1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee LARADO 4.0

Summary:

High maintenance for the average woman

Faults:

The typical things have gone wrong with the car, in my case all at once. The rotors are warped after driving on them for 10,000 miles.

The driver side and passenger side windows have quit working. No, it's not the window motors either, it's the high tech controllers. No simple toggle switches in the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The car has began overheating occasionally when parked and left running for over 10 minutes. I've changed the thermostat, but come to find out, it is the fan relay.

Finally, the car would not shift out of 1st gear when driving. I had to fix this first, so when the check engine light came on, I took it to Autozone to get the code read, they were right on, the speed sensor was out. It's hard finding one of these, but I found one at CarQuest auto parts for only $19.99, I was not about to have the dealer charge me $300.00. It's located right above the cross brace (that bar that runs from side to side under the doors) on the transmission. Even a woman, no offense, can change it, all you need to do is disconnect the wire and unscrew it. Put the other one in quickly so you don't get soaked with transmission fluid. The old one had the fine metal shavings magnetized to the tip, like the ones on your transmission pan magnet. So, you may just have to wipe the tip of the old sensor off and put it right back in. You know that's all the dealership does. Keep your transmission fluid changed.

General Comments:

It's not a bad SUV, but there are a lot of servicing points on the car that can take you to the bank, if you do not know how to do them yourself.

Looks great, and handles snow with awe.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd June, 2003

29th Jun 2004, 13:48

THANK YOU!!! I have the same problem... my Jeep Grand Cherokee won't shift out of 1st gear and I didn't want to pay "an arm-and-a-leg" at the dealership. Your information has helped me tremendously and probably saved me $280!

6th Oct 2009, 16:27

I have a 1999 4x4 GC Laredo with straight-6, 4.0L engine. Recently, I upgraded my front brake calipers from Teves (1999-2002 model yr) to Akebono (2003-2005 model yr). Either caliper will fit 99-05 WJ (Grand Cherokee), but the Akebono caliper is the one that fixes the warped rotor issue. Jeep upgraded the 2003 GC to the Akebono calipers (front) because of problems with Teves.

I bought the Akebono's from NAPA, which sells them for $75 each (net, after core exchange). New, they are $250-$300 ea. I also bought new rotors ($38/ea for front), and new premium pads from NAPA ($80).

ALso, I replaced the brake hose assembly on each side, as older hoses can also cause brake issues.

The problem with Teves is that they tend not to release completely when you take your foot off the brake. The constant rubbing of the brake pads on the brake rotor heats the rotors and eventually they will warp under the abuse, which leads to a shaky steering wheel and/or vehicle when the brake is applied. I went through 3 rotor sets on the front in the last 7 years, which is very annoying, and at times unsafe.

The Akebonos are visibly stronger, and braking action is powerful. They release completely when the foot is off the brake pedal (as they should).

Also, I replaced the steering damper, which after 10 years was not doing its job as evidenced by the slight tendency to be jostled by uneven pavement or groves in the road surface. Now, the vehicle is rock solid on road or off, very stable, easier to drive, and the brakes are awesome.

Go to this link for more info:

http://www.nagca.com/forum/showthread.php?t=36861

17th Oct 2014, 00:01

Wow, you saved me money, heartache and stress with your spot on post. I replaced that ol' speed sensor and the Jeep shifts like normal now. I didn't even have to jack it up. I just sorta reached in there with a crescent wrench and broke her loose (I had the connector disconnected) and spun it out by hand. I only lost about a tablespoon worth of fluid before I had the new one in. All good. Now I'll have to address all of these other common to '99 Grand Cherokee issues one by one. I already have the warped front rotors and non-working RR passenger window... Oh well at least I can drive it now!

1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6

Summary:

Extremely poor manufacturing and no responsibility of dealerships

Faults:

From the first week of owning this vehicle we noticed the transmission was not right. Every time we went back to the dealer they assured us the clunking was normal. They recalled a computer part, rather up-graded the computer, which now is broken. The transmission has been a problem. We have never been able to resolve our problems with the dealerships involved. I know that the company is aware of the problem, and seems to refuse to address the problems. Why isn't the manufacturer taking pride in making customers happy? Why after 8 times of going to the dealership the problems resolved? We were constantly told wait until it breaks. Well once the warranty was up it did. It has been sitting for over 7 months now, due to the fact not one mechanic can figure out why?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th April, 2003

8th May 2003, 13:46

Ah, it is wonderful to see I'm not the only Jeep owner idiot out there. I plan to put a sign on the back of mine which says "Jeep Chrysler should be making a lot of lemonade off their Lemons!" I have a 96 which is literally fallowing apart from mechanical to paint to interior trims. I just had the A/C repair... of course right after it came out from under warranty. I recently sent in a list of A/C problems (seen my dealers) to see if, ha ha, Chrysler will reimburse me. WOULD I EVER BUY ANOTHER JEEP? ABSOLUTELY NOT! My next vehicle will be foreign, just like my last one. This is my last US made vehicle purchase. gsojudy@hotmail.com.

24th May 2003, 23:16

I see that many have experienced the 1999 Grand Cherokee. I, too, had one for awhile which was in the dealer many times for many reasons. Even though repairs were covered by warranty, the inconvenience was very annoying, especially when they couldn't fix the problems. Got rid of it at about 36,000 when the warranty ran out and plan to never pay that much for a vehicle again. Most $ I ever payed for a vehicle and the most problems, by far, I have ever encountered - too numerous to mention. Only good I can say is the sharp styling. Good luck to you owners.

4th Jul 2003, 13:30

I too own a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee. And with less than 30,000 miles, the rear axle needs a complete overhaul. My transmission slams in reverse also. All this happened after the warranty ran out.

2nd Sep 2003, 09:28

Hello, I also own a 99 Grand Cherokee, and after all the problems I have been experiencing I thought I would go on line and see if anyone else was also having the same problems, and was I floored when I saw how many people where having the same problems. Mine runs very rough at idle, and clunks very hard when putting in reverse, I see a lot of people with the same problems, but has anyone figured out what the problem is coming from.. If anyone could help me I would really appreciate it, everyone tells me its normal, my email address is newellvierra@yahoo.com, any help would be appreciated. thank you for your time.