Used Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 1999 - 2005 reliability

Warranty Direct warns of some problems that could be expensive to fix. The automatic gearbox can give up the ghost after six years and 60,000 miles, and both the air-con and front wheel bearings are weak points.

Overall, Warranty Direct says there are far more claims than average on Jeeps, more even than on Land Rovers, and considerably more than on Mitsubishis. The smaller Cherokee's 110th place finish in the 2005 JD Power survey (out of 124), also does little to calm the nerves of potential buyers.

Four recalls have affected the Grand Cherokee: there was a problem with faulty fuel gauges on cars built after February 1999; some cars built before the end of that year had possible problems with the front brakes; there was a risk of debris on the exhaust causing under-bonnet fires on some cars built in 2001/2002; and on others built in 2002, it was possible that the side airbag might not work properly.