Jeep Grand Cherokee Gearbox & Transmission Problems

Perhaps a little strangely, the only recall I could find for this model to do with the transmission was one alerting owners to the fact that the unconventional design of the shifter handle could trick them into leaving the vehicle unattended without first selecting Park. But it doesn’t surprise me that you’ve had this failure as this generation of Jeeps has been plagued by all sorts of quality and reliability problems and, therefore, recalls and technical service bulletins (like a recall but not a safety-related issue).

I would definitely be tapping Jeep on the shoulder as I don’t believe 85,000km is a reasonable expectation when it comes to the life expectancy of such a major component in a modern vehicle. However, your car is clearly out of warranty, so it could come down to a dog-fight between you and Jeep.

I’d like to think that Jeep might meet you half way with the cost of repairs given the youth and full service history of your car, but there are no hard and fast rules here. You could also consider talking to Consumer Affairs over this.

The other thing you can do is talk to a transmission specialist as opposed to a Jeep dealer. Chances are, the cost of a replacement or rebuilt transmission from a specialist might be a fair bit less than a dealership can offer. But I’d definitely talk to Jeep head office first.

The best thing to do it to call the experts at Jeeepart Recyclers (03 5448 8444). They will be able to help you with a front tailshaft for your car.

The car failed, which is the crux of the problem.

We understand the notice advising dealers about the shock absorber clunk has only recently gone out, so it might not have found its way through the system. Check back with your dealer, and if they still don't have it have them contact Chrysler. As for your shudder when the auto trans changes from first to second we haven't had any reports to date.

It's possible, but it's hard to say for sure. We've contacted Chrysler about another vehicle that's exhibiting the problem, and we're waiting for their reply. Hopefully we might be able to give some idea of the cause once we hear from them.

We'll pass your comments on to Jeep and ask for their assistance in finding a solution.
 

It's always a good idea to report a problem, if you don't there's no way you will get it fixed, and as you say, the more people who report a problem the more the chances of it being taken seriously. In your case I would guess the dealer doesn't know how to fix the problem and is hoping you will go away. It's obviously in the driveline, could be a computer shift calibration problem, it could be a number of things.

The basic mechanicals are durable and generally quite reliable. The front diffs could be troublesome, but Jeep released an additive for the oil to fix that problem. The V8s were also known to crack exhaust manifolds, and the overall build quality generally wasn’t up to the standard of the Japanese competition.