Why you should NOT buy a used Jeep Grand Cherokee

Some praise the Jeep Grand Cherokee for being a comfortable and powerful large SUV, that's also hugely capable off-road. But some can't get past the fact that the Grand Cherokee, and Jeeps in general, have a high chance of going 'bang!'.

So we decided to finally review one to see whether it's worth looking at on the used market!

Let us know in the comments if we missed anything and be sure to subscribe to stay up to date with all of our latest content.

00:00​​​​​​​ - Intro
01:20 - What is it?
05:20 - How's the exterior?
07:29 - How's the interior?
09:28 - How's the tech?
10:46 - Is it practical?
12:06 - What goes wrong?
17:09 - Is it safe?
18:10 - What's it like to drive?
20:47 - How much is it?
22:12​ - Fuel use, warranty & servicing
23:34 - Should you buy it?

#jeep
#grandcherokee
#4x4

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At ReDriven, we’ll be taking you through the pros and cons of a huge range of used cars to see how well they’re going now that they’re a few years old, have thousands of kilometres on the clock, and are coming toward the end of their warranty, or maybe don’t have one at all.

Plus, thanks to our resident mechanic, Jim, you’ll find out what commonly goes wrong with them and what might need to be fixed.

Most importantly, we want to make ReDriven a voice for the most in-the-know used car experts there are...you guys.. See, you’re the ones that actually buy, live with, love and sometimes unfortunately hate the cars we’ll be reviewing.

So we want to hear your thoughts. Hit us up in the comments, or on Instagram and Facebook.

We’d love nothing more than for you to give us as much feedback as possible, so we can make this channel the best it can be.

Find us on:

[marcos.miranda]

One of the safest SUV in the market... We had an accident last week. Many turns in a wet road, we hit 2 walls in the Turnpike expressway, side to side slide... and the vehicle just did amazingly and protected the passengers. Going for another one! There are some years with issues but ours was a 2020 Summit and it was amazing!

[atyoursix]

I have had 6 Grand Cherokee's from a 1996 to now a 2017 and have had wonderful experiences. They have all made it to at least 140, 000 miles before I have traded them off and they could all have gotten me farther if I chose to keep them. Do your preventive maintenance and they will be fine.

[djpangburn]

I own a 2017 Grand Cherokee Trailhawk. Got a great deal on it used right before prices skyrocketed in 2021, with 41k miles on it. I've road-tripped from the Midwest to New York State and back multiple times, off-reading it in the Catskills and Adirondacks. While it is my daily driver back home in Wisconsin, I also off-road often in the northwoods, and have taken it into the Rockies, driving it all over Colorado and New Mexico, and across the plains. The only thing I've had to do is a 90k+ tune-up (spark plugs, intake flush, and breaks) and replace a solenoid. No major problems.

[Theultrazombiekiller]

My wife drives a 2013 Limited, owned it since 2015. 117k miles now, runs perfect, and has only had 2 small issues, about $1, 000 total in repairs over 8 years and 95, 000 miles of driving. One of the best cars we have ever owned, interior and body have held together great as well.

[tralegatertravels]

I had a 2014 grand cherokee with 225, 000 miles and i traded it in 2020. I never had any issues minus 1 headlight bulb goin out and 1 bad spark plug. I loved it it was an amazing vehicle

[micahpage]

The Pentastar V6 is one of the most reliable long lasting motors on the market. It was redesigned in 2011 and some small changes were made in 2012 to fix some known issues in the 2011 motor. 24MPG highway with AWD, for an SUV, is simply amazing. Also having a 4LO option standard with AWD is very cool (not many other similar vehicles have this feature (Lexus GX, Toyota 4R). Since 2012 the V6 is largely unchanged and very reliable. The air suspension commonly needs to be repaired but from my research it is a pretty reliable air suspension system compared to air suspensions on other vehicles. I would definitely obtain an extended warranty if I were to buy a used SRT and replacement parts are very expensive on the SRT (tires, brake rotors and pads, etc.). A used 2015+ Limited and Laredo are good models to evaluate as a used car to buy. Btw, this cars was originally heavily redesigned by Daimler (Mercedes Benz) when they for a short while owned Jeep. I read that the MB "ML" SUV heavily influenced the chasis and suspesion of the Jeep GC. Which is believed to be why GC's drive and handle so well. I've had a couple friends own GCs and they loved them. They also have positive owner reviews on car review websites.

[sandcastle]

I had a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I had it for over 8 yrs; I just sold it a week ago. It had over 83, 000 on it and it never gave me any trouble. The only thing I ever had to do was take it in for a few recalls, change the oil and tires and fill it up. It was a GREAT car. So great that I sold it to my parents and bought a 2022 Grand Cherokee

[pest]

Unicorn examples are never for sale. The owners are just happy driving them. The lemons are for sale...

[frostbite]

LOTS can go wrong on these, but that's to be said for most all modern vehicles nowadays. Last February I bought a 2014 Summit 5.7L with 86L miles on the clock and absolutely love it. I got lucky, as it was a 1 owner it's whole life, and presumably garaged as it's from Alberta and not a spec of rust on it, even the front of the hood is perfectly fine. Only flaw is the center of the wheels are peeling (like they all seem to do), but I plan to have them powdercoated, so good 'nuff.

[Whatchamawhozit]

I have a 2015 Grand Cherokee Summit Hemi 5.7L Platinum. I have 174k miles on this beast and only recently replaced the Transmission with a unit with only 32k miles on it. The original trans had a flutter from first to 2nd, but otherwise operated fine... I just didn't want any surprises.

I had to do some suspension repairs (Control arm) Sway bar etc. but otherwise it has been routine maintenance (Fluid flushes, oil change, brakes and tires). I did recently hit a turkey vulture on my way to a Doctor Appoint which bent the aluminum hood and cracked the front grill. I was able to snag an SRT hood and bought an aftermarket grill kit and was back on the road in 3 days.

I love my jeep, have I thought about trading it, yes.... but every time I drive it I love it, I even have a 2023 Charger RT Last call that spends more time parked than it does being used.

I don't know if I would buy another when my current one opts for retirement as I hear the horror stories and am afraid I may buy a bad one, I don't like the new 2023 style so I would only go for a WK2 version, Overland or higher with 5.7L at a minimum.

I am not the original owner of my jeep, I am owner #2 but the 1st owner took very good care of it and I think this is why it has been a great vehicle.

FYI, I am in the USA.

[scottpittmam]

I own a 2014 jeep Grand Cherokee since 5, 000 miles. Bought it in 2015, it's got 164, 000 miles now. Best vehicle ever, I've loved every minute of owning it. Never had problems on road or off in deep mud and snow!

3.6 liter Pentastar 8-speed transmission have been the best! I can do a complete 180 U turn pulling my 17ft bass boat on a dime in it too! Best turning radius out of any vehicle hands down.

[jmank]

I have a 2015 grand cherokee overland high altitude edition. Absolutely love it! Had it for about 4 years now. No major issues, brakepads, oil changes and rotors have been changed that's about it. Has 145k km on it. Have a "service air suspension immediately" sensor that pops up when it's really cold but called the dealer and they said it's normal for that to pop up when it's cold!

[eddiemoore]

I've had 4 and they are great. Agreed that you spend time to chose a nurtured one, but bang for your bucks and drivability, you won't find better. The key with owning a Jeep is having a mechanic who knows how to fix them.

[tomwujek]

170, 000 miles and counting on my 2012 Grand Cherokee Laredo. It's been very reliable and still a great daily driver along with being excellent off road. The key is to make sure the preventative maintenance is done and they'll last.

[rocu]

I have had 3 of them and I have loved them all, no major issues at all. Just do your maintenance and you will be fine

[lucast]

My whole family has driven these for a long time. I’ve had mine 9 years, drive it every day, and never had a single problem. All I’ve had to do is standard preventative maintenance. I don’t get it…maybe it got lucky and got a good one lol

[Outlaw_Media]

I own 2 Grand Cherokees, a 2005 Limited with the Hemi, and 2020 Overland with the V6. I do the maintenance on them as recommended, no problems at all. I have since lifted my 2005 WK with a 2" Old Man Emu lift and a few other things, works awesome off-road. I have a few videos. I do wish the current V6 had more power under the hood.

[calmstormambience]

I had a 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee and it lasted me about 5 or so years . Never had problem other than replacing the brake pads, tires. oil, gas filter etc. EXCELLENT VEHICLE !

[jamesgarrisonii]

My 2009 Grand Cherokee has almost 200k miles on it and is still going strong. My friend has over 200k on her 2009 Grand Cherokee and it's still going strong. My brother's 2008 Grand Cherokee has about 160k miles on his and it still runs great.

[richardnunez]

I've owned 3 of these. I traded them in after 130k to 140k miles. No major issues with any of them. In fact, I only replaced the battery on my 2012 model.