Years affected, the mileage it usually shows up at, and what fixes it
About this problem
Some vehicles use an electronic shifter that springs back to the center after each selection, so its position does not show which gear the car is in. Drivers can think they have selected Park when the car is still in gear, then get out while it rolls away. The fix added automatic park functions and clearer warnings, but owners still report confusion.
Across all owner complaints filed about the Jeep Grand Cherokee since 2012, 499 (4.9%) describe shifter confusion and rollaway, making it the most reported problem we track on the Grand Cherokee. The reports cluster on the 2014, 2015 and 2022 model years, and the 2015 drew the most, with 175. It tends to show up early in the car's life: half of the owners who gave a mileage were between 8,000 and 56,000 miles. 86 reports describe a crash or fire linked to it. One recall is related to it, and recall repairs are free at any dealer.
What owners report
Owners of the 2014 and 2015 Grand Cherokee report the vehicle rolling away after they thought it was in park. The monostable electronic shifter returned to the center after each move, which confused drivers. Fiat Chrysler recalled over 800,000 vehicles and added an automatic park feature.
How it gets fixed
The recall software automatically puts the vehicle in park if the driver's door opens while the engine is running. It is free at dealers.
Typical cost: Recall repairs are free.
Complaints by model year
In owners' words
"I had a roll away incident back around july 25th 2015 after placing my truck (2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited) in park in front of a gas station located on rt 23 south in riverdale nj with my child in the car."
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 15,500 miles
"I have a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee and it has rolled away twice in the 7 months that I have owned it. The first time happened when it was drove up onto a tow truck."
2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4,900 miles
Excerpts from public owner complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, lightly trimmed.
Related recalls
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 vehicles manufactured February 15, 2011, to November 27, 2014, and 2014-2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured July 16, 2012, to December 22, 2015.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer. Check a specific car by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Service bulletins
Jeep has sent dealers 42 bulletins that mention this problem on the Grand Cherokee. A bulletin tells technicians how to fix a known fault. It is not a recall, so the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty or covered by an extension.
Cluster and Radio Display Settings Revert Back to Default Settings, Auto Door Locks and Paddle Shifter Inoperative With No Menu to Enable, Pedestrian Emergency Brake (PEB) Lamp and Forward Collision Warning (FCW) Lamp on After ...
SHIFTER The service shifter message comes on in the cluster and the lever gets stuck in park "P" and it can be present the follwoing DTC: - U11E3 - TCM Lost communication with ESM on D-PT CAN - U0103 - Lost communication with E...
Symptoms/Condition: Shifter reports loss communication AND NO OTHER MODULES report the condition.
The service shifter message comes on in the cluster and the lever gets stuck in park "P" and it can be present the follwoing DTC: - U11E3 - TCM Lost communication with ESM on D-PT CAN - U0103 - Lost communication with Electric ...
Rotary Shifter Lights Blinking, Shifter Not Moving, Not Going Into Gear.
Service Shifter Message On Instrument Cluster With Loss Of Communication Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) Related To The Shifter.
Government investigations
Engineering analysis EA16002 · 2014, 2015 · opened Feb 2016, closed Jun 2016
Preliminary evaluation PE15030 · 2014, 2015 · opened Aug 2015, closed Feb 2016
Before you buy a Grand Cherokee
- Check by VIN that the shifter recall was done.
- Open the driver's door with the engine running in drive and make sure it shifts to park.
- Practice the shifter on the test drive.
Questions
Which Jeep Grand Cherokee years have shifter confusion and rollaway?
Complaints are highest for the 2014, 2015, 2022 model years. The 2015 drew the most, with 175 reports.
At what mileage does it usually start?
Among owners who gave a mileage, the middle figure was about 21,000 miles, and half reported it between 8,000 and 56,000 miles.
How much does it cost to fix?
Recall repairs are free.