Is Every Jeep Cherokee a Solid Buy? Not According to the Data The Jeep Cherokee is part of a long set of automotive icons that have become synonymous with the brand itself through the years. From the iconic Cherokee XJ that boasted the trails in the 1980’s and 1990’s to the latest Cherokee and Grand Cherokee models which meld comfort with trail capable performance, these models have won the hearts of drivers that hunger for variety and muscle on the road.
Its unique styling, great ground clearance and all-around driving capabilities have won it praises from off-roaders and city drivers alike.
But if you dig deep, discover this sweet exterior has one important hole everyone should plug before considering a purchase decision: Not all model years of the Cherokee are created the same. When examining jeep reliability ratings by model, it’s safe to say that the Jeep brand has become synonymous with dependability and quality, but for all their efforts, some of the most problematic jeep models have been plagued with major mechanical problems that can turn the dream of owning a Jeep into a nightmare that never ends.
These problem model years have consistent defects that drive us crazy such as widely circulated engines that really do some damage,” wrote Jerry of Opelika, Ala.
This used jeep buying guide problems will help you steer clear of the often much more expensive and even potentially more problematic model years that have developed poor reputations over the years. Understanding vehicle model years with most complaints is crucial when making your decision.
We will go over the lines for the Jeep Cherokee including the Jeep Grand Cherokee since these are different models with their sets of problematic years and problems. By identifying problematic vehicle production periods and what to look out for in advance, you can potentially save yourself thousands of dollars and a large headache in the near or distant future.
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The Grand Cherokee: Years to Steer Clear Of
2011 Grand Cherokee: The Electrical Gremlin
Many consider the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee as one of the worst model years for this ride because of its one-and-done electrical system from hell. This model appears frequently in discussions about unreliable suv models to not purchase and ranks among suv models with bad production runs. The cause of the issue resides within the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM), a complex electronic module responsible for managing numerous power-related functions throughout the car.
This relatively minute component has resulted in headaches for thousands of individuals and is, broadly speaking, the poster child for the term “electrical nightmare.”
A TIPM failure can cause failures similar to all of these systems, which is undesirable for customers and mechanics. The most frequent and dangerous symptom is sudden engine dying (evoking a stall) while driving at highway speeds, and it is one that could end in catastrophic safety repercussions.
Many owners report their vehicles simply refusing to start, leaving them stranded in parking lots or on the side of the road. The fuel pump, which relies on signals from the TIPM, often fails to operate correctly, resulting in fuel delivery issues that can mimic other engine problems.
A lot of owners say their cars just won’t start and have been left stranded in parking lots or on a freeways shoulder. The fuel pump that is supposed to be fed by the TIPM fails to operate properly which leads to fuel delivery problems that can be misdiagnosed as other engine related issues.
These failures happen at random, so diagnosis is difficult and costly, as the problems may disappear between diagnostic checks, making it hard for technicians to identify the cause of the failure on the initial examination.
This issue has neither been disregarded by the automotive industry nor by the legislative authorities. 2011 Grand Cherokee TIPM problems have caused a staggering number of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as well as hundreds of complaints to the car manufacturer, with an estimated more than 50,000 reports of TIPM-related problems to date. These numbers help answer which car model years have recalls and contribute to understanding suvs with poor owner satisfaction ratings.
The legal fights have brought attention to the severity of the problem and to the manufacturer’s early refusal to admit that there was a defect, leaving owners in the lurch to cover repair bills that can run as high as several thousand dollars.
2014 Grand Cherokee: Transmission Nightmares
The Grand Cherokee took another hit in the 2014 model year, this time related to common jeep transmission issues that were rife with the, back then, new nine-speed automatic. This transmission, also known as the ZF 9HP, was supposed to deliver improved fuel efficiency and performance, but instead turned into a real headache of reliability issues for customers who had to deal with it, making it one of the compact suv models with transmission issues.
The nine-speed’s issues usually rear their head in the form of jerky or rough shifting that prevents smooth acceleration. Sudden surges during acceleration that can occur between gears or when slowing down a gear.
As you know this erratic shifting not only rides uncomfortable. it is also unsafe, particularly if you are in traffic where your vehicle’s reactions are required to be predictable.
The questionable transmission’s constant moving seems to be that of premature shift failure by 2014 Grand Cherokee owners. Numerous vehicles have needed no less than a new transmission, let alone a variety of serious internal repairs, long before normal mileage.
These failures can also have big financial implications as transmission replacement costs can regularly be greater than the cost of the vehicle, especially for ageing models, contributing to used suvs with high repair costs.
For the 2014 Grand Cherokee, the transmission issue had to do with the normal “first-year” teething problems that occur when new technology is introduced. The nine-speed transmission was something of a rushed design which had not been well researched for real-world use before being released onto the market.
The complicated electronic controls and countless gear ratios introduced many points of potential failure, and the quality control processes for making them in the first place hadn’t yet been perfected to allow them to roll off the production line with the precision needed to function.
The Jeep Cherokee: Problematic Years to Know
2014-2015 Cherokee: A Rough Re-Introduction
The reintroduction of the Cherokee nameplate in 2014 should have been a celebratory moment for this iconic model line but it wound up muddied by the same transmission problems that hurt the 2014 Grand Cherokee. These models frequently appear in cherokee reliability issues by model discussions and known issues with jeep cherokee KL models forums.
But the 2014 and 2015 Cherokee was given the same junky nine-speed automatic transmission as its introduction, and with it came all of its troubles, making the 2014-2015 Jeep Cherokee one of the most frustrated-filled eras in the little SUV’s history. These years represent some of the most frequent jeep cherokee repair problems that owners have encountered.
For the Cherokee, the transmission problems are eerily similar to what our friends are experiencing with the Grand: erratic gear changes, surprise lurching and software bugs that impact driveability. These issues contribute to jeep cherokee transmission reliability concerns and are among the most common cherokee repair issues.
Yet, the Cherokee’s lighter weight and distinct power delivery could obscure the true extent of the gearbox’s problems during a prospective buyer’s inaugural test-drives, with the result that unwitting buyers occasionally took delivery of troubled vehicles they might otherwise have avoided.
The volume of owner complaints during this time says a lot. Consumer reports and car forums are inundated by owners complaining about transmission issues on the Cherokee from 2014 through 2015, leaving a clear pattern that has become universal. These complaints are frequently discussed in cherokee owner forums common complaints and contribute to jeep cherokee consumer reports complaints.
A number of owners indicated they made several trips to their dealer for updates and attempted repairs, but the dealership workarounds tended to fade away without a permanent solution to the transmission’s underlying problems, leading to ongoing cherokee transmission complaints and solutions discussions.
2019 Cherokee: Powertrain Woes
Just as buyers of Cherokees were putting mid-2010s transmission woes behind them, the 2019 model year would bring with it another set of complaints, this time focused on engine longevity. The 2019 Cherokee continues in style by having very serious engine problems, including the 2.4L four-cylinder and 3.2L V6 powertrains, representing some of the jeep models with engine problems and known problems with cherokee engines.
The scariest issue 2019 Cherokee drivers have is the excessive oil consumption, considering a lack of oil could cause the kind of catastrophic engine damage that Fiat Chrysler fails to cover. These issues contribute to jeep cherokee common engine failures and are among the midsized suvs with known mechanical problems.
Owners narrow the birth years of their slaves and slaves of slaves down by the quicker-and-quicker consumption of engine oil to far beyond the manufacturer’s specifications, so additional oil must be poured in regularly. This insatiable appetite translates to ridiculously low oil readings on the dipstick, and if left unchecked, it will destroy the engine.
In the 2019 Cherokee, the engine fails with little warning, and owners get stuck with repair bills that can easily exceed $10,000 or with vehicles that are total losses.
This is made worse by the fact that the vehicle is so new and its hard not to feel overwhelmingly shafted as an owner, thought to have a reliable car for the next several years and then have this happen.
The Classic XJ (1984-2001): A Word of Caution
The venerable Jeep Cherokee XJ has a huge following among offroading enthusiasts, and if you have already been wheeling one (or maybe two or three) you likely know the reasons behind its popularity, as well as its pluses and minuses.
It’s true: I’ve personally owned and built several my self, and love ’em. The Jeep Cherokee represents one of the best vehicles in terms of resale value and reliability (not to mention capabilities!) ever produced. And yet, like anything else in the automotive world, there are a few years of design in this run that can make for a few extra challenges especially if you aren’t familiar with them in advance.
The 2000-2001 is especially bad for the infamous “0331” head crack. Only thing against them, to my knowledge, is that they suffer from the 4.0L inline-six syndrome (if you could’ve called it that…) and didn’t hold up well. The 0331 head is prone to cracking (often between the bores) in the coolant jacket (which causes coolant loss, the coolant loss results in overheating that can cause head gasket failure and then engine block damage as early as under 30,000 miles).
The cylinder head failed will you a slow coolant loss, white smoke out of the exhaust or over heat condition. The problem is more or less fixable by replacing the cylinder head with a slightly modified ESCI design, but the repair can be expensive, particularly if you rely on mechanics. For owners of square XJ Cherokees, the repair could be worth more than car.
1996: Transitional Year
For the 1996 model year a new type of problem came into play, the “transitional year” as far as production goes. For the 1st year Chrysler made many revisions on different systems and components which made some replaceable parts hard to come by and expensive to buy. This in-between status can mean that normal upkeep and restoration can be more involved and expensive than other XJ variant model years, contributing to used car model years with issues.
Your Pre-Purchase Checklist: Critical Questions to Ask
When looking at any used Cherokee, regardless of the model year, you’ll need to ask a few basic questions to help you make a good decision. These types of questions will bring you to light because you realized there may be some issues and you can decide if the car typically is good or not.
For ANY Used Cherokee:
Start by requesting the complete service and maintenance history. A well-documented maintenance record indicates responsible ownership and can reveal patterns of recurring problems. Ask specifically about any recurring electrical or transmission issues, as these are common problem areas across multiple Cherokee model years.
Always request a comprehensive vehicle history report from services like CarFax or AutoCheck, which can reveal accident history, flood damage, or other issues that might not be immediately apparent.
For SPECIFIC Problem Years:
TIPMs: There’s one thing you need to be confident of about a 2011 Grand Cherokee When buying a 2011 Grand Cherokee, it is especially important to ask one question about the vehicle you are considering for purchase, a question that has everything to do with the TIPM ( Totally Integrated Power Module), though you wouldn’t know it! If so, ask for proof of replacement and verify whether genuine OEM parts were replaced.
Any vehicle with an affected TIPM that has never been replaced is definitely a large red flag. It must be a consideration when contemplating purchasing a vehicle, so budget for replacement if that should be your decision.
If you are considering a 2014-2015 Cherokee or Grand Cherokee, concentrate on the following five transmission-related questions: “Has the transmission software been updated or any hardware repairs made to the vehicle?” Severe transmission issues may eventually point the blame to replace or rebuild hardware to address more fundamental problems.
With respect to a 2019 Cherokee, “Oil consumption will be the No. 1 issue: ‘Have you had any trouble with oil being diddled away between changes? Request maintenance records that indicate all oil level checks and any other oil purchases between changes.
On ’00-’01 classic XJ Cherokees, the cylinder head is the determining question: “Is there a record of the cylinder head ever being checked or replaced?” Search for receipts for head gasket or cylinder head repairs and consider getting a compression test to confirm engine health.
Conclusion: Finding a Reliable Jeep is Possible
This guide has called out the worst Cherokee model years, but it’s worth pointing out that these problems explain far from the entire Cherokee story. The bad years 2011 and 2014 Grand Cherokee as well as 2014, 2015, and 2019 Cherokee models are notable because in those years, defects in manufacturing, as well as design, reportedly led to issues for many homeowners.
The trick to owning a successful Cherokee is not getting one from one of these bad years and getting a good pre-purchase inspection from mechanics that know the common issues with Cherokees. A professional inspection service can uncover any hidden issues and give you confidence in the Vehicle you are purchasing.
However, by avoiding the model years detailed in this guide and taking the normal due-diligence steps you can locate a reliable Cherokee that meets the standards of the brand’s reputation for toughness and capability.
Cherokee continues to attract both off-roaders and mall-crawlers; a tribute to how, if you pick the right year and care for it the way you’re supposed to, these models will give you years of dependable service, not to mention useable off-road capabilities.
After all, knowledge is your best friend in the used car market. With the help of this guide, you will buy a Cherokee with a confidence that you know all you need to make a good purchase, save yourself money on repairs and find a Jeep that you will love to drive to work each day or hit the trails without fear that it’s going to leave you stranded on the side of the road.
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