How Long Do Jeeps Last? [ Here’s The Truth ]

Are you planning to buy a light car that can run effectively over rocky terrains and is robust enough to endure a rough journey? Well, in this case, no car is better than a Jeep for you.

The American Bantam Car Company, upon the request of the US Army, designed and manufactured the first Jeep in just 75 days. ‘Go Anywhere, Do Anything’ the brand’s slogan fits in well with its off-road performance. The jeep is a great utility vehicle especially on farms, for play, and has even launched a pickup truck model called the Gladiator.

How long do Jeeps last?

A Jeep can easily last for 10-15 years with proper maintenance. If the average annual mileage is 15,000 miles, your Jeep can stay at your service for more than 12 years comfortably. A Jeep can even last for 20 years at a stretch. For this, you will have to make sure you do everything to take care of it.

Is 200,000 miles a lot for a Jeep?

A used Jeep that has seen good care and maintenance at the owner’s hands can last for 200,000 miles. Moreover, a Jeep Wrangler, with proper care, can even go up to 400,000 miles. The capacity of a Jeep in terms of durability and mileage significantly depends on how well you serviced it, along with its frequency.

How many miles is a Jeep good for?

Any model of Jeep can last for 100,000 miles comfortably and might go till 300,000 miles with lots of care and regular servicing. It is very important to follow the company’s instructions for servicing to help your Jeep go some extra miles.

A Jeep will not pose any problems for the initial 100,000 miles to 150,000 miles. After that, you might start facing some minor issues that you can fix with a slight repair.

After completing 100,000 miles, you should go for a thorough servicing of your Jeep. Here, the focus should be on the engine, bearings, transmission, and differentials. If you have already catered to these problems, your Jeep will be ready to go another 100,000 miles with no major issues.

How many miles on a Jeep is too much?

It is important to check if the Jeep has a proper maintenance record or not. You can buy a Jeep with 150,000 miles recorded on the odometer.

You can even consider a vehicle that has gone up to 200,000 miles also. However, the crucial aspect here is to properly check on the maintenance record. With an updated and regular servicing report, the Jeep will have lesser risks of creating any major problems.

Factors that can impact the longevity of Jeep

To increase the life of your Jeep, try to adhere to these guidelines.

1. Regular Maintenance: Do not avoid any problem that arises at any stage of your driving. Regular maintenance can help resolve bigger issues that might turn out to be costlier for you.
2. Changing Tires: A Jeep handles driving on rough terrain quite well, especially Wrangler, but tires might get damaged due to a rough road or rash driving. Make sure you replace the tires as often as required and help your Jeep live longer.
3. Changing Oil: You better go for an oil change after every 5,000 miles of driving. It depends on how many miles the vehicle is covering along with the type of road it is moving in. Rough terrain will require frequent oil checks for leakage.
4. Wash regularly: Keeping your car clean is a must. You need to take some time out from your schedule and give your car a thorough wash, in and out. This will keep your car rust-free and shining. Here, you will get a good value for it during resale since it will look fresh.
5. Keep it under a shade: In case you keep your Jeep standing unnecessarily in the sun, its paint will become dreary. The parts also will sustain adverse impacts. For example, a Jeep called Grand Cherokee has earned complaints regarding damaged dashboards. Overexposure to the sun will lead to material damage. Parking your car in a garage or under a shade will increase its life.

Jeeps are even bulletproof but everything has a life. Without proper care, you cannot expect anything to last for long.

Are Jeeps reliable?

People gave a mixed review when it came to the reliability of a Jeep. RepairPal has rated Jeep 3.5 points out of 5 in the reliability index and the car stands at 15th position out of 32.

New Jeeps, within three years of manufacture, report lesser problems. Here, around 20-25% of the consumers have reported minor problems which they could resolve easily.

However, owners with a Jeep of more than 4 years reported issues like windscreen wipers, tire-pressure sensors, etc. Although these issues are not major but still take a little time to repair.

US News and World Reports have given Jeep 81 points out of 100 for reliability. It is an above-average report. Jeep Cherokee got 150 points in the 2019 ReliabilityIndex list. It takes less time to repair and the annual cost of repair is quite low to just 313 pounds. The basic issues to arise in the Cherokee are mainly electric features along with the suspension and brakes, as 16% of the users reported. However, in a safety test conducted on Jeep Cherokee in 2013, it scored 5 stars by NCAP, making it a reliable car.

Jeep Grand Cherokee got 190 points on the ReliabilityIndex test. The reason behind the low points is that the users lodged many complaints about the improper functioning of the axle and suspension. These owners stated that they had to go for repairs.

According to ReliabilityIndex, the average repair cost of Grand Cherokee is 415 pounds with a repair time of 2 and half hours only. However, the recent 2021 model of Grand Cherokee is doing quite well in the market with a reliability rate of 3 out of 5 according to Consumer Reports.

The Jeep wrangler reportedly has a very poor safety system with bad crash protection. In 2009, it received just 1 star for safety features. Moreover, the electrical features also do not have a good working record, making it a less reliable model.

The 2015 Jeep Wrangler got 1 point out of 5 for reliability and the 2021 Jeep Wrangler got 2 points out of 5. Yet, it continues to be one of the toughest and longest vehicles to last.

Do Jeeps have a lot of problems?

Yes. When compared with other similar cars, Jeeps have a greater number of problems. Car Problem Zoo conducted estimation of problems, where they compared 2 cars and the number of issues that crop up.

Among these, Jeep stood at the top with a report of more than 30 thousand problems arising in all models of Jeep till now. However, the Honda CR-V reported only 12 thousand problems.

Commonly, four major problems affect Jeeps in most cases.

1. Death Wobble, where the car’s steering wheel starts shaking rapidly when driven at high speed.
2. Clogged fuel injectors.
3. Exhaust leaks.
4. Electrical features failure.

However, Jeep does not require any major repair as compared to other cars. This keeps the maintenance and repair expenses within the budget of their owners.

How to keep your Jeep safe and long-lasting?

With any car that you buy, the manufacturer’s recommendations for the vehicle’s maintenance are very important to follow. Jeep is no exception here.

You have to be mindful not to miss an appointment that the servicing person recommends for your Jeep. Even if you are late and miss the date, do visit later, but do not skip it. The professionals take care of the tire pressure, oil checking, brakes inspection, etc. during these appointments.

Therefore, if you want your Jeep to last for more than 15 years, or boost its lifeline, be particular about the servicing dates. The repairs are low costing while the brand holds a reliable image in the market. Take care of your Jeep and it will work just fine for you.

Conclusion

Earlier, owning a Jeep was a matter of pride for the owner. Time has changed but the satisfaction of owning one of the toughest four-wheelers and driving it on road still brings in a pleasing and superior feeling.

Since Jeeps typically serve their owners during off-road travels, they are sturdy and rough. The popular models can outlive many of their competitors even if you use them regularly on rough roads.

The off-road capacity effectively helps you to switch from normal roads to rough terrains. But even they demand enough care to make them last longer.

Drive gently, not necessarily slow like a tortoise but take care of your Jeep by not driving rashly. These cars can help you in both daily commutes as well as during holiday adventures. Among the various Jeeps, Jeep Wrangler and Cherokee have proved to be strongest and live longer.