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2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee brakes complaints

Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 159, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee brakes problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Sep 20, 2005 · Brakes · 12,500 miles · CA

I have been having brake vibrating problems since 12,000 miles on my 2004 jeep. It has gotten substantially worse, now at 18,000 miles. I have contacted jeep corporate and they were of no help. The 3 times I brought my jeep in for repair, all they did was "re-surface" the brake pads once because they were "warped." they could not cover the cost of the resurfacing or the diagnosis because my jeep was over 12,000 miles. According to the nhsta website, there are a number of jeep customers with the exact same problem.

Filed Sep 7, 2005 · Brakes · 8,000 miles · WA

I purchased a brand new 2004 jeep grand cherokee. Starting in april of 2004 I had to have my rotors turned after less than 12,000 miles after hitting a patch of ice and my anti-lock breaks kicked in. It was a downward spiral from there. The rotors would need to be turned just shy of 3,000 miles from the previous "correction" after the 3rd time of having to be turned the rotors had to be replaced. I personally contacted damlier-chrysler and complained about my problem with the rotors. They had the nerve to tell me that it was the way I am driving my car and that I shouldn't be so rough. I am a safe driver who has never been in a single car accident or received a ticket and do not feel that the "customer service" gentleman had a right to even suggest otherwise. I have never owned a brand new car (I have had 3) that has given me more problems with the rotors. I have also never had to replace rotors on a vehicle that is less than 2 years old. I complained to my dealer every time I was in for the repairs and I learned that I was not the only one experiencing the same problem. Jeep was offering a "better" breaking system that would "fix" the problem that would run me about $350-$400 plus the cost of installation. That is not acceptable. I think that this is a serious problem and could cause serious if not fatal injuries. I am very upset in the money I have had to invest in a breaking system for a brand new car that has never been fixed.

Filed Sep 6, 2005 · Brakes · DC

Dt: the consumer felt that the problem had started when the vehicle was purchased and had only gotten worse. The problem first started on august of 2004. When the consumer applied the brakes he could feel the vehicle shake. There was a problem with the front driver and passenger side wheel brake rotors. The vehicle felt like the wheels were out of line. The consumer took it to a mechanic they cleaned the rotors and pads. The vehicle is a 2004 jeep grand cherokee laredo.

Filed Sep 1, 2005 · Brakes · 9,431 miles · WA

Brake rotors replacement & resurfacing to eliminate vibration and shaking when braking necessary to repair anywhere from every 5000 miles to 9500 miles.

Filed Jul 30, 2005 · Brakes · 12,500 miles · PA

I am having ABS brake problems with this truck. I owned a 2000 jeep grand cherokee for 3 years and had the same problem but it was under warranty. The calipers and rotors had to be replaced 4 times and the truck had less then 30,000 miles. My brake pads were always fine. I traded the truck in early for a 2004 model. The sales man assured me the problem was fixed. After a year, I had the same problem, the rotors and calipers had to be replaced again, and the pads were fine. The mechanic told me the ABS is the problem, as when you step on the brakes, it activates and heats up the rotors and damages the calipers because the ABS brakes do not release in time to cool off the braking system. Chrysler replaced everything because it was under 13,000 miles, but will not if it happens again. Why should we have to pay for a system failure? I think chrysler should recall all models with this braking failure and fix it. They are very aware of the problem.

Filed Jul 27, 2005 · Brakes · 24,800 miles · WA

Dt: jeep grand cherokee. At first, when stepping on the brakes the steering wheel shook. At 14,700 miles and on 6/1/04 the mechanic determined it was only the ABS brakes, and didn't record it. At 20,000 miles and on 12/1 2004 the shaking became worse and they replaced the rear rotors and turned the front rotors at no cost. Currently, the shaking was bad again, and the rotors were too thin to turn. However, all 4 rotors needed to be replaced, the dealer said they would fix the rotors but to never bring it back to them again for this problem. The brake pads have not been replaced because were good.

Filed Jul 13, 2005 · Brakes · 22,000 miles · MI

Dt: the consumer noticed problems with the brakes at 22,000. The vehicle would shake when the brakes were applied. The consumer was told the rotors were warped and the pads needed to be replaced as well.

Filed Jul 12, 2005 · Brakes · 6,000 miles · IL

Events : vibration when braking. Consequences : begining of loss of control problems because of the vibration in the steering wheel and vehicle.. This is a new car with 6000 miles. Rotors replaced because of warpage at 6000 miles. Dealer said there is no cure for this problem except to put new rotors on every 6000 to 10000 miles. You only know of the problem when it too late and the vibration begins. There were also two other people at the dealer when I was there with the same problem. I have a friend that has replaced his rotors 4 times in 34,000 miles. This has been a problem since 1999-2004. Without control of your brakes you have no control. Please look into this. It is a widespread problems in jeep grand cheorkee's.

Filed Jul 8, 2005 · Brakes · 10,698 miles · NY

2000 jeep grand cherokee developed problems with the brakes.*mr the vehicle's steering wheel would vibrate when the brakes were applied at speeds of 40 MPH or higher. The brakes were replaced by the dealer three times in 20000 miles. The repairs were done under warranty at no cost to the consumer. After the third brake repair the consumer had no faith in the vehicle. The dealer suggested that the consumer consider purchasing a new 2004 jeep grand cherokee. The dealer explained that the new jeep had a new brake design with improved calipers. The consumer traded in his 2000 cherokee for a 2004 cherokee (ij4gw48s44c172654, purchased july 14, 2003). After driving the vehicle 10694 on july 15, 2004 the consumer had to take the vehicle to the dealer for high speed shudder and vibration in the steering wheel when the brakes were applied. The vehicle was taken to the dealer one other time on june 2, 2005 for the same problem. Each time the rotors were replaced due to heat stress.

Filed Jun 30, 2005 · Brakes · NY

13 months and a little over 13,000 miles after leasing my brand new 2004 grand cherokee, the steering wheel was shaking uncontrollably every time I'd I hit the brakes. I took the truck to the dealer and they said the rotors were defective, after a long discussion and many back and forth the svce. Manager at the dealer decided to replace the front rotors at no cost to me. Now 10 months later the problem returned. Went back to the dealer, but this time they tell me the rotors are damaged again, but I'll have to pay for the repair, which total cost is over $300. Now at 26,624 miles, they need to be replaced again, what's going on? After a friend of mine search the web, she found out that this is the same problem many 2004 grand cherokee owners have encountered. Is this a factory defect? Even though chrysler doesn't acknowledge it. Can rotors get damaged in such a short period of time, this is the second time I leased a jeep, I never had this problem with my 2000 jeep. Is anything being done about this?

Filed Jun 28, 2005 · Brakes · 20,000 miles · MT

Dt: consumer complained about a braking problem, warped front/rear rotors. Consumer the problem fixed today. When applying the brakes the pedal pulsed and lost brake power with only 20,000 miles on vehicle. Consumer said vehicle did not pull trailers, make jack rabbit stops, or anything that would cause such a problem. Vehicle was serviced regularly by the dealer it was purchased. The rotors were turned instead of being replaced. O consumer expected this problem to recur, and felt that was a manufacturing defect.

Filed Jun 28, 2005 · Brakes · 20,050 miles · MT

2004 jeep grand cherokee - all four brake rotors warped at 20,000 miles of normal driving (no trailer, etc.). Dealer machined the rotors. Suspect warping will occur again in less than 20,000 miles as less metal on rotors now. Dealer measured brake pads at 60% rear and 50% front, so those components seem ok. There is something in the design and/or manufacture of the brakes that causes warping. Fortunately, no accident.

Filed Jun 24, 2005 · Brakes · 34,255 miles · WY

Brakes developed vibration at highway speeds when trying to slow down. I am suspecting warped rotors which should not happen at 34000 miles.

Filed Jun 22, 2005 · Brakes · 17,534 miles · ID · crash · 1 injury

Driving at 65 MPH I came upon an accident and had to brake rapidly. When I applied the brake the car shook violently and went into an uncontroble spin and ended up facing oncomming trafic in the opposing lane. Took the car 2004 jeep gc to the dealer to check out why this happened the dealer said the front rotors were warped and had be replaced and was not under warrentee he also statedthey get 40 or more jgc in for brake work a month.am I missing something here? ??

Filed Jun 20, 2005 · Brakes · 4,000 miles · NY

Dt: the front and rear rotors, and brake pads need to be changed every 2 to 3,000 vehicle. Took vehicle to the dealers, they said it was because consumer rode the brakes. But this was fourth jeep vehicle and driving pattern had not changed. Only 12,000 miles on the vehicle. Took vehicle to independent mechanic, who determined it was not normal.

Filed Jun 13, 2005 · Brakes · NY

Dt: the brakes don't work properly when coming to a stop hit a couple bumps and pedal had to be pushed to the floor , and the ABS didn't come on . Took vehicle to t to dealer, and they replaced master cylinder, but is doing the same thing. It stops but the pedal still goes to the floor.

Filed Jun 9, 2005 · Brakes · 16,500 miles · OH · crash

I left a doctor's appointment and turned out of the parking area to find that my brakes were very spongy and it took me about 15 feet to come to a complete stop after only going 8-10 MPH. At the next stop sign my brakes completely failed, I could pump them up but they went straight to the ground afterwards. I drove into a busy street because I could not get them to stop and collided with another car going around 45 MPH. My airbags did not go off nor did my seatbelt lock when I struck the car. At the scene the police officer noted that the breaks pumped up but were very spongy when pushing them down. However, the dealer finds that there is nothing wrong with the breaking system currently. I am going to have a chrysler authorized representative come and inspect the system.

Filed Jun 3, 2005 · Brakes · 8,000 miles · OH

Our 2003 model year jeep grand cherokee has terrible brake rotors. The jeep is used by my wife for a daily driver. We live in ohio in a fairly flat area. The vehicle is driven in town 95% of the time. The vast majority of that time is on the same road with a speed limit of 35mph. It is not a congested area that requires significant and or sudden braking. The rotors began to warp around 5,000 miles. The next scheduled oil change was around 8000 miles, and we had them replaced at that point. The rotors warped severely again around 20,000 miles. At which point the dealer fooled my wife into paying them for replacement chrysler rotors as the brake warranty was neither covered under the 3/36 bumper-to-bumper warranty nor the 7-70 powertrain warranty. If I had not thought them to be under warranty, I would have never had the dealership replace them with components of such shoddy quality that they will warp again inside of one calendar year. The service manager told my wife that rotors should only last 10,000 miles. I am an automotive mechanical engineer. I uinderstand that the factors that contribute to rotor warpage are only heat and installation. Given the use of this vehicle (we don't even have a tow package), excessive heat can be eliminated. The failure mode eliminates improper installation. Poor quality material, not enough material, and inadequate manufacturing processes could cause warpage with significnatly lower heat threashold. Since chrysler and now dc has been having the problem for decades, and they have changed the calipers in the '02 model year, I suggest that the federal safety agency pressure dc to upgrade the quality of the rotors. All they have to do is shed heat and take the wear of the brake pads on their surface. It is one of the more simple components in a vehicle. I would suggest that they not only replace the rotors for all grand cherokee owners, but replace them with a reputable name (non dc oem) rotors. This would alleviate all issues.

Filed Jun 2, 2005 · Brakes · 24,000 miles · WI

Warped brake rotors at around 24,000 miles are causing a strong vechicle shudder on my 2004 jeep grand cherokee when braking. This could lead to increased braking distance and a loss of vechicle control.

Filed May 25, 2005 · Brakes · 27,000 miles · VA · crash

Dt: consumer had an accident today. Consumer was about to make a left, a car was braking ahead and the consumer hit the brake. The consumers breaks did not respond. The tachometer was going up. Consumer hit brakes a second time, still did not work. Consumer hit other vehicle, and then vehicle stopped. Previous warning. Took vehicle to repair shop, mechanic said it just needed an oil change. Last friday at one point it seemed like the brakes didn't grab. Jeep stated there was a service alert or recall.*ak in the past consumer asked for information about this problem, when the driver tries to slam on brakes instead hits both the gas and brake pedal because of it being so close together.

Filed May 23, 2005 · Brakes · 7,738 miles · PA · crash

I have a 2004 jeep grand cherokee with 15,000 miles. The front brake rotors had to be replaced at 7738 miles, and now again at 15,440 miles. The warping of the rotors makes the car unstable and I have almost been in a few serious accidents, and did have one collision due to this problem. These rotors are flimsy and should be replaced with a better quality part

Filed May 16, 2005 · Brakes · 10,650 miles · CT

Dt; front brake rotors have been replaced twice and redone once within 25,000 miles. When brake pressure is applied there is major vibration from the steering wheel. After current resurface no problems as of now.

Filed May 13, 2005 · Brakes · 20,000 miles · NY

The front brakes pulsated because the front rotors were warped. The dealership re-surfaced the rotors and replaced the brake shoes, but the failure has recurred. This is a common failure with these vehicles , in which the dealership and manufacturer are aware of. *jb the brake problem began initially at about 17,000 miles and became progressively worse. Resurfaced rotors at 20,000 miles and they began exhibiting problems at about 22,500 miles. Problem is continuing to worsen. *bf

Filed May 6, 2005 · Brakes · 20,000 miles · IL

Consumer states: vehicle shakes only when braking. All 4 rotors are warped, at various speeds the vehicles shakes more so at 45 MPH or more. Shakes more violently when braking from that speed. No indication of for warning until vehicle began to shake while braking. Diamler chrysler will replace the front rotors, but not the back rotors, and refused to give information as one why they will only replace front, and not the back, and refuse to give information regarding deffect of rotors.

Filed Apr 28, 2005 · Brakes · 18,869 miles · OH

2004 jeep grand cherokee on 3rd set of front rotors at 18,869 miles. Rear rotors identified with same problem and jeep will not cover under warranty. Multiple communications with jeep have failed to resolve issue. However, when we emailed jeep to inquire about whether or not rotors were upgraded on 2005 model to fix brake rotor problems identified on 1999-2004 model we were informed that "yes we did update the rotors on the 2005 model grand cherokee and changed the vendor for the rotors." this, I believe, indicated that they identified a problem which required them to not only update the rotors but it was also severe enough to change vendors. I feel that jeep should upgrade our front and rear rotors to either the 2005 model rotor (if appropriate) or upgrade to a different type of rotor which does not have a history of warping requiring replacement.

Filed Apr 25, 2005 · Acceleration, Brakes · 8,000 miles · OH

Brake problems, sudden acceleration.

Filed Apr 16, 2005 · Brakes · 7,200 miles · CT

After only 11 months and approximately 7,200 miles car became difficult to control during braking at highway speeds. Brake pedal had severe pulsation, steering wheel shook harder, and car shook during all braking conditions. Dealer replaced front rotors. After 18 months and 12,000 miles, brake pedal began pulsating, and steering wheel started shaking during braking conditions. Dealer replaced front rotors again! The dealer informed me that the rotors are no longer covered by the manufacturer under warranty. I am very concerned about this problem and the lack of attention by the manufacturer towards resolving the problem. If the problem has not been resolved by the manufacturer, then am I expected to have the same problems again within 3,000 to 5,000 miles from now? And then who will be responsible for the cost? Me...the consumer!!!!! The manufacturers of all vehicles have the responsibilty to provide a quality braking system in all vehicles that should work correctly and without problems.

Filed Apr 6, 2005 · Brakes · VT

I leased a 2004 grand cherokee in march of 2004 and less than a year later I had to have the front rotors replaced due to warping. The vehicle only had 7984 miles on it. My mother bought the same year model and her is at 16000 miles and her front rotors are warped. I owned a 1999 grand cherokee prior to the one I have now and traded it in because it had the same problem with the rotors, I was told that the new 2004 model had fixed the problem. I was lucky enough that the brakes were still coverd by warranty but my mother isn't, I am beyond angry with jeep. Do not buy a jeep grand cherokee!!!! Almost every person I know with a grand between the years of 1999-2004 have had their rotors warp every year and jeep refuses to fix the flaw or replace the brakes when they warp prematurely. I am heartbroken because I love how they look and ride but because of the brake problems I will never buy another.

Filed Apr 1, 2005 · Brakes · 60,000 miles · FL

The car shakes a lot when I brake. I was told that brake disks are warped and pads are 50% warned out at 13000 miles. Dealer and the campony does not take responsibility although discs should last for about 60000-80000 miles.

Filed Mar 31, 2005 · Brakes · WA

While applying the brake pedal vehicle vibrated uncontrollably and failed to stop completely. Vehicle was taken the dealer for inspection numerous times, and mechanic determined that brake pads and rotors needed to be replaced, and replaced them three times. However, the problem recurred.

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