Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
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).
I was driving in a mall parking lot looking for a parking space. I was turning the corner to go down the next aisle and all of a sudden I had no control of the Jeep. As I turned to the left to continue looking for a park, the Jeep was speeding out of control and I was slamming on the brake with both feet and the Jeep just kept accelerating! I was unable to steer away from the vehicles I was heading towards. As I was heading towards the first vehicle that I hit, I was trying to steer away from it and then the Jeep turned to the right and kept accelerating. I ended up hitting four other vehicles ( 5 vehicles total) and finally came to a complete stop after hitting the last vehicle. There is extensive damage to my Jeep and to the other vehicles involved. We have not had the damage accessed yet, so we do not know how much this will cost to fix. I believe my Jeep is totaled. …
I washed my 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee at a coin operated car wash. I climbed into the car, started it up and shifted from park to drive. The car went to full throttle instantly on it's own. I applied brakes but that had little affect and the car rapidly accelerated out of the car wash stall toward a brick wall approx. 20 feet away. I steered the car into a tree as I felt it would be a softer crash as opposed to a wall. The car bounced off of the tree and continued at full throttle into the driveway of the car wash as I continued to push on the brake pedal as hard as I could. I finally turned the key off and stopped. This happened very quickly and I wish I would have reacted sooner. The left front fender and grill were damaged and I had the car towed to a repair shop. I feel fortunate that nobody was hurt and I am very interested in finding the cause of this .
My vehicle, Jeep Grand Cherokee 2001 limited addition with around 47,000 miles on the odometer performed satisfactorily until this morning when my wife was returning from the usual drop-off of my son to the preschool. As she was waiting for the garage door of the apartment complex where we live while her foot was on the brake, the car suddenly shot up and crashed through the garage door and came to complete stop 20 feet from the gate. This horrifying experience, fortunately, did not cause any physical injury to my wife and my 15 months daughter secured in the back seat. Luckily, there was no incoming car nor people injured. However, we are afraid that the vehicle which sustained major damages to the body will not provide any more peace of mind. It is definitively a wake-up call for us to search a more safe vehicle for my family.
While driving on the highway driver engaged the cruise control at 60 MPH. Vehicle continued to accelerate. Then, driver applied the brakes to disengage the cruise control, and vehicle continued to accelerate. Driver hit the off button on the cruise control and vehicle failed to disengage. Currently, vehicle was up to 80 MPH and continued to accelerate. Driver put the vehicle in neutral and the rpms went up to 6,000. Vehicle continued to accelerate. Driver put vehicle back in drive and applied the brakes and vehicle slowed down to 30 MPH. That was when driver was able to put the vehicle back into neutral and turned vehicle off. When driver got out of the vehicle all 4 brake pads were on fire, and the rotors were glowing orange.
I was driving about 45 MPH when my Jeep accelerated, I tried tapping the gas pedal in hopes that it would affect it. That didn't help, I had both feet on the brake, I pulled the e-break and it still wouldn't stop and I was redlining. I finally saw a redlight and decided to throw it in park and it rolled another 50 feet or so before finally coming to a stop. I jumped out and ran because it was still stuck and redlining. Everything under the Jeep was red and finally flames started coming out of the exhaust. The fire department hosed it down for about ten minutes before taking the keys out of the ignition.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact placed the vehicle in reverse, released the parking brake, and the vehicle accelerated to 60 MPH in reverse. The vehicle crashed into a guard rail, struck the wall of a garage, and stopped after crashing into an ornamental stone. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. Allstate insurance has photos. The current and failure mileages were 63,000. *updated 12/12/07 updated 12/12/07
Dt*: the contact stated while parked in the driveway, the vehicle was placed in reverse and suddenly lurched backwards crashing into the garage. The contact attempted to apply brake pressure, but the vehicle was stopped by the garage and its contents. No one was injured, but there was moderate damage to the vehicle and garage. The police were not notified. The vehicle was not seen by a dealer.
We were exiting a car wash.the transmissiom was in neutral, the engine was idling and my foot was on the break pedal.I put the transmission into drive with my foot still on the brake pedal and the car leaped ahead at full throttle all 4 wheels peeling rubber. The brakes did not work and putting the transmission into low had no effect on the engine.we were within 50 feet of a busy state highway and directly across the road from a gas station. In order to not go onto or across the highway I cut the wheels sharply to the left going through ayard, just missing a tree and telephone poll. The car is now sliding sideways and hit the side of the parking lot next to the car wash causing both wheels and tires on the passenger side to be severly damaged and the car to do a 180 degree slide. …
I have a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited. In March of this year, while on the expressway, my cruise control caused my vehicle to accelerate and would not turn off even by hitting the break and pushing the off button numerous times. I was only able to stop the vehicle by putting the gear in nuetral and turning it off. I contacted the dealership who talked my through how to loosen a cable in the engine which apparently caused the cruise/accelerator to stick. I immediately took the vehicle into the dealership and even on my way there, the car would accelerate on it's own, without the cruise control being turned on. The dealership kept my car for the day and when they returned, they stated that they had repaired the problem. Two months later, I was leaving my parking space at work and my vehicle began to accelerate on it's own. …
On several occasions prior to accident, always under five miles an hour, I would step n the brake and the car wanted to keep going. On the occasion of the accident, I applied both feet to the brakes and the vehicle did not stop and hit a chain link fence. An invsestigator from Chrysler check the vehicle on 8/29/01 and indicated that the only thing that could have happened is that the accelerator pedal sits high than the brake pedal and I hit both at the same time. My foot is not wide enough to hit both at the same time. In a previous incident, I was in park , put the vehicle into reverse and it lerched backward. The investigator could only duplicate the situation by putting his foot on both the brack and accelerator at the same time. This vehicle is unsafe and I am afraid to drive it.
Acceleration complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4% of the model year's 883 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 2 fires and 3 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.