Problems with 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 jeep grand cherokee. while driving 3 mph in reverse, the contact heard a loud pop coming from her vehicle. she discovered that the plastic fan blade on the radiator fan separated. the failure caused damage to the radiator as well as some other parts to which the contact could not recall. the repair will cost $600. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. daimler chrysler stated that they would not pay for the repair because the contact did not bring the vehicle in for repair when she received recall notice # f25 (electric radiator fan). the manufacturer stated that the contact should have parked the vehicle and refrained from driving. the contact went to two different dealers for the repair, but neither were taking any appointments. she feels that she should not have to pay for the repair because she could not get an appointment from the dealer. the engine size and powertrain were unknown. the current and failure mileages were 73,000.

1)unknown, purchased as pre-owned 2)vehicle won't start right away, turn key to start then wait approx 10 seconds and try again, typically will then start, all other electrical parts would come on. on two occasions vehicle was towed because it would not start at all. entire electrical system went haywire, no gauges, power windows and locks did not work. heat/ac blower randomly works. 3)computer was replaced, starter was replaced, ignition switch was replaced. problem still exists, but much more infrequently. was advised by phil long jeep repair that there is no part available to repair blower on heat/ac unit. windows fog and freeze, no visibility. this has been an ongoing problem for many months. complete failure occurred sometime in march 2007. *tr

On march 7, 2007, the instrument panel in my 2002 jeep grand cherokee laredo suddenly failed-gas gauge, speedometer, odometer, battery level, temperature gauge etc all inoperative. on march 8, 2007 my mechanic told me that this event was covered under chrysler recall 994. today i took my car to the dealer who said that the recall had already been performed in 2002 and so they were unable to perform the recall again. however, this has never happened to my car before and i did not request that recall be performed in 2002. the service manager said they need to charge me $85.00 to diagnose the problem. he already knows what the problem is and it is a safety problem because i have no idea how fast i am driving! *jb

Popping and creaking noises behind the dash when using the heating and cooling unit of the 2002 jeep with dual climate. sometimes doesn't seem to work correctly. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated when attempting to stop the vehicle, a loud noise was heard from the front end, and it vibrated. also, the electric connection to the heater failed causing a lack of heat. the dealer could find no problem with the front of the vehicle. however, the dealer was not contacted about the electrical problem with the heater. *ak

I am hearing a grinding sound under my dash which is one of the reported first system of a failure. *jb

2002 jeep grand cherokee. consumer writes in regards to several expenses related to vehicle and requests reimbursement *tgw the consumer stated the front brakes which included the rotors master cylinder, left rear seal axle, bearing, snap ring had to be replaced more than once on different occasions. also, the vehicle broke down on several occasions and smoke was emitting from the vehicle on one of those occasions. it was discovered the relay fan radiator fan needed to be replaced. the transduce pressure sensor, solenoid, transmission gov and gasket were replaced at a cost of $ 530.50. *jb the consumer stated the horn began blaring for no apparent reason and then stopped working/ two days later, all the gauges in the vehicle went to zero and all the interior lights illuminated and the windows did not work. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and a diagnostics test revealed an electrical problem. updated 11/10/11*jb updated 11/22/11. *jb

After reading almost all complaints with other 2002 jeep grand cherokees, i have to put in my two cents worth. i can relate to almost every complaint that there is. i just had both my front left and right window regulators replaced a month and a half apart, one just today at $327.00 with my employee discount. (i work for a car dealership) last month, i have had almost $500.00 worth of repairs for my power steering pump problems. i have had my brake rotors turned and resurfaced and am in need of doing it again. then on the other hand, i have experienced problems with my dual control panel not working correctly which i have not have repaired yet because i don't have the money for that one and didn't know at the time that it was a problem. then when my jeep was under warranty i have had the air conditioner compressor replaced, new battery(for hard or no starting), amongst other repairs that i can't think of at the moment. i have also been experiencing hard starts with my truck and also the transmission not engaging or jumping (accelerating) while switching gears that the jeep dealer has not been able to recognize as a problem. i feel that those new chrysler commercials are not up to par as american and german engineering. those germans know how to build vehicles in the first place and help repair them as the problem seem necessary. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated the gauges on the dash malfunctioned and did not illuminate. there was a nhtsa recall, # 01v288000, regarding the electrical system; wiring; instrument/under dash. the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the vin.*ak

Engine light keeps coming on. dealer, car max, stated it was a chip which cost $350 to repair. they stated it was not life threatening and will not repair it at their cost. i need to know when the light came on if the engine was in trouble or not, and i felt it should be repaired at their expense. *ak

Tail light/brake light assembly on both driver and passenger side failed leaving only center brake light working when head lights are on. passenger taillight/brake light failed completely. both tail light assemblies needed to be replaced as part of circuit board was melted.*jb

This is my 4th jeep. here is a little background on this issue. i purchased a 2002 jeep grand cherokee, the overland edition. the dealership pushed buying a used certified jeep vehicle! they mentioned the extended warranty that would take care of any issues that the jeep had during the last years of my ownership. i went in the dealership looking to purchase a new vehicle but they told me all the added benefits / value from buying from the used jeep facility! the warranty: as mentioned i purchased the warranty sold by jeep at the local dealership. the service agreement that was sold by the dealership went bankrupt! gary miller chrysler jeep isuzu located in erie, pa sold this to me. my 1st issue was when i decided to take the vehicle in because of a vibration while driving. i was made aware that the company was bankrupt when tying to call and find out what information will be needed when i go to the local jeep dealership in kansas city. furthermore i mentioned to the jeep dealership that pushed the contract that i am wiling to purchase the best contract to make sure i do not have an issue with my new vehicle in the future. the constant issues: i have now taken in my jeep for 6 visits! i have only included some of the payments (see the additional paperwork) but you can see a trend here. this jeep had been nothing but a problem since i purchased the vehicle! i am now stuck replacing the steering pump for the 2nd time! i have to pay for the replacement and live without a vehicle. i am out several thousand dollars and still have to take this vehicle (that jeep pushed on me) to the service shop about every 6 months. i just started driving my vehicle from the last service repair (i am getting very familiar to the local jeep dealerships) and still the item is not fixed and my jeep is leaking oil all over our company driveway. this vehicle is a lemon and the company that made the vehicle sold me a bankrupt contract. *nm

My 2002 jigs special edition w/ v8 4x4 has an unidentified electric problem. 3 times so far in 2005 when trying to start the jeep the system goes completely dark. no electricity at all. it won't start, the lights won't work, the remote won't work. you can't even jump start it. the first time the dealer replaced the battery (even though i replaced it 8 months prior). the second time it started when the tow truck driver went to check the miles, so the dealer said there was no way for them to figure it out. last night it happened again, again it has been towed to the dealer and i am waiting for results. *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 jeep grand cherokee. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would stall intermittently without warning. also, the contact mentioned that when driving over 50 mph the lights and gauges on the instrumental panel stutter. in addition, the vehicle jerk forward and hesitated whenever the failure occurred. the vehicle was taken to the dealer on multiple occasions. the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 35,000.

2002 jeep grand cherokee limited (wj), electrical wires melting at blower motor controller for heater /ac interior fan. fire hazard as this circuit is hot even when the vehicle is off. poor contact between the wire female spade connector and the blower motor controller male spade terminal caused excessive heat which resulted in the wires being charred and the blower motor controller housing melting. device is located under the dashboard on the passenger side. according to dealer, daimler chrysler claims this is not a problem but i experienced it on my vehicle and became alarmed when i read about car fires resulting from this same defect on mycarstats.com. my vehicle serial number is [xxx]. i ordered and replaced the melted blower motor and crimped the female connector tighter to make a tighter connection with the male terminal after being notified by the jeep dealer that this would not be covered and that no tsb existed for this defect. while my car did not catch on fire, this is clearly a fire hazard that should be addressed by the manufacturer. *nm updated 07/17/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

The cooling fan blade just broke while stopped at a light. it made the car thump i thought someone hit us but the fan blades broke the fan shrode and put dents all in the radiator and broke the fan guard. this vechile has had many of the same problems due to the electrical system. we lease the jeep and have put $$$ in it because they would not take it back as a lemon with in the 2 years. i still hear a beep coming from under the dash that jeep never found the problem or fixed it. i just had the fan relay changed because it went out. with in the first 2 years i had it in the shop for a variety of electrical problems i have all the paper work. i am afraid the jeep will catch on fire or cause an accident. i've also checked many other things that were issues with the jeep. leaking shocks and transmission pan and emissions is now leaking. the check engine light stays on and every time i get it checked it's a different problem. i'm out of my warranty now but there have been so many different things wrong. the dealer replaced 2 of 4 leaking shocks they left the transmission pan loose when they replaced a part in the transmission. this jeep is unsafe for the road it has lost power in the past while traveling so they replaced the battery twice with in a month.

My 2002 jeep grand cherokee limited is blowing cold air out the passenger side and makes a creaking sound in the dash even when the vehicle is off. *nm

Duel climate control doors not working no heat on passenger side or on driver side. windows fog up and make for dangerous driving conditions. cost 1500.00 to repair and fix. at the dealership they have seen between 8-10 of these since october 2005 and it is only february 2006. when i called jeep about the problem the customer service person told me he was "setting me straight" and that he didn't care if i was a customer again. he would not let me talk to a supervisor and he hung up the phone on me. *nm

While idling a fire started with the wiring under the dashboard. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

Air conditioner fan stopped, thought i had it set wrong, changed the setting, started working again. couple of weeks later it stopped again. then it would work intermittantly. called dealer and they said check fuses and relays, checked ok. called them back, they said check wiring harness for meltdown. connector and wires going to the blower were melted. they said i needed to schedule an appt. they did not tell me to disconnect wires or that i needed to worry about possible fire. a couple of days later on my way home, smoke stated coming out of dash on passenger side, i shut the engine off. jumped out and ran around to other side, opened front door to see what was smoking and flames were coming from under the dash. ran to back door and opened to get fire extinguisher and the smoked knocked me down. crawled away from vehicle and stumbled to house and called 911. i am so thankful my family wasn't with me especially my 4 year old in his car seat. the thought of it terrifies me. i am still having nightmares of fire and am very paranoid of fire. diamlercrysler corp. refuses to accept responsibility even tho it was still under warrenty. have several witnesses to the melted wiring harness.*ak

At 26,164 miles the right stop light bulb would not function. this was replaced under warranty. at 54,538 miles the left stop light bulb would not function. this was replaced at a cost of $191.40. the original lamp assemblies are defective and a safety hazard. the mfg. has even redesigned the replacement lamp assembly. all lamp assemblies should be recalled and replaced and owners that paid to have this safety hazard corrected should be reimbursed. *jb

Intermittently consumer was unable to turn the key in the ignition switch. the consumer also saw sparks coming from the ignition switch. the dealership was notified but did not resolve the problem. *ak *nm

Electrical problems, check engine light, beep under dash, dome lights coming on, radio goes off, all dash lights(abs, brake,etc.). transmission problems 3 times in shop for slipping and leaking seals. leaking at pan, output seal and, drive train they changed seals and 1 month later output seal was leaking again. govern assembly was replaced 8/3/03 along with solenoid, transduce. faulty batteries. shocks all leaking but they replaced 1 front 1 back. *jb

The vehicle experienced problem since it was leased. there were engine and electrical trouble. the vehicle had been back to the dealer many times. *ak *sc

My wife & i were driving on i-95 south when my jeep grand cherokee's check engine light came on but before we could do anything it shifted from drive to 2nd gear and went from 60mph to around 25mph while we were still in the 3rd inside lane of a 3 lane hwy so we proceded to pull off the hwy and check out the truck and also let it sit for awhile and in doing so the lite went off so we proceded to get back on and go straight home but as we tried to get on the hwy it happened again but this time we went from drive to 1st gear and we almost got rearended by an 18 wheeler but he moved over at the last second, where we got on there was no break down lane so we had to go for about a mile and in the process we started to loose the brakes do to problems ariseing from the abs and also the engine was acting funny it started to shut off then it would speed up and it did it 3 or 4 times so when we got off we had the jeep flatbeded to "greenwich jeep" in greenwich,ct. soon as it's fixed i'm getting rid of it but i did want to note the problem with you! *ak

Starter had to be replaced at 44,906 miles.

Purchased november 2001, had two recalls for fuel system within two months, dealer told me there was previous recall fixed before i purchased. engine safety warning light has come on and stayed on several days on seven (7) separate occasions. dealer claims not to worry cannot figure out why. plus seat heater went out and had to be replaced, interior heater stopped working except defrost. i believe they are all related and is why the engine safety warning light keeps coming on. also to note--vehicle sways back and forth over small bumps, like riding a small boat in rough water. *nlm

2002 jeep grand cherokee limited (wj), electrical wires melting at blower motor controller (resistor block) for heater /ac interior fan. fire hazard as this circuit is hot even when the vehicle is off. poor contact between the wire female spade connector and the blower motor controller male spade terminal caused excessive heat which resulted in the wires being charred and the blower motor controller housing melting. device is located under the dashboard on the passenger side. i am ordering a harness and heater resistor to remedy this manufacturer defect. while my car did not catch on fire, this is clearly a fire hazard that should be addressed by the manufacturer. *tr

While traveling at 45 mph, vehicle started to lose power. consumer coasted to a stop. there was an orange gauge light that came on. jeep towed vehicle to dealer, and they stated it was an ignition coil problem. *ak *slc

Both driver and passengner get a static shock upon exiting vehicle. dealer and manufacturer were not notified at this time. feel free to provide any further information.*ak