Jeep Grand Cherokee

Is your Jeep Grand Cherokee a lemon?

Although the Jeep Grand Cherokee has not historically inspired adulation from reviewers, the new generation of this SUV is stirring more excitement. Like many other recent models of SUVs, the Jeep Grand Cherokee offers electric seat adjustment, electrically adjusted pedals, and very comfortable and firm seats.

In addition, Jeep Grand Cherokee has included ESP stability control for the first time. An anti-lock braking system and traction control are standard with a rollover mitigation system that brakes one of the wheels if it suspects the car is about to roll over. There is also an optional tire-pressure monitoring system.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee also features an ESP stability control system and optional parking radar. To address safety concerns, the Jeep Grand Cherokee offers six airbags. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded this vehicle its highest ratings for front and side impact protection, but it received only four stars in the Euro NCAP tests for overall adult crash protection. Moreover, it achieved a three out of four star rating for child protection, but none for pedestrian protection.

Despite the efforts made by manufacturer Daimler Chrysler, the Jeep Grand Cherokee still displays a number of problems that have plagued consumers and has been subject to a number of lemon law cases.

Common Problems

The following are common problems faced by Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, as filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• Electrical System: Ignition: Switch
• Power Train: Automatic Transmission
• Visibility: Power Window Devices and Controls
• Service Brakes, Hydraulic: Power Assist
• Engine and Engine Cooling

Consumers have filed the following specific complaints with the NHTSA:

"Consumer contacted the dealer about an ignition problem. Mechanic stated that a cause could not be determined. When driver entered into the vehicle and started it up, and while driving driver's knees hit against the ignition, it caused the vehicle to shut down intermittently, but driver was able to restart it."

"While driving on the freeway 70 mph and when slowing down to take an exit the vehicle shut down, there was no power at all. Consumer was able to pull over and restart the vehicle. Consumer drove the next day to the dealership and left the vehicle. Dealer could find nothing wrong after three days. After picking the vehicle up from the dealer it shut down while at a stop light. Consumer took it back to the dealer. No defects could be found. Consumer went on a trip, and the vehicle stopped while making a right turn. Again the dealer could not find any defects. Computer was replaced. There was also rear suspension noise. Sunroof is noisy."

The following recall was filed with the NHTSA:

On certain vehicles equipped with 3.7l engines and NAG1 automatic transmissions, the air conditioner evaporator condensate water may enter the transmission at the fill tube grommet seal. This can result in shudder during torque converter clutch engagement. That can lead to increased transmission operating temperatures, boiling of the water, and a subsequent purging of transmission fluid into the engine compartment potentially resulting in an under-hood fire.

On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with 4.0l engines, the crankshaft position sensor wiring insulation may crack and expose the wire. In the presence of moisture, this could result in sensor malfunction, which could cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Legal Rights

See the listing at the above right for things you can do.