Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
12–18 mpgcombined; city 11–16, highway 14–21; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$18,050–$33,540U.S. average; Ohio $16,120–$31,600 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 2009 Grand Cherokee. 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 138 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Grand Cherokee. 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
47
0
0
0
Power train
23
2
0
0
Engine
22
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
12
2
0
1
Air bags
11
1
0
0
Steering
11
0
0
0
Unknown or other
10
0
0
0
Wheels
10
0
0
0
Structure
9
1
0
1
Tires
9
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
5
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
5
1
0
0
11 more parts
Exterior lighting
3
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
3
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
0
0
0
Service brakes
2
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
2
1
0
0
Suspension
2
1
0
0
Equipment
1
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
0
0
0
Seat belts
1
0
0
0
Seats
1
0
0
0
Visibility
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 2 recall campaigns for the 2009 Grand Cherokee 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.
Electrical system; Power train: transfer case (4-WHEEL DRIVE)
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 4,314 MY 2009 DODGE JOURNEY, JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE, COMMANDER AND WRANGLER VEHICLES. WIRING MAY BE REVERSED ON THE STEERING COLUMN CONTROL MODULE DRIVER AIRBAG SQUIB CONNECTOR. THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG MAY NOT DEPLOY AS INTENDED.
Risk: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG MAY NOT PROPERLY INFLATE AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROPERLY PROTECT AN OCCUPANT, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURIES.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG SQUIB WIRES AND REPLACE THE STEERING COLUMN CONTROL MODULE FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 52 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2009 Grand Cherokee, the latest on Aug 15, 2025. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (17), equipment (12), power train (12), engine and engine cooling (11), structure (6).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
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 2009 Grand Cherokee.
See used 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokees for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Grand Cherokee Rear-Wheel Drive
3.7 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
16 / 21 / 18
Grand Cherokee 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
3.7 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
15 / 20 / 17
Grand Cherokee Rear-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 20 / 16
Grand Cherokee Rear-Wheel Drive
4.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
13 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
4.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline
14 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee Rear-Wheel Drive
4.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
14 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
4.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Regular Gasoline or E85
14 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee SRT8 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
6.1 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 5-spd
Premium Gasoline
11 / 14 / 12
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