2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland V6

Summary:

Top notch comfort, but just have your paycheck sent to the gas station

Faults:

Radiator replaced at 79,000 miles

General Comments:

Very comfortable! The Flex fuel was a nice touch. I was surprised that the radiator began leaking before 80,000 miles. Other than that, my only complaint was the horrible gas mileage. I drive very conservatively and never even got 20 mpg. My wife is a more aggressive driver. When she drove, we rarely got above 14 mpg. That's the main reason we only had the car for 2 years. The gas bill was making us broke.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 29th December, 2022

14th Nov 2023, 17:44

Try a fuel system cleaner and go for a long drive, steady cruising at 55 - 60 mph. You should be able to get 25 mpg out the V6. Less than 20 mpg is more like a V8 gas mileage.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude 3.6L V6

Summary:

A fun and sporty SUV with great looks and good performance

Faults:

Fuel pump relay started randomly failing around 50k, but a recall was done to fix that issue (basically if you hit the push button start, it will turn over and not start, but if you hit it again it will start). Intermittent issue.

A few other dealer covered recalls regarding the vanity mirror wiring and the alternator, but all items have been fixed by the dealer and covered by Chrysler.

Haven't had anything else go wrong with it besides needing brakes, but that is a wear item and anyone bashing on a car for the brake pads wearing out is a moron.

Not sure why others have reviewed this vehicle so negatively. They must have ignored the required service or beat the car to death...

I have had around 90k trouble free miles.

General Comments:

This Jeep has been a great vehicle. It's AWD all the time and we get 26 MPG on the highway, which is pretty good for an almost full size SUV with AWD and a 300hp V6.

The interior fit and finish is fantastic. The leather wrapped dash and the materials they used make it look very, very nice. Comparable to something out of a Mercedes Benz (I know this first hand).

The V6 is smooth and the shifts are crisp. Handling is fantastic for a vehicle of its size and the ride is pretty smooth as well. It doesn't seem to sacrifice comfort for better handling.

This is the Altitude edition, so it has a sunroof and heated/power leather seats, and the 20" black painted wheels with black grille and accent pieces. It's a very mean and sharp looking SUV.

This is the first Jeep I have owned (and still own) and certainly won't be the last.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th November, 2018

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Altitude 3.6L V6

Summary:

Looks can be deceiving, avoid this at all costs

Faults:

Both heads on the engine were ticking. It should be a recall, but it isn't because if Dodge were to replace all of them on all 3.6L engines, they'd go bankrupt. 3000 dollars per head. That means you're paying 6000 every 4 years to keep it on the road. And don't expect your dealership to fix it without taking them to court. These engine heads were built wrong on all 3.6L V6s.

Floor mat in the front driver's side ripped before we owned it for a year. Not paying 400 bucks for a new one.

Transmission cooler radiator broke at 130,000km. Was 1100 to fix.

After 100,000km there was a significant amount of metal shavings in the transmission fluid pan.

Transmission is screwed. It can never be programmed right. It's always pounding or shifting weird.

Driver's seat cushion was flattened from getting in and out at about 70000km. Very, very cheap material.

Cannot remember what was replaced before 100,000km.

General Comments:

It was definitely comfortable. I'm 6'1 and the driving position is perfect. But it is not worth 50 grand. It looks nice, but is not a pleasure to own. It's extremely cheaply built. No quality whatsoever.

I had to rely on my 16 year old Nissan in the final couple months of having this Jeep, because the motor was going to blow up and I didn't know when.

The body roll was annoying. I couldn't make the turns in the mountains of Idaho without making my family sick. I'd have to slow down for corners.

Dealership is a pain in the ass to deal with. They argue you on EVERYTHING. So never expect your experience to be pleasant.

Never buying another Dodge product again. I hope anyone who reads this doesn't buy one. Especially not a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 26th December, 2016

29th Dec 2019, 02:03

Thank you for being honest, unlike the other review just above yours, who was clearly fake with almost no problems for 120000 miles. There will always be those car owners who don't admit the problems.

29th Dec 2019, 22:28

My 2012 Grand Cherokee Altitude 3.6 has been very reliable. I am the original owner and I am now at 137k miles. This car has only needed oil changes, tyres and brake pads.

29th Dec 2019, 22:32

I beg to differ. I think some negative reviews on car ownership problems are because folks do not service their vehicles and floor them hard. I have never had any major car problems in 48 years of driving and 57 cars.

30th Dec 2019, 18:57

A lot of confusion on here (and sometimes starts a war in the comments!) comes from confusion over the faults section. As in, what people list there to be exact. For example, someone may write a review about a car and only list major problems (breakdowns, major mechanical failures, etc) that they have had in a short time. Whereas others detail every single maintenance item over years and years (oil changes, brakes, tyres, etc) which are not exactly faults.

31st Dec 2019, 17:24

Out of 57 cars with no major problems I'm assuming you never owned any Honda or Acura products. They were known for premature transmission failures.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4WD V6

Summary:

Some engineering is pitiful, but drives well and handles well

Faults:

Headlight failed. Dealer wanted $523.00 to replace a headlamp. What engineer designed that in an automobile?

Battery needed checking. It's under the passenger seat in front. Some design, not for the owner.

That is the first question I will ask in buying a new auto in future. How much and how do you change a headlamp bulb? Also where is the battery and how is it serviced?

Recalled for defected valve head on one bank and not firing the correct ignition. Valve head has been replaced as a recall.

General Comments:

2nd Grand Cherokee. 2012 is not as good quality as my 1996 model. Good in snow. I sure hope the 2015 model is not designed the same.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd November, 2015

18th Mar 2022, 13:35

Battery inside the cabin may have to do with longer battery life. If it sits inside the engine bay, it wears much faster due to heating conditions. On the other side, they should have placed it inside the trunk area, for easier servicing. If there's one thing happening in the car companies, is they change often times their engineering teams and managers, thus the design concepts change often times from model to model. You may have a team doing a good design, then next model year a different team has less good ideas and doesn't want to recognize the good job done previously, so they make a poorer design. Such inconsistency is sad and perhaps the worst risk of these companies.

19th Mar 2022, 14:29

Utterly fantastic.

A more plausible explanation for "poorer design" would be cost cutting.