What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Jeep Grand Cherokee problems by year
Owners have filed 22,120 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Jeep Grand Cherokee across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2005 for electrical system complaints, 1999 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 2002 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 1992, 1990 and 1991.
- Years to check closely: 2005, 1999, 2002
- Fewest complaints: 1992, 1990, 1991
- Complaints on file
- 221201990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20051957 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1788486 fires · 1294 injuries · 58 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 65kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 256Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (2) | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 554 | 59 | 12 | Brakes (hydraulic) (146) | |
| 585 | 118 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (123) | |
| 718 | 119 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (247) | |
| 887 | 135 | 12 | Powertrain and transmission (279) | |
| 987 | 111 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (253) | |
| 1025 | 172 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (426) | |
| 1632 | 124 | 10 | Brakes (hydraulic) (595) | |
| 1429 | 106 | 12 | Brakes (hydraulic) (418) | |
| 869 | 78 | 10 | Visibility (244) | |
| 1455 | 74 | 16 | Air bags (473) | |
| 739 | 48 | 10 | Air bags (242) | |
| 1250 | 105 | 14 | Air bags (320) | |
| 1957 | 79 | 5 | Electrical system (886) | |
| 1213 | 45 | 6 | Electrical system (722) | |
| 1056 | 29 | 7 | Electrical system (628) | |
| 676 | 21 | 5 | Electrical system (437) | |
| 119 | 3 | 3 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 90 | 8 | 5 | Electrical system (32) | |
| 1242 | 36 | 6 | Electrical system (578) | |
| 1155 | 29 | 11 | Electrical system (613) | |
| 486 | 18 | 10 | Electrical system (243) | |
| 1202 | 123 | 19 | Electrical system (330) | |
| 486 | 103 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (236) | |
| 113 | 17 | 9 | Powertrain and transmission (38) | |
| 88 | 7 | 6 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 88 | 18 | 11 | Unknown or other (27) | |
| 7 | 1 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (2) |
What fails on the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 45% |
886 | 16 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 20% |
397 | 7 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 12% |
236 | 15 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 8% |
163 | 1 | Shop latches and locks parts for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
114 | 4 | — |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 6% |
114 | 4 | Shop engine parts for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee |
| Air bags | 4% |
87 | 26 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 4% |
83 | 22 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Problem with instrument panel lights and ac coming on with turning on ignition or starting the vehicle. Ignition was replaced a year plus ago under the recall. I can shut off the car and usually get then to work. This is a big concern for driving esp. Has not gone off while driving at this point although!
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Brake rotors warping. I have had the rotor turn and even replaced and yet the rotors seem to warp. Braking is often light never ever under emergency conditions. *cn
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The defrost only works 50% of the time. Did not work while driving down the highway at 65mph. This was extremely dangerous as i could not see through the windshield. The next day was working fine and a week later i had the same issue. I had the heater core replaced and the issue is still happening.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Jeep Grand Cherokee years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2005, 1999, 2002 carry the most filings on the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 2005 alone has 1957 complaints, led by electrical system.
What is the most common Jeep Grand Cherokee problem?
On the 2005 model year, the most-reported component is electrical system with 886 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Jeep Grand Cherokee problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Jeep Grand Cherokee complaints that include mileage is about 65,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.