2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Showing the 2009 Grand Cherokee Overland. 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
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 overall safety rating
Not ratedlowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
2over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
138filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

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.

Problems owners report

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
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical system47000
Power train23200
Engine22000
Vehicle speed control12201
Air bags11100
Steering11000
Unknown or other10000
Wheels10000
Structure9101
Tires9000
Engine and engine cooling5000
Fuel/propulsion system5100
11 more parts
Exterior lighting3000
Fuel system, gasoline3000
Electronic stability control (ESC)2000
Service brakes2000
Service brakes, hydraulic2100
Suspension2100
Equipment1000
Equipment adaptive/mobility1000
Seat belts1000
Seats1000
Visibility1000

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.

  1. 20061,280
  2. 20071,108
  3. 2008734
  4. 2009138
  5. 2010118
  6. 20111,641
  7. 20121,644
  8. 2013804
  9. 20142,381
  10. 20151,366
  11. 2016311
  12. 2017364
  13. 2018855
  14. 2019370
  15. 2020240
  16. 2021500
  17. 2022488
  18. 2023589
  19. 2024313
  20. 2025117
  21. 202650

Every Grand Cherokee year side by side

Recalls

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)

NHTSA campaign 13V175000 · reported May 7, 2013 · 295,345 vehicles potentially affected

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Air bags; Air bags: frontal; Electrical system: wiring

NHTSA campaign 09V118000 · reported Apr 9, 2009 · 4,314 vehicles potentially affected

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.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

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.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

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:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Grand Cherokee
Rear-Wheel Drive		3.7 L, 6 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline16 / 21 / 18
Grand Cherokee
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive		3.7 L, 6 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline15 / 20 / 17
Grand Cherokee
Rear-Wheel Drive		5.7 L, 8 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 20 / 16
Grand Cherokee
Rear-Wheel Drive		4.7 L, 8 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive		5.7 L, 8 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline13 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive		4.7 L, 8 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline14 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee
Rear-Wheel Drive		4.7 L, 8 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline or E8514 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive		4.7 L, 8 cylAutomatic 5-spdRegular Gasoline or E8514 / 19 / 15
Grand Cherokee SRT8
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive		6.1 L, 8 cylAutomatic 5-spdPremium Gasoline11 / 14 / 12

Sources and dates

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