Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
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).
The contact owns a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The warning light flashed on and off intermittently. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 199,181.
Airbag light coming Laredo.!! Will it work??? Drivers side squib is error it reads is there an issue with squib and clockspring? Very expensive repair several issues on web about clockspeings going bad on all years of jeep grand cherokee laredos. Mine is 2001 jeep.
1. My 2001 Jeep gand Cherokee was invovled in a front end wreck which totaled out the vehicle. . Neither passenger or driver air bag deployed in this incident. The drivers head hit the steering wheel. The passenger was uninjured. 3. The Jeep was towed to hunter chrylser Plymouth for an estimate. We were told it was a total loss due to extensive front end damage and the frame was bent. My question to hunter was why did the air bags not deploy? They responded that they don't always come out in a front end accident. It depends on what part of the bumper was hit. I can not understand this when the car was totaled and it was due total front end damage. I believe something in this car malfunctioned. Do we have any recourse? We have photos, accident report, and estimate of total.
I was in a head on collision that totaled my Jeep Grand Cherokee while I was 30 weeks pregnant. The airbags did not deploy. I spent the weekend in the hospital as a result, and the baby needed to be monitored because I was having contractions. I informed daimler Chrysler, they sent a letter with a brochure showing where the point of impact needed to be for the airbags to deploy, stating the car performed as it should have. However, in the brochure, it clearly indicates where the point of impact needed to be for the airbags to deploy, which is the same as where the point of impact was on the Jeep. I sent a letter back to daimler Chrysler via certified mail indicating this. I have had no response from them, and they will not give any information over the phone.
The air bag warning light came on intermittently. It did that about ever five minutes. It has done that since that date. I took it to the faricy boys Jeep dealer in colorado springs, they stated that the air bag was not working. I asked if this was a safety item to be paid for by the manufacture. He said "no." he said I had to pay for this repair if I wanted a new airbag. I find this replacement cost for this item strange for two reasons. One: I believe this is a safety item, and two: airbags are being recalled for a number of different cars at this very time and are being replaced at no cost.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While making a left turn, another vehicle crashed into the front end of the contact's vehicle. The contact was traveling 45 MPH at the time of the crash. The air bags failed to deploy, but there were no injuries. The police officer at the scene stated that the air bags should have deployed since the front end was so badly damaged. A report was filed. The contact feels that the vehicle is unsafe because the air bags did not deploy at such high speeds. The current and failure mileages were 62,000.
Dt: the contact stated while traveling 35 MPH another vehicle was turning to the right in front of the contacts vehicle. The contacts wife depressed the brake pedal and there were no brakes. The roads were dry. This was a frontal impact, and the air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries. The vehicle was towed to a towing service were it is now parked. The manufacturer was contacted.
While driving 60 MPH driver applied the brakes to slow down the speed and consumer lost control, causing the vehicle to role three times. Upon impact, the airbag did not deploy. Driver sustained minor injuries. See ewr field report 000003l041001fp-sfygrandchero-0101-1424-06005.pdf
I was involved in a collision in which I rear ended another vehicle. I was travelling at approximately 40-45 MPH. Upon impact with the other vehicle neither my seatbelt functioned nor the drivers side airbag deployed. This caused injury to my chest when it hit the stearing wheel.
There is a problem which most everybody experiences on 1999 and up Jeep Grand cherokees. The airbag light and chime continuously , randomly. This light and chime indicated the airbag is inoperative. This is typically due to a faulty unreliable designed "clockspring" in steering wheel under the airbag assy. This is very costly to fix and should definitely be recalled for repair no charge to customer. Please research and you will find that this is extremely wide spread. There is a fear that bag May deploy while driving due to short in system. This would be catastrophic. Please investigate asap, this is urgent.
Airbag complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the air bags of the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 3% of the model year's 883 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags 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 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 18 crashes, 0 fires and 15 injuries and 1 death to air bags 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.