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Reliability report · 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,950/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

The last of the pre-refresh WK2 — same valvetrain and diesel questions, a shorter recall list, so it lives or dies on its service records.

Mechanically the 2017 is the 2016 with another year on the clock. The same 3.6L Pentastar valvetrain pattern applies — rocker arms and camshaft lobes that wear and tick, with Chrysler service bulletins documenting the misfire-and-valvetrain-noise condition. On a diesel, the same three EcoDiesel recalls (tone wheel, EGR cooler, fuel pump) and the emissions program apply.

The recall list is short — a cruise-control wiring flash, a tow-hook bracket, and the diesel campaigns — but the 8-speed transmission on 2014-2017 3.6L cars has a specific hard-shift quirk mechanics say Chrysler resolved with the 2018 uprated gearbox. Drive it for a rough first shift, listen for a top-end tick, and buy the one with the fullest paper trail.

Evidence: 361 NHTSA complaints · 6 recall campaigns · 6 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: 361 federal complaints and six recalls. The 2017 carries the fourth-generation Grand Cherokee's familiar wear — 3.6L Pentastar rocker-and-camshaft ticking, coolant and oil-cooler leaks, the Uconnect touchscreen, and the EcoDiesel recall stack — with a cleaner recall sheet than the surrounding years. Everything documented has a fix.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

361

Federal complaints

6

Recalls

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV 2WD (NHTSA VehicleId 11350)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

3.6L Pentastar valvetrain — the ticking that becomes a misfire

major
  • 3.6L Pentastar V6

The 3.6L Pentastar V6's intake rocker arms and camshaft lobes wear, and the tell is a top-end tick that develops into a cylinder misfire. A WK2 buyer's guide warns that 'engine codes for misfires can be a fault that actually needs a new cylinder head,' and a teardown mechanic showed worn rockers pulled from a 3.6L at 88,000 miles, quoting $1,000 to $2,000 if caught before the damage spreads. Chrysler documents the condition in technical service bulletins covering 2016-onward Pentastar engines. Listen on the drive and scan for stored misfire codes.

This is a 3.6L Pentastar V6 problem. The 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 don’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Rocker/lifter repair caught early (mechanic-quoted)

$1,000–$2,000

If it reaches the cylinder head/engine

several thousand

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (WK2 Grand Cherokee, incl. 3.6L valvetrain and 8-speed)

8-speed automatic — hard first shift on 2014-2017 3.6L carsmoderate

  • 3.6L Pentastar V6

The ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic has a specific issue on 2014-2017 cars with the 3.6L engine: a hesitation during deceleration and a hard shift that jerks the whole vehicle. A WK2 buyer's guide says 'the problem appears to be resolved in 2018 with a shift to an uprated version of the 8-speed gearbox,' and a free software campaign updated the shift program on affected cars. A rough first shift that a software update can't smooth is a bargaining point on a high-mileage 2017.

Sources: Independent mechanic channel transcripts (WK2 Grand Cherokee, incl. 3.6L valvetrain and 8-speed)

$0–$150

Shift-software update (dealer)

3.0L EcoDiesel recall stackmajor

  • 3.0L EcoDiesel V6

On the 3.0L EcoDiesel, the same three engine recalls as the surrounding years: crankshaft tone wheel delamination that can stall the engine (20V-475 / 23V-411), an EGR cooler that can crack and cause an intake fire (20V-699), and a high-pressure fuel pump that can fail and cut power (22V-406), plus the EPA/CARB emissions-modification program. All free; a diesel with any undone is a walk-away. Verify by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee · NHTSA manufacturer communications (X88 AHR / X95 diesel tone-wheel warranty extensions; recall documents) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (WK2 Grand Cherokee, incl. 3.6L valvetrain and 8-speed)

$0

EcoDiesel recall repairs

Coolant, oil-filter housing, and Uconnect touchscreenmoderate

The cheap-but-worth-catching items carry over: a brittle plastic oil-filter housing that cracks and leaks, a water pump (notably on the HEMI V8) that weeps coolant, and cracked plastic thermostat housings. Separately, the Uconnect touchscreen can malfunction — a fault that in bad cases needs the whole infotainment unit. Check for coolant loss between changes and confirm the screen responds cleanly across menus.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (WK2 Grand Cherokee, incl. 3.6L valvetrain and 8-speed)

a few hundred

Oil-filter housing / water-pump replacement

Active head restraint may deploy on its own (X88 warranty extension)moderate

As on 2016, the front active head restraints can deploy without a crash and stick forward. Chrysler's X88 warranty extension covers 2011-2018 Grand Cherokee, inspecting the sled-bracket striker pin and replacing a deployed restraint. Ask whether either front restraint has fired; verify terms in the bulletin.

Sources: NHTSA manufacturer communications (X88 AHR / X95 diesel tone-wheel warranty extensions; recall documents)

$0

Under X88 warranty extension

Engine codes for misfires can be a fault that actually needs a new cylinder head.
6 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Jeep dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 16V-686Rear tow-hook/tow-eye bracket may be loose and detach — road hazard (narrow Aug-2016 build). Free bolt-torque inspection. Chrysler code S73.open
  2. 18V-332Cruise control may not disengage due to a wiring short (large multi-model campaign, 2014-2018). Free PCM/ECM software flash.open
  3. 20V-6993.0L EcoDiesel EGR cooler may crack and combust in the intake manifold — fire risk (2014-2019). Free EGR cooler replacement. Chrysler code W79.open
  4. 22V-4063.0L diesel high-pressure fuel pump may fail and starve the engine — loss of drive power (2014-2020 GC). Free HPFP/fuel-system service. Chrysler code Z46.open
  5. 23V-4113.0L diesel crankshaft tone wheel delamination → engine stall (2014-2020 GC; expansion of 20V-475). Free PCM update. Chrysler code 66A.open
  6. 17E-061Aftermarket ATI ProCharger supercharger bracket (SRT/SRT8) may damage the ABS line. Accessory recall; supercharger-equipped cars only.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2017 Grand Cherokee

Three sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

21 MPG combined (19 city / 26 highway) for the RWD, 3.6L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 37857 (Grand Cherokee 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: 4WD, 3.6L 21 MPG · AWD, 5.7L (midgrade fuel) 17 MPG.

$2,950/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Theft

Stolen at about the average rate.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2016–18 models, published May 2019 (report WT-18). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Jeep Grand Cherokee 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Jeep Grand Cherokee 4dr 101, where 100 = average.

110 vs 100

10% above average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Rocker/lifter repair caught early (mechanic-quoted)$1,000–$2,000
If it reaches the cylinder head/engineseveral thousand
Shift-software update (dealer)$0–$150
EcoDiesel recall repairs$0
Oil-filter housing / water-pump replacementa few hundred
Under X88 warranty extension$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01On the 3.6L V6, listen for a top-end tick and scan for misfire codes — the rocker/camshaft pattern.
  2. 02Drive it for a hard or hesitant first shift; the 2014-2017 3.6L 8-speed quirk should have a software update on file.
  3. 03If it's an EcoDiesel, verify 20V-699 (EGR cooler), 22V-406 (fuel pump), and 23V-411 (tone wheel) show completed.
  4. 04Check coolant level and the oil-filter housing and water pump for seepage.
  5. 05Confirm the Uconnect screen responds across menus and camera.
  6. 06Ask about the X88 active-head-restraint warranty extension and pull the full FCA service history by VIN.

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