Getting ready to go full time next year and have pretty much decided the perfect toad for us is a new 2016/2017 Grand Cherokee. Read several reviews that highly rate them in every category important to us except "Reliability", which is rated as "below average" relevant to the other handful of SUV's tested in it's class at the same time. It's a subjective term and not sure exactly what it implies... Is it a lemon, or did it have only a minor issue that dropped it below the "average" line...Looking for input from owners, good or bad, any advice, dealer issues... Anything you wish you had known, as well as personal experience with regards to reliability. I am aware of which models can be flat towed, and of the wiring harness for the electric power steering. Haven't decided on a braking system yet, and will install an inline toad charger, but that is as far as I have gotten so far. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance for any and all comments. Bill

Below average implies that the vehicles spend more days in the shop than others in the same class. Will you be able to tow it weight wise? Seems, at least out west many more people are towing the lighter, more agile Wranglers

I have owned several Grand Cherokees beginning in about 1990 and they have all been very reliable for me. We have consistently put about 100,000 miles on each one and have only done the basics of oil changes and brakes, nothing else. My latest is a 2012, but I only have about 33,000 carefree miles so far.

I had a 2012 and now have a 2014 Grand Cherokee Overland with the 5.7 hemi that I have towed both for many miles. I haven't had any repair issues that I would consider worse than any other brand. It's a great vehicle and I can tow my 7000lb boat too.

I have a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Lots of recalls, mostly for flashes. No reliability issues except for V6 oil filter housing cracking.

I have a 2014 GC tows great, easy to hook up.. No real problems, a few flashes, a couple minor issues. I have 33k miles on odometer and 20k towing. I usually trade every 3-5 years. I'll get another GC.

Grand Cherokee Owners - Help & Advice Please | Good Sam Community

TheLostDutchman
Explorer
Aug 20, 2016
Thanks for all the info. Sorry about the delayed response... Unexpectedly wound up in the hospital for a week and have been on the mend since. Finally getting back to normal..
EmersonTT
Explorer
Aug 15, 2016
We have a 2014 diesel Grand Cherokee for towing our travel trailer. Of course you would not want or need a diesel for a road, but the point is we have had zero issues with this car in 55,000 miles of driving and towing (including to and back from Alaska). We did experience an issue with the diesel emission control system that is unique to the diesel version of this vehicle and thst was common to many of the first two years of this model, but Jeep fixed it under warranty. Great vehicle!
et2
Explorer
Aug 13, 2016
We've owned many Jeep platforms. Mostly reliable with some minor issues. Less issues than other brand cars we've owned. The Cherokee we had as well . Loved the car and it rode well and was very quiet. Never had the so called issue needing any electrical addition to the steering. It towed perfectly. The transmission wasn't a pleasure as there were recall flashes required numerous times. But it never left us stranded.

Now own the Grand Cherokee Overland and have had it back for oil changes. That is it.
Ductape
Explorer
Aug 11, 2016
Or tow a pickup with ATV in the bed. Or small sxs.
wcjeep
Explorer
Aug 10, 2016
TheLostDutchman wrote:
Thanks so much for the quick replies. I should have mentioned we were also considering the Cherokee Trailhawk, hence the wiring comment, but are afraid it might prove to be too small. We are avid back country folks currently running trails in our Polaris Ranger. Downsizing from a house to a MH will not allow me both a trail toy and a touring car so we want an SUV that will stand up to moderate trail riding.

The Cherokee line really fits what we need out of a car/trail toy, and I simply can't afford to make a $40K mistake. Please keep the comments, thoughts, and experiences coming... They are invaluable to me. RVers really are the friendliest and most helpful people on the planet!

Absolutely do NOT buy the regular 2014+ Cherokee. We Lemon Law'd one. Very happy to see the Cherokee Trailhawk go away. The 9spd transmission was never ready for commercial release. Some computer flashes wrecked the entire transmission. The same transmission in other vehicles is also problematic (Acura, Honda, Range Rover). It's also smaller on the inside than it appears. In the year we owned ours it was nearly trouble free the first two months. It usually sat at our house or the dealership awaiting repair. The Grand Cherokee has no relation to the smaller Cherokee.
mowermech
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
IMO, what you need is a Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited, either 2 door or 4 door.
Personally, I would find a good 2006. I don't like the look of the newer Wranglers. But, that's just me...
TheLostDutchman
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
Thanks so much for the quick replies. I should have mentioned we were also considering the Cherokee Trailhawk, hence the wiring comment, but are afraid it might prove to be too small. We are avid back country folks currently running trails in our Polaris Ranger. Downsizing from a house to a MH will not allow me both a trail toy and a touring car so we want an SUV that will stand up to moderate trail riding.

The Cherokee line really fits what we need out of a car/trail toy, and I simply can't afford to make a $40K mistake. Please keep the comments, thoughts, and experiences coming... They are invaluable to me. RVers really are the friendliest and most helpful people on the planet!
Ductape
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
We had two Grands. Brakes, oil leak from axles, electric window motors, airbag controller come to mind. Probably forgetting a few things. Nice to drive and we enjoyed them, but they did receive more maintenance than all the other vehicles we've owned.

Replaced the last one with a Nissan, 6 years of ownership and no parts replaced except the battery, fluid and filter changes.
ga80486
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
Two Hands wrote:
We just bought our 2016 Grand Cherokee Limited less than a month ago. Had it professionally set up to be towed just last week and towed it for a short trip just a couple days ago. Everything works fine so far. The owner's manual does not mention anything about a wiring harness for the electric steering. I have a Blue Ox base plate and SMI Stay in Play braking system.

I have the same setup on my 2015 Grand Cherokee. The harness was only required on the regular Cherokee, not the Grand. Our has been great. We'll be getting another when this one wears out. The only problem we have is the GPS. The maps are inaccurate, it's hard to search and you can't search while under way. But I don't blame that on Jeep. I'll still buy another and use my iPhone to navigate.
Two_Hands
Explorer
Aug 09, 2016
We just bought our 2016 Grand Cherokee Limited less than a month ago. Had it professionally set up to be towed just last week and towed it for a short trip just a couple days ago. Everything works fine so far. The owner's manual does not mention anything about a wiring harness for the electric steering. I have a Blue Ox base plate and SMI Stay in Play braking system.

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