2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems, Recalls & Reliability
890 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 28/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 111,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2003 sits among all Grand Cherokee years
What owners report
“Have had air bag recall for over a year part is never available have check with dealer 5 times recall r-06/nhtsa15v-046 air bag light is on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Grand Cherokee
“Visibility: defroster/defogger system:windshield:blower wj style jeep heat stopped working. Could not see to drive during the winter. Defrost would not work. Jeep would not fix. Cost me over $3000.00 cdn to repair at dealership.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Grand Cherokee
“I have had to replace the rotors on my 2003 jeep grand cherokee twice now, after having them re-surfaced as well - none of which jeep would cover under warrenty even though "it's a known problem".”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Grand Cherokee
“The wire harness going to the driver door is not long enough so when you open the door the wires will become lose or disconnect as a result in the power locks,power mirrors,power windows, evic center to malfunction and the all the dome lights remain on. And i'm not the only vehicle to have had this…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Grand Cherokee
“The driver and passenger seat warmers do not work. The dealer told her there was not a recall on seat warmers. She took her jeep to a different repair shop and they were able to pull up a recall (s17) on the internet.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Grand Cherokee
“Airbag light has stayed on even after a battery replacement. Check engine light now stays on for no apparent reason.That’s all,thanks”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 Grand Cherokee
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 568 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 71,847 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 115,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Fix: 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.
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.
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.
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…
Fix: 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.
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,…
Fix: 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.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HEATED SEATS, THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT ELECTRIC HEATER ELEMENT COULD OVERHEAT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEATED SEAT ELEMENTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 24, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
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,…
Fix: 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…
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,…
Fix: 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.
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…
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 15V043000.
Led to recall campaign 13V252000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee reliable?
The 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee drew 890 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 28/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee are airbags (257 complaints), visibility & wipers (173), and brakes & stability (76).
At what mileage do 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems around 71,847 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 115,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.