Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2002 Grand Jeep Cherokee -at 6:40 a.m. Backed into parking spot where I work; pulled forward and straightened up backed into spot; Jeep jumped curb hit building; put Jeep in drive; Jeep catapulted forward at high rate of speed. I went through an iron fence into a long term parking lot; stopped hitting another Jeep head on and a concrete base; iron fence damage to two additional cars parked. No one else was involved; only injuries were to myself when air bags deployed. Ems and police arrived and policeman turned off Jeep which was still accelerating after impact. Jeep was totaled and all damages are being covered by our state farm insurance.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the vehicle was in park with the emergency brake engaged, the vehicle rolled backwards with the contact standing outside of the vehicle holding onto the steering wheel. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle. The vehicle stopped on its own and injured the contact, but no medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 170,000.
I was approaching a stop sign traveling about 30mph in my 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. When I took my foot off the accelerator, the engine continued to accelerate. I applied the brake but could not stop the car. The harder I tried to stop the car, the engine ran harder. It was like the cruise control was on and trying to maintain the 30mph speed. The cruise was not on. I ended up inside an office building that thankfully was not occupied at the time. The car was totaled and I was injured.
I was driving from my place of work to my other job about 2 miles away and lost all drive power but was able to drive in 2nd gear was told that there is a manufactured defect in the transmission casing that it cracks do to the metal that it is made with and there is no way for pressure to sustain the vehicle in drive
Takata recall- I am unable to shift gears. There's a small nylon linkage connecting the shift lever to the transmission that has completely crumbled. I believe it's item# 52109624ad. My car was placed in park and turned off for a few minutes then unable to shift gears once it was restarted without any warning.
2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee shifted from park to reverse while running without any human intervention. The car was running for approximately 3-4 minutes in park and suddenly shifted into reverse causing an accident with damage to the rear bumper when striking a concrete barrier.
Car was placed in park in our driveway. Wife left vehicle to retrieve article from house. When she returned, she saw vehicle in reverse headed for the house across the street. Vehicle stopped when it struck the house.
The cooling fan blade just broke while stopped at a light. It made the car thump I thought someone hit us but the fan blades broke the fan shrode and put dents all in the radiator and broke the fan guard. This vechile has had many of the same problems due to the electrical system. We lease the Jeep and have put $$$ in it because they would not take it back as a lemon with in the 2 years. I still hear a beep coming from under the dash that Jeep never found the problem or fixed it. I just had the fan relay changed because it went out. With in the first 2 years I had it in the shop for a variety of electrical problems I have all the paper work. I am afraid the Jeep will catch on fire or cause an accident. I've also checked many other things that were issues with the Jeep. Leaking shocks and transmission pan and emissions is now leaking. …
Dt: the contact states he owns a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited. The consumer states that there was technical service bulletin 10005603 regarding the visibility:defroster/defogger system:windshield:controls/wiring. The consumer stated that he had the repairs done, but the cost was $1,357.24. He was still not satisfied with the repair of the vehicle because some of the vents pushed through a lot of air, and some of the vents pushed through a minimum amount of air. The consumer felt that this was a safety defect because it did not allow the defrosting system to work properly on the passenger's side of the vehicle. The consumer was concerned that there was no heat or air conditioning on the passenger's side. …
I filed original oct 4 2016 NHTSA complaint and also objected to restriction NHTSA imposed upon complaint (2000 characters in total, and total mb of attachments 5mb or less) because oct 4 2016 complaint is insufficient, incomplete. NHTSA investigation requires more information from me (reports, testimony, dozens of critical police photos) necessary for NHTSA investigation of my complaint. On oct 4 2016, I demanded NHTSA investigation unit contact me by email, so that I May document data my submission to NHTSA, as part of my complaint. To date, NHTSA refuses, it has done nothing to investigate because NHTSA stonewalls me for information. NHTSA investigation units endangers public safety with deliberate lack of data, resulting in bogus non-investigation. …
NHTSA investigations
Roll-away in reverse when parked
Daimlerchrysler has recalled the zj models to incorporate a secondary detent spring into the shifter.even though the wj 6 cyl. Vehicles use the same manual detent lever that as the vehicles in the recall population, odi believes that the wj redesigned shifter, which improves floor shifter functionality and ergonomics, helps to provide feedback to the driver to indicate whether ?park? Has or has not been…
Transmission complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 58 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 4% of the model year's 1,476 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 10 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 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries and 1 death to transmission & drivetrain 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.