2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport review from North America

Front end and steering wheel shake at 48-55mph from day one purchase. Took delivery thinking all I had to do was get wheels/tires balanced. Wrong. From Sep 99 to Jan 00 dealer went through 20 wheels and 12 tires to get 5 and 5 that were in specification. We had over 50% outright rejection rate. In Jan00 the problem (shake) was finally fixed. But, 3000 miles later in Apr00 it was back. Everything was checked: front end, bearings, rotors, steering, alignment, axles, transmission... all good. We found that of the 5 good wheels in Jan00, 3 were now "marginal within spcification." Of the 5 tires, 2 were "marginal" and one was "reject." Chrysler refused any further repair saying my wheels/tires were "in specification and vehicle was performing with inherent characteristics." Right. Then why after it was fixed in Jan00 did the wheels and tires warp to "marginal" and "reject?"

Went to arbitration and was DENIED an upgrade to different wheels and tires and was DENIED repurchase. Apparently I didn't present a good case. Yet the work orders (about 10 or more) show a total of 10 wheels "rejected," 6 wheels "marginal," and 4 "replaced." Right now I have only 2 "pass" wheels and 2 "pass" tires. I believe the problem is in the specification of the tires and wheels. Wheels can be up to .040" in lateral runout and still be in spec. You can actually see the wheel wobble with the naked eye while it is on the balancer. You cannot balance out a warped wheel or tire. When they wobble, the steering shakes. This fight is not over.

Other problems include drivers side mirror replaced twice but still shakes.

Also, the steering wheel cocks to the right a half inch every time you go in and out of 4-wheel drive. After about 6 or 7 shifts and drives, I get a steering wheel that points 55 degrees to the right while driving straight.

This has been a nightmare. I was a previous Jeep owner for 5 years 89-94 and never had this much stress.