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 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V046000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the air bag warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,236. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the driver's side and passenger's side curtain air bags deployed without impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened; however, the case had not been assigned to a case manager. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V046000 (Air Bags). The failure mileage was approximately 212,000.
The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V046000 (Air Bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where repairs were performed on the air bag control module and side impact sensor. However, after the repair was completed, the air bag warning light unexpectedly illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 378,910.
While driving at low speed, the side curtain airbags deployed along with the front seat belts. No injuries just stunted by the loud bang. I took car to Jeep dealership to have recall R06/15v-046 repaired and to diagnose cause of side curtain airbags deployment. Dealer would not repair recall R06/15v-046 due to the requirement that the side curtain and seat belts be repaired before making the recall repairs. Side curtain airbags repair was not accomplished because some repair parts are no longer available (seatbelts/headliner). Dealer indicated that, even if they could have repaired side curtain airbags that the cost of the side curtain airbags repair would be on me. Dealer charged me for a diagnostic of side curtain airbags deployment. I feel that the manufacturer is responsible for the defects and are responsible for restitution. …
2 recalls have not been taken care of by the manufacturer. I purchased this vehicle 2 years ago and have noticed that the seats do indeed over heat. The airbags haven't deployed thankfully, but I'm not comfortable taking any chances. Do I have to pay a dealer to complete these repairs? Also, since I have had this vehicle, my blinkers and brake lights do not work consistently. They were in operable for almost a month. I had a Mechanix check them, and they said they were dine. Homer's auto shop florence oregon) I didn't drive at night for almost a month. Then my blinkers just started working again. All the fuses are fine, and no other electrical issues. Brake lights started working also. Up until 3 days ago, a driver behind me pulled around next to me at the stop light to tell me the brake light was out. I checked it when I got home and it was fine.
The driver and passenger front airbags deployed spontaneously while merging onto the highway. I was startled by the noise, my vision was obscured, I was unable to breathe due to the chemical accelerants, and the bag made contact with my face and arms. All of these events put me and other drivers at great risk of severe bodily and property damage. Since June 24, the vehicle has been in possession of a Chrysler dealership. A pre-service write-up has been created, but to my knowledge, no work has been done to the vehicle. I am unaware of an inspection having been completed. I did not see any warning lamps or other symptoms prior to the airbags deploying.
On March 4th 2026 I called Liberty Jeep here in Hinesville Georgia concerning about the recall for my airbags as well as for the hitch on this vehicle. To date nobody has bothered to call to give me an appointment concerning this major recall and continue to refuse to provide any kind of service for me on this recall I have contacted Jeep headquarters about just concerned dealing with Liberty Jeep in Hinesville and today they haven't bothered to do anything about this they are continuously endangering me my daughter and my wife by avoiding any opportunity to repair this damage to my airbags.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V046000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated the parts were not available and on backorder. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While at a stop light, the contact's vehicle was rear ended. As a result, the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. The driver's side air bag failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to retract. The contact sustained knee and neck injuries that required medical attention. The other driver sustained injuries, but did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was deemed destroyed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While accelerating from a stop light at 3 MPH, another vehicle ran the red light and crashed into the front driver's side of the contact's vehicle. The air bags in the vehicle failed to deploy. The contact sustained head injuries that required medical attention. The contact was unaware of injuries to occupants in the other vehicle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the contact's home where it was awaiting to be inspected by the insurance company. The air bag failure was yet to be determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
Related recalls
Air bags › Frontal
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured January 9, 2001, to March 28, 2003, 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 13, 2001, to May 23 2003, and 2003-2004 Dodge Viper vehicles manufactured November 1, 2001, to June 30, 2004.
Remedy: Chrysler dealers will replace the air bag control module and side impact sensors as required, free of charge. This recall remedy was applied during earlier recall campaigns of these vehicles under safety recalls 12V527…
Air bags › Frontal › Sensor/control module-inactive
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2002 and 2003 Jeep Liberty vehicles manufactured January 9, 2001, through March 28, 2003, and 2002 through 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 13, 2001, through May 23, 2003.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a supplemental jumper harness to the airbag control module, free of charge. Owners were notified of the recall by interim letter in January 2013.
NHTSA investigations
Jeep inadvertent air bag deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation based on consumer allegations of inadvertent air bag deployments (IABD) occurring after the recall remedy for NHTSA recall 12V-527 had been installed on recalled model year (MY ) 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty and MY 2002-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles manufactured by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).The recall was in response to the Office of Defects…
Airbag complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 256 complaints about the air bags of the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 34% of the model year's 762 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee airbag problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-046 (frontal, Jan 28, 2015); NHTSA recall 12V-527 (sensor/control module-inactive, Nov 8, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 112,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 17 crashes, 1 fire and 29 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.