Problems · by component

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee exterior lighting problems

42 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee cite exterior lighting, 10% of all 410 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 3 recalls on this component.

Complaints
42
10% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the exterior lighting

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was driving back from the airport and as it began to get dark, it became apparent I had no headlights. I somehow managed to drive the last two hours home on parking lights and lights from other vehicles.I took it to a Chrysler Jeep dealership Goldies in Huntington, West Virginia. The exam that I put a bulb in the driver side. In the passenger side, the LED portion is still glowing, but is yellow green and they told me it would require a headline assembly which would call somewhere between 1500 and $2000. The bulb alone was just over $500. They told me that the filaments had cracked in the bulb despite no apparent damage to the vehicle. I owned an accurate T from 2008 to 2021 I and it never required new bulbs. I actually don’t do much nighttime driving so they could not have many hours on the lights. I don’t know what but something is wrong here.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 26, 2026Exterior lightingODI 11752887
“The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal and attempting to overtake another vehicle. The RPM was extremely elevated; however, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and restarted the vehicle before resuming normal driving. The contact became aware that, when shifting between automatic and manual driving modes, the vehicle operated normally without hesitating. The vehicle was taken to several dealers on several occasions; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the failure. In addition, the headlights occasionally shut off unexpectedly while driving at night. The contact would pull over and wait for the headlights to return before resuming normal driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls associated with the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 6, 2026Power train, Exterior lightingODI 11729494
“The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the headlight switch set to the Automatic Off/On position, the headlights blinked continuously, the bulb became red, and then the headlights became inoperable. While the headlight switch was in the on position, the headlights operated as designed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V950000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was 70,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 9, 2026Exterior lightingODI 11723113
“Car has 28k miles. It is driven by a [XX] year old. It is a Jeep GC Summit which is top of the line for Jeep. Both headlights were blown and the dash warning system never alerted that the lights were out. Car is equipped with the headlight monitoring system. She never drives at night so I cannot give you an exact date but we think it has been out since 2024 which is the last Texas inspection it had and passed. Contacted Jeep Wave with concern and was blown off and sent to a VM which was never returned. You have a recall for the Laredo and Overland models but not the Summit. The DRL lights thankfully are bright but you still need headlights. Car has been set to auto for headlights due to her age. I am hoping you give this a serious look. I posted on Facebook and other people are having the same issues with the Summits. You have no headlights and nothing saying they are out.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 7, 2026Exterior lightingODI 11716392
“The high beam lights are not working. Dealer said the shutter door internal to headlamp assemblies are unresponsive. BOTH headlamps went out at the same time. Dealer said they haven't seen any issues before with the high beams.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 1, 2025Exterior lightingODI 11690738
“The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the low beam headlights were inoperable. The contact attempted to set the headlight knob from automatic to manual however, the low beam headlights failed to function as needed. The contact stated that the high beam headlights and running lights operated as designed. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who checked the fuse box and determined that the fuses for the lighting system were functioning as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V950000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 5, 2025Exterior lightingODI 11646439

Showing 6 of 42 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

3 recalls on this component

Exterior lighting: tail lights

Free remedy

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2021-2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vehicles. The tail light side marker assemblies may be damaged and not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamp, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Exterior lightingReported Jul 28, 2022NHTSA 22V544000

Exterior lighting: software

Free remedy

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vehicles equipped with smart lighting modules (SLM). An incomplete SLM software update may cause one or both headlights to become inoperable. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Exterior lightingReported Dec 9, 2021NHTSA 21V950000

Exterior lighting: headlights

Free remedy

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L vehicles not equipped with automatic high beams. When the master lighting switch is set to the auto position, the high beam headlights will not activate unless the master lighting switch is first changed to the 'on" position. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Exterior lightingReported Oct 14, 2021NHTSA 21V797000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.