2006 Jeep Commander Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,342 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Jeep Commander, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 84,250 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2006 Jeep Commander sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2009–2010.
Avoid
Where 2006 sits among all Commander years
What owners report
“My car will not start. This has happened several times before, and there has been no explanation as to why this happens.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Commander
“I was driving on the interstate and my vehicle stalled and the check engine light cams on.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Commander
“Was driving on highway and car went in to manual mode to neutral and will not come out of 3rd gear”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Commander
“The interior door handles of 3 out of 4 doors have all cracked and broken into pieces. These handles have no become a safety concern, based on the ability to free the passengers from inside the vehicle in the event of an emergency. I have two small children under the age of 5 and it has become…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Commander
“Driver's door handle broke making it very hard to get out! Very dangerous in the case of a emergency!!”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Commander
“My jeep loses power every time i drive it stalls out while driving (scary when it happened on the freeway) at times it stops shifting and then slams like the whole transmission fell out of jeep.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 Commander
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,798 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 79,698 miles. Half of those reports fall between 46,624 and 110,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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…
Fix: 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.…
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, through March 9, 2010; and 2006-2010 Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured January 31, 2005, through March 10, 2010. A…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the final drive controller which governs the transfer case, with new software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2013. Owners may…
ROCK KRAWLER IS RECALLING 44 PERFORMANCE SUSPENSION SYSTEMS SOLD AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLE LISTED ABOVE. THESE SUSPENSION SYSTEMS WERE PRODUCED WITH GRADE 2 CARRIAGE BOLTS INSTEAD OF THE PROPER GRADE 5 CARRIAGE BOLTS. THE IMPROPER…
Fix: ROCK KRAWLER WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE A FREE REMEDY. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 15. 2008. ALL THE AFFECTED UNTITS HAVE BEEN REMEDIED. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ROCK KRAWLER AT…
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING 24,461 MY 2006 JEEP COMMANDER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4.7L V8 ENGINES. THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) WAS PROGRAMMED WITH SOFTWARE THAT MAY ALLOW THE ENGINE TO STALL UNDER CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE PCM SOFTWARE IN ALL 4.7L ENGINE EQUIPPED MY 2006 JEEP COMMANDERS BUILT PRIOR TO JANUARY 11, 2006. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 19, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE SOFTWARE PROGRAMMED INTO THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE MAY ALLOW A MOMENTARY DELAY IN BRAKING WHEN COASTING UP A HILL DURING CERTAIN CONDITIONS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH NEW SOFTWARE THAT PREVENTS THIS CONDITION FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 22, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE INTEGRATED RETRACTOR BRACKET EDGE ON THE THIRD ROW SEAT MAY CONTACT THE SEAT BELT DURING CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE BELT WEBBING.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE THIRD ROW SEAT BELTS FOR DAMAGE AND REPLACE ANY DAMAGED BELTS. IN ADDITION, AN INJECTED MOLDED COVER WILL BE ADDED TO THE RETRACTOR BRACKET ON BOTH THIRD ROW SEATING…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 14V438000.
Led to recall campaign 08V203000.
Technical service bulletins
64 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2006 Jeep Commander. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2006 Commander TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2006 Jeep Commander reliable?
The 2006 Jeep Commander drew 2,342 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2006).
What are the most common 2006 Jeep Commander problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Jeep Commander are electrical (762 complaints), engine (453), and transmission & drivetrain (300).
At what mileage do 2006 Jeep Commander problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Jeep Commander problems around 79,698 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 46,624 and 110,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Jeep Commander have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Jeep Commander. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.