1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year report brake vibration and rotor warping most often, frequently after only a few thousand miles and often long before 40,000 miles, followed by transmission and driveline complaints. A second pattern involves climate-control blend door failures that leave little or no heat or defrost, plus seats and seat brackets detaching from the tracks at higher mileages. Many complaints involve vehicles over 100,000 miles, but the brake and blend door reports appear early too.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Brake pulsation and rotor warping

   • 529 complaints (32%)
   • median 41,000 mi at 5.4 yrs old (115 state mileage)
   • 14 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $571 (median of 16 quotes)
   • filed 1999–2017

   Owners describe vibration, shaking and pulsation through the steering wheel and pedal when braking, especially from highway speeds, and say the symptom returns after rotors are turned or replaced. Complaints mention repeated rotor, pad and caliper replacement, sometimes every few thousand miles, and that once the vehicle was out of warranty the dealer would no longer cover it at no cost. Some report seized calipers, a cracked rotor, or a brake line that failed from corrosion where it is clipped to the frame, leaving a soft pedal. Often reported under 15,000 miles, with recurrences every few thousand miles and other cases appearing between 60,000 and 185,000 miles.

   What to check: Drive at highway speed and brake firmly to feel for pulsation or wheel shake, and ask for service records showing how often rotors, pads and calipers were replaced. Have the brake lines inspected for rust where they are clipped to the frame.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Faulty brake rotors have been a systemic problem on this vehicle. The symptom is severe pulsation which worsens over time causing the vehicle to lurch and/or be unstable while braking. Rotors were turned or replaced at 10000 miles, 18000 miles, 31000 miles, and 35000 miles. At 36k miles, my warranty ran out and Jeep would not fix this any longer at no cost. I incurred an expense of $351.90 at 52k miles and another $544.76 at 69k miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10052551, filed 2004-01, 10,728 miles

   “Vehicle is a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 61900 miles. One brake line failed as a result of corrosion at two points where it is clipped to the car's frame. Brake pedal became soft and went almost to the floor. It would not pump up. Vehicle was taken to a firestone repair shop where the failed brake line was discovered. The line was replaced. I have the old line. This is a light use vehicle and if I had this failure, there are probably many others.”

   NHTSA complaint #10104413, filed 2004-12, 60,800 miles
2. 2
   Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)

   No heat or defrost from blend door failure

   • 125 complaints (8%)
   • median 97,500 mi at 8.5 yrs old (85 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 31 quotes)
   • filed 1999–2016

   Owners report that one side of the cabin blows hot while the other stays cold, or that no heat reaches the windshield, so defrost clears poorly in cold or icy weather. Complaints describe broken blend doors and heater cores, and dealers quoting over a thousand dollars because the instrument panel must come out. Some also mention a heater blower that stopped working, with a burned resistor or wiring found. Typically reported between roughly 95,000 and 170,000 miles, often in cold weather or winter driving.

   What to check: With the engine warm, set heat and defrost and check that both sides blow hot and the windshield clears; listen for the blower and check for a burning smell. Ask whether the blend doors or heater core have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The heater fan in my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped working and there was a burning smell in the car. Mechanic found that the fan resistor (computer) and pigtail that connects to it were burned up. He checked with Jeep and there are 3,000 of these items back ordered because this is a problem on many of these vehicles. Its winter and 17 degrees in my car I could freeze with my family or my dashboard could catch on fire.”

   NHTSA complaint #10180799, filed 2007-01, 116,000 miles

   “I noticed that my air flow through the A/C and heater was not working - no air flow. It seems permanent - no air flow. I can hear the fan, but no flow of air - no matter what setting (defrost, floor, front side). What is worse, when my windshield fogs up, I have no visibility due to no windshield blower flow. I have not fixed it since it seems to be a widespread problem inherent with the Jeep design, and I believe Jeep should fix it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10252961, filed 2008-12, 151,330 miles
3. 3
   Seats

   Driver seat bracket breaking loose

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the driver seat feeling loose, wobbling, rocking, or suddenly reclining or detaching from its tracks while driving. Owners report cracked or broken brackets and seat frames, sometimes after earlier weld repairs, and dealer quotes ranging from about $150 to over $1,000. Several say the vehicle was out of warranty and no help was offered. Mostly reported from about 70,000 to 150,000 miles, with one case near 100,000 miles at highway speed.

   Recall 01V119000Recall 00V034000Recall 98V276000

   What to check: Grab the driver seat and push it firmly forward, back and sideways to feel for play or a rocking motion, and inspect the brackets and track mounts for cracks or previous welding.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee I have had the driver seat welded 3 to 4 times since 2005. Now the seat and brackets are so bad drivers seat snapped near the top and rear the bracket. I thank the powers that I wasn't driving in traffic when it happened..... I think Jeep and the chrysler corp should replace my and all of these brackets in all jeeps before someone dies as a result of the incident.”

   NHTSA complaint #10384131, filed 2011-02, 136,000 miles

   “My driver side seat broke completely from the tracks. The metal holding the seat to the tracks broke completely while my wife was driving the car. Chrysler Jeep says that the car is out of warranty and now I have to pay $800 to repair at the Jeep dealer.”

   NHTSA complaint #10123712, filed 2005-05, 73,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine cooling

   Engine stalling while driving

   • 86 complaints (5%)
   • median 125,000 mi at 12.7 yrs old (35 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2020

   Owners report the engine cutting out at various speeds, sometimes restarting after shifting to neutral or waiting several minutes, and sometimes stalling when fuel is below half a tank while turning. Complaints mention replaced crank sensors, fuel pumps and filters without a lasting fix, and dealers or mechanics unable to reproduce or diagnose the fault. A few describe a check engine light along with the stall. Reported across a wide mileage range, from roughly 30,000 to over 180,000 miles, at both city and highway speeds.

   Recall 02V104000

   What to check: Ask whether the crank sensor, fuel pump or ignition-related parts have been replaced, and test drive at steady highway speed plus a low-fuel turn to see whether the engine stumbles or cuts out.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited 4.7 litre. Whenever the fuel is less than half a tank the engine stalls when taking a curve or making a turn. I had to take to a ditch last week to avoid being run over by a semi when the engine cutout eliminating the chance for me to accelerate out of harms way. One local dealer acknowledges the existence of the problem - one denies they ever heard of it. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10026001, filed 2003-07, 30,000 miles

   “Within the last 6 months my Jeep's engine has shut off while driving at various speeds 5 different times but not exceeding 60mph. Four of the six times I was able to shift into neutral and restart the engine, two times I had to wait approximately 5 minutes before it would restart. The incident at 60mph happened on a 4 lane highway and luckily I was close to the shoulder when it shut off and I was able to get it off the road before the steering locked up and no one was hurt. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10574244, filed 2014-03, 100,000 miles
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Shifting problems and driveline noise

   • 130 complaints (8%)
   • median 61,000 mi at 5.2 yrs old (31 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,150 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 1998–2018

   Complaints describe harsh or slipping shifts, clunking in low gears, delayed engagement when cold, surging when stopping and revving before a shift. Others report whine or noise from the rear differential or transfer case at highway speeds, with one owner told the differential needed rebuilding. Some mention repeated replacement of the transmission control module. Mostly reported between about 45,000 and 125,000 miles, with some cold-shift complaints at lower mileage.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test drive from cold and note any slip or delay going into gear, then check for whine or rumble at 40-65 mph. Ask whether transmission service was done and whether any bulletin work such as the cooler return filter replacement was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At highway speeds of 40 to 65mph, I am hearing a whine comming from the undercarriage. I presume it is from the transfer case or the front drive shaft. Would like to know how to resolve this problem. This is my second Jeep, and could be my last if I can't resolve this problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #10019153, filed 2003-05, 50,000 miles

   “Excessive noise from rear differential. Dealer states components within differential are coming apart and that differential needs to be re-built. My cost is going to be between $1050 and $1300 for repair. I noted several other complaints from other consumers at the NHTSA site. Dealer states its a common problem. My previous 1988 Jeep did not have this problem. Any movement by NHTSA to force a recall or some adjustment from diamler-chrysler or am I just out of luck?”

   NHTSA complaint #10047057, filed 2003-11, 71,000 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection focused on the brakes, transmission behavior from cold, the climate control output and the driver seat mounting covers most of what owners report for this model year. Service records showing recent brake and transmission work are worth asking for, and the vehicle's age means many of these items may already have been addressed.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.