Jeep Grand Cherokee

rinkinkin

I p/u mine in Sept 2000 and 4800 mi on the dial today . Everything seems ok so far. ONLY changed front rotors last Friday . Hope this is the last set I need. Otherwise love every bit of it. No whine or rattle yet.

daniaislene

Fuel pump disaster. do I just shoot this thing? how do i get rid of this car? I am on the 4th fuel pump in two months. Now they say there is debris in the tank and they need to replace it... lots of gasoline leaks and it is still not resolved. anyone want to take this turkey off my hands? (how is that for a sales pitch? Any hints on some consumer activism would be appreciated

dbindenver

No I have gotten that taken care of yet. Have not had time to schedule an appointment. I did find out that there is a bulletin out for a problem with weighed prop shafts. Still trying to find out if it's on early or later production models. Mine was built in early Oct. I post once I have more information

lemonjeep2

A person posted above about dealers with 1999/2000 JGC's at a great price because they were a "Program Vehicle" or "Early Lease Turn In". Be afraid, be very afraid. Run as fast as you can!

Given all of the early problems on these vehicles, many of these are actually vehicles bought back by DC after customers were in arbitration or pursued the Lemon Law (ought to be called the Jeep Law!)

I know, our LEMON 99JGC spent close to 70 days in the shop the first year. After pursuing the Lemon Law, DC bought it back for a FULL REFUND, plus some (cost them over $50,000). Since we settled before it went to court, the vehicle was never oficially labeled as a lemon. This happened to many other owners, as you will see if you look back at the archived forums.

That means that it could be shipped to another dealer and sold to some poor unsuspecting sap as an "early lease turn in". I wonder if the next poor owner wondered why their vehicle had only 9,000 miles on it? (because it spent all it's time in the shop). It had a repair history as big as a small tom phone book, and now somebody else is driving it.

ihsalways

NEVER, EVER buy one of these without first seeing the COMPLETE vehicle service record since "Mile 1!" Any seller of one of these-type vehicles who can't/won't produce the maintenance record, which IS kept on all these sort of "program" vehicles, IS (1) a liar; (2) incompetent; of (3) both.

But, IF you see and like the TRUE/REAL service/maintenance history (it will always be tied to VIN), these are probably the best deals anywhere and always have been. I've personally benefited to the tune of MANY thousands$$ over the years by these deals, BUT NEVER "in the dark"...

leo948

So far I'm happy w/my new Jeep. It's Silverstone w/Taupe lthr, package 28K, plus Trailer Tow Grp IV, 5sp auto, and the 4.7L. I bought it at CarMax in Orlando and here's the breakdown:

$32665.00 - base
-500.00 - Ltd discount
+1510.00 - pkg 28K
+225.00 - tow pkg IV
+75.00 - 5sp auto
+1070.00 - 4.7L V8
-700.00 - V8 bonus discount
-3982.00 - CarMax savings
-1500.00 - incentive

$29478.00 - Final Sticker price

incl tax&tags = $32464 (11 miles on the odometer)

It's been a week and so far I've put 500 miles on the odometer (a Sunday drive down to Tampa) averaging 17/24. Better mpg than expected.

tonychrys

Wow... that's an excellent price! Did you you have to haggle for it?

I hope the quality is better in the 2001s and you get many happy miles. As for me, I was ready to buy until I checked all the crash test ratings. The JGCL does poor on both the government and insurance institute offset crash tests. Plus no side air bags in what is suppose to be a luxury SUV. Not good.

Anyhow, that is a great price! Enjoy!

TC

leo948

TC, I bought it for the 'No-Haggle' price. I was on a waiting list for an Emerald/Tan lthr MDX but the waiting list was too long. I needed a car immed.

tonychrys

Good job! Congrats!

rzsess

I am looking to lease a 2001 JGC (Laredo) for 36 months and would appreciate any feedback regarding recent pricing that has been seen. As far as options, I am looking at the 26F package and sunroof, leather and heated seats (not sure if they are part of the package but the dealer I visited had every 26F set up that way).
Thanks for your help.

leo948

btw, the final price of $32464 also includes the 60mo/60k mile extended warranty ($780) from DC.

Leo

findir

Just purchased a 95 JGC with the Infinity Gold sound system (am/am and tape), and no instructions on setting the radio clock. I know it's probably simple, but any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

robtw

My 1999 Grand Cherokee has been far more trouble that I bargained for. Four brake jobs in two years at 33K miles. Surface the rotors, replace the rotors, surface the new rotors, surface the rotors again. As the Daimler sales engineer explained to me (without acknowledging that this was a problem) the overheating begin with the 99 redesign to get the spare tire below the deck. Something in the air flow pattern over the front rotors is not right and the heat is not properly dissappated. The explanation was good but the problem is still mine. This turkey will shortly be out of warranty and I'm not going to get the brakes fixed every 8000 miles. This car can belong to someone else and they can fix the brakes. Beyond that the transmission goes "clunk" on a shift to reverse. The Mfg says they don't have a TSB on this matter but sooner or later the transmission is going to be trouble. No other cars go clunk on a reverse shift. I doubt that the 2001 model will be any different. I don't need any more Jeeps!

mark156

Hey Folks, I have to say I love my Jeep. Early on I did have to have the drive train replaced twice. Now, at 27,000 miles, I have had no problems. Since I live in two locations, Tn and Ca, I always check the paper for used '99 Jeeps. Honestly, there are never very many for sale. If people are dumping these vehicles, they are not running ads for them. I've had two Jeeps so far, a '96 and a '99. I think I might try something different because I need a third seat option. I'm thinking of the 2002 Mercedes ML430 sport. I have a 2000 Mercedes E430 sport also so I thought I might stick with Mercedes. If Jeep offered a third seat on the Grand Cherokee, I would buy another. I've had no problems otherwise. Sorry to hear about your folks that have had trouble. Mark

carolee

Does anyone have thoughts on Up Country suspension package and 8 cyl versus 6 cyl standard engine? I'm looking at a Laredo GC, 4 Wheel Drive, with Up country and V8 that I really like. Dealer is playing games and telling me they are giving me Employee price- slightly above invoice after 1500 rebate- and of course not mentioning 1000 hidden incentive and dealer holdback (car just hit the lot). So I am going to go either with Cars Direct or Autobytel quote but would like to know if 8 cyl and upcountry are really worth it. I live in mountain region and climb alot of hills, but also put about 20K miles a year on car- TIA

mark156

Definitely get the V8. My first Jeep was a in-line 6 and was adequate but the V8 is wonderful. I can go up any hill with no problem or hesitation. I noticed on the 6 that if I had it loaded with people, I had to be careful if I needed to pull out into traffic quickly, it did make a difference. Personally, I would always go with the larger engine especially if you live in a mountain region. Mark

kullenberg

Try the following website for excellent prices on Jeeps. http://www.jeepwarehouse.com/entrance.htm

A fully equiped GC Ltd comes in at around $32,000. Only catch is you have to go to Indiana to pu, although they will deliver for a fee.

Cheers

ccg7

OK I have gotten to the point where DC admits by 1999 JGC is a lemon Now they are having an "independent" agent call me and work out a deal. The problem is this sounds just like trading in the vehicle. DC knows that the 1999 JGC has serious design and mechanical problems. They knew they were lemons when they produced them. I don't want a trade-in, I want them to do something about selling me a lemon. I can not afford to pay the heavy mileage charge. It does not seem right that DC could sell SUVs they know have problems then get out of the problem in their favor. Comments, advice, please.

iceguys

I cannot believe that I am the only one with so many problems. I trust this board so much for direction. Everything that you have read from others about this lemon of a car is just like my jeep also. Today it is in for new points and plugs, got stuck yesterday, had to be towed. Three times it needed new bushings, three times new rotors and countless other times they had to be sanded or something like that. It has been in for service 23 times in the last 24 months. Now the check engine light is on again. The last two times of course they told me that they could not duplicate the problem. I lease this vehicle, have a 39 month lease, and only into 24 months. Am I eligible to go through the lemon law or arbitration? Should I let the lease company know about this? Please Please help me, you can also forward this to my em-ail at kclawlor@aol.com. I thank you all so much, like friends that have so much misery with what we thought was a good vehicle.
Christie

mgbaron

I currenly have a 1987 JGC Laredo with 255,000 miles and have been very pleased with it, but we plan on doing some long distance travelling now that I'm retired and needed something newer. I'm currently looking to buy a 1998 JGC Laredo from a used car dealer which currently has 22,000 miles on it. Price quoted was 18.2K and was a leased car. Based on what I've read here, I've requested the vehicles maintenace history but was told the vehicle was from south jersey and was maintained there and they had no records. I have the vehicle identification number. Is there any way I can get the history of this car before I consider buying it, i.e., if it was in an accident, etc. Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Gerry

tonychrys

http://www.carfax.com/

vincet4

Is anyone else having a problem with the Dual-Zone Climate in the Grand Cherokee Limited? The problem we are having is that when we have the air directed to come out of the floor vents, some air trickles through the dashboard passenger air vent on the dash near the stereo. This air vent gets so hot as to leave temporary burn marks on skin if touched! Dealer says this is a "known defect" that Jeep/Chrysler acknowledges and there is no fix for this. I'm worried that my kids will get burned. Had I known about this problem, I never would have bought this car with that option. Has anyone else had this kind of experience? Was it resolved? How? We have the V-8 with only about 2200 miles.

Thanks,
Vince

tonychrys

gcl98

I own a 98 Grand Cherokee Laredo that I bought new. It's got 35,000 miles on it and I can say I've had no trouble with it at all (other than my own poor technique for getting out of 4-low).

If you have the VIN, try your local Chrysler service department, and ask them if they can plug in the VIN to see what service has been performed on the car.

Also, as tonychrys has suggested, go to carfax.com and pay the small fee to check the VIN for any history on the car.

Good luck.

teegunn

I very much appreciate you answering my questions! I did go ahead and buy the 2004 JGC this weekend. So far I really like it. It is very smooth and has very good power (has the h.o. engine). I have already found out how hard it is to find wheels that will fit the vehicle. The stock 17x7's are just too narrow for my tastes. Here's what I want to do. First, I want to put a 2 to 3" lift on. From the web research I have done, it seems that for around $150 I can get the coil spring spacers (2"). If I do this is it neccessary to put on longer shocks? If I don't get longer shocks what are the negative ramifications? Secondly, it seems the brake calipers on the 2003/2004 JGC are too large for anything except a 17" wheel. Is this true? I am really looking for a wheel around 16/17 and at least 8" wide. I would prefer something wider than that. All of my previous trucks I have put on a 16 x 10 rim - and it really looked nice with some good rubber on them. If anyone has any info on a good 16/17 x 8 or 9" wheel I would greatly appreciate it. Sorry for the long post, but I wanted clearly state my questions and wants. Thanks in advance for any help given.

livetodrive

I also have a 2001 GCL with dual climate control. I have not had any problems with it.

olizer

I just purchased a '98 JGC with Select-Trac and 6 cyl engine. I hope someone can tell me what the difference is between "4 full time" and "4 part time" that appears on the transfer case selector.
When would either be used? Thanks for any help.

gcl98

Notice the label colors next to the transfer case shift lever.

2wd and 4 full time are in green, and 4 part time and 4 low are in yellow.

The green positions can be used on any surface, including dry pavement. In 4 full time, the front and rear axles are not locked together, giving you the ability to make turns even on dry pavement without wheel hop or damaging the drive train. You still get 4WD hi-range traction on slippery surfaces.

The yellow positions are to be used with caution, only on slippery surfaces. The front and rear axles are locked together in these positions. 4 part time (hi-range) is used where 4 full time just doesn't do the job, as in deeper snow or sand. Of course, 4 low is for really bad traction situations.

Hope this helps. In any case, it's spelled out in the owners manual.

tsjay

Hi People!

I hadn't checked the Grand Cherokee message boards in a while, so I thought I would visit to see if the same problems are being encountered as was the case when I was part of the group. It looks like things have gotten worse!

I was the owner of a brand new '99 JGC Laredo 4 X 4 from February 1999 until March 2000. I truly liked my GC, even though I did have some problems.

Mine had the 4.0 L I-6 and SelecTrac. I had no problems whatsoever with the drive train. The transmission shifted smoothly and I never had any of the "whine" problems or "ghost bumps."

I did have rotor problems, having the front and rear rotors turned and the front rotors turned a second time. The front rotors warped again after being turned the second time, and they were then replaced under warranty, no hassle.

I had both window motors replaced in the front (driver and passenger)and the air conditioner control module was replaced.

I traded this vehicle for a Grand Prix GT in March of 2000, after having owned it 13 months and putting 33,000 miles on it.

I didn't really trade it because I wasn't happy with it. I just decided that I was tired of driving an SUV when I really didn't need one. That was when gas prices first went crazy, and I thought it was silly to pay the penalty in gas costs for an SUV that I really didn't need.

You know it is a terrible shame that such a beautiful, smooth riding, good handling vehicle like the Grand Cherokee had so many design flaws. I think the GC would be head and shoulders above any other SUV, if it just didn't have the problems so many people are experiencing.

I think I would have been ok in keeping mine, except for the brake rotor problem. I have no reason to think the new front rotors they put on mine would hold up any better than the ones that were taken off.

I have said that I would buy another GC if I wanted to get back into another SUV, but after reading a samplng of the posts in here, I'm not sure any more.

Guess what? I'm not driving the Grand Prix GT any more either. It was a perfect car, never going back to the dealer for even one problem in the eight months and almost 20K miles I put on it. But, I got "Wrangler Fever," and I now own a 2001 Jeep Wrangler Sport!

Traded the GC cause I didn't want to spend the money for gas, and then ended up with a Wrangler that probably doesn't get quite as much gas mileage as the GC. Crazy, huh?

Oh well. I just like to trade.

tsjay

mark156

Tsjay, great to hear that you are back in a Jeep. Several of my friends have Wranglers and love'em. What color did you get?

Vincet4, I've had my JGC ltd. for about 25 months and no problems with the heat from the vents. I would like to see rear vents installed in the newer models for better air condition circulation.

Happy Motoring! Mark