Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle gear shifter was in park, the vehicle would move forward even when the emergency brake was engaged. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair for the emergency brake, however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000. VIN was unavailable.
ABS system has failed a number of timess (no pumping on hard braking), once caused me to skid into the rear of a vehicle due to uncontrolabilty (person in other car said she heard skidding. People at dealership sounded like they have heard this before (they said that all they had to do was reset the ABS system). After resetting ABS system it worked for a while and then stopped functioning again. Couldn't afford the $50 fee for bringing it in a lot (100K warranty.) so I drove it as a non ABS car, but still no pumping feeling when pedal is depressed, any more questions please e-mail at [email].
With foot on brake vehicle accelerated out of control as soon as owner shifted into drive. ABS brakes had no effect so she used the emergency brakes. Vehicle ran through several neighbors yards. Consumer had to lift up the emergency brake to stopped vehicle, also the right front tire burst, vehicle had to be towed.
When started the vehicle it made a loud noise and took off and hit a curb. Consumer also stated that consumer strove to hit the brakes, but they had locked up and wouldn't work. Consumer stated that vehicle smashed into 2 cars and then stopped. Consumer has not contacted the dealer.
The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer when he received recall 95v17200 letter concerning the emergency parking brake. The emergency parking brake was working good just for one day, called back to dealer, and they wanted to charge consumer to fix it.
When driving on an icy or wet roads ABS failed to stop vehicle within a safe distance. This has almost caused several rear end collisions. Consumer informed the dealership of the problem. Dealership indicated that this was a normal function of the ABS system.
Airbag failure on impact twice, brake component failure 10 separate times, water pump failure at 50,000, differential noise and failure at 65,000, manifold cracked, motor mount, and transmission mounts failure at 74,000
Rusted, defective disc rotors compromised the brake's performance in an emergency situation. In heavy traffic, on a two lane road, there was an accident ahead, drivers slammed on their brakes, but my son was unable to stop quickly enough and hit the '84 Volvo ahead of him. My son was cited for following too closely, although he does not think he was following too closely. Vehicular damage appeared very minor, but the other driver is claiming that his '84 Volvo is totaled. The impact was at very low speed. My son received no injuries, and his airbag did not deploy. The other driver complained of a headache and backache, saw his doctor, was treated with naprosyn (alleve), and is fine. We had received no information from Chrysler about the recall on the front brake rotors. We found out about the recall the next day (1/21/2000) when it was announced on cnn. …
When the car doesn't start in drive I have to switch gears to neutral. Inorder to switch gears I have to step on the brake. Once the car is in drive and I release my foot off of the brake, there has been 4 times when the car just shot forward. My first reaction is to step on the brakes. There has been no injuries invloved, just severe nervousness. I don't know if there is really anything wrong, so nothing has been checked. I just stay prepared to slam on the brakes. I'm knew to jeeps and I thought this is what jeeps do until I read the article on sudden acceleration which prompted me to fill out this form.
Rear brakes rotors corroded which caused extended stopping distance and May result in a crash. Owner received a recall for the front rotors which have the same problem as the rear rotors. Consumer did not understand that if the front brake rotors needed to be repaied due to corrosion why the rear brake rotors are not being recalled. Front cv boot was broken, during the process of changing the boot the mechanic broke the hub.
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Rotor
Vehicle description: passenger and multi-purpose vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of connecticut, illinois, indiana, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, or wisconsin, and the district of columbia.
Remedy: Dealers will replace these rotors with rotors that are coated with a corrosion protection.
Parking brake › Conventional › Mechanical
The parking brake handle release button can separate from the parking brake handle assembly, causing the parking brake to be inoperative.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the parking brake handle assembly.
NHTSA investigations
Brake roter disc/hud separation
There is no summary currently available
Brake complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 113 complaints about the brakes of the 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 16% of the model year's 719 complaints. The component named most often is foundation components › disc › rotor (45 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee brake problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 99V-340 (rotor, Dec 13, 1999); NHTSA recall 95V-172 (mechanical, Sep 12, 1995). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 127,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 9 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to brakes problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.