GC is an old chassis thats getting replace in a year.
It would have been 5 stars 2 years ago and 3 stars today as requirements change. Doesn’t mean its unsafe.
If it doesn’t make you feel safe driving it, get something else.
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I’d definitely encourage my mother in law to get one…
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There are so many other options out there.
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Be a good son in law and gift her a Pinto this Christmas!
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Thanks for all the inputs! I think that I will pass on it, the fact that an airbag didn’t deploy is a bit disturbing…
There is an anecdote here that the jeep will plow through snowdrifts that will overturn a Subaru or Land Rover. so if this is your cup of tea, and you want to survive snowmaggedon, then Jeep is good. It might kill you on a normal day on the highway at 35 mph, but it will get you through tall snow banks!!!
Apparently Jeep decided to invest all their engineering R&D into the Snow Knob (not to be confused with snow job or snob knob)… rather than the pesky Airbags and other mundane safety features …
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I am an EMT and have seen many accident. No doubt the Jeep isn’t as safe as a Volvo or Mercedes but i haven’t seen anyone seriously injured in an accident in a Jeep, including wranglers. There was a call with a totaled Grand a couple weeks back and the guy walked out.
And the Grand Cherokee is definitely a safer Jeep than the wrangler but no doubt there are safer cars.
Thanks for the info! The issues that were found were on the passenger side.
When the GC was released they only tested the driver side so the concern is that manufacturers neglected the passenger side…
Any experience of a crash with a passenger on board 
Im sure I have seen it, just haven’t noticed. We respond to tons of car accidents and j feel pretty confident and safe in the Jeep. I’ve never seen anyone with kids/passengers in a Jeep seriously hurt. I’d avoid the wrangler, though we have one, but the GC is a safe choice.
Nothing compares to the feel of being inside an XC90 tho. You feel like you’re okay no matter what happens.
You gotta take the good with the bad.
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No offense but these anecdotes are meaningless. There’s a reason why have standardized tests where the results of every car are directly comparable.
Back in 2013, the JGC was considered an IIHS Top Pick when the passenger side small overlap test wasn’t included in the rating. In 2018 or MY19, when there are so many choices, not sure why anyone would pick a car that has serious flaws in an important category.
The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee didn’t fare much better. Not only did the Jeep exhibit 10 inches of intrusion at the lower door hinge pillar, the front passenger crash test dummy’s head hit the dashboard through the front airbag. Worse still, the side curtain airbag didn’t deploy and the front passenger door opened. The IIHS says there is a strong chance this would result in right leg injuries, along with the possibility of a serious head injury.
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I’m not not in agreement with you. Certainly the tests do not actually match real life situations, something I see weekly. I would not avoid a car because it didn’t pass the newest test; however, I wouldn’t buy a wrangler without side airbags.
The Jeep is definitely safe but there are newer tests that come out and then end up failing them, that doesn’t mean they’re really dangerous. I’m sure the next generation Jeep will have those tests addressed.
I do think that some cars are safer than other for sure though.
And I buy jeeps cause nothing really is quite as versatile as them and fits my lifestyle as well as they do.
Tahoes are too expensive and my 4Runner I had was great but underpowered. What other SUV can be had for less than 50k with a 2 speed transfer case, V8, real off-road capability, and be comfortable to drive on the highway as well. There aren’t many
Yeah given your criteria it’s possible you may not have as many choices. For someone like the OP, they may have more choices
yes for me, it was just for fun and the option to go accusingly off-roading… I will go with another option… thanks for all the inputs they helped me understand what I already know that I need to do
It’s really an anomaly. If you look at the IIS vehicle death rates by model (https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/driver-death-rates) it does well. Then if you look at claim loss by vehicle (https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/insurance-loss-information) and arrange them by PIP and medical payments(these are for injuries to yourself and passengers of your vehicle) the GC is in the green and at the top with the 4runner.
When you crash in a JGC, just make sure it’s a large-overlap frontal crash, not a small-overlap. 
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I passed on the JGC for my family for this reason. Good deal can’t bring you back from an accident injury/death.
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Looking at the data it’s pretty apparent that none of it is statistically significant. It’s all useless.
For example, in death rates, the CX-9 2wd is a top scorer with 0 deaths but the CX-9 4wd is middle of the pack with twenty deaths. The 4wd version of the CX-9 isn’t a deathtrap nor the 2wd version super reinforced. The sample size is just too small. The 2wd versus 4wd explorer have the same unexplained discrepancy.
I’d assume it’s because the 4wd models are bought by people living in places with snow/ice, therefore more likely to have a weather related crash.