WK2 Reliability

rshuckfinn

Adventurer
I’m about to pull the trigger on a 2018 Trailhawk. However my main concern is reliability. I’ve always been a Toyota guy and would prefer a vehicle that will last me for years to come.

Can anyone chime in on reliability of the newer Jeeps? Is one engine option more reliable then another?

Cheers!
 

68camaro

Any River...Any Place
I love my 2014 Overland WK2, this is our second JGC, first one never gave us problem, this one has been in shop alot. Based on my current WK2 I would not buy one without the lifetime warranty as we keep our vehicles way past 10 years, our 2004 JGC has well over 200k miles and going strong and few unexpected repairs.

In August 2013 took possession of a 2014 model year Overland, V6 Pentastar, Quadra-trac II, Select terrain sys, Air suspension, Preferred Pack 23P, Advanced Tech Group, 20" wheels, 265/50R20 BSW tires. pretty loaded except for Hemi. Chrysler life-time warranty.

I keep good records so here is list of recalls, warranty items and repairs:

(We currently have 150k miles - roughly 30k miles a year)
Oct 2014 P36 recall , P14 recall 26k miles
Aug 2015 SOP p67 recall, Recall R40 Radio - 44k miles
2015 - Oil cooler replacement under warranty
Dec 2015 Auto headlight repair - warranty, #6 ignition coil replaced - warranty - 57k miles
May 2016 6 spark plugs - paid cash - 70k miles
Jun 2016 #4 ignition coil repl - warranty - 71k miles, S27 Stick shift recall
Jun 2017 - Fuel Door almost falling off - replaced warranrt 104k miles
Mar 2017 Navigation failure - upgrade did not work - 96k miles warranty
Jun 2017 New Radio console installed - warranty, 96k miles
Aug 2017 Driver door hinge to be replaced - warranty
***Oct 2017 Power Steering Failure when driving, SERIOUS, replaced Power Steering Pump - warranty 112k miles
Jan 2018 T59 recall - Brake Booster Warer Shield
Jan 2018 Seat belt retractor replaced warranty
July 2018 U65 Recall - Powertrain Module, rear power outlet replaced (2nd time) 141k miles
July 2018 replaced leaking a/c condensor, replace noisy blower motor fan - warranty

With warranty or recall dealer gives me loaner and dealer is on my way to work so the inconvenience is minor. Let me say again the WK2 is amazing and I would buy again but think how long you plan to keep it and get factory warranty to match.
 

malibubts

Adventurer
My dad drives a 2014 WK2 Overland and it's been pretty good to him. He's got about 100K miles on it, but it's really more of a road warrior and doesn't see too much dirt. He did have the water pump go out in it, but it was replaced under warranty. Other than that it's just been oil changes and tires.
 

Spinner

New member
I have a 2012 WK2 Laredo 4x4 V6. Only real issue I've had is the CEL for the fuel cap door being loose (it's not).
I wheel the hell out of it off road too and it does surprisingly well.
Gas mileage is good and it's somewhat roomy inside.
 

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Weeds

Adventurer
I have a 2015 Limited with the diesel. It has 35,000 miles and we have had no problems. We have gone off road some but not hard core. We have pulled a 4' x 6' enclosed trailer over 5000 miles with no problems averaging 23 MPG.
 

SportsmanJake

Adventurer
The recommendation I give family and friends who want to buy Jeeps is plan to sell it when the manufacturer's warranty expires.
If you are used to the low maintenance nature of Toyota, then owning a Jeep will be a different experience.
 

Bourget117

New member
My 2012 wrangler has been the most unreliable vehicle I’ve owned in over 28 years. But they are fun and off-road capable and would consider buying another one again.
 

jkam

nomadic man
I have a buddy with a 2014 Grand Cherokee Limited with the Ecdiesel engine.
Has 46,000 miles on it now. Been pretty rock solid other than having the check engine light
from the exhaust problem. Just reset the code and it was usually good for 4 or 5 thousand miles before going off again.

However, the other day, it launched the front differential, sending something thru the case. Chunks of aluminum found on the ground
with some oil.
Towed to Jeep dealer, they looked at it, said no abuse seen and called Jeep.
Going to warranty the differential, while it's there he is finally getting the catalytic converter recall done.

He loves the thing, it gets great mileage, has plenty of power and amenities.
 

mmm...beer

New member
I have a 16 Laredo (3.6L V6)... wheel the heck out of it... just got back from SW Colorado and SE Utah. All over Moab... Imogene, Black Bear, and Mosquito Pass were no issue. On road manners are great and it feels super stable off road. Gas mileage is fine... mine has a lift and bigger tires and I get about 18 daily with city/ highway mix. On long trips that goes up... off road it goes down. 35K on the odometer and I haven't had any issues outside of a couple recalls. The 8 speed transmission took a minute to get used to, but I've adjusted my driving style to maximize it's power band (it's fun on a twisty mountain road). Modern cars are way closer in reliability than they were 15 years ago. Stick to the maintenance schedule and you'll be fine. I opted for springs and shocks vs. air suspension and added OME lift. I hear the air bags cause issues later in their life and they can be an expensive fix. Can't argue with Toyota's reputation for reliability, but there are a ton of Jeep Grand Cherokees on used car lots with north of 150K and plenty of life left in them.
 

Mundo4x4Casa

West slope, N. Ser. Nev.
We have a 2011 WK-2: just turned 130K miles. It's Jeanie's grocery getter. Really, just replaced tires and @ 115K miles the battery which is a bit hard to get to under the passenger seat. We live in snow country and enjoy the 2-speed transfer case model and traction control. I thought buying a WK-2 Limited, used from a dealer (it was the fleet mgr's car) would be an electronic nightmare since it has every electrical gizmo Jeep used on the WK-2, but no, after driving it 90K miles, it has been trouble free. The nagging woe was that the daytime driving lights would burn out at way too short an interval. So, we got tired of replacing the bulbs and just let them go. The newer WK-2's have LED daytime lights and the ones i see on the highway are still on. One hint that the battery needed replacing was the signal from the rear diff became intermittent, causing no drive from the rear in deep snow. I know, that seems far fetched, but... My only complaint is the shifting points on the 5-speed auto trans tend to stick at a higher rpm before upshifting than I would like. The service mgr. said to, "just push the gearshift lever to the right". Good thing 2011 was the only year for the 5-speed. At one time one of the sensors for the tire inflation monitor went berzerk and said we had no air in the tire that was rolling down the highway. The 3.6L V-6 has plenty of power and gets (for us) 20-22 mpg in town and 25-28 mpg on the highway doing 65 mph on the flat.

I've owned 7 Jeeps: 1949 Willys Wagon/V-8; 1973 Jeep Gladiator J-4000; 1982 CJ-8 to the max; 1989, 1990, 1999 Jeep XJ's; 2011 WK-2.
"Are you feeling lucky, Jeep breath?" Buying a Jeep is always a crap shoot, and they sell so many of them that any defect seems magnified. I've put 250K miles on Land Cruisers also (1966 FJ-40; 1970 FJ-55 with Chevy V-8) and they were built better but still had woes with carbeuration, anti-rust undercoating, 3 speed trans with no low gear, problematic front wheel bearings, and the clunky old stove bolt six. I was happy to see them go.
 
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Hawkz

Adventurer
My 2013 WK2 V8 Trailhawk has just under 80k miles and it has been great. I had the water pump replaced under warranty at about 55K miles, and I just now need to do brakes for the first time.
 

Thorsten

New member
2014 Summit WK2 with the 5.7L Hemi here.
~65K miles and I've only had to replace an HID bulb and fix a broken exhaust manifold bolt that was causing a rattle sound.
The Summit model has every bell & whistle possible and I haven't had any electrics issues yet! I take it off road regularly and have the full MOPAR skid plate set with 32" KO2 tires.
Not sure if I will keep it long-term but would definitely consider buying another Grand Cherokee in the future, have been really impressed so far.
 

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