2006 Jeep Commander Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Apr 25, 2026 · 1,635 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Commander years
Far more complaints than other years 1st of 6 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 1,635 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Jeep Commander. That is the most of any Commander model year in the database (6 years). The most reported problem area is electrical system (687 complaints, 42%), typically at around 85,250 miles. Complaints mention 70 crashes, 12 fires, 51 injuries. There are 5 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 5 defect investigations involving it.

Jeep Commander
Trail Rated. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: order_242 from Chile, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

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Most common 2006 Jeep Commander problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Electrical System687 · ~85,250 mi
Power Train295 · ~80,000 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling247 · ~20,000 mi
Engine203 · ~100,000 mi
Structure189 · ~70,000 mi
Unknown or Other87 · ~85,000 mi
Vehicle Speed Control79 · ~85,835 mi
Steering68 · ~94,696 mi
Air Bags62 · ~107,000 mi
Exterior Lighting60 · ~79,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Electrical System problems68742%85,250“ignition switch” (14%)—
Power Train problems29518%80,000“automatic transmission control” (12%)$1,100
Engine and Engine Cooling problems24715%20,000“engine stalled” (7%)—
Engine problems20312%100,000“stalled without” (9%)—
Structure problems18912%70,000“door handles” (50%)$1,150
Unknown or Other875%85,000——
Vehicle Speed Control problems795%85,835“cruise control” (22%)—
Steering problems684%94,696“shut off” (21%)—
Air Bags problems624%107,000“air bag” (27%)—
Exterior Lighting problems604%79,000——
Seat Belts problems594%92,000“seat belt” (51%)—
Service Brakes483%104,710——
Visibility433%15,000——
Latches/locks/linkages413%75,000——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)342%96,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic231%25,000——
Seats131%82,500——
Suspension121%90,000——
Fuel/propulsion System111%115,000——
Equipment101%54,350——
Tires101%57,381——
Fuel System, Gasoline91%30,319——
Interior Lighting50%39,000——
Visibility/wiper50%53,879——
Wheels50%101,608——
Back Over Prevention30%7,000——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility30%79,286——
Parking Brake20%36,070——
Fuel System, Other10%2,555——
Service Brakes, Air10%22,000——
Service Brakes, Electric10%15,771——
Traction Control System10%98,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2015, with 353 complaints
2006: 5120062007: 1862008: 7320082009: 442010: 6220102011: 1242012: 11920122013: 1352014: 22120142015: 3533532016: 9020162017: 372018: 4920182019: 342020: 2220202021: 132022: 620222023: 52024: 220242025: 72026: 22026

n = 1,635 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2006 Jeep Commander recalls (5)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Electrical system:ignition:switchJul 21, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V438000 · 649,353 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: 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.

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

Electrical system; power train:transfer case (4-wheel drive)May 7, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V175000 · 295,345 vehicles

Problem: 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 transfer case electrical failure may result in an unintentional shifting of the transfer case into the neutral position.

Risk: If the vehicle shifts into neutral, it may roll away increasing the risk of a crash or personal injury.

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 contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N23.

Power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)May 6, 2008 · NHTSA campaign 08V203000 · 24,461 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: This could cause a crash without warning.

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 1-800-853-1403.

Service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip:control unit/moduleSep 14, 2007 · NHTSA campaign 07V434000 · 296,550 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: This could cause a crash without warning.

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 1-800-853-1403.

Seat belts:rear/otherFeb 9, 2006 · NHTSA campaign 06V037000 · 24,058 vehicles

Problem: 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.

Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat belt may not properly restrain the third row occupant which can increase the risk of injury.

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 positions to prevent future damage from belt contact with the retractor bracket. The recall began on march 13, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Air Bag Non-deployment (PE14017) — opened Jun 16, 2014, closed Dec 23, 2014, led to recall 14V438000.
  • Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit (AQ10001) — opened Nov 18, 2010, closed Dec 28, 2015.
  • Engine stalling (EA07007) — opened Apr 27, 2007, closed May 7, 2008, led to recall 08V203000.
  • Engine stall (PE07009) — opened Feb 12, 2007, closed Apr 27, 2007.
  • Petition re: unintended acceleration (DP06002) — opened Jul 13, 2006, closed Jan 3, 2007.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

Brakes failed completely. 2-3 car lengths between be and car in front of me with plenty of time to stop. My jeep did not even slow down when brakes we applied.

Service Brakes · received Apr 25, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11733742

My jeep will shut off unexpectedly, it will do a up and down idle increase and decrease while at a idle the abs will lock up my wheel tight to where itll drag while trying to move forward. The 4x4 low will not engage at all says service 4x4

Service Brakes · received Jan 12, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11710463

The contact owns a 2006 Jeep Commander. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH in a parking lot the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated the failure was intermittent but a recurring failure. The contact stated that the failure occurred at…

Electrical System · received Oct 17, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11694039

Power Train. The (TCM/PCM/TECM) Chrysler is recalling 24, 461 Jeep Commander vehicles equipped with 407 V8 engines. Th powertrain control module (PCM) was programmed with software that may allow the engine to stall under certain operating conditions. This could cause a crash without warning. ( My…

Electrical System · received Sep 15, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11687370

Seat Belts/Rear. The integrated retractor bracket edge on the third row seat may contact the seat belt during certain operating conditions. In the event of a crash, the seat belt may not properly restrain thee third row occupant. Service Brakes. Hydraulic: Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic…

Seat Belts · received Sep 15, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11687373

Other Jeep Commander years

← 2005 Commander · 2007 Commander →

YearComplaintsRecalls
2010 Commander454
2009 Commander462
2008 Commander3264
2007 Commander6965
20061,6355
2005 Commander40

See all Jeep Commander problems by year, every Jeep model, or the Jeep VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2006 Jeep Commander?

Owners most often report electrical system, power train, engine and engine cooling problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 687 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2006 Jeep Commander?

Yes, 5 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2006 Jeep Commander a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Commander model years, the 2006 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.