2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated Sep 20, 2026 · 1,295 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other Grand Cherokee years
More complaints than other years 9th of 32 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 1,295 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. That ranks 9th out of 32 Grand Cherokee model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (326 complaints, 25%), typically at around 120,000 miles. Complaints mention 110 crashes, 25 fires, 85 injuries. There are 8 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.

Jeep Grand Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee (WL) in Stuttgart. Representative photo; appearance varies by model year. Photo: Alexander-93, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Air Bags326 · ~120,000 mi
Visibility202 · ~51,000 mi
Seats149 · ~85,000 mi
Electrical System144 · ~92,000 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic142 · ~16,300 mi
Vehicle Speed Control77 · ~51,000 mi
Steering73 · ~75,500 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling55 · ~51,206 mi
Power Train54 · ~45,000 mi
Structure36 · ~82,000 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Air Bags problems32625%120,000“takata air bags” (7%)—
Visibility problems20216%51,000“cold air” (23%)$1,600
Seats problems14912%85,000“driver seat” (30%)$1,350
Electrical System problems14411%92,000“door locks” (12%)—
Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems14211%16,300“rotors warped” (20%)$680
Vehicle Speed Control problems776%51,000“cruise control” (13%)—
Steering problems736%75,500“steering gear box” (26%)—
Engine and Engine Cooling problems554%51,206—$1,550
Power Train problems544%45,000“put park” (11%)—
Structure363%82,000——
Engine353%121,984——
Unknown or Other333%112,650——
Exterior Lighting272%106,072——
Seat Belts272%72,510——
Fuel/propulsion System232%116,788——
Suspension222%98,000——
Fuel System, Gasoline191%82,000——
Equipment151%33,000——
Service Brakes141%107,800——
Visibility/wiper131%80,238——
Wheels111%121,224——
Tires91%22,300——
Electronic Stability Control (esc)60%121,500——
Latches/locks/linkages60%115,550——
Service Brakes, Air50%20,050——
Child Seat20%32,000——
Equipment Adaptive/mobility20%125,000——
Fuel System, Other20%81,870——
Interior Lighting10%46,636——
Trailer Hitches10%96,075——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2016, with 171 complaints
2003: 620032004: 672005: 9320052006: 1172007: 11620072008: 1042009: 7120092010: 772011: 5320112012: 322013: 7420132014: 772015: 11420152016: 1711712017: 4420172018: 282019: 2620192020: 92021: 420212022: 52023: 320232024: 12025: 220252026: 1

n = 1,295 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee recalls (8)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bags:side/windowOct 19, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V673000 · 284,611 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured March 29, 2003, to July 3, 2003, and 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured May 27, 2003, to May 20, 2004. Due to electrical noise beyond the tolerance of the air bag electronic control module (ECM), a component in the ECM may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag electronic control module and the side impact sensors, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 5, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R60.

Air bags:frontalJan 28, 2015 · NHTSA campaign 15V046000 · 752,644 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured January 9, 2001, to March 28, 2003, 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 13, 2001, to May 23 2003, and 2003-2004 Dodge Viper vehicles manufactured November 1, 2001, to June 30, 2004. Due to electrical noise beyond the tolerance of the air bag electronic control module (ECM), a component in the ECM may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Chrysler dealers will replace the air bag control module and side impact sensors as required, free of charge. This recall remedy was applied during earlier recall campaigns of these vehicles under safety recalls 12V527 and 13V040. All owners that have not had the recall repair performed under safety recalls 12V527 or 13V040 are strongly encouraged to have it performed and not wait for the final remedy to be deployed to the field. The recall began on December 29, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R06.

Air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactiveNov 8, 2012 · NHTSA campaign 12V527000 · 744,822 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2002 and 2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured January 9, 2001, through March 28, 2003, and 2002 through 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 13, 2001, through May 23, 2003. A component in the air bag control module may fail causing the front airbags, side curtain airbags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the airbags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.

Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a supplemental jumper harness to the airbag control module, free of charge. Owners were notified of the recall by interim letter in January 2013. The remedy for affected Liberty vehicles is expected to be available in April 2013. The remedy for affected Grand Cherokee vehicles is expected to be available later in the year. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753.

Seats:front assembly:seat heater/coolerApr 9, 2009 · NHTSA campaign 09V117000 · 103,409 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler is recalling 103,409 my 2001-2004 jeep grand cherokee vehicles with heated seats and with chrysler recall no. 06v-197 completed (03-04 my) or seat heater elements service replacement (01-02 my). The front seat electric heater elements could overheat.

Risk: Overheating could potentially cause a fire or injury.

Fix: Dealers will replace the front seat heater elements free of charge. The recall began on november 23, 2009. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Seats:front assembly:seat heater/coolerJun 7, 2006 · NHTSA campaign 06V197000 · 111,687 vehicles

Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with heated seats, the front passenger seat electric heater element could overheat.

Risk: Overheating could potentially cause a fire.

Fix: Dealers will replace the heated seat elements. The recall began on july 24, 2006. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Electrical system:starter assemblyMar 4, 2004 · NHTSA campaign 04V112000 · 14,621 vehicles

Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with 4.0l engines, the crankshaft position sensor wiring insulation may crack and expose the wire.

Risk: In the presence of moisture, this could result in sensor malfunction, which could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the crankshaft position sensor. Owner notification began on march 29, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Equipment:other:labelsFeb 3, 2004 · NHTSA campaign 04V048000 · 96 vehicles

Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, due to a recent software programming error, the tire, wheel, and inflation pressure information was inadvertently omitted from the vehicle certification label.

Risk: The vehicle owner would not be aware of the tire, wheel, and inflation pressure information for their vehicle.

Fix: Owners will be provided with a corrected tire certification label. Owner notification began on march 1, 2004. Owners should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Steering:gear box (other than rack and pinion)Mar 10, 2003 · NHTSA campaign 03V079000 · 286 vehicles

Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles, the power steering gear may contain an improperly formed spacer clip, which could dislodge within the steering gear.

Risk: A dislodged clip may cause increased steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the steering gear assemblies. Owner notification began on march 12, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Jeep inadvertent air bag deployment (RQ14001) — opened May 29, 2014, closed Nov 13, 2015, led to recall 15V043000.
  • Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires (EA12005) — opened Jun 12, 2012, closed Nov 14, 2014, led to recall 13V252000.
  • Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires (PE10031) — opened Aug 23, 2010, closed Jun 14, 2012.
  • Fuel Storage System Crash Related Fires (DP09005) — opened Nov 6, 2009, closed Aug 23, 2010.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

Driving normally on the highway came to an exit slowed down my passenger air bag went off and 10-15 seconds later the driver one. I was able to be aware the driver might go off so I pushed my seat back and immediately after it went off. White smoke from the airbags engulfed the cabin I stepped out…

Air Bags · received Sep 20, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11765667

I scheduled a recall appointment for my Jeep Grand Cherokee. The dealer confirmed that the appointment was scheduled and that the necessary recall part had been ordered. However, when I arrived, my vehicle was parked and no work was started. I was not given an estimated repair time, and after…

Air Bags · received Sep 15, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11687482

The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the brakes. The contact stated that the vehicle was not braking normally, and braking distance was extended while coming to a stop. The contact…

Service Brakes, Hydraulic · received Aug 12, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11680064

Car was bought at affordable auto. The parking break had to be used in order for car to stay parked. We got home the windows on passenger side did not go down. Transmissions slips and goes out of gear you must change gears like a stick shift and the jeep is automatic. The truck was as is but the…

Power Train · received Jun 19, 2024 · NHTSA complaint 11595317

The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while adjusting the side mirrors on the driver side console, the contact noticed that the mirror failed to adjust as designed. The contact attempted to unlock the doors by pressing the unlock button on the driver’s side console and…

Visibility · received May 1, 2023 · NHTSA complaint 11519790

Other Jeep Grand Cherokee years

← 2003 Grand Cherokee · 2005 Grand Cherokee →

See all Jeep Grand Cherokee problems by year, every Jeep model, or the Jeep VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee?

Owners most often report air bags, visibility, seats problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 326 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee?

Yes, 8 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Grand Cherokee model years, the 2004 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.