2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $9,000–$16,000. There are 2 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.
Deciding between model years? Compare the 3 Jeep Grand Cherokee years we've written up →
Kestrel Take
Genuinely capable, genuinely comfortable, and genuinely electrical. The WK2 platform drives better than almost anything at the price and will find new and creative ways to spend your money — air suspension, TIPM, and the 8-speed all have histories.
What we checked
Partly reconciled against public records, 2026-09-11
NHTSA holds 802 owner complaints for the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee, across 10 recall campaigns.
A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 47% of them are about one thing — electrics and electronics. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.
10 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.
Not written up yet: the brakes (152 complaints). That group is in the public record and is not covered by the issues below. Treat it as something to ask about, not as absent.
Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.
Known Issues for the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents.
The FCA power module controls the fuel pump, wipers, horn, and lighting. When it fails you get random no-starts, a horn that sounds at 3am, and wipers that run in dry weather.
Repair cost (estimate): $500-$1,500
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (378), the fuel system (111), the engine (110).
Compressors burn out and air struts leak, dropping a corner overnight. A full air-to-coil conversion is often cheaper than replacing the system.
Repair cost (estimate): $1,200-$3,500
Source: not yet checked against public records.
The diesel version adds EGR cooler failure, emissions system faults, and reported main bearing problems — plus its own emissions settlement history.
Repair cost (estimate): $2,000-$9,000
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (110).
The monostable shifter made it easy to leave the vehicle not in Park. Recalled with a software fix and an auto-park feature.
Repair cost: $0 recall
Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (378), the transmission and drivetrain (55); 10 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Vehicle sitting low on one corner
- ✗Any electrical behavior the seller calls a quirk
- ✗EcoDiesel with no emissions service history
- ✗Open recalls on the shifter
Good Signs
- ✓3.6L Pentastar V6 with steel coil springs instead of air
- ✓TIPM already replaced with the updated part
- ✓All recalls closed at a dealer
Found a specific Jeep Grand Cherokee?
This page covers what goes wrong on the 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee in general. The Kestrel report covers this specific car— the asking price vs. market, the photos, the seller's description, and a BUY / NEGOTIATE / WALK AWAY verdict with a negotiation script.
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Not ready to pay for one? The free read is instant and needs no card — it checks the asking price against the market and names the top issues for this year. It stops short of the verdict, because that needs the photos.
Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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