Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V438000 (Electrical System). While placing the key in the ignition, it was extremely tight. The driver thought the key could possibly break. The Uconnect and power train warning lights were illuminated. The contact was alerted that the brake lights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle was serviced with no brake lights and informed the contact that a diagnostic test was needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. After taking possession of the vehicle, there was an abnormal sizzling sound coming from the dashboard, and the radio was inoperable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 145,677.
2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Seems to be there's electrical issue all the dash lights would turn on turn off happened while I was driving on the freeway and had to come to a stop it stalled out it happened when I started up the car and I turned it off and took it to the shop two different times pretty much the same problem first time it has 68 codes reading off of it so they replace my battery the second time the lights will come on and go off and come on and then it wouldn't even go it was undriveable at that point so we took it to the shop and then a month later it's starting all over again I was driving down the road came to a stop light plied the brakes and then all of the sudden the gauges were going crazy. The idol was moving up and down the lights would come on and go off and it's all the lights not just air bag or anything like that it was all the lights. …
All the electrical stuff on my car flashes on and off or will just go completely blank for awhile while I'm driving this includes speedometer and all my lights and windshield wipers which is very much needed to drive safely it appears that the car shuts off but it continues to run and I've done research and it is my ignition switch I saw that there was a recall on it already and I called and they told me they wouldn't fix it I'm not sure how all of this works so I'm writing you guys for help. When it had first happened I was going about 60 MPH down the highway in the rain in washington state I feel very unsafe in this vehicle now I can't take the chance of being on the freeway and this happening again in the rain the speedometer wasn't so scary but when your windshield wipers go out while it's raining and you're driving on the highway it's pretty scary and very unsafe for everyone. …
My vehicle was driving fine, then all of the sudden I lost all lights, all ignition, A/C everything except the engine. I lost speedometer airbags. The car acted like it was shut off but the engine was still going. My ignition has had problems since August 2014 and I have been calling my dealer every week to find out about parts. The parts have taken longer than a reasonable time to become available. My car now lights up (every check engine, traction control, seatbelt, oil, airbag, every light on the dash) at least 3 times in a half hour period. Was told by the dealer it was due to a faulty ignition. My car will not pass california smog with the check engine light coming on multiple times in my trip anywhere. I was told September 11th they would have the parts available. Then it was moved to October 11th. …
2005 Jeep has been slipping into neutral since February 2013. It caused me to have an accident because I couldn't get out of the way of rear-oncoming traffic. No major damage was done thankfully! A few weeks later I experienced a rollaway. I went into the sitter to pick up my son. After about 5 minutes of being inside I my Jeep roll across the street! I go running outside, opened the door and pulled up the emergency break...just missing an embankment! Since the "neutral" thing started I have had several service lights come on. My mechanic performed a diagnostic check and he said its all electrical. Also, I've had issues with the front passenger window going up/down slower than the rest of the windows since 3 months into purchase. Other issues are cracked door handles (both front doors), replacing taillight kit, ac switch-a few times as it would only work on high.
I was driving and turned on the left turn signal, it was flashing extremely fast and after I made the turn we noticed that some of the interior dash lights were out. Later that night after stopping and restarting the ignition a couple times things seemed back to normal but then it happened again. This has been intermittent since then, but now I have also been informed that I have no brake lights. I checked the brake lamps and they are good and the fuses are good too. I had my mechanic check out the multi-function headlight switch as that seemed to be where the issue was originating and they told me that this is the problem and it needs to be replaced. This is a very serious failure that could have lead to a tragic accident. I feel that there should be an investigation into this and Jeep should replace these switches.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the instrumental panel, interior, and exterior lighting failed. The failures occurred intermittently. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The contact also mentioned that the interior passenger and both rear door handles fractured and detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the shifting cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The contact received NHTSA campaign number: 14V438000 (electrical system) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer stated that the parts would not be available until approximately September 2015. The manufacturer was made aware of the delay. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000.
While driving on the freeway at night my headlights started blinking on and off at a very fast pace. I could not get them to stop blinking. I was able to put my bright lights on and it stopped. This has happed many times over the past month. The cars in front of me think I am trying to make them pull over and let me by. This week my headlights came on during the daytime and they were in the off position. I never had them on. I am afraid to drive at night with this condition. My headlights come on when I use my key remote to unlock my doors. It is not set to do this and we can not get it to stop. When I turn the car off and back on again this will reset the headlights from blinking but they always start again while I am driving. I can not find anybody that knows what the problem is.
Exterior headlights and interior dash lights flicker on and off speratically. This happens while driving, stopped and even when parked. I have to toggle the light switch on and off to try and stop the flicker or even to get the lights to come back on because sometimes the lights stay off even when the switch is in the on position. This is extremely scary when driving at night and I'm sure it irritates the heck out of anyone who see's my lights flickering. They think I'm signaling them for some reason. Really need a fix for this asap. Hope daimler/chrsler isn't waiting for death/accident toll before they fix this issue. I have already had the ignition switch replaced per the recent recall and the problem with the lights persists.
My 2005 Grand Cherokee has on several occasions turned itself off while driving down the road. The last time this happened was at night and raining and the windshield wipers, headlights and everything shut off for several seconds while driving down the road. Because of this a tractor trailer pulled out in front of me with my children in the car and we were nearly killed. I had no lights, windshield wipers, the brakes and steering were very difficult etc. I took it to the dealer today and they stated that there is a recall for this however no fix for the issue at this time?!?!?!?! This is completely unacceptable as my vehicle is completely useless, it is not worth my families lives to take the chance of driving it.
Headlight complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 62 complaints about the lights of the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 3% of the model year's 2,051 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 3 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 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 89,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to lights 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.