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Jeep Grand Cherokee 1999-2004: How to Unlock Car with Dead Battery

Getting in when you're completely locked out - who would have ever thought it could be so challenging? Here are three ways to get your Grand Cherokee's door open without the help of a charged battery.

By Ben Mannino - September 15, 2015
Contributors: Rickgmi, Eric The Car Guy

This article applies to the Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ (1999-2004).

Over the years, cars have become more electrical than mechanical. In many ways this is a good thing, except for when your battery dies and every method of unlocking the vehicle is electrically controlled. Not good. So what do you do when your Jeep Grand Cherokee battery quits and the hood as well as all the doors are locked? You get old school on the Jeep, and here's how.

Materials Needed

  • Metal clothing hanger
  • Jumper cables or portable jump box
  • Block wedge or really thick wood shim
  • Penetrating oil (optional)

Step 1 – Try your key on the driver's side door lock

There is only one lock on the Jeep Grand Cherokee that will allow you to unlock it manually with a key, and that's the driver's side door. If the car has been sitting for a while, you may need to get some penetrating oil and spray the inside of the tumblers.

Allow it to soak for at least 30 minutes and then try the key again. Move the key back and forth gently to avoid breaking it. If this works, congratulations! This is the easiest way to get it, unlatch the hood, and get the battery charged. If not, proceed to Step 2.

Figure 1. Unlocking the door could be as simple as using your key.

Step 2 – Use a coat hanger to pull open the door handle

This requires a little bit of elbow grease, and an extra helping of patience. Straighten out a coat hanger and bend a one inch square hook on one end.

Next, you will need to pry open the top corner of the driver door using a small door stopper wedge or a really thick wood shim. Gently pull the top of the door outward so that you can slide in the wedge and get enough clearance to insert the door hanger behind the rubber gasket.

Bend the wire toward you as you feed it out toward the door handle. Hook the door handle, pull it open and do your happy dance - you're done!

Step 3 – Jump start the Jeep from under the vehicle

Did I save the best for last? You decide. Since the hood is latched shut, the only way to jump start your Grand Cherokee is by getting under the vehicle and hooking up directly to the starter's positive wire and ground it to the frame. Since there is a hot wire running directly from the battery to the starter, this is the next best thing to a direct connection.

The starter is located just below the oil filter as illustrated in Figure 2. Use this as a reference when approaching from under the Jeep. Connect your positive wire to this terminal and your ground to a clean metal connection on the frame. With this connected, you should now have adequate power to unlock the car with your key fob.

Figure 2. Locate the starter beneath the oil filter and wire it up.

Featured Video: Jeep Grand Cherokee Starter R&R (for reference)

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