Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (air conditioning, heater, defroster, HVAC controls).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. No heat on the passengers side in the winter, ac doesn't work correctly according to the dial settings. Defrost and defogger doesn't work as should. Have to have the drivers side window open some to be able to see and keep the windshield clear. Windshield fogged up too quickly once last winter and I put the vehicle in a ditch at 5 am in the middle of winter. Got a small cut over the right eye. My understanding I will have to get the ac/heat blend doors and actuators replaced in the unit which requires the dash to be removed and cost is over 1000 us dollars. The parts are inferior and made of plastic and as I can see by the number of complaints on the internet there are many, many failures. I have not had the repair done because it's just too expensive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the heated seats seized to function without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the heating elements malfunctioned and recommended that the elements be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 98,000. Updated 02/12/16 updated 02/18/16.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic because the driver's seat heater failed. The element part# 5072486-ab had to be replaced. When the mechanic took the seat apart to perform the repair it was apparent that the foam rubber cushion burned. The mechanic stated that the burn was caused by part # 5072486-ab. The current and failure mileages were 95,000. Updated 07/03/07.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that a piece of plastic has melted inside the air conditioner which caused it from operating properly. The dual system malfunctioned and the contact has neither air conditioning nor heat. The repair advised the contact that the repair cost would be approximately $1000. The current mileage was approximately 108,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
While driving with the seat heater in use the heat burned completely through the heating element. Both leather seat heating elements shorted out and burned. The cloth wrapping leather seating was not damaged. The blower was inoperative.
First the passenger side would not blow hot air, then the drivers side stopped blowing hot air. Now defrost no longer works. Failure has not been corrected. Repair requires an exceptional amount of money ($1,000+) considering that it is an obvious engineering/manufacturers defect in the strength of the blend air doors and motor assembly. Jeep has a "newer" "better" assembly that corrects the problem. Part is inexpensive - labor is not since it requires removing entire dashboard. This is a serious issue since it renders the windshield defroster unusable. This is not an isolated issue - it's widespread and covers many year's of production of Jeep Grand cherokees and possibly other Jeep products. Upon investigation on the web - it looks like this is a part that will fail on all jeeps and not a question of if but when. …
I own a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited and though the blower motor works the dual heater/ blend doors stopped working. It was a cool night in michigan and the windshield quickly fogged up with no luck of clearing up because of the malfunction. I immediately rolled the window down and had to drive home with my head sticking out of the window to see. Also the next morning on a sunny day the same event happened with the windows fogged and sun directly shining on me I could not even see one thing. A person could wipe the inside of the windows off with little improvement of visibility. I had to immediately pull the vehicle over for fear of hitting someone or another car discontinued driving it. This is such a dangerous failure. I discussed it with an automotive engineer and was told it is defective part in engineering by Chrysler. …
When the weather started getting colder, I tried to use the heat and I couldn't get any hot air to defrost, when my windshield began to frost and fog. While driving home, I had to first pull over and wipe the interior of my windshield, then on my 21 mile drive home, I had to constantly wipe the interior of the windshield while driving. I took the Jeep to the Jeep/Chrysler dealer and was quoted over $1500 for the repair. I can't afford this type of repair and do not have room on my credit cards. I managed to purchase the parts and do the repair myself, with my Jeep out of commission for over 2 weeks. I replaced the heater core, recirc blend door, the mid-case blend door, and 2 actuators. I have been told that this can be a consistently aggravating problem and don't look forward to having to do it again. Especially now that I have a newborn who will be traveling in the car. …
Over the past three years my power windows slid down. One left rear a few years ago slid down as we were going down the road. Rt passenger side down about a year later. January 2nd my passenger side window did the same. I took it into the shop and mechanic said it was the regulator, it would be 300.00 to fix it, he said yep that's common in jeeps. I have a friend who has a 2002 Jeep, same problem with all four.... I'm a single mother, single grandmother that cant spare that kind of money. Yesterday 04/14/2009 I walked out to my Jeep to discover the window was down. Thought wow I don't remember leaving my window down because I have sound equipment I would hate to have stolen. It was chilly out that morning, tried to roll it up.... Guess what? Now all of my power windows are broken due the regulators. Fuel pump, and injectors are my problem too. Oh yeah!!!!!!!!!! …
The drivers side seat heater stopped working 6 months after I purchased the new vehicle. It took 7 months to get it replaced. Wrong parts were ordered, then parts were back ordered, phone calls were not returned or ignored, and I had to bring my car in numerous time, missing work frequently. After changing dealerships for my warranty work, I finally got it replaced. However, I was concerned about the passenger seat heater failing in the future. I was told by the first dealer (I purchased the vehicle through) that they would replace both. However, when I went to the second dealer, they told me that "it is unlikely that the passenger heater would fail because you do not use it as often". Well, here it is 2 years later and my passenger heater is now not working...4000 miles after my warranty expired. Quite convenient, I might add. …
Related recalls
Seats › Front assembly › Seat heater/cooler
Chrysler is recalling 103,409 my 2001-2004 Jeep grand cherokee vehicles with heated seats and with Chrysler recall no. 06v-197 completed (03-04 my) or seat heater elements service replacement (01-02 my). The front seat electric heater elements could overheat.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front seat heater elements free of charge. The recall began on November 23, 2009. Owners May contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
AC & Heater complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are ac & heater problems on the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 163 complaints about the a/c & heater of the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 18% of the model year's 883 complaints. The component named most often is defroster/defogger/hvac system (61 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee ac & heater problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 09V-117 (seat heater/cooler, Apr 9, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee ac & heater problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 5 fires and 1 injury to a/c & heater 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.