Stellantis is recalling 328,381 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L SUVs because rear coil springs can detach while driving, the third time in three years the automaker has tried to fix the same part. The recall, filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under campaign number 26V562000, covers 2021-2023 Grand Cherokee L models and 2022-2023 Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee 4XE models built with a rear spring assembly that can shift out of position after the vehicle leaves the factory or a dealer’s service bay.
Unlike a routine inspection campaign, this one calls for dealers to physically replace hardware that two earlier recalls left in place, after NHTSA kept receiving complaints that springs were separating from vehicles that had already been “fixed.” No crashes or injuries have been tied to the defect so far, according to the filing, even though a rear spring letting go at highway speed can send a piece of metal into the road behind the vehicle.
Three campaigns for one coil spring defect
The population and defect description come from a recall roundup published by CarPro, which lists the 328,381 figure alongside the exact language NHTSA used: the rear coil springs “may be incorrectly installed and detach from the vehicle while driving.” That phrasing matters because it is nearly identical to the language used in the two campaigns that preceded this one, first in 2023 and again earlier this year.
Coverage from autoevolution adds a detail that explains why the recall was widened rather than narrowed: “no warning can occur before a coil spring detachment happens,” meaning a driver gets no dashboard alert, noise or handling change before the spring lets go. That is also why Stellantis is pulling in every Grand Cherokee that could plausibly be affected, including vehicles that already went through a dealer visit for the earlier campaigns. A rear spring that separates at speed does not just strand the driver; it can bounce free onto the roadway behind the SUV, a hazard for whoever is following.
Two earlier repairs never solved the shift
According to WardsAuto, the first recall, filed in June 2023, addressed rear coil springs that were installed incorrectly on the assembly line. A second recall, filed in January 2026, targeted springs that technicians themselves installed incorrectly while performing that first repair. The new September 2026 campaign exists because coil springs kept separating even on vehicles that had been through both of those earlier fixes.
WardsAuto reports that regulators logged 20 complaints of spring separation on vehicles that had already received a prior repair, while Stellantis separately identified roughly 70 internal warranty claims it considered potentially related. Those numbers were small enough that NHTSA and the automaker spent months tracking the pattern before concluding the earlier remedy itself was not holding.
A new isolator part instead of another inspection
Reporting from AutoGuide puts a finer point on the scale of the problem: as of early August 2026, Stellantis had logged 406 warranty claims and 29 customer assistance records tied to the coil springs, against zero reported accidents or injuries. AutoGuide also identifies the failing component as a lower spring isolator supplied by AirBoss, the same part both prior recalls tried to correct through inspection and reinstallation rather than outright replacement. Neither of the earlier campaigns swapped the isolator itself, which is the change that distinguishes this third recall from the two before it.
This time, per JeepSpecs, dealers are instructed to replace both rear coil spring lower isolators outright, using part number 68668244AA, rather than simply reseating the existing hardware. Stellantis will cover the repair at no cost to owners, a break from the earlier campaigns’ inspect-and-adjust approach that evidently did not keep the springs in place.
What owners of affected Grand Cherokees should do
Stellantis plans to mail interim notification letters beginning September 29, 2026, telling owners a defect exists before the final remedy is ready. A second letter will follow once the replacement isolators are available at dealerships, and owners can reach the automaker’s customer service line at 1-800-853-1403, referencing recall number 89D. Vehicles previously repaired under either of the two earlier campaigns are still included in this one and will need the new isolators installed regardless of what work was done before, since neither prior fix is being treated as adequate.
Owners who received a recall notice for the 2023 or January 2026 campaigns should not assume that earlier visit satisfies this one. The interim letter is a placeholder notice rather than a repair; the actual isolator swap cannot happen until parts reach dealerships, and Stellantis has not published a date for when that supply will be in place nationwide.
What is not yet public is when that final remedy becomes available nationwide, since the interim letters exist specifically because the replacement parts were not ready to ship to dealers as of the September notification date. For a defect now in its third recall cycle, the timing of that follow-up letter is the detail owners of the 328,381 affected Grand Cherokees are left waiting on.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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