2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee: engine overheating

Filed Apr 11, 2014 · Seats · 36,000 miles · AZ · fire

Vehicle was not included in chrysler recall number j14 for front seat electric heater elements that could over heat. Both chrysler and jeep dealer were notified of excessive heat generated by vehicle seat heater and declined to make fix or repair without charge. Specifically, they told me they would fix it and charge me for the repay, but were not going to accept responsibility for the problem. Seat did eventually overheat to a point the heater no longer worked. Owner set forth to repair seat and during seat teardown observed evidence of seat fire. Multiple pictures and melted wires were collected and preserved. These items will be provided to the federal safety agency upon request. It is amazing death/injury did not occur due to this known defect that chrysler refused to address. All chrysler vehicles with similar heater design should be inspect and repaired without charge to vehicle owner. In addition, chrysler should be made to provide compensation to those that had repairs done at their cost.

Filed Apr 30, 2012 · Engine · 107,000 miles · KY

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 jeep grand cherokee. While driving approximately 5 MPH, the temperature increased and the vehicle was close to overheating. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the fan motor was not functioning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic replaced the fan motor. The failure recurred twice after the repair. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

Filed Nov 12, 2011 · Seats · CO

Overheating could potentially cause a fire or injury. I was made aware if this 2003 jeep grand cherokee recall by a friend who bought a used 2003 jeep gc. He mentioned the dealer performed the recall for the seat heater. Searching your recall database I found the exact recall as described to me. I contacted my local dealer and found that our VIN is not included in the recall notice. I the contacted the federal safety agency, who verified the dealers finding. The federal safety agency suggested that I file a complaint to have our vehicle added to the recall. We have experienced the issue as described. The seat will heat up to an extreme temperature, they now don''t' work. We got heated seats as my wife has lupus and needs the warmth during colder weather. How can we get our vehicle added the recall?? Thanks

Filed Dec 16, 2010 · Engine, Seats · 49,742 miles · NC

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep grand cherokee. The vehicle was included in the recalls associated with the federal safety agency campaign id numbers 06v197000, seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler, and 09v117000, seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler. The vehicle was repaired at an authorized dealer for both recalls. After being repaired he noticed that there was still a hole developing in the front drivers seat due to the heated seating feature. The vehicle was taken back to the authorized dealer where it was repaired a third time. The contact also stated that the vehicle would intermittently overheat. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer one time a year for five years consecutively where the engine fan relay and motor was replaced. The failure mileage was 49,742 and the current mileage was 150,000. The consumer also stated the driver's exterior mirror also had a problem with the heating element. Also, the vehicle had an evaporated emission leak which caused the vehicle to fail inspection. The fan relay was replaced five times, the air condition was inoperative, the check engine light illuminated. The dealer refused to cover the repair of a hole that developed in the driver's seat approximately the size of a baseball which he believed was related to the heated element problems. Updated evoq 01/27/11 ..updated 09-17-12 *bf the consumer stated chrysler has considered the case to be a goodwill case and opened up a reimbursement case in regards to this vehicle. Updated 09/24/2012

Filed Mar 22, 2010 · Engine, Transmission · 112,000 miles · CA

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep grand cherokee. The contact was driving approximately 70 MPH when the vehicle lunged forward and stalled. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The following day the vehicle operated normally; however, the identical failures occurred on three separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The technician stated that the failure was related to the front control module. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 112,000. Updated 6/21/10 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle would shut off with no warning and would not restart. It was determined the crank sensor became extremely hot which caused the vehicle to shut down. The fan relay also failed which caused the vehicle to overheat and the internal transmission sensors failed. Updated 07/01/10.

Filed Feb 21, 2010 · Visibility · 42,000 miles · CA

2002 jeep grand cherokee limited v-8 4x4 with climate control. The HVAC fan quit functioning. When I took the vehicle into the dealer I purchased it from, I was told, without them doing any teardown, that it was a common occurrence for the HVAC wire harness and connector behind the dash to overheat and melt down. With the vehicle being out of warranty, the estimated repair cost in 2005 at over $1200 in labor plus the wiring harness and a set of 3 air doors, I could not then nor now afford repairs and have done without heat or cooling ever since. To eliminate the possibility of a fire from the damaged wiring, I removed the fuse, which I recall to be 40 amps. I strongly feel that possibility of a fire from the overheated wiring is just cause for a recall to replace the wiring harness and related parts damaged by the apparent short circuit caused by the overheating. I also suspect that the cruise control was damaged also as it hasn't functioned properly since.

Filed Jan 27, 2009 · Seats · 62,000 miles · MI

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that the heated seat on the driver's side overheated. He had to pull over and exit the vehicle. The dealer stated that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v197000 (seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler), although the failures were identical. The failure mileage was 62,000 and current mileage was 62,008. Updated 02/24/09. *lj updated 02/24/09.

Filed Oct 29, 2008 · Engine · 56,000 miles · MA · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep grand cherokee. The radiator fan has burned out twice within 17 months. The first time it occurred the contact was pulling out of a drive thru at 10 MPH and the vehicle began to overheat. The following day, she took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the air conditioner fan relay switch failed, which caused the radiator fan not to work. The dealer replaced the fan and it worked properly. However, seventeen months later, the failure has recurred. The vehicle is currently at the dealer. The manufacturer stated that there was a recall for this failure and the contact believes it is due to a manufacturer defect. The federal safety agency campaign id number was not found. The failure mileage was 56,000 and current mileage was 74,000.

Filed Aug 31, 2008 · Visibility · 70,000 miles · WA

The air control system in the 2003 jeep grand cherokee is faulty and fails. They already have a fix for this known faulty system but the repair does not fix the solution, it only delays it till it breaks again. Some aftermarket companies are making lots of money off of people who are trying to fix the problem permanently. The company should make the permanent repair a recall as the system can fail at an inopportune time and can lead to accidents when the windshield can fog up and the defroster will not work. The system can also fail such that the parts can fall into the fan motor and cause it to overheat possibly causing a fire. These vehicles are frequently used by families because of their size and steps should be taken to fix this problem once and for all.

Filed Dec 13, 2007 · Engine · GA

Took vehicle to dealer for repair of overheating repeatedly but, problem was never fixed. After contacting said dealer and was told that it could derive from one zillion areas. Contacted diamon-chrysler customer service about three months ago to no avail.

Filed Sep 25, 2007 · Seats · 87,000 miles · WV · fire

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep grand cherokee. While seated in the driver seat, the contact stated that the seat overheated and smelled like it was burning. There were no injuries and the seat heater was not activated at the time. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 06v197000 (seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler). The failure mileage was 87,000 and current mileage was 89,000.

Filed Jun 28, 2007 · Seats · 32,000 miles · PA · fire · 2 injuries

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 jeep grand cherokee. When the driver side seat heater was activated, it overheated. The failure caused two different drivers of the vehicle to sustain slight burns. According to the manufacturer, the vehicle is not included in recall # 06v197000 (seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler). However, the contact felt his vehicle should be included as part of the recall. The current mileage is 40,000 and failure mileage was 32,000.