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General discussion

Lower Back Problems from 2008 Cherokee Overland

Apr 2, 2008 11:45AM PDT

I just bought a new 2008 Grand Cherokee Overland 4x2 and love the vehicle but cannot drive it because the seat has given me lower back pains. I am a healthy 5?9? 163 lb.male and I can ride my bicycle 50-70 miles in a day with no problems. I have a 1999 Grand Cherokee with 71,000 miles and have enjoyed every mile of driving. My back problems began the day after I drove the new Overland 60 miles back from the dealer. There are now 600 miles on my new Jeep and every time I drive it, I have extreme pain and discomfort from my lower back. I have tried adjusting my lumbar and seat positions with no help. I am not getting old and I have three other vehicles I drive and none of them have this debilitating effect on me. If you have the same problems and had previously always had a healthy back, I would like to know. If you had the same problems and have found a solution, I would also like to know. Additionally, if I do not drive or ride in the Overland for a few days, the pain goes away and does not come back until I drive this vehicle. Even a one mile drive lasting just 5 minutes will cause my lower back to go into spasms. Any help out there? emailharold@cox/net

Discussion is locked

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2008 Overland
Apr 6, 2008 12:08AM PDT

I purchased my 08 Overland in January and have found some discomfort on long drives but no lower back pain during my drive to work. I spend about 45 min to an hour in the grand cherokee everyday. Have you spent some time adjusting the height of the pedals? Did your overland come with the mygig nav? I am having trouble getting mine to dime the backlight.

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Lower Back Problems from 2008 Jeep Cherokee Overland
Apr 8, 2008 6:34AM PDT

[Update 4/8/200Cool I contacted the Chrysler customer care unit and they were absolutely no help. They referred me back to the dealer for a possible exchange to another vehicle. I thought that was ridiculous and not very customer friendly of Chrysler to suggest.

In fact the best suggestion came from Steve the moderator of this site. He suggested I get in touch with an upholstery shop, so I went to my local Jeep dealer and they had a recommendation for me.

As it turns out, the bottom portion of my backrest sticks out too low and is hitting my lower back area. This pressure on the lower back is creating my discomfort. So the upholstery guy cut a small portion away and this seems to have solved my problem.

It would have been nice if Chrysler customer care [are you listening Susan, in customer care?] would have been a little more sympathetic with my problem and suggested the same course of action instead of brushing me off to the dealer for an exchange vehicle.

Visually it was nearly impossible to see the slight difference in the backrest, but when I put some PVC together and took careful measurements, I found the slight difference that caused my problem. I took measurements from three vehicles. My new Jeep and my existing two cars and I found that my older cars [2004 MBZ S430 and 2007 C 350] had a 1 1/2-inch difference in the lowest part of the back seat. Both cars are very comfortable.

Yes, just one and a half inch of extra padding caused my back pain. So if you have a similar problem, look carefully at the smallest difference because it could make a BIG difference in not only comfort but future and on-going back problems.

I hope this will help anyone else with a similar issue. By the way, the cost to fix the problem was $85 per seat and Chrysler could have been a hero. Instead I will always remember the deaf ear and blind eye of their customer care unit.

Thanks Steve at Edmonds.com!

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MyGig backlight
Apr 8, 2008 6:42AM PDT

My Mygig backlighting works just fine. Go to Menu button on the right side, then go to Display Settings and then go to Nightime or daytime Settings. Should adjust up or down. Good luck!