2009 Jeep Commander Problems: 10 Known Issues

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, the Commander can stall or lose engine power without warning at any speed. The problem is linked to multiple causes: faulty crankshaft position sensor, failing fuel pump, PCM software bugs, and throttle body issues. Over 173 engine complaints were filed for the 2006 model year. Some owners report engine compartment fires linked to electrical shorts in the PCM area.

On the 2006-2009 Jeep Commander, the 4.7L SOHC PowerTech V8 (2006-2009 Commander) presses hard steel valve seats into aluminum cylinder heads. Any overheat event - and the XK's cooling system is itself a weak point - lets the aluminum head grow away from the seat, loosening it. The seat then drops into the combustion chamber, or the head cracks between the valve seats. The failure is usually sudden: a healthy-running engine develops a violent single-cylinder misfire, a hammering noise and total loss of compression in that hole within minutes. Commander owners report it most often on the 4.7 after a cooling-system incident, and Chrysler's 2005-2007 4.7 heads are the ones most cited. Compression on the dead cylinder reads near zero; a borescope shows the seat lying on the piston crown or a valve pocket that has been pounded out.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander 3.7L PowerTech V6, the 3.7L SOHC V6 shares its valvetrain architecture with the 4.7 and inherits its worst habit: the stamped rocker arm sits on a hydraulic lash adjuster and is retained only by valve-spring pressure. When the lash adjuster bleeds down or seizes - typically from extended oil-change intervals, low oil level or oil coking - the rocker loses its perch and falls off the valve tip. The engine first develops a light tick at idle, which owners and shops routinely misdiagnose as normal lifter tap, then progresses to a hard tap, a dead cylinder and in the worst Commander cases a rocker that has beaten its way through the valve cover. This is a distinct failure from the 4.7's valve-seat problem, and it does not apply to the 5.7 Hemi, which uses a pushrod valvetrain with a completely different rocker design.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, on 4WD Commanders the transfer case is shifted electrically by a motor/actuator whose internal circuit board carries the position-sensing traces. Those traces crack, which sends a biased or nonsensical position signal to the Final Drive Controller Module. The module can misread it and command the transfer case into NEUTRAL without driver input - meaning a vehicle in Park with the transfer case in neutral is not actually held by the parking pawl and can roll away. Chrysler recalled 2006-2010 Grand Cherokee and Commander for this under NHTSA 13V175000 (Chrysler campaign N23). The everyday version of the same defect that most owners meet is a persistent 'Service 4WD System' message, a 4WD system that will not shift between ranges, or a transfer case stuck in one mode.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, the Commander's front differential runs continuously in the full-time Quadra-Trac II and Quadra-Drive II systems, and the pinion bearings are a documented wear point on the owner forums. Wear shows up first as a whine or growl whose pitch tracks road speed only - it does not change with engine RPM or gear, and it is higher pitched than an axle-shaft bearing because the pinion spins faster. Owners diagnosing it note the noise is often loudest on coast. Once the pinion bearing develops play, the pinion yoke wobbles, which then chews or deforms the pinion seal, so a front diff that keeps 'eating seals' after repeated seal replacements is usually telling you the bearing is the real fault. Ignored, the pinion loses preload, the gear mesh pattern goes off and the ring and pinion themselves are destroyed. Front axle fluid level is also frequently found low because of the ongoing seal leak, which accelerates the whole sequence.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, the Totally Integrated Power Module under the hood carries the Commander's fuses and, critically, a set of soldered-in relays that cannot be swapped like ordinary plug-in relays. The fuel pump relay is the one that fails first. Stuck open, the pump gets no power and the engine cranks strongly but never fires - and because the failure is thermal and intermittent, the vehicle often restarts an hour later, which sends owners chasing a fuel pump they do not need. Stuck closed, the pump runs continuously with the key off, audibly buzzing at the rear of the vehicle until the battery is flat. Owners also report the other TIPM relays following within months, producing wipers or the starter operating on their own and unexplained parasitic battery drain. This is distinct from a genuinely failed in-tank pump: check for pump prime and fuel rail pressure at key-on before condemning the tank module.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, the Commander is plagued by random electrical issues where dashboard warning lights illuminate and extinguish without cause, the HVAC system shuts off randomly, and various accessories behave erratically. This can occur 1-15 times per day while driving or parked. The issues are often traced to corroded ground connections, a failing TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module), or wiring harness degradation.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, the Commander frequently displays "Transmission Over Temp" warnings even when fluid level and condition are normal. The transmission control module (TCM) and powertrain control module (PCM) are prone to failure, causing the vehicle to stall, shift erratically, or enter limp mode. NHTSA Campaign 08V203000 addressed TCM issues, but many owners report the repairs did not fully resolve the problem. Over 216 powertrain complaints filed for the 2006 model year alone.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, the Commander is susceptible to engine overheating caused by failing water pumps, cracked radiator tanks, leaking heater core connections, and thermostat failures. The radiator end tanks (plastic) are prone to cracking at the seam where they meet the aluminum core. Power steering cooler line leaks can also compound cooling issues. The 4.7L V8 is especially vulnerable.

On the 2006-2010 Jeep Commander, commanders with dual-zone climate control use separate driver and passenger blend doors, each driven by its own small electric actuator through a plastic gear that clips onto the blend door shaft. The gear teeth strip, or the plastic gear on the shaft end cracks, and that side's door parks in one position - so the driver gets full heat while the passenger gets nothing but cold air, or the reverse. Owners frequently hear a clicking or ratcheting behind the dash when the temperature setting is changed or when the ignition is first cycled, which is the actuator trying to drive a stripped gear. The tell that separates this from a coolant or heater core problem is that only one side is affected and the failed side's temperature never responds to the control at all, while the other side works normally.