10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
26 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
10 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,212 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee engine problems

engine problem

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2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #36

Jun 192010

Grand Cherokee

  • 119,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, the accelerator pedal became stuck in the open throttle position. The contact placed the vehicle into neutral and applied constant, steady pressure to the accelerator until the pedal released. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where they diagnosed the accelerator throttle plate house as faulty. The dealer was contacted to obtain the part however, the part was on backorder until further notice. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 119,000.

- Glen Cove , NY, USA

problem #35

Apr 092010

Grand Cherokee

  • 77,575 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact was driving approximately 5 mph attempting to park the vehicle and a sudden acceleration occurred which caused the vehicle to crash into a pole. The engine was turned off and restarted. There was no personal injury. The vehicle sustained damages to the driver side front bumper. The police was not called to the scene. The vehicle resumed normal operation. The failure mileage was 77,575.

- Lake Ozark, MO, USA

problem #34

Mar 032010

Grand Cherokee

  • 53,000 miles
When preparing to go through a car wash, I was given an announcement relating to sudden acceleration relating to "some Jeep and Toyota". being a Jeep owner, I contacted a Jeep dealer. They have heard nothing of this and do not have a recall for it. I have experienced the sudden acceleration twice..

- West Seneca, NY, USA

problem #33

Feb 062010

Grand Cherokee

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Driving 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee ltd on service road of I75 in dallas. Normal road conditions and visibility. Sudden engine acceleration which could not be slowed by braking and shifting into neutral. To avoid a rear end collision, the Jeep crashed head-on through iron fencing and into trees. The airbags did not deploy. Car was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. I had the car inspected by master mechanics before it was taken off by the insurance company. Their report said that the "throttle cable linkage sleeve slid under the throttle body pivot causing the throttle to remain open."

- Irving, TX, USA

problem #32

Aug 152009

Grand Cherokee

  • 53,022 miles
Power loss & surging at speed and when accelerating. Automatic transmission-first occurrence was at 53,022 miles, and repaired after multiple trips to dealers. Dealer service tech's. determined that transmission governor pressure and transducer readings were erratic--trans. Gov. Pressure and transducer were replaced under warranty. Prior to this, non-dealer shop replaced fuel filter and pump, due to readings. Car has run fine since, but problem has re-appeared. Due to dealer closures, we had to go to a new dealer svc. Dept., which was not able to reproduce the problem. Current mileage is 71,323 miles.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #31

Mar 182009

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • 57,400 miles
Unintended acceleration of 2004 V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee, when shifting the gear to park from neutral, after the vehicle had come to a stop, the car accelerated and shot though a fence with the foot was still pressed hard on the brake but the engine accelerated and stopped after hitting a tree stump missing the house.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #30

Feb 212009

Grand Cherokee

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My wife was pulling into a parking spot when our 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo's engine suddenly raced and then the Jeep leapt forward with great force as she braked. No more that 3 feet away was a concrete planter that stopped the Jeep. No amount of pressure on the brake pedal would stop this rapid acceleration. There was $4208 in damages to the Jeep.

- Portage, WI, USA

problem #29

Jun 102008

Grand Cherokee

  • 83,600 miles
Jeep accident as result of unintended acceleration: I drove up driveway to put 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland in garage (normal daily activity). Electricity was out from a storm so the automatic garage door opener did not operate. I parked in front of the bay, put the car in park, turned off the engine and opened the garage door manually. I got back in the vehicle, started the engine, put it in drive and started slowly into the garage. I wanted to reposition the car, so I applied the brakes and was about to put it in reverse when, suddenly, the engine revved and the car shot forward like a torpedo. I had my foot plastered on the brake but the car would not stop and plowed into a garden tractor at the back of the garage. I tried to put it in park to stop it, but with the engine still revving, the car shot backwards out of the garage, across 37 feet of driveway, climbed over a low stone wall and went another 2 feet before slamming into the fieldstone bay window of our house, finally stopping. All of this happened within seconds. The brakes would not stop the car in either direction, and it accelerated at a frightening speed. When the car sped forward, it destroyed the tractor and threw it into another car parked in the garage. It also cracked the back block wall of the garage and did other property damage. When it went backwards, it hit the house so hard that it bowed the fieldstone front of the house, split drywall, damaged studs, etc. My husband got in the vehicle to move it, using the emergency brake to stop it. He said the brakes were very spongy and close to the floor. The next morning, pedal pressure was better and by two days later, the pedal pressure had improved even more. Total damage is still being computed, but the Jeep has been totaled, the other car in the garage sustained $2,000 in damages and other damage to the garage, house and property is well in excess of $20,000.

- Chester Springs, PA, USA

problem #28

Apr 222008

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles
While on the website of Consumer Affairs I noticed that there was an issue with automatic acceleration on the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo which I own and have experience this happening luckily I have always been in control of the situation, and frequent stalling. Either it jumps at a red light or it stalls, stalling is better, not being able to bring it to a shop due to financing, I try to stay on top of it, this already has caused some deaths I see on the site, when are they going to recall this vehicle due to this situation, or are they waiting to get a height body count" this happening once to anyone is too much! what is this country coming to"

- Browns Mills, NJ, USA

problem #27

Nov 152007

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 25,000 miles
I own a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited......I took my car in for the seat heater recall and since then I have terrible problems with the sudden acceleration of the car....(700rpms to 1800) I constantly have to push the brake down and be very conscious of keeping my foot on the brake. The check engine light then came on with a P0505 code. Air intake sensor. Well a new one was put in and the problem was not resolved. The mechanic could not control the idle even with the diagnostic computer attached to it. It was found that two wires on the wiring harness were shorting out and melting......then after driving approx 1200 miles the idle starts jumping again.....the check engine light come on about two days later......then within the same day the idle calms down and the check engine light goes off. I have paid lots of money to have this repaired.....I believe that there is a short somewhere from the seat heater recall since the car did not do this prior to having the dealership fix the seat heater with the recall. I really like my car when the idle is right........I am not comfortable having anyone else drive it due to this issue and do not always feel safe when the acceleration goes wild.....please help.....this is a major safety issue that needs to be addressed quickly before other people get hurt or killed.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #26

Apr 052007

Grand Cherokee 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 34,965 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving home from a restaurant less than a mile away from my apartment and took a left turn onto the road where my apartment complex was located, and the car started up fine and was okay until about 3/4 of the way home. The 2004 Grand Cherokee overland after making the left turn accelerated uncontrollably to about 60-70 mph on a not-so-straight road. The brakes were applied, which did nothing, the emergency brake was applied for no response, finally before running into oncoming traffic I pulled the keys out of the ignition and pushed the ignition into neutral and then park. The car skidded to a halt right before I dead ended into oncoming 5 O'clock traffic. The car was off, so I restarted it and it, being in park took off forward at maximum rpms. 8 or 9 thousand rpms in park, and moving! talk about scary. It did this approximately 7 times while starting where it skidded to a stop after the first rampage. I waited until a green light, turned the key, it took off in park, and allowed me while driving to move the shifter to drive, hauled around the turn at full speed into the adjacent parking lot where it finally started being normal. Thankfully that parking lot is adjacent to my apt complex so I drove back without really any trouble aside from a few over revved. Left the car in the garage, and have turned it on twice with no issue. Its being towed in the morning for the second time that this type of problem has happened. I will now be selling this car.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #25

Mar 282007

Grand Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,000 miles
On 2 separate occasions, my Jeep lurched forward while parking. The 1st time I had to put 2 feet on the brake pedal to stop it, & the Jeep was still trying to drag itself forward. It happened again 2 months later. On March 28, 2007, I had a major incident that has left me terrified of ever driving this vehicle again. I pulled over to transfer some things to another vehicle. I put my Jeep in park & left it running. I got out of the Jeep (my driver's door was open) & as I got to the rear of the vehicle, it started to slowly roll backwards. I ran back & tried reach the brake, but my foot slipped off & I hit the gas pedal. The Jeep let out a roar - it was revving uncontrolably (normal in a vehicle that is in park) - then I felt a bang & the Jeep took off, in reverse, like a shot. My right foot got caught under the brake pedal as I scrambled frantically to get into the vehicle. My shoe came off, I was thrown to the ground by my open driver's door & run over by my own Jeep. The truck continued in reverse & slammed intoanother vehicle. I was taken by ambulance to hospital for X-rays, a ct scan, and a tetanus shot. I have a broken tailbone, staples closing a gash in my head, abrasions on my feet and hands, wrenched back & neck & severe dizzyness. I know I put the car in park. I heard the door locks release. When I hit the gas, the engine revved for several seconds before banging into reverse & taking off. If the car had actually been in reverse, it would have rolled as soon as I got out. Also, it would've just taken off in reverse when I hit the gas, not revved like a jet engine. The vehicle was in park when it was turned off after the accident. I've contacted daimler Chrysler. They said "thanks for the info, we'll be in touch." I'm not holding my breath. I don't want to ever drive this Jeep again. I don't want anyone to ever drive this Jeep again. I'd like daimler chrisler to address these issues before others are hurt, & I would appreciate your help.

- Hopkinton, MA, USA

problem #24

Mar 092007

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64,000 miles
Car was parked in garage. I put my foot on the brake, put the car into reverse and the car literally shot out of the garage straight into a tree. My driveway is curved - fortunately the tree stopped the car or I would have been in the street. Impact totaled the car, broke the gas tank which may cause environmental issues on my property. It probably took less than 2 seconds to travel out of the garage and then 54 feet up the driveway into the tree. I felt as if it were airborne.

- Medford, NJ, USA

problem #23

Aug 162006

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 36,000 miles
I was stopped at a stop sign. Had put the car in park and when putting the vehicle back into drive, it accelerated in reverse and hit the truck behind me. I was able to get the vehicle in drive however, it accelerated forward. The entire time I had my foot on the brake. I accelerated through an intersection over the curb and I believe because I turned the wheel as I was heading towards a block wheel the Jeep spun and I hit a tree. The insurance company has investigated the event. There are skid marks and I have pictures, witness behind me stated my brakes were on the entire time and there was evidence from the investigation that the brakes had been applied. However the investigator could not get the vehicle to duplicate the problem and the throttle was not sticking.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #22

Feb 282006

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee suddenly accelerated without warning. The Jeep Cherokee does not belong to the complainant. The complainant business (car wash) was damaged by one of his patron's Jeep Grand Cherokee when it accelerated suddenly. ***** referred to occ.

- Sheboygan, WI, USA

problem #21

Jul 032006

Grand Cherokee 4WD

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I was loading a car hauler semi truck, backing a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee over my cab. Just as soon as I had the unit where it needed to be and before I could get it in park it accelerated in reverse. The consequence was it crashed to the ground and rolled onto it's right side with me still in it. I wasn't seriously hurt, but I did loose my job over the accident.

- N. Ridgeville, OH, USA

problem #20

Jun 172006

Grand Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,700 miles
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee suddenly accelerated while brakes were applied. Whine the vehicle accelerated suddenly the consumer's vehicle bumped the vehicle stopped in front of him. This was the second time this happened.

- Pitcairn, PA, USA

problem #19

Jul 012005

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • miles
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee lost all electrical power inside vehicle on multiple occasions. The consumer was told the problem was a faulty BCM. However, the same problem recurred one month later. In Oct 2005, the consumer experienced unwanted acceleration while he was pulling into the garage and hit another vehicle. The consumer stated the check engine light would occasionally come on and then go of. Then the rear hatch light would come on, the tire pressure light and the security system stopped working. The dealer then found a broken ground wire in the engine harness. The windows were inoperative.

- Manchester, CT, USA

problem #18

Jun 172006

Grand Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,700 miles
: the contact stated, the vehicle surges forward without effort. In all incidences the brake pedal was depressed. This was the second occurance under the same condition.

- North Versailles, PA, USA

problem #17

Jun 172006

Grand Cherokee 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,300 miles
Vehicle was backed into campground spot and stopped. I got out of the back seat, leaving the back door open, and stood behind the vehicle. Wife was shifting from reverse into park when the vehicle accelerated in reverse at full throttle. Wife was pushing brake with both feet, but vehicle continued backwards, catching rear door on power pole and removing door and jamming driver door shut. I leaped to the side, the vehicle barely missing me, vehicle continued about 100 feet into a field, then stopped.

- Livingston, TX, USA

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