Faults:
Warped brake rotors -- repeatedly.
Malfunctioning brake lights.
Overheating.
Cloudy headlight covers.
Malfunctioning sentry key sensor.
Rear liftgate struts worn out.
Hood struts worn out.
Shock absorbers and steering damper worn out.
Transfer case needs replacement.
General Comments:
This has been, overall, an excellent vehicle for us.
It gives, in my opinion, the best combination of highway comfort and handling, good looks, with competent off-road capabilities of any vehicle in its price range. There are certainly some quality problems, however.
The brake rotor warpage problem was fixed for me by no longer using the ceramic mopar brake pads anymore. I went back to semi-metallic pads over a year ago and have had no further warpage issues. Not quite the stopping power, but they don't produce the huge heat buildup that causes the rotor warpage.
After replacing both of the brake / tail light assemblies with aftermarket replacements, the brake light gremlin problem returned. My mechanic actually found the cause and fixed it very inexpensively. I'm going to have to go back to him and ask him what was the cause.
The overheating issue was partly being caused by a malfunctioning hydraulic cooling fan clutch (which was replaced as part of the cooling fan recall). However, it is still overheating on some of our mountain passes here in Colorado and I haven't yet solved that one.
The cloudy headlight covers -- oh my goodness! I have purchased and used two of the cleaning and polishing kits -- to absolutely no avail. I think the magnesium chloride used on our roads here in Colorado is the major culprit -- but the cover material should have been chosen to be resistant to Mag Chloride. I need to replace them, but can't bring myself to spending that much money.
The sentry key issue was caused by a key ring with too many keys on it. The weight of all the keys swinging back and forth on the ring was apparently pulling the base of the key just far enough away from the sensor to keep it from working.
The struts and shock absorbers wearing out is a normal wear and tear issue and thus to be expected.
The failing Selec-Trac transfer case is a real bite in the shorts. We had the same problem with our '97 GC. It is a $1000 - $1500 repair job. The New Process transfer cases with their chains and sprockets just aren't cutting the mustard. These transfer cases have great capabilities but which unfortunately fail prematurely.