22nd Oct 2002, 12:11

Jeeps arn't amphibious vehicles! They can go off road (in mud, snow, gravel, rough terrain, and any smooth surface. I'm not suprised the jeep almost sank the door moldings are designed to keep out RAIN not a RIVER!

29th Oct 2002, 10:42

There's a solution for the JGC rotor problem... but Chrysler won't tell you about it. I will.

Well, it appears Chrysler is finally listening to the complaints. They issued a service bulletin to dealers and are replacing the original rotors, calipers, and pads with beefier ones.

The problem is that the calipers were applying too much pressure to too thin of a rotor. Thus, the warping. In some cases, the service technicians said that the rear brakes were not even being engaged! So, some vehicles have been using all of the insufficient front brake to stop.

Remember, it's not in Chrysler's interest to lose money and this is not an insurance driven recall, so don't expect Jeep to contact you. They'd gladly not have you know about this so they don't have to spend money to fix your vehicle. But speak out and get it fixed.

Call a dealer, tell them you're aware that Jeep has admitted to this problem (mention the service bulletin), and demand they replace the front brakes. It's your right and they will replace them... even out of warranty if you can show a history of this problem. Good luck and I hope this helps some frustrated owners.

I'm getting mine replaced as I write this. I can't stress this enough- Don't be bullied by service advisors. Call ahead and ask for the service manager and explain your informed position as a consumer. Tell the manager you're aware of how Jeep is handling the problem (see above) and tell him/her to order you the brake replacement kit and set an appointment. Print this out and have them read this if it'll help. It's your right, don't back down. Good luck.

18th Nov 2002, 22:39

In the 37 months (38K miles) that I've owned it, my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo has been in the shop 10 times for non-routine maintenance, and 2 more times for factory recalls. It seems like there's a lot of shoddy work and poor design on this vehicle!

I had to grind the brake rotors twice - and then Chrysler finally replaced the front rotors & calipers for free under a Service Bulletin in July '02.

Three of my four power door lock motors have seized up and needed to be replaced. The seatbelt release buttons were stiff at purchase, and nearly impossible to depress after about 20,000 miles; they were replaced. The right rear window made a grinding noise and froze halfway shut at 25,000 miles - the molding was loose and had to be replaced. The weatherstrip above the passenger door came off and had to be replaced. And the rear window wiper arm was bent so the wiper just waved in the air and missed the window entirely - it was replaced.

Most of this work (except the rotor grinding) was done by the dealer under warranty... which I appreciate, but it has been a huge hassle to have my car in the shop so often. Unfortunately, the second and third door lock failures happened at 36,500 and 37,500 miles, out of warranty. I paid a $100 "deductible" for the 2nd lock repair while Chrysler picked up whatever the rest of that cost was. The third lock broke tonight; tomorrow I'll be asking Chrysler to cover its replacement entirely.

And once this thing is fixed, I'm going to trade it in before something else breaks or wears out, and go back to the durable, well-built world of Toyota or Honda. I've had enough.

12th Dec 2002, 17:01

At 5000 miles my rotors were trued as a "good will gesture". And again at 13,000 miles. Now at 19,000 miles I have replaced the composite rotors with good old fashioned cast iron rotors and a good set of pads. My last jeep went 106,000 miles on the original rotors. Its strange for a new vehicle to give the same problems as a used vehicle. I was going to buy a new G/C, but they have four rotors, twice the aggravation. That's it for me and Jeep after owning a dozen.

15th Jan 2003, 08:08

This is my second Jeep Grand Cherokee. My first was a 1998. When the 1999's came out, I liked the styling, but I needed to wait a year before I could trade. I really enjoy my 2000 JCG.

Commenting on the Rotors. I took mine in a 19,000 miles due to the vibrations when braking at highway speeds. The dealer resurfaced them and put new pads on for free, since they had many other owners with the same problem.

Now at 35,000 miles, the vibrations are back. I've read many peoples comments about this. Some recommended aftermarket rotors, so I called a local auto repair shop and was getting ready to take my GJC in to have them replace the rotors.

Then I read the persons comment dated, October 29, 2002 about the fix Chrysler developed. On Monday, 1/13/02 I printed that report and took it to my dealer and explained that the vibrations are back and I would like the rotors, pads and calipers replaced under warranty.

My dealer is very good and I would certainly buy from them again. The service manager immediately said, he would take care of it. I made the appointment for the next day, yesterday. It was that easy.

While replacing the brakes, they gave my GJC a once over and found the thermostat gasket was leaking a little and fixed that too - under warranty.

Overall, I really like my Jeep. I also want to thank the person who wrote on 10/22/02 about the fix. And thanks for this web-site. It's saved me hundred's of dollars.

9th Feb 2003, 08:38

I have also had major problems with the brakes on my 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Rotors and pads replaced at just under 12,000 miles by dealer (tab picked up by them). Again at 28,000 miles (tab picked up by me). And now having same violent shaking at 43,000 due to warped rotors. Dealer and Chrysler will not accept responsibility for an OBVIOUS DESIGN FAULT. I have lodged a complaint with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) on their website, as have THOUSANDS of others. No recall yet. I encourage anyone having this same problem to also lodge a complaint with the NHTSA website as they are the only federal agency with the power to mandate a safety recall. It is quite obvious that Chrysler/Jeep engineers have made yet another mistake when they designed brakes too small to stop a 4000 lb vehicle.

Look at Consumer Reports for new and used Grand Cherokees and you will see ALL MODEL YEARS have an unreliable rating and have the worst rating of any SUV. Don't let this vehicle's good looks fool you like it did me! Never again!