Common problems

Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) common problems

What MOT testers find on the Jeep Cherokee (before 2014): the parts that fail or get advisories most often at each age, against all cars of the same age. From 26,264 DVSA MOT tests taken 2022 to 2025. These figures cover cars first used before 2014. Later cars sold under the same name are not included; see Jeep Cherokee cars first used 2014 or later.

MOT data updated 28 September 2026

At 19 years, the most tested age

Brakes fails per 100 MOTs (n=3,883)20.2

All cars at 19 years (n=2,479,858)13.3

Brakes advisories and minor defects per 100 MOTs (n=3,883)38.2

All cars, same age (n=2,479,858)33.3

What stands out

Brakes fails show up on 20.2 of every 100 MOTs of a Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) at 19 years old (n=3,883), against 13.3 for all cars of that age (n=2,479,858).
Tyres fails are less common: 4.2 per 100 MOTs against 6.8 for all cars at the same age.
The fail item testers record most often at 19 years: component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength, on 5.5 per 100 MOTs (all cars 2.6).
The most common advisory or minor defect: brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened, on 15.6 per 100 MOTs.

Problems by part at 19 years

How many of every 100 MOTs found a fail, or an advisory or minor defect, in each area. A test with faults in two areas counts in both.

Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) at 19 years (n=3,883) against all cars at 19 years (n=2,479,858). Per 100 MOTs.
Area	Fails	All cars	Advisories	All cars
Brakes	20.2	13.3	38.2	33.3
Lights and electrics	19.2	21.5	15.7	17.9
Suspension	15.9	16.9	36.4	35.4
Body and structure	10.3	9.0	16.6	15.2
Exhaust, emissions and leaks	5.7	7.0	17.2	14.7
Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	5.5	7.5	8.8	6.3
Steering	5.3	4.1	10.8	6.0
Seat belts and airbags	4.3	2.9	2.2	1.4
Tyres	4.2	6.8	20.2	26.9
Road wheels	0.9	0.5	0.1	1.2
Number plates and VIN	0.6	0.7	3.8	5.9

What testers fail most on the Cherokee (before 2014) at 19 years

Fail items on the Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) at 19 years (n=3,883), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=2,479,858).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	Typical repair (estimate)
Component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength	Suspension	5.5	2.6
Side/position light not working	Lights and electrics	5.4	5.4	£10 to £47 per lamp
Handbrake too weak	Brakes	5.3	2.9
Brake light not working	Lights and electrics	3.8	4.0	£10 to £47 per lamp
Suspension ball joint worn	Suspension	3.2	2.4	£75 to £237 per side (rough guide)
Wipers not clearing screen	Windscreen, wipers and mirrors	3.0	3.3	£15 to £30 per blade
Brake pads under 1.5 mm	Brakes	3.0	1.7	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Seat belt prescribed areas: prescribed area strength or continuity significantly reduced	Seat belts and airbags	3.0	0.9
Parking brake performance: inoperative on one side	Brakes	2.8	1.2
Rear fog lamp: not working	Lights and electrics	2.8	1.2	£10 to £47 per lamp

Early warnings: advisories and minor defects at 19 years

Advisories and minor defects are recorded, but the car still passes. Across all cars, a part with an advisory or minor defect failed at the next MOT 5.5 times in 100 (n=88,666,940 pairs of consecutive MOTs), against 0.3 times in 100 when the same part had none (n=12,936,860,350).

Advisories and minor defects on the Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) at 19 years (n=3,883), per 100 MOTs, with all cars at the same age (n=2,479,858).
Item	Area	Per 100 MOTs	All cars	If it needs replacing (estimate)
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened	Brakes	15.6	10.8	£148 to £376 per axle (rough guide)
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge	Tyres	14.1	16.6	£88 to £145 per tyre
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive	Exhaust, emissions and leaks	13.5	13.2
Coil spring: corroded	Suspension	12.7	7.9
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material	Brakes	9.9	14.1	£137 to £392 per car (rough guide)
Brake pads: wearing thin	Brakes	9.7	6.0	£72 to £174 per axle (rough guide)
Suspension arm pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement	Suspension	9.2	8.1	£92 to £237 per arm (rough guide)
Flexible brake hoses: has slight corrosion to ferrule	Brakes	8.4	2.5
Registration plate lamp(s): inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources	Lights and electrics	7.2	5.6
Exhaust system: has a minor leak of exhaust gases	Body and structure	6.2	5.3	£182 to £263 per section

Repair estimates are a guide for an independent garage: labour at the national median local garage rate (median £78 an hour from 65 garages, ONS price quotes) times estimated labour hours, plus a parts band. Labour hours and most parts bands are estimates, not quotes, and prices vary by model, engine and region. A warning light fault shows the cost of the diagnosis only.

How problems change with age

Fails per 100 MOTs in the three most common areas at 19 years. Ages with fewer than 1,000 tests are not shown.
Age	Tests (n)	Brakes	Lights and electrics	Suspension
15 years	1,590	21.9	23.0	13.1
16 years	2,459	20.1	20.3	12.4
17 years	3,113	20.2	20.3	13.9
18 years	3,840	21.4	19.7	14.1
19 years	3,883	20.2	19.2	15.9
20 years	3,338	18.4	18.4	16.1
21 years	2,521	16.5	16.9	16.7
22 years	1,783	14.2	15.8	14.8
23 years	1,354	16.0	15.9	15.4
24 years	1,245	14.3	16.4	11.7
25 years	1,138	13.7	16.7	11.1

Mileage

At 19 years, Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) cars showing 90,000 to 120,000 miles failed 42.6% of MOTs (n=1,414); the band that failed most, 120,000 to 150,000 miles, failed 44.2% (n=1,050). For pass and fail rates by age, see MOT fail rates by model.

What to check on a viewing

On the Jeep Cherokee (before 2014), testers most often record component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength; side/position light not working; handbrake too weak. Look at these first, then the areas below.

Brakes

On the test drive the car should stop in a straight line without pulling, juddering or grinding.
Look at the discs through the wheels for a deep lip, heavy rust or scoring.
Check that the handbrake or electronic parking brake holds the car on a slope.
Ask when the pads, discs and brake fluid were last changed, and for the receipts.

Lights and electrics

With someone outside, try every light: dipped and main beam, indicators, brake lights, fog lights and number plate lamps.
Check that the warning lights come on with the ignition and go out once the engine runs.
Look for misted, cracked or yellowed headlamp lenses.

Suspension

Listen for knocks or clonks over speed bumps and rough roads on the test drive.
Push down hard on each corner: the car should settle at once rather than keep bouncing.
Look behind the wheels for broken or heavily rusted coil springs and split rubber bushes.
Check that the car sits level and that no tyre is worn on one edge only.

Ask for the car's MOT history and service record: advisories that repeat from one year to the next show what has been left. GOV.UK MOT history.

Questions

What are the most common problems on the Jeep Cherokee (before 2014)?

At 19 years, the age with the most MOT tests (3,883), the fail items testers record most often on the Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) are component mounting prescribed areas: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength (5.5 per 100 MOTs), side/position light not working (5.4 per 100 MOTs), handbrake too weak (5.3 per 100 MOTs). The most common advisories or minor defects are brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened (15.6) and tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (14.1).

Which parts of the Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) fail more often than on other cars?

At 19 years: brakes (20.2 per 100 MOTs against 13.3 for all cars); seat belts and airbags (4.3 per 100 MOTs against 2.9 for all cars); body and structure (10.3 per 100 MOTs against 9.0 for all cars). Compared with 2,479,858 MOTs of all cars the same age.

Jeep Cherokee (before 2014) problems by area

Other Jeep models

All Jeep models · Common problems by make

Read this with care. A fail rate is not a measure of build quality. How far cars are driven, how they are used and how well owners maintain them all change it, and wear items such as tyres and brake pads are common fails. Compare a model only with cars of the same age. Methodology and limits.

The all cars figures cover all class 4 vehicles (cars and light vans) tested at the same age.

Looking at a Jeep Cherokee (before 2014)?

These figures describe the model, not the car in front of you. Found one you might buy? See what the VetTheCar Buying Report covers, or use the tools that work without a registration.

See a sample report Car tools · MOT fail rates by model · Compare models by MOT record

Repair estimates: ONS consumer price quotes for local garage labour (09/2025 to 08/2026), the MOT inspection manual for defect wording, and estimated labour hours and parts bands. Not affiliated with or endorsed by ONS.

Source

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data, class 4 normal MOT tests, 2022 to 2025. MOT data updated 28 September 2026.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by DVSA. How we calculate these figures · Data sources