2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Grand Cherokee years
- More complaints than other years 9th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 8 recalls: check your VIN
- 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.

- 1,295owner complaints
- 8safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 110complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
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.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 326 | 25% | 120,000 | “takata air bags” (7%) | — |
| Visibility problems | 202 | 16% | 51,000 | “cold air” (23%) | $1,600 |
| Seats problems | 149 | 12% | 85,000 | “driver seat” (30%) | $1,350 |
| Electrical System problems | 144 | 11% | 92,000 | “door locks” (12%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 142 | 11% | 16,300 | “rotors warped” (20%) | $680 |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 77 | 6% | 51,000 | “cruise control” (13%) | — |
| Steering problems | 73 | 6% | 75,500 | “steering gear box” (26%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 55 | 4% | 51,206 | — | $1,550 |
| Power Train problems | 54 | 4% | 45,000 | “put park” (11%) | — |
| Structure | 36 | 3% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 35 | 3% | 121,984 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 33 | 3% | 112,650 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 27 | 2% | 106,072 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 27 | 2% | 72,510 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 23 | 2% | 116,788 | — | — |
| Suspension | 22 | 2% | 98,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 19 | 1% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 15 | 1% | 33,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 14 | 1% | 107,800 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 13 | 1% | 80,238 | — | — |
| Wheels | 11 | 1% | 121,224 | — | — |
| Tires | 9 | 1% | 22,300 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 6 | 0% | 121,500 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 0% | 115,550 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 5 | 0% | 20,050 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 2 | 0% | 32,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 2 | 0% | 125,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 2 | 0% | 81,870 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 46,636 | — | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 1 | 0% | 96,075 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee recalls (8)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags:side/window
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:frontal
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-inactive
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/cooler
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/cooler
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 assembly
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:labels
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)
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…
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…
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…
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…
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 driverâs side console and…
Other Jeep Grand Cherokee years
← 2003 Grand Cherokee · 2005 Grand Cherokee →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Grand Cherokee | 25 | 6 |
| 2025 Grand Cherokee | 76 | 4 |
| 2024 Grand Cherokee | 249 | 16 |
| 2023 Grand Cherokee | 397 | 21 |
| 2022 Grand Cherokee | 264 | 13 |
| 2021 Grand Cherokee | 409 | 12 |
| 2020 Grand Cherokee | 240 | 3 |
| 2019 Grand Cherokee | 370 | 7 |
| 2018 Grand Cherokee | 855 | 10 |
| 2017 Grand Cherokee | 364 | 5 |
| 2016 Grand Cherokee | 311 | 8 |
| 2015 Grand Cherokee | 1,366 | 9 |
| 2014 Grand Cherokee | 2,381 | 18 |
| 2013 Grand Cherokee | 804 | 9 |
| 2012 Grand Cherokee | 1,644 | 10 |
| 2011 Grand Cherokee | 1,640 | 6 |
| 2010 Grand Cherokee | 118 | 5 |
| 2009 Grand Cherokee | 138 | 2 |
| 2008 Grand Cherokee | 734 | 4 |
| 2007 Grand Cherokee | 1,108 | 5 |
| 2006 Grand Cherokee | 1,280 | 4 |
| 2005 Grand Cherokee | 2,051 | 3 |
| 2004 | 1,295 | 8 |
| 2003 Grand Cherokee | 762 | 4 |
| 2002 Grand Cherokee | 1,476 | 10 |
| 2001 Grand Cherokee | 883 | 4 |
| 2000 Grand Cherokee | 1,447 | 6 |
| 1999 Grand Cherokee | 1,638 | 4 |
| 1998 Grand Cherokee | 1,028 | 4 |
| 1997 Grand Cherokee | 991 | 5 |
| 1996 Grand Cherokee | 893 | 6 |
| 1995 Grand Cherokee | 719 | 4 |
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.