2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems
NHTSA has received 2,733 complaints about the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 34% of them involve electrical system. Next are body & structure (15%) and engine (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 2,733 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 137 and 34
- Injuries and deaths
- 115 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 1,911 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 228 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 164 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 248 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 306 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 316 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 209 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 176 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 114 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 70 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 44 |
| 200k+ miles | 36 |
What the data shows
Of the 1,911 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 80,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 91,000 miles (480 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 137 complaints mention a crash; 34 complaints mention a fire; 115 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Jeep Grand Cherokee with enough data (778 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep grand cherokee. While driving approximately 2 MPH, the vehicle surged forward until crashing. A police report was filed and the driver was reported injured. The fire department also appeared on the scene due to smoke emitting from the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the vehicle was not examined for the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 60,000.
Bad plastic resin compound was used to manufacture 2005 jeep grand cherokee in several batches of door panels, used to hold door handles. The plastic cracks, crumbles, and disintegrates around the door handle after only a few (3-5) years of use. Many door handles are no longer usable. This creates a fire safety issue and a crash safety issue, because vehicle occupants cannot use the door handle to escape from the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 jeep grand cherokee. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 14v438000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. Updated 07/27/16 the consumer stated the ignition failed which caused loss of power to the vehicle, which rendered the steering and brakes inoperable.
When backing into parking space the car took off like a rocket ship/full throttle (5.7 hemi) like it had a mind of it's own. The result was property damage (unknown amount) and car damage over $7600.00 not including car rental for 2 weeks. Chrysler sent inspector to body shop and their determination was they found nothing wrong and said the case is closed. A jeep/chrysler dealership replaced the throttle body january 31, 2014 under warranty. We know this was not driver error.
When attempting to start the vehicle, I heard one click and nothing happened. Lights and gauges worked, but nothing else. Jeep was jumped and then started right up. It went two months and is now doing the same again. Within a week, it has done it 3 times. Battery replaced and starter checks out fine. Also gauges dim and then come back on within seconds. The alarm goes off whenever it feels like it. Doors sometimes will not unlock with the fob which sets the alarm off. Nav system only works when it feels like it.