2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Safety Review [ 2007 ]
Based on analysis of 51 Grand Cherokee reviews and test drives.
Safety - What the Auto Press Says
The 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee does extremely well in federal government crash tests, receiving top scores. It also comes with plenty of safety features, including electronic stability control and traction control.
In government crash tests, the 2008 model earns a top score of five stars for driver protection in front impact crashes and five stars for front passenger protection. In side impact crashes, the Grand Cherokee earns five stars for front seat occupant protection and five stars for backseat occupant protection. The 2WD model gets a three-star rollover rating, while the 4WD gets a more acceptable four stars. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives the 2008 Grand Cherokee its top score of "Good" in frontal offset tests. However, the Jeep gets a score of just "Marginal" (thrid-worst on a four-point scale) in side impact tests.
Accident Avoidance
The 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee's standard accident avoidance features include anti-lock disc brakes (ABS) with brake assist, an electronic stability program, four-wheel traction control with rollover sensors, an enhanced accident response system, a tire pressure monitoring system and SmartBeam headlamps that adjust the brightness of the high beam for oncoming traffic. A ParkView rear back-up camera and a ParkSense rear back-up system come standard on the Overland and Limited and optional on the Laredo.
New for 2008 are high-intensity discharge (HID) auto-leveling headlamps, which provide approximately three times the light output of conventional reflector lamps. They come standard on the Overland and optional on the other trims. The auto-leveling feature adjusts the lamps depending on the load and number of passengers in the vehicle.
Crash Protection
Standard crash protection features include front advanced multistage air bags, supplemental side air bags, front and rear supplemental side curtain air bags, three-point rear center seat belts and child-seat upper tether anchorages.
