2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems, Recalls & Reliability
2,733 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 73/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 92,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2009–2010, 2016–2017, 2019–2022.
Avoid
Where 2005 sits among all Grand Cherokee years
What owners report
“The headlights and dashboard lights have started to flicker on and off. Numerous times the headlights and dashboard lights have completely turned off while driving or even while parked/”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Grand Cherokee
“Drivers side rear interior door handle plastic cup securing the handle broken. Cannot open door from inside.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Grand Cherokee
“Driving down the road the vehicle cuts off had to try and pull off the road. It would not crank back. Had to have it towed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Grand Cherokee
“The vehicle was being driven on the highway and the engine shut off. This has happened other times when the vehicle was stopped at a stop light. The car needed to be shut down and restarted to go again in all instances.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Grand Cherokee
“Plastic surrounding all 4 door handles cracking. Front passenger door handle inoperable due to cracking.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Grand Cherokee
“Tl- the contact owns a 2005 jeep grand cherokee limited. The contact stated the interior door handles for all the doors in the vehicle have broken off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians informed the contact there was no recall and the contact would have to cover all costs of…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 Grand Cherokee
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,869 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 50,000 and 115,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, drivers should adjust their seat to allow clearance between the driver's knee and the ignition key, and remove all items from their key ring, leaving only the…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. Chrysler sent interim notifications to owners in September 2014. The recall began on October 9, 2015.…
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 11, 2004, through March 9, 2010; and 2006-2010 Jeep Commander vehicles manufactured January 31, 2005, through March 10, 2010. A…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the final drive controller which governs the transfer case, with new software, free of charge. The recall began on August 15, 2013. Owners may…
ROCK KRAWLER IS RECALLING 44 PERFORMANCE SUSPENSION SYSTEMS SOLD AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR USE ON THE VEHICLE LISTED ABOVE. THESE SUSPENSION SYSTEMS WERE PRODUCED WITH GRADE 2 CARRIAGE BOLTS INSTEAD OF THE PROPER GRADE 5 CARRIAGE BOLTS. THE IMPROPER…
Fix: ROCK KRAWLER WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND PROVIDE A FREE REMEDY. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 15. 2008. ALL THE AFFECTED UNTITS HAVE BEEN REMEDIED. OWNERS MAY CONTACT ROCK KRAWLER AT…
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.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.7L ENGINES AND NAG1 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, THE AIR CONDITIONER EVAPORATOR CONDENSATE WATER MAY ENTER THE TRANSMISSION AT THE FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL. THIS CAN RESULT IN SHUDDER DURING TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION FOR LEAKAGE AT THE FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL. IF NO LEAK IS DETECTED, A NEW FILL TUBE GROMMET SEAL AND WATER DEFLECTOR SHIELD WILL BE INSTALLED, AND PROPER…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 14V438000.
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 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee reliable?
The 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee drew 2,733 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 73/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee are electrical (1,004 complaints), body & structure (413), and transmission & drivetrain (256).
At what mileage do 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems around 80,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 50,000 and 115,000 miles.
Does the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 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.