Jeep Grand Cherokee Climate Control Problems [Plus Fixes]

In this post, we’ll look at issues you may experience with your Jeep Grand Cherokee Climate Control and how to go about it.

First off, here are the common causes of climate control problems in a Jeep Grand Cherokee:

A refrigerant leak
Bad blend actuator
A dirty air cabin filter
A broken blower motor
A faulty climate control module.

Now let’s look at some problems your Jeep Grand Cherokee may develop, early signs, and how to fix them.

Table of Contents

Jeep Grand Cherokee Climate Control Problems

1. AC only blowing hot air

One common indicator of climate control problems in a Jeep Grand Cherokee is the AC blowing hot air. Your AC might be blowing hot air because you have a refrigerant leak.

The air in your AC is originally warm. Your climate control system uses refrigerant to convert warm air into cold air in your AC.

So, if the refrigerant in your AC has leaked out, the system won’t be able to release cold air. This leaves your air conditioner with no choice but to release hot air.

A refrigerant leak may occur due to a broken low-pressure hose or a rusty evaporator. To stop this leak, you’ll need to find the source of the problem and repair it.

But don’t expect to discover the source of the leak easily. Refrigerant liquid evaporates when exposed to air.

If you’re lucky, you may notice an oily residue on the evaporator or hose.

Don’t leave the repair to chance. You can quickly discover the culprit for the refrigerant leak by injecting dye into your AC. Once you find the source of the leak, replace the component.

After fixing the leak, recharge your AC. A recharge will refill your AC with refrigerant, thus letting it return to blowing cold air.

2. AC blows hot air on the driver’s side and cold air on the passenger’s side

If your AC blows hot air on the driver’s side and cold air on the passenger’s side, your climate control system is faulty. This problem is often caused by a broken blend door actuator.

The blend door actuator controls the temperature of the air that flows into the cabin. When you turn on your air conditioner, the blend door actuator blocks the heater core. This ensures that your vents only release cold air.

In contrast, a faulty blend door actuator may leave the heater core partially open. Heat may escape through the open area in the heater core and flow through either the passenger or driver’s side. That’s why warm air only blows through one side.

Get a new blend door actuator to fix the problem. You’ll find your old blend actuator at the center of your dashboard or behind your glove box.

3. Reduced airflow from vents

You can tell that your Jeep Grand Cherokee climate control system is faulty if the vents only blow little air at a time.

The usual culprit for reduced airflow from your vents is a clogged cabin air filter.

Before air gets to your vents, it passes through a cabin air filter. This filter removes dust and other particles from the air.

As time passes, dirt may accumulate and block the air filter. This will reduce the amount of air that passes through the filter and moves to the vents.

To improve airflow through your vents, you’ll need to clean the clogged cabin air filter.

If the problem persists after cleaning the cabin air filter, change the filter.

Your cabin air filter is located behind the glove box. You can detach it without using any tool.

4. Rattling noise while turning on the A/C

Another sign of a bad climate control system in a Jeep Grand Cherokee is the rattling you may hear when you turn on the AC.

The wheezing noise from your AC may point to a faulty blower motor. Your blower motor is the component that pushes hot or cold air from your climate control system into your vehicle’s seating area. If your blower motor is broken, it may rattle while forcing air through your vents.

Change your worn-out blower motor to stop the clicking noise. Once you’ve done this, the air coming from the vents will flow smoothly.

Your blower motor is located below the passenger’s side dashboard.

5. No air coming through vents

The easiest way to detect a climate control problem in your Jeep Grand Cherokee is to check if air blows through the vents. If no air is coming out of the vents, the climate control system has an issue.

You might be facing this issue because your climate control module has gone bad. Your climate control module is the box that holds all your climate control buttons.

When you press the AC/ heater button, this module is supposed to communicate the information to the internal parts of the climate control system. A bad climate control module may fail to deliver the information to the internal AC unit.

Since your AC and heater can’t receive any commands from your climate control module, they won’t blow air.

Replace your climate control module to resolve this problem. You’ll find this module in the engine compartment, toward the left side of your car.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Car Models with the Most Climate Control Problems

The Jeep Grand Cherokee car models with the highest number of climate control problems are listed below:

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee

According to carcomplaints.com, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee has 31 reports about climate control problems, which is the highest number across all model years.

14 complaints made the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee the second most notorious model for climate control issues.

Another Jeep Grand Cherokee model with several climate control problems is the 2012 model, which garnered six reports about AC and heater issues from its users.

Jeep Grand Cherokee Car Models with the Least Climate Control Problems

The Jeep Grand Cherokee models with the least climate control problems are:

2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Carcomplaints.com confirms that the 2021 and 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee models only received one report each of AC and heater problems. In contrast, the 2020 model has no report of any climate control problem.

How Much Does It Cost to Fix Jeep Grand Cherokee Climate Control Problems?

It often costs between $186 and $198 to fix a climate control problem in a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Tips to Prevent Jeep Grand Cherokee Climate Control Problems

Maintain your car’s AC regularly.
Don’t ignore any strange noises coming from the climate control system.
Always leave your vehicle in a shaded area.
If you aren’t driving, don’t use your AC.
Wash your car every day.

You may also like to read about Climate Control problems in Nissan Rogue and GMC Envoy.

Wrapping Up

If you notice any of the signs above while driving your Jeep Grand Cherokee, apply the quick repair tips in this article. Also, remember to observe the precautions we’ve recommended to prevent your car from developing climate control problems again.