2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems: 5 Issues I’ve Had and How I Fixed Them
I’ve owned and worked on a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the 3.6L Pentastar V6, and while I generally like the vehicle (I bought 3 of them!), there are several things about it that I wish Jeep had designed differently.
This isn't a list copied from forums or generated from owner surveys. These are five issues I have personally dealt with on my Jeep, ranging from mildly annoying design decisions to repairs that can become expensive very quickly.
The five biggest issues for me have been:
Below I’ll explain each issue, what I found, what I did about it, and where appropriate, the parts and tools I recommend.
1. The 3.6L Pentastar Plastic Oil Cooler Housing
This is easily one of my biggest complaints with the 3.6L Pentastar.
The oil filter and oil cooler assembly sits in the valley of the engine underneath the intake manifold, and much of the factory housing is plastic. Over time, leaks can develop at the housing or its seals.
What makes this particularly frustrating is where the oil goes.
Instead of immediately dripping underneath the vehicle, oil can collect in the valley between the cylinder heads. Once enough accumulates, it can eventually run down the back of the engine and make the source of the leak much harder to identify.
How I fixed mine
When I repaired mine, I decided that I wasn't interested in replacing a plastic housing with another plastic housing.
I installed an aluminum/metal replacement oil filter housing and cooler assembly.
If you are already doing all the work required to reach this component, the aluminum housing makes much more sense to me.
The job isn't technically complicated, but access is the problem. The intake system has to come apart before you can reach the housing.
I documented the complete repair.
I also wrote a complete step-by-step guide including the tools, removal procedure and torque specifications:
Products and tools I recommend for this repair
My Recommended Upgrade
Why I recommend it: This is the aluminum replacement I recommend instead of reinstalling the factory-style plastic oil cooler housing. Since the intake manifold already has to come off to reach it, I prefer upgrading to the metal housing rather than doing the same repair again later.
Other Tools & Parts I recommend
Extended ratcheting hose-clamp pliers – These made the rear coolant hose much easier
DIY difficulty: Moderate
My recommendation: If the factory housing is leaking, strongly consider the aluminum replacement rather than repeating the repair with another plastic housing.
2. Apple CarPlay Requires a Cable
This isn't a mechanical failure, but it annoys me nearly every time I use the vehicle.
The 2019 Grand Cherokee supports Apple CarPlay, but the factory system requires you to connect the phone through one of the media USB ports.
There is no factory wireless CarPlay connection.
For a vehicle that otherwise has a fairly sophisticated infotainment system, having to plug the phone in every time feels dated.
The upside is that wired CarPlay is generally reliable and charges the phone at the same time.
My solutions
You basically have two choices.
The simplest option is to keep a short, high-quality charging/data cable permanently in the Jeep.
My Recommendation:
3. Uconnect Screen Bubbling / Delamination
This one bothered me because at first it simply looked cosmetic.
The 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen can begin developing bubbles or separation around the edges of the display.
What looks like a bubble is actually separation—or delamination—within the touchscreen/display assembly.
It may start at a corner or along an edge and gradually spread.
The more important concern is that a deteriorating touchscreen can eventually cause problems such as:
Incorrect touch response
Ghost touches
Buttons activating without being touched
Sections of the touchscreen becoming difficult to use
So I wouldn't automatically dismiss Uconnect screen bubbling as purely cosmetic.
Replacing the screen
The good news is that you may not necessarily need to replace the entire radio/head unit.
Depending on the exact Uconnect system installed in the Jeep, the display/digitizer assembly can be replaced separately.
Products and tools for the Uconnect repair
IMPORTANT: Verify your exact radio/display model before ordering. Similar-looking Uconnect screens can use different connectors/ribbon cables.
For someone comfortable taking electronics apart, this can be a very satisfying DIY repair compared with replacing the entire infotainment unit.
4. Spark Plug Access Is Much Harder Than It Should Be
Spark plugs are routine maintenance.
On many engines you remove an ignition coil, unscrew the spark plug, put the new one in, reinstall the coil and move to the next cylinder.
The 3.6L Pentastar makes part of that job unnecessarily difficult because the intake manifold obstructs access to one bank of plugs/coils.
You can reach some plugs relatively easily.
The others?
The upper intake manifold has to come off.
This turns what should be simple maintenance into a much more involved project.
The upside if you're already taking the intake apart
There is one advantage.
Several 3.6L Pentastar repairs involve removing the intake manifold anyway.
So if you're replacing the oil cooler housing and your Jeep is anywhere near the spark plug service interval, it may make sense to replace the plugs while everything is already apart.
You have already done much of the difficult work.
Products I recommend
And one important DIY tip:
Cover every exposed intake opening as soon as the manifold comes off.
You absolutely do not want a nut, bolt, dirt or other debris falling through an intake port.
5. Head Gasket Problems Can Become a Major Repair
Of the five issues on this list, this is the one that concerns me the most because the diagnosis and repair can become expensive very quickly.
A possible head gasket leak on the 3.6L Pentastar can present symptoms that overlap with several other engine problems.
Possible symptoms can include:
Unexplained coolant loss
White exhaust smoke or steam
Rough running after startup
A cylinder-specific misfire
Coolant entering a cylinder
Cooling-system pressure abnormalities
Overheating in more severe cases
A cylinder misfire by itself does NOT automatically mean the head gasket has failed.
Ignition coils, spark plugs, fuel injectors, compression problems and other issues can all create similar symptoms.
If coolant loss or white exhaust smoke accompanies the misfire, however, the cooling system needs to be investigated. Those were the symptoms I had.
Tests I would do before replacing a head gasket
Before tearing the engine apart, I would work systematically through tests such as:
Scan the vehicle for stored and pending trouble codes
Inspect the spark plugs
Compare cylinders
Cooling-system pressure test
Compression test
Cylinder leak-down test
Inspect for coolant entering a cylinder
Check for combustion gases entering the cooling system
Why this repair is different from the oil cooler
The oil cooler housing is buried, but once you get to it, replacement is reasonably straightforward.
A head gasket is an entirely different level of repair.
You're getting into major engine disassembly, correct timing procedures, gasket-surface preparation, torque sequences and potentially inspecting the cylinder head for warpage or damage.
For a DIY mechanic, this is absolutely possible; but this is one repair where diagnosis needs to come first.
You don't want to tear down a Pentastar engine only to discover that the actual problem was somewhere else.
Which 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problem Bothers Me the Most?
If I ranked these based purely on my ownership experience:
Most likely to make me question the design: the plastic oil cooler housing.
Replacing a buried engine component is enough work without installing another plastic part in the same location.
Most annoying day-to-day: wired Apple CarPlay.
It's minor, but you experience it constantly.
Most frustrating electronic problem: Uconnect screen delamination.
A touchscreen shouldn't start separating and bubbling with normal use.
Most unnecessarily difficult maintenance item: spark plugs.
Spark plugs shouldn't require this much disassembly.
Potentially most expensive: a head gasket problem.
This is why I strongly recommend performing proper diagnostic testing before replacing parts.
Is the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Reliable?
After dealing with these problems, would I call the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee a bad vehicle?
No.
There are actually a lot of things I like about mine.
But if you're buying one used or already own one with the 3.6L Pentastar V6, these are areas I would pay attention to.
If I were inspecting a used 2019 Grand Cherokee today, I would specifically:
Look for oil accumulating around the oil cooler housing/engine valley.
Inspect the Uconnect screen closely for bubbles or separation around the edges.
Confirm that Apple CarPlay works through the USB ports.
Review maintenance records for spark plug service.
Check the coolant level and look for any unexplained coolant loss, white exhaust smoke or misfire history.
Scan the vehicle for stored or pending diagnostic codes.
More 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee DIY Repairs
I've done a number of repairs and diagnostic projects on this Jeep, and I'll continue adding them here as I encounter them.
I’ll continue adding Jeep Grand Cherokee repairs and troubleshooting videos as I work on the vehicle. If you want to follow along, subscribe to TC Tech on YouTube.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are common problems with the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6L?
Some areas worth inspecting include the 3.6L Pentastar oil cooler/oil filter housing, Uconnect touchscreen, ignition-system maintenance and cooling-system condition. My own Jeep has also required investigation of a possible head-gasket-related problem.
Does the 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee have wireless Apple CarPlay?
The factory Apple CarPlay system in the 2019 Grand Cherokee uses a USB connection. An aftermarket wireless CarPlay adapter can be used to add wireless functionality without replacing the factory radio.
Why is my Jeep Grand Cherokee Uconnect screen bubbling?
Bubbling around the edge of the screen can be caused by delamination of the touchscreen/display assembly. As it progresses, some owners also experience erratic or "ghost" touchscreen inputs.
Why does the 3.6 Pentastar oil cooler leak?
The oil filter/oil cooler housing and its seals are located deep in the engine valley and experience repeated heating and cooling cycles. Leaks can occur from the housing or sealing surfaces, allowing oil to accumulate in the engine valley.
Should I install an aluminum Pentastar oil cooler housing?
That's what I chose to do. If I'm putting in the labor necessary to access and replace the housing, I prefer replacing the factory plastic housing with an aluminum version rather than reinstalling the same basic design.
Do you have to remove the intake manifold to change spark plugs on a 3.6 Pentastar?
Access to one bank of plugs/coils is obstructed by the upper intake manifold, which makes the spark plug job considerably more involved than it is on many engines.
Does a P0304 misfire mean the head gasket is bad?
No. P0304 identifies a misfire involving cylinder 4 but does not identify the cause. Spark, fuel, compression and coolant-related problems all need to be considered. If a misfire is accompanied by coolant loss or white exhaust smoke, additional cooling-system and cylinder testing becomes particularly important.
Final Thoughts
The 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee isn't perfect, but one advantage of owning the vehicle for years and doing the work myself is that I've learned exactly where its weak points are.
More importantly, I've filmed the repairs.
So rather than simply telling you that something goes wrong, I try to show how to diagnose it, how to get to it and how to fix it yourself.
If you own a Grand Cherokee with the 3.6L Pentastar, bookmark this page. I'll continue adding repairs, diagnostic information and videos as I work on the vehicle.
Subscribe to TC Tech on YouTube for more real-world automotive repairs and diagnostics. Links may be affiliate.
And if you're doing one of these repairs yourself, the tools and parts I've actually used are linked throughout the article.
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