This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
While driving at different speeds and making slight turns the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee will vibrate and bounce. The steering wheel will begin to pull and the front right tire feels like it is coming off or bouncing. I have taken it to the dealer and three independent shops for this problem over a 2 year period. All of have felt the problem and have no idea where it is coming from. I have so far replaced the entire front brake system, all front bushings, shocks, tires, front U bolts, and had the whole system inspected by at least 10 different mechanics. Also the brakes feel like they are riding on a warped rotor. When breaking the pedal pushes back at the driver and makes it very difficult to control the breaking. This problem has also been looked at by the dealer and the aforementioned shops. To date no solution has been found and the problem keeps getting worse. I fear that either of these problems can cause a major failure leading to injury or death.
For over a year the front brakes have squeaked (a rubbing noise) when driving (not during braking, which stops the noise). Dealer claims nothing could be found. Took the car in today to have tires rotated an balanced. Dealer claims the front pads are thin and crumbling and that both pads and rotors need to be replaced. Dealer states the front rotors are too thin to be turned. This is unusual since the rotors were replaced in 2000 under recall 00V136000. The SUV has been driven 90,000 miles since then - the pads have been replaced - the rotors have not been turned previously. Related to the recall, other users report too hard pads with too soft rotors. In one driving style this leads to excessive heat that warps the sub-par rotors. In my driving style the pads get hot (which causes them to crumble eventually), not hot enough to warp rotors, but sufficient to grind away the rotors leading to premature failure of both parts. If rotors can get so thin they can't be turned (having never been turned), then the combination of crumbly pads makes for a dangerous combination. Since dealer is aware of complaints about too-hard pads and too-soft rotors from these and its other make/models... it appears this mismatched combo is intentional. Dealer should replace or heavily discount premature failure parts. Dealer claims all wear is normal and 90K life for rotors is good (and probably is statistically if you include 15K life of recalled defective rotors). The recall repair replaced one part of the defect combo with another defective part, just less prone to rapid failure if driven easy, I.e. it fails premature to normal life of similar parts across industry. I elected to wait on replacing parts until I could gather more info. I came across other reports and complaints for Chrysler with the pad/rotor combo.
While the vehicle was being repaired for other issues, it was discovered the rear brake pads and emergency brake pads had crumbled into pieces when they were removed.
While traveling and when depressing brake pedal it traveled to floorboard, causing extended stopping distance. Consumer pumped brake pedal still to floorboard. Then, consumer pulled vehicle over, and noticed brake pads off shoes.
Front brake pads constantly wear out due to the defective (ABS) system that does not work, causing front brakes to do all the work. Dealer has been contacted.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Layton, UT, USA