anybody hate their jeep cherokee?

[ramonesfreak]

2001 with only 79K miles, i have never owned any product that was quite as problematic.

seems i go through brakes ever 3 months and even when replaced, never work right. burns through axles, sway bar bushings, stearing dampers and wheel bearings and differential seals, and now i think i have a bad ring and pinion that will cost a fortune. ive gone through 2 alternators, 3 serpentine belts, radiator and hoses, the air conditioner motor is dead, the serpentine belt squeals no matter how many times its adjusted. the rust just grows non-stop as if it was made in italy. i could go on and on. I hate it. the sad irony is, 1 month after i bought it, it was stolen but recovered the same day.

[Dottore]

Not any more.

[jkarolyi]

Is this the classic Jeep Cherokee or the Grand Cherokee? If it's the classic, I can't imagine it being much of a problem. Folks had an '87, a 93, and are on their third, a '99 with 220,000 miles on it. All had over 200k when sold...that old AMC six can't be killed. A few sets of brakes, A/C clutch, and wheel bearings along the way is all they've ever needed. Still strong with the engine and tranny never rebuilt! Those things were built to last. I'm trying to find a low mileage 2001 model (the last year they were made) to replace the one they have now.

Heard bad things about the Chrysler designed Grand Cherokees though.

[ramonesfreak]

well, i have a 2001. you want it?

I agree the engine and tranny are solid as a rock. there is nothing else about the vehicle that is anything less than garbage

[masraum]

We had a '97 and my parents had a slightly older model. Rock solid, never had problems. Is yours 4wd? Do you take it off road?

[ramonesfreak]

yea its 4x4. cherokee sport. never been off road

underside is all rust, doors are rusting..its sad. even with salt, i wouldnt expect this amount of decay

[rattlsnak]

4.0l ?

[scottbombedout]

My wife wants to trade our MB for a diesel Patriot.

Any feedback on them?

[ramonesfreak]

no. someone i know traded in a cherokee for a patriot and they love it. i havent looked it over much.

[mikeatfhc]

Sorry to hear about your troubles - I am on my third Cherokee. First was a regular Cherokee - I put 130k on that one without a problem. Second was a '96 Grande Cherokee - put 208k on that one until the tranny took a *hit. Sold it to the TRANNY shop!

My third is a 2000. Other than a window regulator, heater blower and front rotors - runs great.

It seems these cars are a hit or a miss - no in between. I don't *think* I've been lucky as I personally don't know anyone having the types of troubles you are - but have surely heard the rumours.

BTW - all were bought used. I'd buy another.

[fastfredracing]

These things come into the shop all of the time, and they seem to be a pretty good vehicle. I have several that come in and are close to 200,000 miles. I put a transmission in one grand that was a race car tow vehicle, and had well over 150000. I actually think they are pretty decent vehilces to own as far as american suv's are concerned. Sorry to hear about your troubles. Maybe this one was ridden hard and put away wet before you owned it. I have seen a couple of bizzare electrical problems , but for the most part routine maintanence

[tcar]

Originally Posted by srandallf

2001 with only 79K miles, i have never owned any product that was quite as problematic.

seems i go through brakes ever 3 months and even when replaced, never work right. burns through axles, sway bar bushings, stearing dampers and wheel bearings and differential seals, and now i think i have a bad ring and pinion that will cost a fortune. ive gone through 2 alternators, 3 serpentine belts, radiator and hoses, the air conditioner motor is dead, the serpentine belt squeals no matter how many times its adjusted. the rust just grows non-stop as if it was made in italy. i could go on and on. I hate it. the sad irony is, 1 month after i bought it, it was stolen but recovered the same day.

That was the last year it was made here in the US. (made another 5 or so years in China).

Assume you bought it used. Do a Carfax????

Almost sounds like a flood car / hurricane car. Especially with the rust.

They are generally fairly good vehicles - a little primitive, but nothing like yours.

If it was mine, I'd do a Carfax now to see if there are 'issues'.

[ramonesfreak]

hmmm. well i bought it with only 30K miles. it looked brand new when i got it. however its always put away wet as i live in the north east and have on-street parking. the 911 gets the garage.

i just looked underneath it, ouch. scarry ..how long before the rust allows the engine and wheels to fall off?

i dont doubt they run forever. the question is, do they deserve to have so much money and time thrown at them?

the engine is no doubt, a tank.

but over the past 4 years, i would honestly say, the truck is in the shop once ever two months without fail for one thing or another... usually related to suspension and wheels and brakes

around here, every single one i see is a rust bucket. they, along with Wranglers, seem to rot before your eyes if exposed to salt and water

my 26 year old porsche with 105K miles on the other hand, with the exception of some dings, appears and drives like a new car

[ramonesfreak]

Originally Posted by tcar

That was the last year it was made here in the US. (made another 5 or so years in China).

Assume you bought it used. Do a Carfax????

Almost sounds like a flood car / hurricane car. Especially with the rust.

They are generally fairly good vehicles - a little primitive, but nothing like yours.

If it was mine, I'd do a Carfax now to see if there are 'issues'.

ah hell, ive had it 4 years now. im hoping to dump it soon. i just needed to vent. ive read reviews on the web... about 50% of what i have read confirms what i think about these vehicles. especially when it comes to brakes. its absolutely ridiculous how it eats brakes

in 30K miles, i think im on my 4th set of brakes !!! If I had a ferrari Enzo and used it as a taxi cab, i bet i would get better life out of the brake pads

[MotoSook]

I've got a 2001 Cherokee Sport. I bought it used with 17K miles on it. It now has close to 110K miles. Besides oil changes with Mobile1 I've had to: replace serpentine belt (a 15 minute job but the old one is kept in the back as an emergency spare), front brake (pads and rotors - coming up to needing new fronts soon) once, rear brakes (new drums only...shoes looked fine, but the drums were rusted and I cracked on taking them off for inspection).

I've got a shimmy from the left front wheel which may be a mechanical problem since I've rotated tires and the shimmy is there. It's probably due for an alignment and damper check. It's not a major issue since I don't drive it much anymore with the price of gas being what it is. I save it for towing my trailer.

The paint on these things are very very thing and my XJ is starting to show rust along the bottom of the doors. I live in the rust belt (midwest) and I try to hose the car off as much as I can during the winter. I'm starting to see corrosion on the under carriage, but it's not failing apart. It's probably normal for a midwestern daily driver.

So far my maintenance cost have been very small...and I haven't had any major issue with it yet.

I guess I'm on the opposite end of the user satisfaction scale from you. For a $17,000 car (when I bought it), it's been excellent. It's not anything special but I've never been concerned about driving it anywhere anytime....rain or snow...or midwestern snow storms.

[MotoSook]

I'm very surprise you are having such brake issues. My front ones have lasted for over 50K miles. I am hard on brakes....I don't drag them, but I brake late and hard...habbit from the track.


Are you using metallic pads? Which brand? IIRC I have Bosch metal ceramic pads, installed with stock new rotors.

[ramonesfreak]

interesting souk. your at the other end from me

i like certain aspects of it. like my old 911, i like that its got a rough feel to it. it feels like a tuck and i like to camp out in the back. the engine has really good power. gas mileage is obviously awful but thats to be expected with the 6 cycl

i wash the underside of mine in the winter too...

you can check your damper by looking at it. youll see it leaking oil

the shimmy could be your sway bar bushings.

i cant imagine changing the serpentine belt in 15 minutes. wow. i wish i could

the underside of the bottom of all my doors are rusted and its creeping around to the outside of the door bottoms.

the inside, floor.... hahah. all the bolts that hold the seats to the floor are rusted and corroded beyond recognition, despite my attempts to use rust converter

strange salt piles appear from the carpet under the floor matt... and salt crystals appear on anything metal inside the car...EVEN WHEN ITS NOT WET INSIDE ... very weird

[Porsche_monkey]

I can't believe that the brake problem can't be resolved with aftermarket upgraded rotors and pads.

[Dantilla]

I used to have a Cherokee. Perfectly reliable. Sold it to a friend at over 200,000 miles.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by srandallf

hmmm. well i bought it with only 30K miles. it looked brand new when i got it. however its always put away wet as i live in the north east and have on-street parking. the 911 gets the garage.

i just looked underneath it, ouch. scarry ..how long before the rust allows the engine and wheels to fall off?

i dont doubt they run forever. the question is, do they deserve to have so much money and time thrown at them?

the engine is no doubt, a tank.

but over the past 4 years, i would honestly say, the truck is in the shop once ever two months without fail for one thing or another... usually related to suspension and wheels and brakes

around here, every single one i see is a rust bucket. they, along with Wranglers, seem to rot before your eyes if exposed to salt and water

my 26 year old porsche with 105K miles on the other hand, with the exception of some dings, appears and drives like a new car

Is it red? Could be the POS I turned in after a 3 year lease. Worst car we ever had. Yes, Brakes went away twice, auto window locks went away and the tranny died 4 times. All under warranty but so what? And what a piece of crap to wash. I think all auto engineers and designer should have to wash any new car before production.