2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Is This One Good?

by "Camshaft Chris: Skyline/McLaren/Porsche Fanboy" (camshaft-chris)
Published 04/28/2017 at 12:23

Tags: Ask Oppo ; Jeep ; Grand Cherokee ; Laredo ; 4x4 ; buying ; help
STARS: 0

Does it fall into the category of typical unreliable, crappy Chrysler product? Or does it being a Jeep counteract that? The reason I ask is that there’s one that will be in a local church’s yard sale tomorrow and I’m interested in buying it. It’s a 2005 Laredo 4x4, with 129xxx miles. The interior is pretty dirty because it’s been sitting for a while and was used as a beater by the son of the lady who donated it.

When I checked it out last night, it had a “Service Electronic Brake System” message on the dash, along with the ABS light being lit. I couldn’t check the brake pads to see if those were just really worn down, but I was able to pop the hood and check the brake fluid, which was full and appeared to be fine. It also had a momentary hesitation when starting, but it did fire up and sounded like it ran just fine. The asking price is going to be around $3k.

So, does anyone know what that brake system issue could be? If that’s an easy fix, would this be a reliable daily? I know very little when it comes to Jeeps, so all help is appreciated. Thanks!

Replies (8)

"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
04/28/2017 at 12:27, STARS: 1

I know the WK isn’t known for its reliability, but I can’t say I know of any particular reason not to. Brakes are probably an electronic issue, not mechanical.

"Jcarr" (jcarr)
04/28/2017 at 12:27, STARS: 1

AtlasM had a GC of this gen. Hopefully he’ll chime in.

"boxrocket" (boxrocket)
04/28/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 3

Avoid!

Electronic issues abound, mediocre build quality & materials.

If you MUST have a JGC, get a WK2 with a good warranty.

Remember, they’re still Mercedes with an American body & engine.

"itschrome" (itschrome)
04/28/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 0

maybe?

soo this period any thing from Chrysler are soo hit or miss. this could be a million mile baby, it could blow up in two days.

may the odds for ever be close to your favor..

"ShrimpHappens, née WJalopy" (bakeshake)
04/28/2017 at 12:28, STARS: 2

The Daimler-era interior is going to be cheap and disappointing. The 3.7L V6 minivan engine will tick like a sewing machine and may or may not kick the bucket at 150,000 miles.

The shift mechanisms for both the transmission and the transfer case are electronic. Listen for loud clunks when going from R to D and in and out of 4x4. Loud clunks are bad.

"Milky" (jordanmielke)
04/28/2017 at 12:41, STARS: 0

For $3k!? NP

"kincai28" (kincai28)
04/28/2017 at 13:33, STARS: 1

I would stay away. I have had my 05' for 8 years now and it has had electrical gremlins the entire time. The nice part is they rarely cause the vehicle to be undriveable. I’ve had that exact same warning light many times on mine. Usually goes away after a month or so.

Also, $3k is not really a great price. Granted mine has 169k miles, but I’m HOPING to get $3k for it when I sell and mine is fully loaded with the 5.7L Hemi.

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
04/28/2017 at 13:44, STARS: 1

I had an ’05 Hemi Limited.

That service electronic brake system is not a brake pad warning, it’s anything to do with the ABS/traction/stability control sensors and whatnot. The usual failure point is the steering angle sensor. If you pull the ABS codes with a scanner it’d say C2205 Steering Angle Sensor.

Sometimes it just needs to be re-initialized but mine was slowly going bad and gave this warning from time to time. I never got around to fixing it before I got rid of the Jeep.

The WK steering angle sensor is integrated into the “steering control module” which is several hundred bucks new but most folks try to get one from a pull-a-part junkyard type place and hope it fixes the problem.