Defogger Heater Problems of Jeep Grand Cherokee - part 1

Wife and son required to find alternate vehicle. The right hand side of heater on 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited failed. No defrost to clear windows and frigid air being blown onto passenger. I would like to have you investigate the (I believe unconscionable) number of complaints of the failure of the "blend doors" on 1999 to 2004 Jeeps. It is a design failure that is the result of a piece of plastic breaking in an inaccessible location under the dash. The car is rendered dangerous with no way to clear windshield and driver/passengers unable to get inside temperature to a tolerable level. The repair for the approximately $180 part costs $1200 from the dealer and $900 to $1000 from independent repair shops.

See all problems of the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee 🔎.

When the weather gets cold and I turn the heater it only blows cold air. While driving through atlanta this past Tuesday I nearly had an accident because the windows were fogged up. It is impossible to keep the windows from fogging up unless you open the windows (not Smart with 35 degrees outside) or you turn the vent, which is the same as opening the windows.

See all problems of the 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee 🔎.

The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While the contact was driving approximately 5 mph coming from a complete stop the power windows and power door locks failed to operate when engaged. The additionally, a noise sounded from the instrument panel whenever engaging the power window switch. The vehicle had a recall repair performed under NHTSA campaign id number 06v197000 (seats: front assembly: seat heater/cooler). However, the failure continued to occur after the recall repair. The power windows and power door locks failures had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 80,000. The current mileage was 95,000.

See all problems of the 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee 🔎.

My 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 90,000 miles has had problems with defrosting and heating for the past year. When it is cold or rainy the windshield will not clear not matter what settings I use. I get snow and ice accumulating on my foggy windshield and I am forced to pull over in dangers conditions and scrap my windows. Recently my heat has stopped working on the drivers side and I looked for information online and found numerous forums with thousands of people having the same problems with their Jeep Grand Cherokees. People have complained for years to the dealership and daimler Chrysler only to be told it was a comfort issue not a safety issue. It is s serious safety issue and I feel this needs to be looked into before someone does get hurt or worse. They are aware of the problem and the dealerships are willing to charge thousands of dollars to 'fix' problems but it should be recalled because they never fix the problem and customers are taking unnecessary risks to drive their SUV's (sports utility vehicles, ironically) without heat, defrost and/or cooling. Please take this complaint seriously and look and see how many other similar complaints you have gotten on the same issues with these cars. I can not afford to buy a new car and I do not want to out myself and my family as well as others at risk because one company is not responsible enough to fix such a blatant safety issue. Thank you.

See all problems of the 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee 🔎.

I have a digital dual climate zone in my vehicle. Recently the heat started to work only on one side (drivers) and not the passengers. After researching the issue, it looks like there is systemic problem with the mechanical recirculation and ventilation doors for the heating/cooling system as I found many complaints online with many who have had the same issue. In addition, I called a dealership with the problem codes that I got from running a diagnostic test via the heating/cooling control panel and the dealership also told me this is a very common issue and that it would cost a minimum of $800 to fix. The price to repair was consistent with what others were saying during my research. This is a safety issue as if I have not heat I can not defrost my windows in the winter.

On are 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland with automatic climate control the blend doors have failed and this causes the hvac unit to either blow hot or cold when turned on but you have no control of it. We have had the a/c kick on when unit was set to heat/defrost in the middle of winter and this causes a safety issue as the windshield will start icing up or fogging up if it's not real cold out and as my wife drives this vehicle daily I want her in a safe vehicle. We have also had the heater kick on when using the a/c and all you can do is turn the hvac unit off and roll down the windows. From what I have been told all Grand Cherokee's have this problem just at different intervals. I know some people who have had multiple failures of this part. To get the repairs done at a dealer we were quoted $950 to fix it but I believe Jeep should be looking into this as it is such a common problem and it causes a major safety issue during the winter months if and when the heater/defroster quits working. When the hvac system gets stuck there is nothing you can do to fix it sometimes it will stick for a few hours other times it will not work for a day or two.

Prior to the problem the vehicle performed as designed and then suddenly a snap noise came from the dash area and then the windows fogged while I was driving. The failure was a plastic component of the climate control vent system and the consequences are no heating of the drivers compartment and compromised comfort & visibility while driving. The only solution that the Jeep dealer offers is to replace the badly designed expensive parts with equally inferior expensive oem replacement parts which are inevitably going to break again. Diagnostic / repair quote $1600. 00 I sought advice / info regarding my problem and discovered on my own a company in texas which makes a reliable / permanent solution for the Jeep Grand Cherokee poorly designed dual control vent & recirc systems. I bought an after mkt repair kit from a texas CO. Heatertreater. Com for $225. The superior designed parts are impervious to breakage like the oem Jeep components and will not repeat this trouble in my vehicle like the original parts. Please review heatertreater. Com as useful info as to how Jeep engineers should have built it and to see demonstration of the problem. My old parts are available for you to review.

See all problems of the 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee 🔎.

My '01 Jeep Grand Cherokee's heater stopped working on the passenger side. It only blew in cold air. I brought it to my mechanic and it was a blend door failure. Leading up to it, I had noticed an odd sound coming from the hvac after I turned my engine off, but ignored it as it worked properly. The passenger side has now stopped working. Searching on the internet, there is apparently a TSB #24-001-04 concerning this problem. If it is a common problem, it should not simply be an informational TSB, but rather a recall. Please help everyone here with this problem.

The contact owns a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving at an unknown speed, the seat frame spontaneously failed and allowed the seat to suddenly retract backwards. The failure increased the risk of a crash. The dealer stated that the entire seat frame needed to be replaced at the cost of over $400. He is in the process of having the seats repaired. Secondly, the power windows worked intermittently. The dealer replaced the window regulators. Thirdly, he noticed that fluid from the heater coil leaked into the front passenger side of the vehicle. The manufacturer would not assume any responsibility for the repair because the vehicle exceeded the warranty. The failure and current mileages were 94,000.

Ventilation system is blowing cold air even with the heat on.

I was driving today and my windshield began to fog I turned defroster on hi heat and all it did was blow cold air and it made windshield worse. I almost crashed!!!.

The blend doors on my 2002 grand Jeep cherokee have broken and no heat to defroster or to interior car. Jeep mixed problem in 2004 models but refuses to issue a recall. This is a major problem/safety issue since windshield will not defrost and cause potential accident. Many people have left messages to your website about this over the yrs. Why are you not doing anything? does someone have to die first? I guess so. Thanks .

I own a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited with 87,000 miles. The events leading up to the failure of the ventilation system were (1) rapid fogging of front windshield,(2) fogging of front passenger windows,(3) failure of passenger heat while still maintaining driver heat function, and (4) only cold air release on passenger side of Jeep. Consequently,(1) the windshield and front windows do not defog, and (2) no heat whatsoever comes from the passenger side floor and dashboard ventilation system. To correct this problem, a "blend air door" is necessary at a cost of approximately $1,200 inclusive of 7 hours of labor. According to the certified service department at the local Jeep dealer and online forums, this has become a very common problem for 2000-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee limiteds with duel zone ventilation systems.

1. The heating stopped working in my 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee 2. No heat and nor ac in the entire vehicle 3. Part that needed to be replaced is the blend door. The part itself costs $90. But the labor cost over $1,000!.

Heater and air conditioner does not function properly. May blow heat on one side and cool air on the other side when the a/c is on.   may need to turn all the up to 86 before heat will come out in the winter.   will sometimes correct itself if car is turned off and let sit for a period of time.

The contact owns a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the driver's side heated seat burned her and left two burn marks through the leather seats. She noticed the defect when hot spots began to come through the seat. She has unknowingly been burned five times. The manufacturer has not offered any assistance. The dealer stated that there was no recall for her VIN number; however, there is a NHTSA campaign id number 06v197000 (seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler). The failure and current mileages were 38,000. Updated 02-19-08 the consumer stated at the same time there was a complete failure of the heating system including the defroster. Causing hazardous driving conditions. Updated 02/19/08.

Heater on 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee will not blow hot air. Temperature running about 210 (normal). Intermittent periods of operation while driving. Air conditioner works fine. Blower on ac side fine.

Broken blend doors and actuator in heating system on 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Heating/ac non-functioning. Blows only cold air. Jeep Grand Cherokee 2002. Started @ 75,000 mi with only cold air on passenger side, 1 year later only cold air both sides. Jeep dealer wants $1200 to replace a "blend door" behind the glove compartment. Many other Jeep owners with same problem.

Loss of heat/ac.

See all problems of the 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee 🔎.

Malfunctioning air conditioner blended diverters. I have the 2001 laredo and my a/c directional blenders are malfunctioning. I have the manual system which is supposedly less complicated but it seems even the simple ones malfunction. I only have 65,000 miles.

My 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee will not provide heat on the passenger side, only the driver's side. The vehicle also has some sort of electrical short and the entire system, including the radio will reset and start. In addition the fuel system is reluctant to pump fuel to the engine on a cold start. The dealerships advised me that the car is not built to last forever and the fuel issue and heating issue was typical. The expense however would be extreme for the heating and fuel issues to be $800 to $1200 for each repair.

I own a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland with 44,500 miles. The events leading up to the failure of the ventilation system were (1) rapid fogging of front windshield,(2) fogging of front passenger windows,(3) failure of passenger heat while still maintaining driver heat function, and (4) only cold air release on passenger side of Jeep. Consequently,(1) the windshield and front windows do not defog, and (2) no heat whatsoever comes from the passenger side floor and dashboard ventilation system. In addition to the fogging there is a leak of antifreeze, hazardous material, coming into the vehicle driver and passenger areas, due to defective heater core. To correct this problem, a "blend air door" is necessary and a new heater core at a cost of approximately $1,700 inclusive of 7 hours of labor. According to the certified service department at the local Jeep dealer and online forums, this has become a very common problem for 2000-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee limiteds/overlands with dual zone ventilation systems.

(1) clicking noise coming from passenger dash area. (2) blend door failure, resulting in the loss of heat on the passenger side. When heat is turned on ice cold air blows on the passenger side. (3) dealership wants $1500. 00 to fix this (common) problem that has happened on thousands of Grand Cherokees. No recall has been issued to date.

I own a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited v8, my heater does not work the blower does but there is no heat at all.

I have a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited and always heard noises from the vent since I bought the Jeep, got it checked out when it was under warranty and they did something to the actuator. A little over a year ago I had coolant leaking into my car on the passenger side, had to get a new heater core ($800) then when they finished no heat was coming out, it was the blend door so they had to redo all the work in getting in there ($350 after I complained), 3 months ago, same problem heater core leak ($920), now 3 months after that I have no heat, took it in last week, blend door problem and $730. I have no heat in my Jeep!! I cannot believe they do not have a recall for this problem with so many people having the same issue and I have had it twice! something should be done.

The 1999-2004 Grand Cherokee is built with blend doors to control the heater and ac function. The doors are controlled by a stepper motor that seeks an open and close setting every 20 times the Jeep is started. The end points for open or closed are set by a plastic pin that is part of the plastic door assembly. When this pin breaks, the stop points become the open and closed position of the door. Eventually, the doors will break(see picture). The most common fail mode is for the broken door to fall to the bottom of the box, blocking the heater core no heat. Also, in this position, the door does not do an efficient job of blocking the heat input, and the ac efficiency suffers. The door can also hang in a position where it closes neither the heater core nor ac condenser inlets. When this happens, you have a constant mixture of heat and ac?too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. - the factory solution is to replace the doors and housing with an upgraded part that has a stronger plastic pin to withstand the constant opening and closing when the stepper seeks its beginning position. The repair entails removing the dash panel, steering wheel, all vacuum and wiring harnesses, draining the coolant, evacuating the ac system, and finally removing and repairing the heater box. Quotes will range from $1200 to $2200 for the repair. . . If you can find someone willing to spend two days disassembling the car. It's not difficult, just detailed, and evacuating and refilling the ac refrigerant requires epa certification. Dealers don't like to do this because it ties up a technician for an extended period of time and the chances of missing a wire or messing up the re-assembly is high. This is a design flaw! they are aware of the problem and no longer use the same parts when they fix it. The consumer should not be responsible for the outrageous cost of covering their mistake.

On Wednesday night, I was driving my '03 Jeep Grand Cherokee overland in a moderate-to-dense fog around 11:00 pm. The heater had not been working for the last couple of weeks, so I was using the heated seats whenever it was cold out. I was unaware that the defroster vents would also not be working until that night. I was unable to drive home without having to keep the windows down while I stuck my head out to see.

After owning the car for a year the passenger's side heat doesn't work at all. We took it in to get it diagnosed. They told us it was the blend door and they estimated $500 plus. The mechanic said this wasn't the first time he'd seen this, that's how he was so easily able to diagnose it as a blend door problem.

Heat doesn't work at all and the ventilation system creaks loudly.

The contact owns a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact noticed that the heating and cooling system did not work. She called the local dealer and they instructed her to bring the vehicle in for inspection. While driving at an unknown speed to the dealer, she noticed freon rising from the instrument panel. As a result, other components of the engine and engine cooling system began to fail. The air conditioning and heater no longer worked. The dealer stated that not only had her blower motor and resister failed, but the heater core, evaporator core, actuator, and blend door (which no longer provided heat on the driver side of the vehicle) were corroded as well. The dealer further stated that the freon from the instrument panel originated from the evaporator core, indicating the presence of ethanol (toxic gas). The manufacturer has not offered any assistance and stated that the failures were due to lack of maintenance. Currently, the estimated cost that the contact has spent on repairs is $2,000. The vehicle is at the dealer and has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000 and current mileage was 91,350.

First there was the recall on the electric radiator fan, and now consequently the heater, or blower doesn't produce hot air. . Read more...

Heating blend doors 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee second failure.

I bought the 2003 Jeep in March of 2007 with 19,000 miles. It was certified that everything worked correctly. I am the sole driver and rarely have a passenger additionally, my wife and I used to commute with our other vehicle(Honda) until her schedule changed. Therefore, we never tested the passenger side heat. Now, it does not work and even though the car has only 22,000 miles, Jeep says they will not fix. I don't believe it worked from the start and I have read numerous complaints on the internet of similar problems. I spoke to the dealer and Chrysler and both were rude and unhelpful. They say we should have bought an extended warranty. Does everything require and extended warranty? can't we expect someone level of quality with having to buy more warranty? I believe the heat system should last more than 22,000 miles.

I have a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee ltd. The dual climate control only blows cold air on the drivers side regardless of the temp setting. Dealer says it is very common air-blend actuator/door problem and will cost $$$ to fix.