Showing the 2006 Commander Base. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
14–16 mpgcombined; city 13–14, highway 17–18; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$20,300–$23,200U.S. average; Ohio $18,140–$20,730 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2006 Commander. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 1,782 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Commander. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Electrical system
753
26
8
15
Power train
315
12
3
7
Engine and engine cooling
283
8
2
2
Engine
214
6
0
3
Structure
205
2
1
12
Unknown or other
91
2
1
2
Vehicle speed control
82
5
0
3
Steering
73
6
0
2
Air bags
67
23
0
19
Exterior lighting
66
3
1
3
Seat belts
66
1
0
3
Service brakes
50
10
0
4
21 more parts
Visibility
49
0
1
1
Latches/locks/linkages
48
0
0
5
Electronic stability control (ESC)
38
1
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
25
4
0
0
Seats
15
0
1
0
Suspension
14
1
0
0
Equipment
13
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
11
1
0
0
Tires
10
1
0
1
Fuel system, gasoline
9
0
0
0
Interior lighting
6
0
0
0
Visibility/wiper
6
1
0
0
Back over prevention
5
3
0
0
Wheels
5
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
3
0
0
0
Parking brake
2
0
0
0
Service brakes, electric
2
0
0
1
Fuel system, diesel
1
0
0
0
Fuel system, other
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, air
1
0
0
0
Traction control system
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2006 Commander over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 75 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2006 Commander, the latest on Oct 30, 2024. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (23), power train (15), engine and engine cooling (13), equipment (13), structure (9).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Preliminary evaluation PE14017 Air Bag Non-deployment
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2006 Commander.
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Commander Rear-Wheel Drive
3.7 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 18 / 16
Commander 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
3.7 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 18 / 16
Commander Rear-Wheel Drive
4.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 18 / 15
Commander Rear-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
13 / 18 / 15
Commander 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
4.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 18 / 15
Commander 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
13 / 17 / 14
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data