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).
Well they say third times a charm...or will it be death? The first incident happened when I was alone in the vehicle as I was making a left hand turn across traffic my Jeep just shut down leaving me powerless..by that I mean nothing no steering no breaks no nothing! Thank the gods there was no oncoming traffic at the time. The second time was a bit more nerving as my 6 year old son and myself were on the highway keeping up with the 65-70 MPH flow of cars,SUV's & tractor trailers when all of the sudden my engine power just slumbered off to a crawl. If I had been in one lane over and 3 seconds behind we would not be here today to tell this unsightly story! …
I purchased my 05 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.7l v6 with 79K miles on it June 21, 2016. In July of 2017, it started to bog down with a constant shutter when starting up and accelerating, the CEL was also on. I took it in to have the CEL checked out and it was showing 22 codes saying that the o2 sensor had a high voltage circuit. Upon examinng and testing the o2 sensor there was nothing found to be wrong. A couple weeks later the CEL came on again, but this time it showed the same o2 sensor was running lean and rich at the same time. I replaced the sensor at that time. Now it is showing another code p0430 and the timing chain for the electronic shift transmission is jumping. I was informed this happens to these transmissions all the time and there is no repair for it. All I can do is drive it until it goes and buy a new transmission. This is not fair
I was driving on the highway going about 65-70 and I lost all throttle response so my speed fell tremendously and I put on my hazards and I had to get over avoiding traffic. Almost got into a wreck before I got into the emergency lane. Once I pulled over I turned it off and turned my car back on and everything seemed fine. The same thing happened to me twice before I got home. It was my scariest ride home. I called the dealer ship and I took it in. They told me to replace my throttle body so I did this and had it reprogrammed. Drove it for a few days and it did the same thing. They said this it might be a bad throttle body but I've been reading around and a lot of other people have this problem and there dealerships has no idea what it's is.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving 55 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed, the speed decreased. When the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated forward with force. The contact stated that the ABS, tracker control, service electrical braking system, and service 4 wheel drive warning indicators illuminated. The contact continued driving home as the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but no failure code was found. The contact stated that the brakes, rotors, and calipers were replaced, but the failure continued. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 240,272.
At random times while driving, while in park, and just after startup, all dashboard gauges, lights, and power goes out, headlights turn off, but the engine still runs. I cannot see what is in front of me at night, I cannot tell my speed, I cannot see my fuel level, etc. The outage lasts from 2-30 seconds before every single warning light will illuminate for a few seconds, or flicker on and off, and then return to normal. I replaced the ignition 2 years ago from a previous recall notice. This is extremely dangerous because I never know when it will happen, it could happen at night on a heavily trafficked street and I lose all power and lights!
On 04/23/2016 I took my vehicle for a recall, p41 / NHTSA 14v-438 today is 7/10/2016 and the vehicle has done the same thing twice, all of a sudden all the lights in the dash board go on I loose power and after a while it starts up again. Like I said before this has happen twice now I lost my cruise control and a service electrical brake system is coming on and engine light. I fear that this is going to cause me to have an accident one day and there for I have been using only secondary roads that don't have much traffic.
We received a recall notice June 2014 for ignition switch. My vehicle dash board, gauges hear, air, everything shuts off at least 5 times a week. I am told from subclass that the part is still not in. In doing research, I have found the some cars completing shut down. Some while driving 60 on a highway. This needs to be fixed. I feel that over a year is long enough. I need my Jeep fixed and safe to drive around with my 4 year old grandson in the back seat. Thanks, deb
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number: 14V438000 (electrical system) exceeded a reasonable amount of time for repair. The dealer stated that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact mentioned that the traction control light illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
1. Door handles broken on 3 doors 2. Electrical system - lights flickering and completely going out while driving at night. 3. Transmission slips out of gear while driving and will not always change gears. Found where other Grand Cherokee vehicles were recalled for these conditions but not the one I own.
Its all on city streets when I'm driving the ABS lights come on and my engine lights comes on and off I have to shut the car off and restart it then it says everything is OK. When I come to a stop light and stop it dies but starts right back up
Traction Control complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 1% of the model year's 2,051 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control 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 traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
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.