2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Steering Problems
Owners have filed 100 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 60,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “rack pinion” (18% of reports).
- 100steering complaints
- 60,000median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $2,650typical repair cost reported by owners
- 20%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Rack pinion: mentioned in 18 of 100 complaints (18%)
- Steering fluid: mentioned in 17 of 100 complaints (17%)
- Oil change: mentioned in 9 of 100 complaints (9%)
- Power brakes: mentioned in 8 of 100 complaints (8%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical steering repair on the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee at $2,650, and half of them between $2,250 and $3,000.
Based on 7 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2016–2019), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 81 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 100 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Jeep Grand Cherokee steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Grand Cherokee | 2 | 3% | — |
| 2024 Grand Cherokee | 8 | 3% | 55,000 |
| 2023 Grand Cherokee | 44 | 11% | 23,000 |
| 2022 Grand Cherokee | 23 | 9% | — |
| 2021 Grand Cherokee | 102 | 25% | 19,146 |
| 2020 Grand Cherokee | 13 | 5% | 13,100 |
| 2019 Grand Cherokee | 14 | 4% | 18,000 |
| 2018 Grand Cherokee | 14 | 2% | 14,000 |
| 2017 Grand Cherokee | 18 | 5% | 33,000 |
| 2016 Grand Cherokee | 16 | 5% | 20,000 |
| 2015 Grand Cherokee | 42 | 3% | 26,000 |
| 2014 Grand Cherokee | 81 | 3% | 43,000 |
| 2013 Grand Cherokee | 26 | 3% | 40,500 |
| 2012 Grand Cherokee | 100 | 6% | 60,000 |
| 2011 Grand Cherokee | 86 | 5% | 78,900 |
| 2010 Grand Cherokee | 3 | 3% | 80,000 |
| 2009 Grand Cherokee | 11 | 8% | 54,500 |
| 2008 Grand Cherokee | 24 | 3% | 74,500 |
| 2007 Grand Cherokee | 49 | 4% | 97,600 |
| 2006 Grand Cherokee | 37 | 3% | 83,799 |
| 2005 Grand Cherokee | 64 | 3% | 93,000 |
| 2004 Grand Cherokee | 73 | 6% | 75,500 |
| 2003 Grand Cherokee | 24 | 3% | 105,500 |
| 2002 Grand Cherokee | 41 | 3% | 58,500 |
| 2001 Grand Cherokee | 37 | 4% | 62,000 |
| 2000 Grand Cherokee | 48 | 3% | 93,000 |
| 1999 Grand Cherokee | 53 | 3% | 100,000 |
| 1998 Grand Cherokee | 40 | 4% | 126,000 |
| 1997 Grand Cherokee | 47 | 5% | 141,200 |
| 1996 Grand Cherokee | 67 | 8% | 142,000 |
| 1995 Grand Cherokee | 32 | 4% | 126,050 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists steering for the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The engine / power cuts off with no warning causing steering to lock up to left & brakes lock up causing the vehicle to veer to the left and unable to use brake to stop vehicle. Happens randomly while driving which makes it unsafe to operate to drive.
The engine power cuts of randomly while driving with no warning at all. When it happens the steering locks up veering the vehicle to the left so you have no control and at the same time the power brakes lock up and you are unable to stop the vehicle. Everything else works when this happens lights…
Year: 2012 Make/Model: Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 L V8, 4WD Mileage: ~140,000 miles Date of Incident: [Insert date] Location: McKinney, Texas (near U.S. 75 exit) Description of the Safety Issue: While driving normally, the Service 4WD System warning illuminated. Seconds later, the lightning-bolt…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokees have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 100 owner complaints about steering for the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee (6% of the 1,644 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee steering?
No recall currently lists steering for this vehicle.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 60,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix steering problems on the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,650 (half paid between $2,250 and $3,000), from 7 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
The most frequent phrase is “rack pinion”, in 18 of 100 complaints, followed by “steering fluid” (17).
Other 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems
- Electrical System problems (837)
- Engine problems (285)
- Service Brakes problems (278)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (216)
- Power Train problems (102)
See all 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems or steering problems across all Grand Cherokee years.