NHTSA complaint #11760843

Owner complaint summary

My 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe has developed a recurring safety defect involving the front passenger seat lumbar-support system. Without any input from the passenger or driver, the pneumatic lumbar bladder will randomly begin inflating and continue until it reaches maximum inflation. When this occurs, the lumbar support protrudes significantly into the seatback and forces the passenger’s torso forward from the normal seated position. The passenger cannot reliably stop or reverse the inflation using the seat controls. This can interfere with proper seating posture and seat-belt positioning and creates a potential safety risk, particularly if the malfunction occurs while the vehicle is moving. There is no readily accessible owner method to manually vent or deflate the bladder when it becomes stuck. Correcting it directly would require disassembling the seat or accessing pneumatic components, potentially affecting warranty coverage. As a result, the passenger seat can become effectively unusable until the vehicle is serviced. The malfunction is unexpected, can distract the driver and passenger, and physically alters the occupant’s seating position without command. I believe this is more than a comfort issue and represents a potential safety defect in the powered/pneumatic seat system. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether similar unintended lumbar inflation failures are occurring in other 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee 4xe vehicles and whether manufacturer corrective action or a recall is warranted.