10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 36,674 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the driver's side wiring harness fractured and caused all the electrical components in the vehicle not to work. The contact stated that the same failure occurred four times. The vehicle was taken to park Chrysler Jeep (1408 highway 13 West, burnsville, mn 55537) where the driver's side wiring harness was replaced; however, the same failure occurred several years later. The manufacturer was contacted and was unable to assist. The vehicle was also taken to several independent mechanics, but was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000.
- La Center, MN, USA
The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the wiring harness is located on the driver's side door, but the harness is too small to sustain all the wires. When the door is opened, the wires come out of the harness and break, which causes the locks and interior lighting to fail. The interior lighting remains illuminated. If the contact turns off the interior lighting while driving at night, she is unable to see the instrumental panel. The repair would cost $400. A report was filed with the manufacturer and they stated that they will not charge her the total cost for the repair. The dealer will replace the wires and harness at the cost of $100. The failure mileage was 45,000 and current mileage was 55,000.
- Alpena, MI, USA
I own a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited......I took my car in for the seat heater recall and since then I have terrible problems with the sudden acceleration of the car....(700rpms to 1800) I constantly have to push the brake down and be very conscious of keeping my foot on the brake. The check engine light then came on with a P0505 code. Air intake sensor. Well a new one was put in and the problem was not resolved. The mechanic could not control the idle even with the diagnostic computer attached to it. It was found that two wires on the wiring harness were shorting out and melting......then after driving approx 1200 miles the idle starts jumping again.....the check engine light come on about two days later......then within the same day the idle calms down and the check engine light goes off. I have paid lots of money to have this repaired.....I believe that there is a short somewhere from the seat heater recall since the car did not do this prior to having the dealership fix the seat heater with the recall. I really like my car when the idle is right........I am not comfortable having anyone else drive it due to this issue and do not always feel safe when the acceleration goes wild.....please help.....this is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed quickly before other people get hurt or killed.
- Tampa, FL, USA
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee lost all electrical power inside vehicle on multiple occasions. The consumer was told the problem was a faulty BCM. However, the same problem recurred one month later. In Oct 2005, the consumer experienced unwanted acceleration while he was pulling into the garage and hit another vehicle. The consumer stated the check engine light would occasionally come on and then go of. Then the rear hatch light would come on, the tire pressure light and the security system stopped working. The dealer then found a broken ground wire in the engine harness. The windows were inoperative.
- Manchester, CT, USA
The wiring harness connection going to the resistor pack for the blower motor can melt and deform the resistor pack and wiring causing the blower motor for the A/C to stop working.
- St Martinville, LA, USA
2004 Grand Cherokee electrical units stopped working. While driving on a hot day the vehicle electrical system shut down. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who determined that he problem was with the BCM. The BCM was replaced. A week later, on another hot day, the electrical system shut down again but the engine continued to run. As a result the A/C did not work and the power windows could not be rolled down. The vehicle accelerated suddenly while pulling into a garage striking another vehicle. After repeated attempts to ge the vehicle fixed the dealer found a broken ground wire in the engine wiring harness. After nine months the problems have not recurred. The consumer believes the broken ground wire was the cause of the electrical shut down and sudden acceleration.
- Manchester, CT, USA
I lease a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee with heated leather seats. Earlier this year the driver side heater went out then I noticed that just the lower back heater came on. One day in February after driving for about an hour and 1/2 I got home and tried to take off my sweatshirt but could not as it was melted to my cell phone case. At first I did not know what had happened then upon later investigation I noticed a burn whole in my car seat that ran up what was apparently the heater wire. I am a paraplegic and if it was not for the cell phone case I could have been burned. My concern is for others like me and due to the severity of the heat which could melt a sweat shirt and a phone case that it potentially could ignite clothing.
- Middleville, MI, USA
We purchased a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee the end of June 2004. The car had approximately 30-40 miles at purchase. Three days after purchase the car cut off on my husband and was difficult to start. The dealership told us they could not look at the car because the check engine light did not come on. While on vacation 1 1/2 weeks after purchase our car shut off while traveling 60 mph on a highway. The car would not start and was towed to a Jeep dealership in Maryland. That dealership replaced the computer in the car. No incidents occurred for 1 1/2 weeks. Then upon our return to South Carolina the RPM of our car would suddenly drop to 500 while idling at traffic lights or at a stop. The RPM's would also suddenly drop to 0 and the car would cut off while idling. From the middle of July until the end of August the car was looked at approximately 6 times. The skim module and wiring harness were both replaced in the car. After the wiring harness was replaced the car ceased to have problems for 3000 miles. Then on December 4th the car cut off while waiting at a traffic light. The RPM's have now started to once again drop down to below 500 and occasionally they go up and down when the car is not even moving. A co-Pilot system was installed to record any errors in the car and no codes or misfires were captured from the car. The dealership has been unable to fix the car and Chrysler informed us that they were not willing to replace our car even though they are unable to fix the problem.
- Goose Creek, SC, USA
My 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a couple power outlets; they look almost like cigarette lighter receptacles. The outlets are marked "20A" indicating a 20 amp current capability. The Jeep book also indicates these power outlets are able to carry 20 amps, and the Jeep shop manual calls these 20 amp circuits. When I disassembled some trim to install a 2-meter ham radio, I saw 2 very small wires connected to the rear power outlet. The Jeep shop manual says these are 16 gauge wires. Here is the problem: 16 gauge wires will not come near the ability to handle 20 amps of current. In fact, 16 gauge wire current capacity in a cable bundle is around the 5 or 6 amp area. My ham radio draws 8 amps when transmitting, and when plugged in the Jeep power outlet, the voltage drop was three volts. What this means is that the wires can severely overheat and become a fire hazard if the consumer believes the advertised 20 amp capability. I have no idea how Chrysler/Jeep gets away with this. There is a 20 amp fuse in this circuit, so anyone using an inverter or other accessory that actually draws 20 amps is going to seriously overheat or melt the wiring before the fuse blows.
- Laurel, MD, USA
- Southgate, MI, USA