Rugged, reliable, and resilient. These are, perhaps, the best words to describe Jeep’s 4×4 off-roaders. Jeep is held in such high regard by off-road and SUV enthusiasts, that the very mention of their name can elicit feelings of excitement, adventure, and ruggedness. Capable of handling any terrain, from off-road trails to city streets, these 4x4s represent a sense of freedom and exploration that resonates with drivers everywhere. However, that is not to say that Jeeps are by any means even close to perfect. In fact, there are quite a few things that Jeep owners would rather stay quiet about than reveal to the average car enthusiast.
Here are 10 such things Jeep owners would rather you don’t know.
10 Jeep’s Maintenance Bills Are Not For The Faint-Hearted
If the car enthusiasts reading this thought buying a car is the end of their bills, they would be wrong. Cars require maintenance and repairs from time to time, and a Jeep is no stranger to such chores. What would surprise most drivers is the amount of money it can take to keep a Jeep Wrangler running in good condition for the owners. Jeeps are known to be reliable cars and resilient, so the average vehicle should have no trouble running around town for the better part of the first five years of ownership, without needing many repairs.
However, this is not the case when a Jeep is customized, which most of them are, due to their off-road utilization. Sure, it is possible to drive a stock Jeep Wrangler from brand new to 100,000 miles without many issues, given that you use the machine as a daily driver to go to work and nothing else. But once you take it off-road, any driver will want to experiment with some tweaking and tuning.
Light to heavy modifications are a huge part of why most owners purchase the Jeep in the first place. It is also what accounts for the majority of their maintenance costs. Larger tires, then lights, then recovery gear, etc. In most cases, these can cause heavy financial consequences. Jeeps are high maintenance because drivers want them to be, but the owners would rather stay quiet about it.
Another factor that comes into play is the model year. While the Jeep is no easy target to break down, it can be expensive to find parts for older models.
9 Parking This Prodigious Machine Can Be Tricky
Blind spots are dangerous, especially when your vehicle is a giant 4×4 monster like the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Parking a machine like this takes skill, for it is not a small vehicle, and a miscalculation can result in horrible financial consequences. Several Jeep models have been known to have blind spots in their rearview mirrors.
According to a report by the NHTSA, the Office of Defects Investigation has received plenty of complaints for 2014-2020 Jeep Cherokees regarding the random and unintentional activation of the Electronic Parking Brake while the vehicle is in motion. As rugged and reliable as these vehicles are, it wouldn’t hurt to consult an honest Jeep owner for their opinion before settling on a model. Fortunately, most newer Jeeps come with modern features like blind spot monitoring.
8 Jeep Has Never Heard Of Fuel Efficiency
Jeeps are not very aerodynamic, and while a strong and boxy frame entails durability and safety, it also means that a Wrangler running through the wind is punching a big hole in it, requiring ample power and fuel to allow it to continue doing so without losing velocity.
With the current gas prices in the USA, one might need to reconsider options. The tires on these cars tend to be wider both in stock and customized variants. Such tires require more rubber flexing during rotational motion of the tires on the road. This requires more energy and, hence, more fuel consumption in comparison to the average car.
Of course, when one needs a powerful and rugged machine, fuel efficiency might not be the first thing to come to mind. Many Jeep owners might not even care much about that. After all, owning a Jeep is all about the adventure and excitement it entails. A few extra bucks for gas money might not be of concern to the discerning adventurer. Plus, there are fuel-efficient variants of the Jeep available in the market.
7 A Long Road Trip In A Jeep Is Uncomfortable
Now, this might seem like nitpicking, but a Jeep’s interior is not the most comfortable, especially when one is considering it for a long drive. Jeeps are loud, and drivers are no stranger to the uncomfortable seats that they come with. If you have a vendetta against your back, you should try a twelve-hour cross-country drive with this machine.
In all seriousness, most Jeep Wranglers are not very good choices for long road trips as many older models don’t even come with A/C, and as they drink fuel so quickly, one might need constant refueling which can be frustrating. Of course, that doesn’t stop Jeep lovers from buying these magnificent cars, for to them, a Wrangler’s capabilities outweigh these petty problems.
6 Rust Is A Constant Companion To A Jeep Owner
Many Jeeps are made of cheap iron alloys, making them prone to rust. Combine that with the fact that Jeeps are often driven in off-road conditions and harsh-weather, and one has all the ingredients required to make a rust-bucket. Fenders, hinges, exhaust, they’re all vulnerable to rust, the bane of all metal. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with rust and corrosion on modern vehicles. With enough know-how, these relatively reliable Jeeps can last you a lifetime without rusting into oblivion.
5 Electrical Issues Are Not Uncommon In A Jeep
Modern cruise control can be quite fun to have in your car. But Jeep’s cruise control issues make drivers think otherwise. Imagine the car maintaining its speed even when the driver is stomping the brakes, or worse, the car accelerates without warning. Just imagining the horror can give anyone the chills. Several Jeep models have had such problems over the years, mostly due to faulty electrical systems that short-circuited due to design flaws.
According to a NHTSA defect notice report, some Jeep models in the past have also had issues with airbag deployment, with the airbags going off at the wrong time. You can see how dangerous it can be if the airbags go off when this giant car is in the middle of traffic.
4 Jeep Is Known For Its Rollover Risk And Poor Crash Test Ratings
Ever wondered what it’s like to be in one of those Hollywood action movie scenes where a car is turned upside down due to suddenly turning at a breakneck speed? Well, with a roll-over risk of 27.9{ca2182fc8fed51dc37b95061ee48b5056cde1176732b225548c54a0c0156d303}, the Jeep Wrangler can give you just the experience, though we don’t recommend trying it. In the IIHS crash test, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited tipped over, yet again.
A giant machine like the Jeep rolling over is obviously not an acceptable outcome, and might discourage one from purchasing the Wrangler. However, there are various models of Jeep that have done relatively well on these tests.
3 Jeep’s Recall Numbers Can Raise Some Eyebrows
According to Kelley Blue Book, more than 1.5 million older Jeep models were recalled in 2013 due to safety issues. In July 2015, they had to deal with a similar situation, recalling more than 1.4 million vehicles, including some 2014 Cherokees, due to crash risk concerns. Such numbers don’t exactly instill confidence in the average car enthusiast looking for a four-wheel-drive SUV for exploring the countryside of North America. It makes the Jeep seem unreliable, and the money spent on it may seem like a waste.
2 Jeep Wrangler Is Known To Have A Scary Death Wobble
Some Jeeps are known to experience a Death Wobble, where the front wheels, and occasionally the entire body, begin to shake violently at high speeds, often causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. It is enough to put the fear of God in any driver.
Jeep Owners often leave this part out when they’re boasting about the machine’s amazing off-road dominance and cool, rugged appearance. Death Wobble sounds pretty scary, but is actually a term referring to the vibrations that start at the front axle due to a disturbance on the road, causing the entire Jeep to shake uncontrollably. Usually, this problem can be fixed by inspecting the front axle under the Jeep. If one finds a loose or damaged front axle bar, tightening or replacing it may do the trick.
1 Jeep Had A Controversial Fuel Tank Design
Back in the ’90s, Jeep had to face quite a bit of criticism from both, drivers and car magazines, over the design of the fuel tank in its Grand Cherokee model. This tank was located in a vulnerable position and could result in fires and explosions in the event of a rear-end collision. This did not change in the 2014 Cherokee model either, as over a million of these had to be recalled due to fear of fuel tank explosions.
Such dangerous mistakes can lead Jeep nowhere but to a product liability suit. Most newer models come with safer designs and such flaws are no longer a concerning issue. Nevertheless, it would be in one’s best interests to stay vigilant and avoid any Jeeps like that.
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