1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo Straight 6 from North America

Summary:

A real sweet machine!

Faults:

Absolutely nothing! The tires were crap that the person had put on before me, but that was fixed.

General Comments:

I had mentioned that the tires were crap, well they were. This exact same thing happened to me two nights in a row: I was on the way home from a sweet off-road adventure and had driven at least 30 miles on pavement when I realized that something was wrong. It turns out that I had blown a rear tire (the other one the next day). I couldn't even feel that it was flat until I started to slide when I took a corner too fast. The stock suspension just was awesome.

Off-road I was cleaning house on tricked out every kind of vehicle when I had a stock Grand.

I would drive it through streams that would come up to the bottom of the windows and it only died once (I was going in reverse). That is quite impressive considering that the water was above the engine and I didn't have a snorkel.

The highway ride was just impressive too.

I love that Jeep.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th November, 2002

1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.2L V8 from North America

Summary:

A real lemon in my book. Must've been a Friday night shift end build

Faults:

Radiator seam leak at 41,000. Dealer only part at $700 US. I've never had it fixed since I don't overheat, but have to add coolant every few months.

Bad rotors. This was a dealer recall so it was thankfully covered.

Water Pump blew at 68,000 miles. $450 replacement part from dealer.

Power steering pump went bad at 73,000 miles. $600 replacement, that had to be rebuilt rather than new since dealer couldn't locate replacement in a timely manner. 3 different versions of power steering setup for Jeeps. Even confuses the dealer it seems.

Air conditioning system leaks at 83,000 miles (now 4 years old). $1700 replacement for new system. Everything bad, but the compressor. Not replaced!!

Leaking transmission cooler lines, brake lines. $370 replacement since the front bumper needs removal to get to some of these lines.

Engine quits at 106,000 miles. No check engine light, no warning just stops. Restarts immediately. This one has me totally confused.

General Comments:

Overall the Jeep handles well and turns tightly for an SUV.

Heated leather seats have held up well to kids and dogs.

Loses seat position memory on occasion. Not a big issue.

OK for horsepower/fuel economy, but a seriously outdated engine. Needs more modern refinement.

Paint has held up well, body rust just appearing inside the door jambs.

Great ground clearance, excellent in snow.

Disappointed with the failed parts over the years. Expect more from a $40,000 vehicle.

This vehicle drops in market value quicker than the Dow does these days.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th October, 2002

7th Feb 2006, 14:19

"Engine quits at 106,000 miles. No check engine light, no warning just stops. Restarts immediately. This one has me totally confused."

Did you happen to find out what was wrong with your car in the long run? I have the same problem.

7th Feb 2006, 20:08

It continues to baffle me how the "higher" model Grand Cherokee has all these problems, yet the "base" model Cherokee is an icon of trouble-free, durable driving.

8th Feb 2006, 11:42

I assure you, my 2001 Cherokee Classic was in no way an "Icon" of trouble free, reliable driving. Mine was a piece of junk, riddled with problems.

10th Feb 2006, 07:36

I believe your problems regarding the engine cutting off and then being able to restart is the Crank Position Sensor. It is bolted to the transmission bell housing and senses the position of the crankshaft. Your problem is probably with the sensor or equally likely the wiring connection in this circuit. Another possibility is the connection at the ignition coil.

See if you can get an auto parts store (if so equipped) or shop to use a code scanner to see if you have any trouble codes stored in the onboard computer.

Let us know of your progress. Good luck.

29th Aug 2006, 17:40

I have this vehicle and I have had all these issues and more. Currently I am having a dealership try and find out why my dash, parking and fog lights will not work. They have replaced the body control module, auto light control box and all the relays in the fuse box. They tell me now that I have no powering going to the relay in question? Anyone have an answer before I go further in debt on this lemon? I appreciate any help, this is costing a fortune.