1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0 liter

Summary:

A reliable SUV that's affordable.

Faults:

Cooling temperature gage does not work. Replaced both temperature sensors and still nothing. Finally, I had to add an aftermarket gage so I could have an engine temperature reading.

The exhaust manifold cracked above were it is connected to the exhaust pipe and was replaced at 98,000 miles.

The oxygen sensor died after 105,000 miles.

General Comments:

The performance is adequate for a large vehicle with a six cylinder engine. Using the throttle lightly produces about 18 miles per gallon in city driving. Respectable for a heavy vehicle not designed for economy.

For a nine year old SUV it has held up remarkably well. It sounds and feels tight with no squeaks or rattles. Moreover, all the driven-train components have held up well with just routine maintenance service.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st June, 2004

1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 5.0 V8

Summary:

Great off road capability, lots of power, a good looking comfortable interior and great reliability.

Faults:

The air conditioning doesn't not cool very well, not horrible, but not great.

Broke the plastic front visor clip, both sides. (come on guys, use good plastic on a stress part)

The rear window wiper has stopped working three time now. The first two times under warranty they claimed bad motor, this last time I just greased it and it work fine to this day.

Catalytic converter started to rattle badly, 80,000 miles. Replaced under extended warranty.

Had to have the C/V joint replaced in the front drive shaft (125,000 miles).

Replaced starter (135,000 miles).

Replaced front right axle boot (135,000 miles).

General Comments:

I have always trusted this Jeep to get me where I wanted to go. The only time I have ever worried was when I had batteries go bad.

The V8 is very strong and the four wheel disks are incredible. I drive my Jeep off-road very hard with no damage to the mechanicals or underside. I have no problems towing my other Jeep CJ7 with it, I also sometimes a house trailer.

If you want a vehicle you can rely on to get you out of tough situations, carry gear and tow large loads then this is a great car.

I have heard the horror stories of some Jeep Grand Cherokees, but mine has been absolutely great.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd November, 2003

21st Jan 2010, 17:50

So far my Jeep has been great. Only one problem; the power steering pump went bad, but other than that, the motor is strong and 4 wheel drive works great.

1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4.0L In-line Six

Summary:

Avoid the V8 and

Faults:

Busted driver's side turn-signal lens (my fault).

Cracked passenger's side mirror glass (my fault).

Broken driver's side visor clip (common problem).

Misses sometimes at curb idle (may just need new plugs, the motor DOES have over 150k miles, after all!)

General Comments:

Overall, a GREAT vehicle, but...

Avoid the trouble-prone V8s, I have MANY a friend who's had trouble with them.

Avoid, ABOVE ALL ELSE, the "Quadra-Trac" 4wd system! Get one with the "Command-Trac" or "Selec-Trac" instead.

Get a six-cylinder model, avoid the "Quadra-Junk", and nothing else can go wrong!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th September, 2003

15th Jan 2004, 23:23

From your review it seems like you are hard on your vehicle. You noted a couple of things that are broken from your car accidents.

1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 5.2 Liter Gas

Summary:

The black hole of money pits..

Faults:

Where do I begin?

The breather tube for the rear differential was stripped out, resulting in water getting in and ruining all bearings in the differential. $1700 at the local transmission shop.

The viscous coupling in the transfer case went out, resulting in the front wheels binding up and making it VERY difficult to make sharp turns on dry pavement (eg. parking spaces, turning around). Another $2000 at the local transmission shop. It seems this is a problem with all of the models with the Quadra-Trac four wheel drive, but Chrysler refuses to do anything about it.

The switch on the drivers door lock that turns the alarm off when you unlock the vehichle broke. Now I can't lock the doors and the dealer told me it would be about $200 to have it fixed.

Rear hatch handle does not work for no good reason. It just stopped working, so now I can't open the rear hatch.

The transmission is now slipping in cold weather when it shifts into second. I don't even want to know how much this will be.

Water pump went out at about 80,000 miles.

Please keep in mind that most of these problems happened within the first 10,000 miles I had the Jeep. So I guess Jeeps are very unreliable after 75,000 miles, which I think is still pretty low miles.

General Comments:

Please save yourself the aggrivation and buy a Yugo or something. Never in my life will I own another Jeep again. I had to keep a $500 second car around just so I could get around while I saved money to fix my Jeep and also while it was in the shop, which almost seemed like a weekly ordeal. There are plenty of other SUVs out there that won't give you a quarter of the headache that Jeeps give you, so please be careful!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 13th August, 2003

24th Oct 2004, 17:18

I would agree with your evaluation of the Jeep product. I first owned a Cherokee Laredo and had a very positive experience. I had a problem with the evaporator leaking which caused the A/C to fail at 45,000 miles. Replaced all components at $800 and had cold air for the Summer. Next expense took place at 55,000 miles and had to replace bearings in the rear axle. Not bad for a vehicle that when sold had 190,000 miles and is still running to this day. Impressed with the low cost of ownership, I purchased the Grand Cherokee Laredo. At 38,000, orifice valve went bad causing the A/C system to be rebuilt at a cost of $600. Next, the front axle had to be rebuilt at 50K miles due to an unbearable howling noise in the cab of the vehicle, cost $800. Again, the A/C had problems at 60,000 with the evaporator core failure and a cost of $600. I have also replaced the transfer case and had both the front and rear axles repaired at a cost of $1600. The factory stereo amp drains the battery when parked and now has a cut-off switch to avoid jumping off the vehicle every morning. This vehicle has never been off the highway and has experienced typical Jeep problems, more so on the higher priced Grand Cherokee. The only good that has come out of ownership was the luck of finding a great mechanic. The recall list by the DOT and the review by Consumer Reports should have been an indication to avoid the purchase, my bad. Hopefully, the new Grand Cherokee and the marketing dollars spent to advertise it's greatness was met with equal engineering dollars to correct past sins.