2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee: problems, recalls and reliability
14 recalls and 1,294 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (24% of complaints); the 2003 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 2015
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 1,294 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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 waiting for 3 hours, no progress had been made. This recall is mandatory, and the dealer failed to complete it. I am reporting this as a safety issue and request that the matter be investigated.”Owner report · Seat Belts · Sep 2025
“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 the doors failed to unlock. The contact stated that the buttons on the driver's side console failed to function as needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 86,000.”Owner report · Visibility · Apr 2023
“The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lunged to the right. The contact stated that on several occasions while attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lunged to the left or to the right. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware that the driver's side rear control arm was extremely rusted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 94,009.”Owner report · Suspension · Sep 2022
Show 7 more owner reports
“My jeep does the death wobble anytime I hit a small bump in the road, pothole, Lane marker...etc. it is very hard to control at that point and seems as though it might flip if it gets any worst or hit a big enough bump. It is very hard to control and to get to stop once it gets going. It poses a huge safety concern for myself and others being that I have to get the truck to stop when it does the death wobble which means someone coming behind me would/should have to stop as well and definitely is a nuisance to myself and other drivers. Please help. I have read and been told it could be any one of the steering or suspension components.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Sep 2022
“There was an open recall for rear structural enhancement of the vehicle that required a hitch be installed. I scheduled the recalled repair, it was marked completed and i was told they are no longer doing that repair. My son works for another jeep dealership and informed me they have to do that no matter how old and they are still performing the needed repair but mine has been marked closed so he is unable to help fix mine. How do i address this issue to have it completed correctly”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2022
“The Vehicle well completely stop with no indication of stopping the engine just turns off power steering is gone power brakes are gone there's nothing”Owner report · Engine · Aug 2022
“When the steering wheel is turned either completely to the right or left while moving forward or in reverse, a scrubbing noise is heard that appears to be the tire wheel coming in contact with the suspension.”Owner report · Suspension · Jul 2022
“When driving the truck will randomly shut off or stall no matter the speed or if its parked. replaced the crankshaft and cam shaft position sensor and still has the same issue. These vehicles must have a bad ECM unit on them or something.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2021
“Discovered that all windows and side mirrors were no longer operarable from within vechicle panel on driver side. Unable to lock the vechicle from within, as well. Unable to lock the vechicle with key control from outside, only manually, though the key control can still lock all other doors, including the rear gate. Firestone stated that only a jeep dealer can repair this issue.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2021
“On sept 4th 2020 I stopped to put air in a tire. I noticed the side wall appeared to be splitting. I checked the other tires and they were splitting as well. All for tires have been replaced. I still have the tires that were splitting.o also have pictures.”Owner report · Tires · Sep 2020
When filing, owners marked a crash in 110 of these complaints and injuries in 85 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 14 campaigns
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT BRAKE CYLINDERS FOR CERTAIN FORD, DAIMLERCHRYSLER, AND JEEP PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE BRAKE CYLINDERS WERE SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAMES OF NAPA, RAYBESTOS, AIMCO, AC DELCO, CARQUEST, BENDIX, AND WAGNER. ONLY PRODUCTS THAT WERE MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 27, 2005 THROUGH JANUARY 17, 2006 (DATE CODES 0529 THROUGH 0602) ARE SUBJECT TO THIS RECALL. WHEN SUBJECT TO VERY COLD TEMPERATURES, AN INTERNAL SEAL IN THE MASTER CYLINDER COULD LOSE FLEXIBILITY AND MAY CAUSE BRAKE FLUID TO LEAK.
Remedy: AFFINIA (BRAKE PARTS, INC.) WILL REPLACE THE SUBJECT BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2006. OWNERS CAN CONTACT AFFINA GROUP CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-323-0354.
CERTAIN ANZO COMBINATION HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS WHICH FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT."
Remedy: ANZO WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE HEADLAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN MAY 9, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ANZO USA AT 909-468-3688.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 4.0L ENGINES, THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR WIRING INSULATION MAY CRACK AND EXPOSE THE WIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 29, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE POWER STEERING GEAR MAY CONTAIN AN IMPROPERLY FORMED SPACER CLIP, WHICH COULD DISLODGE WITHIN THE STEERING GEAR.
Remedy: 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.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HEATED SEATS, THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT ELECTRIC HEATER ELEMENT COULD OVERHEAT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEATED SEAT ELEMENTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 24, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
CERTAIN TRADESONIC COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Remedy: TRADESONIC WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JULY 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TRADESONIC AT 626-934-8884.
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.
Remedy: 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.
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET AIRTEX ELECTRIC FUEL PUMPS INSTALLED FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR CERTAIN 1997-2004 JEEP WRANGLER; 1997-2001 JEEP CHEROKEE; 1997-2004 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE; AND 2000-2003 DODGE DAKOTA VEHICLES. THE PLASTIC ELECTRICAL GROMMET CONNECTORS AT THE TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP MODULE ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH AUTOMOTIVE FUELS AND MAY DEGRADE CAUSING A POTENTIAL LEAK PATH FOR FUEL.
Remedy: AIRTEX WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED FUEL PUMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 25, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AIRTEX CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT 1-800-880-3056.
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.
Remedy: 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.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
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.
Remedy: 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.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2004 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Grand Cherokee by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee reliable?
NHTSA has 1,294 owner complaints and 14 recall campaigns on record for the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The most complained-about area is air bags (24% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 64,000 miles or less.
Does the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee have open recalls?
14 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:side/window. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.