Jeep Electrical System: Switch

Jeep is recalling about 649,353 vehicles over a problem with the electrical system. 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.

Campaign
14V438000
Manufacturer
Chrysler Group LLC
Reported
21 July 2014
Vehicles
649,353
Built between
Feb 2004 – Jul 2007
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
NHTSA investigation
Owners notified
9 October 2015
Repaired
50%
Unrepaired
257,724

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between February 2004 and July 2007. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 2006-2007 Jeep CommanderBuilt January 2005 to July 2007
  • 2005-2007 Jeep Grand CherokeeBuilt February 2004 to July 2007

Repair progress

257,724 of 649,353 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q1 2017.

50% repaired — 321,808 of 649,353 reported

Owners not reachable
69,340
Scrapped or exported
481

Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.

What the defect is

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.

What could happen

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.

What gets fixed

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.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtFebruary 2004 to July 2007
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA21 July 2014
  3. Owners notified9 October 2015
  4. Latest repair reportQ1 2017 — 50% repaired

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 21 July 2014.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Manufacturer contact

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P41.

Official source

Manufacturer's recall number
P41
Recalling manufacturer
Chrysler Group LLC
Recall initiated by
ODI

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand