2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.7 V6 from North America

Summary:

This might be the best-value vehicle that I've ever owned

Faults:

Mostly wear and tear items (ie. rubber door lining coming loose).

Apparently the original pistons for the hood and lift gate are known to fail, and I've had to replace them.

The windshield washer pump quit working, and also needed to be replaced.

The air conditioning fans have started to make a loud, rapid clicking sound for a minute or so when turned on.

General Comments:

While a Grand Cherokee is a lower grade SUV, some cheaply-built components that wear out or fail weren't entirely unexpected (even if it's still disappointing). On the other hand, I think this vehicle has been engineered to be rock solid where it really counts: engine components, drive train, etc. I'd much rather fork over a little bit of money every once in a while to deal with minor issues than drop thousands on a major mechanical defect, and so far that's been the case with mine.

Overall, my Jeep has turned out to be pretty darn reliable; I've gotten 100,000 miles out of it with no major mechanical failure, and mostly only needed service on a number of items that fall under scheduled service/maintenance - like new shocks, brakes, transmission oil change, radiator flush, etc. As far as that goes, the only real beef I have with the Grand Cherokee is that tires are unusually expensive. I've bought new sets a couple of times, and every tire dealer tells me that price is "due to its 'odd' tire size"... getting quoted around $1000 for a set of four isn't uncommon, so it definitely pays to shop around.

It's been really good for anything I need it for: The daily commute, long road trips, hauling things around or pulling a trailer. Better gas mileage would always be nice, but this is of course an SUV. I get around 18 MPG on average so I don't have any real complaints.

I've owned five vehicles (so far) in my lifetime, and only two have made it past 150,000 miles... the last one that did so had a Toyota engine. With that comparison in mind, I can't think of a better testament to Jeep's reputation for ruggedness and reliability! As I'm writing this, I just realized that I've also owned my Jeep longer than any other car I've had, and by turn I think it's also the best-value vehicle that I've ever owned (even if it's yet to acquire the mileage of my old Geo Prizm).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th September, 2015

13th Sep 2015, 03:17

Nice review :)

What is the performance like with the V6?

2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 3.7 V6 from North America

Summary:

OK car, but consider it as having a higher frequency of issues for its first year model run

Faults:

Trans shifter registers PRND sometimes, and throws a TCM code.

Heater fan speed selector is a hit/miss; mostly a miss.

Radio antenna/reception drops out.

Expensive repair parts.

2005 model has underside, exterior spare tire mount.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th April, 2012

6th Jun 2012, 08:46

At 75k I got PRND lights and erratic shifting... I dismantled the shifter and cleaned the contact board with electrical cleaner, reassembled, and did trans oil change. Also disconnected the battery for 15 minutes to have the shift control unit reset itself... it fixed the PRND matter. Haven't had it again for 3k miles now.

13th Aug 2015, 16:01

Thank you for this information. I have a used 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo with a 3.7 / V6 engine; two weeks ago it started doing exactly this. My mechanic replaced the rear wheel "sensors" saying this would fix the issue; worked for a "day", and now I'm dealing with the PRND lights and again the erratic shifting. I will use your comments to take back to my mechanic and hopefully this will eliminate my issues (thank you!).

2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 5.7 Hemi from North America

Summary:

Refined pure adrenaline!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This SUV is very versatile, FAST, great off road and well crafted.

European engineered refinements are evident in the trim and interior.

No repairs have been necessary as this thing is superbly built and appointed.

This truck will impress your valet or the guys at the hunting club.

The only downside to ownership is that Jeep and Exxon really teamed up when this was built. Expect 13 to 18 MPG. I average 14. Drive it once, and you won't care about the gas mileage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th April, 2010

27th Apr 2010, 09:55

"Drive it once, and you won't care about the gas mileage."

We live in a time when this shouldn't even be stated. How can you not care about getting a pitiful 14 mpg? This is about the same as a car from the early 70's. Have we learned nothing in 4 decades? You are using twice the gas of the average car to go the same places and do the same things in 90% of your life. Sad really that it doesn't matter to you... and so many others for that matter. I guess gas needs to be $4.50 a gallon again to remind us that it is too much usage...

There is NOTHING out there that I could be thrilled enough to drive and not care about getting 14 mpg, and it's not about affording the gas. I don't put a money value on everything, especially my responsibility for the environment.