Travel influencers share why they Lemon Law’d their brand-new Jeep Grand Cherokee [Video]
“If you’re shopping for a new car, here’s what NOT to buy,” the caption starts. This was back in December after Kris and Hillary had yet another breakdown. They bought their brand-new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe early last year. Frustratingly, this was the fourth time the rear air ride suspension failed…right before they left on their honeymoon.
The new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe has already spent months at the shop
Kris and Hillary spent the last few years living in their American Coach Dream 45A motorhome. During that time, they knocked around in a Jeep Wrangler. Last year, they picked the Grand Cherokee 4xe to flat tow behind the RV. “To have as a more comfortable daily driver,” Hillary explains.
After just six weeks, the rear air ride suspension failed. Fast forward a few months, “And it’s now happened four times.”
Less than a month after their third stint at the dealership shop, the Grand Cherokee broke again. This time, it happened while they ran errands to prep for their honeymoon.
“The most frustrating part is that Jeep isn’t doing anything to identify or fix the root cause of the problem,” Hillary laments. “They just keep replacing the airbags.”
The couple finally hired an attorney and filed a Lemon Law case
They learned that it could take months to get through the Lemon Law process. In the meantime, they’re stuck with the Jeep…which keeps breaking.
To add insult to injury, since they have an open legal claim, Jeep told them that if their Grand Cherokee 4xe is in the shop, they won’t provide any courtesies like a rental car.
It’s April now, and the Jeep’s been in the shop for 145 days overall. That’s about 30% of its entire lifetime
Those four rear suspension failures are up to six.
This time, Hillary says, the Grand Cherokee’s been in the shop for over 10 weeks. She also claims this is the worst experience of all of their visits to the Jeep service center.
At this point, the condition of the Jeep is alarming, too. The service team spotted rear subframe “tear” where the control arms connect on either side. Jeep corporate claims this is “normal wear and tear.” Now, I can’t say whether Kris or Hillary drove their Jeep in a manner to cause these literal rips in the frame. But how the heck someone could drive it to even cause this condition is beyond me.
I can say that this condition is freakishly unusual…especially for a brand-new car. It’s almost like the rear suspension is too heavy for the subframe to hold. This design could be flawed from the factory and cause the rear air ride components to fail over and over.
“The dealership was actually on our side,” Hillary says. “Noting this was not normal wear and tear.” What’s more, the subframe is supposed to be under warranty. After all, the Grand Cherokee 4xe has less than 15,000 miles on it. Hillary also claims that there are zero signs of abuse otherwise.
The couple battled it out with Stellantis for over a month, trying to get the structural issue covered under warranty
Hillary sent the company photos and videos and threatened additional legal action. “They all of a sudden decided to reverse their decision and cover the repairs.”
Thank goodness, too. The estimate to repair the subframe and rear air ride system (again) was more than $13,000…just in parts.
All told, Stellantis has spent a retail-facing $30,000 covering this new Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe under warranty. That’s half the price of the car. The 2025 4xe starts at $60,000.
