers on a small "freeze plug" that leaks when the engine reaches operating temperature. This plug serves no apparent purpose and causes premature failures and coolant leaks across numerous vehicles. Key points: The leak occurs consistently when the engine is hot, indicating a design-related problem. This issue potentially leads to engine overheating and severe damage. It affects many vehicles, particularly those with the 3.6L V6 engine. Extensive research on online forums confirms this is a common problem. A YouTube video [XXX] ) provides insight into the issue. The creator states:...

Please see ALL the reports of the same exact issue. There is an issue with the 2018 Grand Cherokee Engines. This blown head gasket is now going to cost me $13,000 to get a new engine. Every report listed in this link IS THE SAME ISSUE. Please address the issues and reimburse owners of this Jeep having to replace their engines. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

A recall NHTSA 20V-699 was issued on our vehicle in March 2021. This is related to a Fire Hazard. The recall repair was done and component exchanged, now 3 years later and 35,000 miles we have exactly the same issue. A cracked EGR cooler, same as previous. My concern is that the replaced part is from the same batch as originally and as such they replaced a dangerous part with another dangerous part. The dealer and FCA refuses to replace the part as they say the recall has been closed. I my opinion this Fire Hazard still exists and repair was not done with a quality product, as it is exactly the same issue. as before.

The radio randomly changes every 5 seconds, the beeping will drive a person insane, blutooth will hang up or not allow me to answer or call out. The seat warmers turn on randomly as well and i’m unable to lower the temp or turn them off. A/C in the winter and heat the summer. auto start doesn’t work cuz vehicle shuts itself off after 30s - 1 min and navigation is useless cuz of this electrical gremlin. How long before it accelerates by itself or cuts the engine while I’m on the freeway. Safety HAZARD

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle started hesitating and then stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the mechanic had the vehicle towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The throttle body wiring was replaced, and the codes were reset. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and it was suggested that the vehicle needed to be retested. The vehicle was repaired again. The contact stated that after retrieving the vehicle from the dealer, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle accelerated independently while depressing the brake pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while coming to a stop. The contact made a left turn into a parking lot and the vehicle independently accelerated. The...

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 3.6 L V6 Engines have a high rate of having HEAD GASKET problems around 100,000 miles causing vehicle to overheat and leak liquid into the cylinders damaging the engine. Please look into this problem at dealerships around the country with this year, make and model and discover how common of an issue this is with owners.

Took my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicle in as oil was leaking badly , which could have made a dangerous situation. Was told by mechanic that my oil filter adapter had to be replaced. Was advised it was made of plastic and had cracked. The mechanic could not believe there wasn’t already a recall on this part. He replaced it with an aluminum part but this was a costly repair costing close to 1,100.00.

The EGR Valve, Diesel Particulate Filter, and Intake Manifold failed at 88k miles. The EGR was replaced at 49k miles on October 4, 2021. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for MIL. The estimated repair cost is $11k. All components are filled with carbon deposits. The emissions system should provide a longer life than 88k miles. Is there a possible design defect with the emission ?

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the START/STOP, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that one of the spark plugs was misfiring and the ignition coils might need to be replaced. The independent mechanic requested to perform another diagnostic test on the vehicle and discovered that there was a blown head gasket and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 95,000.

the number 4 and 5 cylinders warped in my 3.6 engine Cross Motors in Louisville Ky is repairing the engine

I bought a 2018 jeep grand Cherokee limited on July 1,2024. A week after owning the vehicle the jeep kept shutting off while driving on the interstate and the dash said “ put in P and push to start” none of the hazard lights came on. It just automatically shut off in the middle of traffic multiple times and when put into park and tried to restart it would take several attempts. This is unsafe and I’m lucky I did not get into an accident since the vehicle is just turning off while I’m driving on a busy highway not to mention almost getting into an accident since I’m given no warning. I dropped off my jeep at the dealership and they have had it for two weeks stating they can not find any issues with the vehicle. This is frustrating and scary and do not even feel comfortable driving...

Car dealer said that they already fixed the recalled issue. But we took car to the dealer also for car overheating in very short distances and the car only has about 67,300 miles. The dealer said that they "found stored DTC in PCM" P0304(Cylinder #4 Misfire). "There are combustion gases in cooling system." They said the car needed cylinder head replacement and engine replacement quoting me $8001.88 for repairs which I could not pay. The car has only been driven locally. We also suspect that this car may have been damaged by hurricane Michael in Florida in 2018 and damage may have not been reported. Car was bought in Florida in approx. September 2018 by owner 1 who sold the car to owner 2 with only approx. 2500mi after Hurricane Michael (Oct 9-10th). The car was sold to owner 2 in November 2018 in Florida then brought to California in...

Stop Start comes on and will turn the car off when stopped. I have to put the car in Park to restart the car. The deal said that there is no recall for this issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power intermittently. Additionally, the contact observed a burning odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cam shaft, oil valve, and other unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Car began to shake after looking under the hood found low coolant. After replacing the coolant it continued to run low only after 1 week. After second time replacing coolant engine light came on and it was taken to a mechanic who had codes come up as misfires. After replacing spark plugs and full tune up, engine light came back on. After taking it to a dealership they found a crack in the gasket at coolant passage. Car never over heated for the crack to have happened. Also seeing many other people with the same issue at the same mileage of 72k mile or less. I believe there is an issue with the head gasket.

My jeep has stalled on me twice attempting to go through a stop sign at a busy intersection as soon as I slowed the jeep down and then accelerated to go through the stop sign it stalled on a major hwy. no lights come on and the automatic shutoff button is turned off And for the past month the jeep hasn’t started without either a jump or sitting a while after it was hooked to another vehicle.

Jeep would not start. No warning lights. Towed to the mechanic. Mechanic said starter needed to be replaced. Once the starter was replaced the mechanic noted whitish smoke from exhaust when starting the Jeep. Further diagnosis he determined the Jeep needed a head gasket replacement. As other Jeep owners have stated this came with no warning. This is a safety issue in part because the vehicle is unable to start leaving the drivers potentially started in unsafe conditions. Jeep needs to post a recall for this issue. Please advise next steps?

Crankshaft positioning sensor I’m sure my jeep falls into the recall I purchased it in march 24 and as soon as I drove off the lot with it the light came on got home scanned to find the cause and it’s the crankshaft sensor

Misfiring. Can't seem to get the check engine light off. Vehicle is too new to be having these sorts of issues. Diagnostic reader says 3rd cylinder misfire.

Been in the shop & dealer multiple times! Check engine light on for misfire in cylinder one; oil pressure sensor code. Oil case housing was replaced due to cracking! And oil pressure sensor replaced also. But still isn’t fixed and now leaks oil. Head gasket problems. Shop informed me I’ll need to replace loosing coolant going into my head gasket. Around 140k miles but problems occurred before! Jeep please explain why this is happening! A lot of money to fix it and problem after problem

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine block and head are warped. Radio station keeps jumping to random station when I'm not even touching it. Auto On/Off light goes on intermittently. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? This could be a failure and engine lock up had I not taken it in when first troubles came about. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes and I'm told the one dealership has 3 THREE other vehicles the same make and model with the same issue! I've also read on forums that many other people have this affect theirs as well. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the...

Intermittent extended crank on cold starts and developed a misfire in cylinder 3 and the developed a misfire and coolant leak in cylinder 1. The dealer told me it needs a new engine due to internal engine failure. Codes p0303 and p0300. Engine only has 62,000 on it.

At 47,000k miles with all maintenance being done at correct intervals. From one day to the next, check engine light came on with error code p0303; Code P0303 stands for “Cylinder 3 Misfire Detected” which indicates that there have been numerous misfires in engine cylinder 3. After taking it to the Jeep dealership they told me its a cracked cylinder head. This was a fairly common issue with earlier year WK2 models, but continues to be a under-reported issue in later years.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was later able to be restarted and taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a warped head gasket and an overheated radiator. The dealer replaced the left and right cylinder heads, head gasket, timing cover gasket, valve cover gasket, cam sensor gasket, upper and lower intake gaskets, exhaust gasket, EGR, spark plugs, performed an oil change, and refilled the coolant. The contact stated that her husband, who owns another 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee, had experienced the same failure, and had the vehicle repaired at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,599.

Multiple leaks found under the car and was brought in for emergency repair. One leak was the driveshaft, one was engine coolant and the other was the front steering column.

The alternator is pulling from the battery draining it and at 9.5 volts the car will go into safety mode where it doesn’t turn off but it won’t drive neither which actually happened to me on Saturday in the middle of the street luckily no car hit mines and the police helped me move it out the road. I complained to CArMax Kearny mesa the previous Friday and instead of them putting me in a loaner car and towing the vehicle they scheduled me for an appointment Monday (today) at 9:30am and never held up their end and I’ve been carless ever since and they had my car for 6 months fixing this same problem I’m having today .

I have a 2018 Jeep grand cherokee and one day it just didn't start. I had it towed to the jeep dealership and was told it was the starter. Once the job was done they service rwp said they will run a complete diagnostics on the jeep and get back to me. I got a call a few a days later saying the jeep had a blown head gasket, a leaking water pump and the coolant was leaking as well. They said the engine was a complete loss and to replace it and labor cost would be 14k. This jeep only has 40k miles on it and those are really soft miles, my wife literally works 5 minutes from our home and it's here daily driver. How is this possible, it's just plain ridiculous. Reaching out to jeep and got no help whatsoever. NEVER BUY A JEEP!