Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Seat heater wiring inside both front seats cracked at seat heater elements causing electrical resistance and melting of seat cushion material surrounding wiring. This defect was previously addressed via safety recall 09v11700 in 2009. Chrysler claimed my vehicle had received the safety recall, and the parts are only warranted for 2 years. If this is true, the new parts have the same fire hazard as the old parts.
#1 March 204 front angle on electric seat track clean break on track, seat unstable and unsafe vehicle underivable.replaced with salvage unit did not replace seat frame in lower cushion re used original seat. #2 1/24/16 front angle on electric track broke again, seat frame also damaged. Took apart seat frame came a part in multiple pieces with broke wields and broken metal points. Had to again buy salvage seat, could not find exact match, had to swap seat track frame, cushions and track wiring harness. Have had to work on this seat twice using all oe parts no aftermarket parts, both incidents have left the vehicle undriveable and unsafe till the part was replaced, second time seat snapped upon braking and flung me rearward to where I lost control of the vehicle, fortunately I was on a country road and was able to get of the road safely but any other incident myself or others could have …
The Jeep was stationary when there was a sound, when I started driving the seat began to wobble from side to side (left to right) and it felt like the seat could come off, I had to brace my leg against the door too keep the seat semi-stable. Looking into this issue I found a whole website dedicated to complaints, as well as a whole website dedicated to selling new brackets to counteract this problem. If a third party having to sell parts for a specific issue isnt telling on how common it is, I don't know what is. I have yet to bring it in to the shop, however according to the complaints its an issue with them making weak brackets than can fail during a crash. Here is the website documenting complaints, as well as the website for parts. …
Front driver seat mounting bracket/track break complaint: vehicle was stationary and in parked in a parking lot of my work. I was just getting into the vehicle when the front left driver seat bracket broke causing the seat to immediately start rocking side to side and towards the back. Upon inspection the bracket itself failed at a designed bend in the bracket just before the bracket attaches to the seat power sliding bracket. Material appears to be made of 1/8" metal problem: after time the bracket holding the driver/passenger side front seats to the frame of the vehicle begins to crack and break leaving the seat to rock and move as the vehicle is driven. This will lead to the seat possibly becoming disconnected from the vehicle frame in the event of a crash. File labeled: left brkt-driver seat - broken - is of the broken bracket.this part is on driver side towards the door. …
The front right side bracket under the drivers seat broke/snapped in half turning my drivers seat into a rocking chair making it very unsafe to drive. Bracket snapped while I was driving. Seat just dropped two inches to the right while driving. Now, I am concerned about a collision and then the seat just flying off turning me into a crash test dummy. This is not the first time this has happened on this vehicle. This same exact thing happened in 2013 so I went to a junk yard and purchased a replacement seat and had the entire seat replaced. Now, three years later I have to go thru the same process and hope the junkyard can get me another seat. This is a joke really that this issue has not caused a recall on the 2004 Jeep. After reading the forums on the web, something should be done about it. …
Driver's side seat track suffered material fatigue fracture. Seat frame is a stamped metal frame. The crack happened on the front left leg that attaches the seat to the floorboard. The seat track is stamped by a Chrysler directed supplier and shipped to jci for assembly. Suggest Chrysler to investigate seat movement (causing fatigue in the bend), material thickness and the possibility of adding a gusset (or brace) across the bottom of this bend in the track. This happened on my personal vehicle. I noticed some movement in the seat but I thought it was coming from the recline function. I was backing down a hill when it snapped causing me (the driver) to suddenly tilt backward. I was startled and the truck bumped into the mailbox at the end of the driveway causing a damaged bumper.
The drivers seat mounting bracket (front, left) has broken during normal use 8 times.the part was welded back together each time so far. Today, 3 or the 4 mounting brackets broke at once while I was getting into the vehicle, the 2 rear brackets and the same front bracket that typically snaps. This time I wasn't driving, but a few of the other breaks occurred while on the highway, or during normal acceleration from a stoplight. One break also occurred during a left turn on a city street and I nearly lost control when the seat leaned to the side. The first break happened in 2009 with around 45,000 miles on the vehicle, and they have happened on a regular basis since then.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving 25 MPH, the driver's side seat heater malfunctioned and burned through the seat. The contact smelled a burning odor and immediately pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road. He exited the vehicle and noticed a burn hole approximately the size of a quarter. NHTSA campaign id number 06V197000 (seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler) was specifically for the passenger side seat heater, and would not include the driver's side seat heater. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The current and failure mileages were approximately 92,000.
"Takata recall" my driver's seat has been replace once, at my own expense, due the seat becoming extremely "wobbly" and being broken from the bease frame and frame under seat. I was on highway driving when the seat first became slightly unstable, had I unfornatunately been struck from the rear, I would've been violently thrown forward. I have researched this matter and found that there had been a recall for the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee laredo wj, yet I found nothing on this site. It costs me $600, which is a lot for a disabled veteran. But my safety comes first. Please look into this
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 09V117000 (seats); however, the part to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Seat complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 110 complaints about the seats of the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 8% of the model year's 1,295 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › power adjust (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 8 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 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 2 fires and 4 injuries to seats 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.