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99 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a LEMON !!!
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Go to the Edmunds Home Page, and on the bottom is a link to a Free Carfax Lemon Check
Your host, Bruce
You will regret it if you buy it. Just read these posts!!!!
A while ago I went to jeepsunlimited.com there's many happy campers there!
Nothing in life is certain!
drove recently. Townhall does make one leary of purchasing ANY car- so many issues!! I hope I am
one of the lucky ones when I finally purchase
mine! I hope you all find happy resolutions to
your problems. I'll be back with my review-good or
bad- thanks again !! jeeper10
my dealer replaced the AIS motor and Idle position sensor. this did not fix the problem.
Lemon Law because of a serious problem you're
having with your vehicle? I may be able to give
you some help with this.
I recently completed a successful Lemon Law action
against Daimler-Chrysler on a 1998 Jeep Grand
Cherokee Limited. My action fell under Wisconsin's
Lemon Law.
All this cost me was a small investment of my time
to do the research and the cost of mailing a
certified letter. I did this entirely on my own
with no legal help. The entire action took less
than 30 days and I was driving a new 1999 vehicle
42 days after mailing the letter.
Of course, there's no guarantee that your
situation will net you the same results, but you
don't have anything to lose by trying either.
I've put together a document that goes into great
detail about my experience from beginning to end:
the problem I had with my 1998; how I did the
research to learn about my state Lemon Law and
what I found; how the Lemon Law works; what qualifies your vehicle as a lemon; what you're entitled to in a settlement; and how to write the notification letter to start the process as well as what happens after you mail it.
This is the kind of "real life" information I wish
I could've accessed on the Internet when I was
starting my Lemon Law action.
Most state Lemon Law's are very similar. This
document should answer most of your questions and
help you determine whether or not your vehicle
qualifies as a lemon. It takes you step-by-step
through the entire process and should benefit
anyone, regardless of where you live or what you
drive.
If you're interested in this, please E-mail your
request addressed as "LEMON LAW DOCUMENT REQUEST"
to the address below. It would be of great help to
me if you can tell me what type of word-processing
software (and its version level) your computer has
so I can properly send it.
Please feel free to post any comments, criticisms
or suggestions on how I may improve on any of this
information.
I provide this information free of charge with the
hope that you are successful in using it. That's
reward enough for me.
ADDRESS INQUIRIES TO: kkulig@aol.com
Sincerely,
Kevin M. Kulig
I leased my '99 JGC Limited in Jan. '99 and have had numerous problems since day-one. The differential had to be replaced at 2800 miles along with quite a few other parts (which resulted in over $3K in warranty repairs), leaks galore of engine oil & transmission fluid and a seemingly uncaring service staff no matter where I get this beast serviced.
I should have known this would be trouble when I first brought this POS in for a metallic sounding rattle that was coming from the front end @ 900 miles. The service tech from my selling dealership told me point-blank "what do you expect ? It's a piece of junk "" HUH ???? I have since gone to three other dealers for service and they all stink...
Now @ 20K the rattle is still there even after five or six attempts to correct the problem and everytime I go in for routine service they find a number of fluid leaks to contend with (3 last time !!). My power window switch has also been replaced twice and the headliner around the sunroof has pulled away from the frame.
Thank God I leased this thing and didn't buy it. At least I'm rid of Chrysler forever in another 16 months.
Nothing like getting a brand-new vehicle that stickers at close to 37K and having to bum rides off of co-workers w/10 year old cars.
Chumfun@aol.com
I bought mine on May 3rd last year. It has the V8 with Quadra Drive. Completely loaded! List was $38,100. I have had the minor stuff happen. I've changed the fluid in the transfer case, I had the bump stop which quit on its own. I've have squeaky brakes which are now being resolved. But, with 25,000 plus miles on it in a year, this car is not a problem at all. I think that it is just
great! I would put my JGC up against any other
SUV on the market. I've had a lot bigger problems with cars than this or some of the other problems
that I've seen on this vehicle. With as many Grand
Cherokees that are made, one would think there
would be more complaints than I see.
Sorry you all are having problems.
I'm pretty damn happy.
Almost every complaint expressed in on this page has occurred with my Jeep (and then some). What gets me now, is the dealer who sold it to me plays dumb to all my complaints. It's shocking to finally find out what is going on with this model.
My family owns 4 jeeps. 2 cherokees 1 first generation Grand and now my '99. The cherokees are no-nonsense trucks, and while they have quality problems with mainly cosmetic features, they're drive trains and overall foundations are rock solid (that design is now 16 yrs old -no wonder) The first edition Grand has had a few minor problems, but has been a good car.
On this foundation, I purchased a '99 Grand. I won't make any excuses, I am/was well aware of short-comings with domestic cars and especially with the chrysler line. But I never expected the wholesale problems that I've had with my JGC! I know this is redundant but let me make a list of the problems I've had.
*replacement of warping of brake rotors 2 seprate times -forced to buy $$new pads.
*fuel pump malfunction -would barely start.
*stuttering transmission -unable to fix
*replaced fuel inlet -sprayed gas down the side and shut of the automatic stop on pump.
*rough idle
*(selec-trac) when shifting from full-time 4, to 2wd, awful snapping sound and buffeting from drive train.
*wind leak on passenger door -annoying at highway speeds.
*creases in interior fabric -poor workmanship!
--that's about it.
This car represents awful workmanship. I think it's a lemon. HOWEVER, this SUV will fool you because it drives great compared with some of its competitors. It is smooth, quiet, powerful and overall very pleasant to drive. For those of you who have expressed intrest in the JGC for these reasons, beware.
This market is flooded with better alternatives. Unless you don't mind having to deal with non-stop maintenance problems, I suggest you hurry over to Nissan or Toyota. Their older & less flashy models are exceptionally reliable. I recommend the Pathfinder. My best friend owns one, and he uses it for work and play. The guy beats that thing like a red-headed step child. I make no exaggeration when I say this. If he's not gunning the engine and bouncing it trough dips in a parking lot, he's abusing it up in the mts. His Pathfinder has ~45k on it, and it still drives like new! -One last point, JGC's off road prowess is highly overrated. With the exception of ground clearance the pathfinder beats the JGC is almost every kind of off-roading situation.
My conclusion?? I want out!
Brake rotors warping (turned once,and replaced once in 14000 miles)My 93 had a lot of problems with the brakes in the back,it took two years to fix them.
Odd surging and loss of power,it happened about 6 times in the 18 months I had it.
The whine in the rearend was kind of annoying,but wasn't a big deal.
The rear passenger window started moving slowly the DAY before we got rid of it.
When I started it to take it in to trade,it barely started,then shook like hell for a minute,and was ok after.Looks like I timed it right!
I got rid of mine,mostly because it was the most uncomfortable car I ever had.My 93 JGC was lots better.The steering wheel was too close,the dash was too.I had the power seat back as far as possible,but if I COULD HAVE moved it back,say another inch,the pedals wouldn't have been quite close enough.The windshield height was annoying at stoplights too.I got tired of ducking my head all the time if I was close to the light.
It seemed ok,when I test drove it,but after a couple of weeks,I started getting pains in my back,just under the shoulder blades.I didn't think it was the Jeep,I just thought it was me getting older.I used a friend's Chevy truck to take some stuff to someones house a few hours away and back.I knew it was the Jeep,because after 2 hrs in it,my back was fine.I drove it back for a total of four hours,and it was still ok.I get in the GC,the next day,and in a half hour,I'm dying.
Finally,I said something to my mother,who doesn't drive anymore,about the seat kills my back.She said it hurt her too,the old GC was fine.So I asked a friend,and he said the seats hurt him too,in the same place I had my pain.
I started looking to unload it,I was leaning towards a Dodge Durango,but it wasn't much bigger,and the seats weren't great either,so it came down to a full size truck or SUV.I won't buy a ford,so that left Dodge Ram,and Gm's trucks/SUV's.
A Tahoe/Yukon was 4-5k more than the truck was,and since the GM truck had so much more power than the Dodge.I got a GMC Sierra,and will get a bed lid to make it as useful as an SUV.My dogs have enough room in the back anyway.I checked the milage,and the 4dr,4x4,short bed,with the 5.3 motor ALREADY got 3 MPG better than the Jeep!I got 16.5,and the Jeep got 13.5 unless I drove it like an old man with a hat.(sign of danger!)
And three days later,still no back pain,first time in a YEAR!Hooray,the [non-permissible content removed]'s gone!!
the service claims that is normal ) and a bunch of
electrical "ghost" problems which can't be identified.
The worst off all is the attitude of D-C and the dealer who basically does not care.
The JGC users who are satisfied are so because they did not encounter any trouble so they didn't have to deal with a Dinosaur ( small brain big body ) company like D-C. but if they will have to, than they will understand what we are talking about.
In NY state this is a Lemon and I am pursuing the matter threw the Attorney generals office
I got rid of my Chevy Blazer LTemon. You talk about a piece of junk! Wow! And all of it starts to happen just out of warranty. New egr valves.
More egr problems making carbon in the intake.
Remove the intake manifold have it cleaned of carbon. Then blow the motor two months later.
Numerous electrical problems with the power seats,
windows and locks. Wiper motors that get stuck.
New fuel pump! AND,last but not least a new tranny! Not to mention brake problems too!
The real kicker is that Chevy could care less
since it was out of warranty! You think you got a lemon!? I feel so good about my Jeep! Yes, I have had a few of your problems, that I consider minor inconveniences! All in all, I will probably buy another JGC! Maybe you need to go get a new Blazer! You just might get one like my Jeep!
We replaced the window regulator and since then have had the door clips replaced 5 times b/c of rattling. Then we switched dealers due to the engine not starting. It was the Fuel Pump that was causing the problem. I think people started coming in with the same problem and they finally figured it out. Then, we had the steering gear box replaced due to a clicking sound when we were driving. It was like we were too heavy for the steering wheek and it was creeking under pressure.
Then we had the alignment problem...at first we were told the that all '99's and '00's do this and there is not fix. Finally I took it in and said put it on the alignment maching and they did and low and behold they couldn't align it. They had to replace the ball joint on the right and left side. This is definately a problem and your tires are wearing out faster than they should b/c of it. There was another gentleman in there with the same problem the same day I was there. THEN, there is a loud roaring noise coming from the rear...they replaced the side and pinion bearings b/c they were over torqued from the factory...they said they have seen this a lot lately!! Mind you my car only has 26,000 miles on and look how many times it has been in the shop. We threated lemon law on them and Chrysler gave us an extended warranty for our problems...I still want out of the vehicle...I am tired of spending all my weekends and days in the shop!!
Contact me at kafuhrmann@msn.com if you want more info.
Just keep pushing Chrysler...it's not the dealers fault. Go to District Manager of your region through your service manager.
Unfortunately I have to say I am one of the numerous unhappy consumers regarding the purchase of the 99 JCG which cost me over $30k. At about 1000 miles I started having problems with it. First it was a rattle, then it would randomly shut off at lights, then to top it off, one day I lost my brakes. And get this, I call the dealer(which will remain un-named) and the head dealer manager tells me it is just the ABS testing itself. Can you believe this crap? Well after the 3rd attempt to rectify this random problem of shutting off at lights, I'd had it. I demanded my money back or I would go after the lemon law. Well needless to say after many discussions and arguments, the dealership brought in the big man from Chrysler and they bought back my POS Jeep. At exactly a year later and with only 10k miles, I returned the lemon. I lost money on mileage, but it was worth getting rid of this constant headache. Now after hearing about all the problems many of you have had, I regret going after the lemon law.
By purchasing a JGC, you are subjecting yourself to likely:
1) Multiple visits to your local dealership and time away from work (mine does not offer loaner cars)
2) Constant repairs that are not properly addressed or fixed
3) An ongoing sense of buyers remorse and pain every time you make a car payment
4) A vehicle that you know will never be reliable
5) A vehicle that will depreciate faster than most others in its class, making it nearly impossible to sell without taking a huge hit
I was notified today from the state of NH that Chrysler is not putting up a defense and I won my case automatically without having to have an arbitration hearing. I will receive a full refund for this vehicle.
If anyone would like information regarding this, I will be happy to talk to you. My email address is ksful@aol.com
There is hope for all the unsatisfied JGC owners out there.
with my 2K GCL. Purchased in 1/00, it now has 11K+ miles on it and has had the rear main engine seal replaced, master brake cylinder replaced, new short block - and even with all the above, the brake pedal still goes down to the floor. The most recent dealer event being last week when I demanded to speak to a District Service Manager regarding a buy back. I am still waiting. If anyone has had any of these problems (inlcuding the rear whine AND it won't start on the first and sometimes second attempt) PLEASE email me - RFMB@HOME.COM. I need the fire power to help with the buy back. THANKS!
We've also had the squeaky brakes, brakes that "chirp" when the car stops, draft leaks in the passenger front window, and a rearend that now squeaks (bad shocks/springs?).
My biggest complaint, however, is the stalling. It's upsetting to pay as much as we paid for this car and have these problems. We looked seriously at the Lexus and, in retrospect, we should have paid a little more and bought it.
a cronic problem on the 99's. This only requires a software update to the powertrain control module
(PCM) as your dealer is telling you.
But, you need to find a competent dealer... this
software revision had been available for at least a month prior to my 99 developing this problem and
having it fixed in early August. They're lying if
they're telling you the new software won't be
available until October. In fact, I had mine in a
week ago for service and my dealer updated my PCM
software again because it was already 2-3 revisions behind the current software version.
In the meantime, run with your AC on. This will
raise your idle speed at a stop and keep the
vehicle from stalling.
thanks for the helpful information!
rangle28
Our 99 JGC developed a noise problem a few months ago -- when the Jeep comes to a full stop, the vehicle makes a chirping or "urp" sound. It's not a normal sound of the brake pads hitting the rotors; this is a high pitched sound that seems to be coming from the rear/bottom part of the vehicle. I brought it to the dealer and took a technician for a short ride so he can hear it. He said he thought it was the brakes. They inspected it and said the noise is "body flex" and is considered normal. I told them body flex is something my shampoo should do, not a car. I've elevated this problem to customer service but it sounds like it could be something serious.
Anybody having similar problems?
You are are 100% right.
I have already contacted the Lexus dealer.
I have a 99 JGC and had many of the problems on this post such as the rotors vibrating, noise from the drive train etc... I thought it was just the nature of a Jeep. After reading this thread, I took it in to the dealership and they fixed all the problems no questions asked. I'm happy with their service, but now I'm worried that the problems will come back. I have about 25k on it after 2 years. My wife an I both love the Jeep. It's great to drive. We were thinking of trading up to a 2001 Limited JGC. Has anyone heard of improvements in the new model year that fix these problems? DC has to know these issues and be working on them.