Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
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).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited. The contact was driving 60 MPH when the front driver side seat warmer became excessively hot. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer confirmed that the heater switch had burned out the heating core. The contact also stated that the vent doors failed to open, causing the heating and air conditioning units to fail. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again where the failure was confirmed. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised that VIN did not qualify for a repairs under NHTSA campaign id number:09V117000 (seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 96,000.
The failure of the blender motor has left our Jeep without a windshield defroster/defogger. It only blows cold air and does not clear leaving visibility at zero. It doesn't work at all and now it is dangerous for myself and family to drive in our "family car". Nothing has been done to correct the problem because the dealership said it would be an $800-$1500 repair not covered by extended warranty that we purchased.
I have owned a Jeep for 3 years. Since I have purchased the Jeep I have had nothing but problems. The rotors went bad, the steering manifold went bad, the engine went bad, and the motor in the window went bad and broke. Now I have replaced my left rear brake light six or seven times. It slowly started to fade out, and now the entire light goes out at night when our lights are turned on and we have to depress the brake. It is also barely noticeable during the day. We thought we had a faulty wire, but when we took it to a shop to have them look at it, they said that in every Jeep that has been brought in with the same problem has been the entire light and casing. The bulb gets too hot and warps the casing that holds the light. So the light no longer touches the casing and will no longer work. They told us also that our right rear light is warping also, so both of them need to be replaced. …
The regulator on the drivers side window failed and the window dropped. It would not stay up on it's own. I took it to my mechanic (not a Chrysler dealer). Who discovered it was the regulator and replaced it for $275. Less than a week later on sat. 9/15/07. The same exact thing happened to the passenger window. I contacted Chrysler feeling there must be a defect for both to go within a week of each other. I was told there is no recall and they would not assist me with the drivers window as I did not go to a Chrysler dealer. They told me, for the passenger window, to go to a dealer, get a diagnostic done (at my own expense). Submit that to them and they would make a determination if they would assist in my repairs. They also said if they did decide to assist, there would be a $100 deductible. …
Power windows-front passenger side regulator failed ~July '09 getting back in the car from church put the window up heard loud snap and window dropped, had to stop window from falling into door panel by holding it all the way home until we could figure out what to do-taped it up. Driver side window started out as a motor failing in jan '11 and when I went to get my oil changed asked them not to put window down because of that (didn't want it to get stuck in down position), window got put down and that was the start of the end. By feb '11 the window had failed no snaps but will slide down if not held up with something. Now both of my windows are done for and being held up with tape, can't afford dealership pricing to fix. …
The first incident occurred while driving, I noticed that the front passenger window began to lower itself without me activating the switch. I attempted to push the switch to make it go up which didn't work. The window then proceeded to lower itself into the door and would not return to the up position. I took the car to my mechanic who informed me that the window regulator had failed and that this is a common problem with this model vehicle. The regulator was replaced at a cost of nearly $500.00. The second incident occurred while the vehicle was parked. I returned to my car after parking it over night only to find the drivers side window was open about 3 inches. I attempted to close the window and had no response from pushing the button up. The window would however operate in the downward position but would not go up. …
The left power window failed. I have only 50,000 miles and I took it to the dealer and the cost is $450.00. On the evening before this incident, I had all windows up. But on the next morning the left window was down and would not go back up. I took the Jeep to the dealership they acted like it was a common occurrence. The mechanic knew the problem immediately before I could finish explaining what was wrong. The power mechanism had failed. The mechanic said that the window could down when the mechanism fails. This tells me that a lot reports to repair the power windows. Of course nothing is being done about this problem by chyrsler. The mechanic told me without even looking for the pricing how much it was going to cost me. That's odd! I have never been to a mechanic and he did not have to get a pricing on the parts and then add in the labor. …
After going through some online troubleshooting, I just confirmed that the blend door went bad. And yes it is not one first problem I had with my 2001 limited Grand Cherokee Jeep. 8 months ago the drivers side window regulator broke (as in all jeeps), my four brake calipers went bad by just replacing the old pads, and now this. One day, the car just started to blow cold air. Before that, I could hear the noises under the dashboard but I thought it was the way it should sound. I had most of the times limited heat in my side and more in the passenger's side. I thought I'm too hot for the car and the sensor just plays with me. But enough is enough. For god sake, how do you want to sell "hardcore" cars, when your cars fail to work under climate garage kept conditions, and driven mostly on a flatland (florida) on road... You should be ashamed of your products. …
There is an ongoing problem with Jeep Grand Cherokee A/C blend doors from 1998 through 2005. There is a TSB issued for this problem, but it is not warranty covered after the original 36000 mile warranty. Per the TSB, the blend door assembly is poorly designed in that there is not range of travel stop on the actuator motor, causing the plastic shaft to absorb all the motor torque, eventually breaking the shaft. The problem is this is a design flaw which should be recalled. I had to spend 900 dollars to get mine fixed because the labor required to pull the dash. This problem exists over several model years of this vehicle per the TSB, and is fairly common. I feel the manufacturer should be required to recall these vehicles for repair. If the blend door breaks, there is cold air only, no heat, making winter driving potentially dangerous due to no defrost.
Several window motors on my 2001 Jeep have broke in the past two years. When this happens, the window falls down by itself and will not go back up without getting out of the car to manually push it back up. I had to pull over on the side of the highway to push my window back up for fear of it going all the way down and not being able to get it back up in the freezing cold weather. I am also concerned about the possibility of hitting a bump in the road and the window falling down hard and shattering. Please also take into consideration the fact that this has happened to three of my windows so far and that I am not the only one with this problem and Chrysler is refusing to do anything about it. Since it is so expensive to repair, I as well as many others are forced to live with it until I can save up enough money to get it fixed.
Window & Wiper complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 113 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 13% of the model year's 883 complaints. The component named most often is power window devices and controls (65 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof 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 window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 1% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to windows, wipers & sunroof 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.