2021-2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Towing Capacity Resource Guide (W/ CHARTS)

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a very popular SUV and it's been around for many years but I was surprised to see that it had such an impressive towing capacity attached to them.  As I comb through the owner's manuals and other resources online, I begin to notice maximum trailer weight ratings in excess of five thousand pounds!

This article is a condensed version of all the research I gathered on these SUVs, along with the charts that I found and posted. I tried to organize the information in an easy-to-read format. I hope this article help somebody out there!

Overview of the Data For the Grand Cherokee:

Engine Choices: The Grand Cherokee's had a few different engine options over the years and it did affect the overall maximum trailer weight ratings in most cases but not as much as having a tow package install on your vehicle did.


Some of the engine options were the 3.6 L, 3.7 L, 4.7 L, and 5.7L engines and these were primarily used for the standard models and the SRT models had the 6.2 L or 6.4 L engine options.

Options: There was really no significant difference in the overall trailer weight rating numbers when it came to four-wheel drive versus two-wheel drive vehicles and all of the maximum trailer tongue weight ratings we're identical, having a 10% specification.


The major differences were seen in the trailer weight rating specifications when the vehicles had the optional tow package installed, which would significantly increase the overall capacity of the vehicle by 2,000 lb or more.

Towing Capacity: If we look at the overall towing capacity for all of the model years of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, we can see that the average range was pretty much the same over the years, ranging from 3,500 pounds and going up to 7,200 or 7,400 pounds, depending on the model year, engine equipped and additional equipment that may have been needed to achieve the higher capacity numbers.


Some of the models in this article share the same data and instead of posting multiple charts with the same data I just group the model by year and posted one or more charts that apply to multiple models but the information is exactly the same.

Be sure you read your owner's manual to get all of the updated information on what Jeep recommends for their Grand Cherokees.

2021-2016 Models:

The 2021-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees had an overall towing capacity that ranged from 3,500 - 7,200 lbs. If you look down below you can see that there were two different types of charts, one for standard models and the other ones were for SRT models.

There we're only two different engines offered when we look at the standard models and these were the 3.6 L and 5.7 L engines, both of which came with either standard or heavy-duty cooling options.

Notice how models that had the heavy duty and cooling option had a significantly higher towing capacity over ones that did not have this package installed. You can expect to see a 2,200 - 2,700 lb. difference.

The SRT models had either a 6.2 L or 6.4 L engine, depending on the model year, but they have the same capacity listed at 7,200 lbs. with no range.

2020 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2021-2016 Charts

2020 Grand Cherokee Srt Towing Chart

2020-2018 SRT Charts

2017 Grand Cherokee Srt Towing Chart

2017-2016 SRT Charts

2015 & 2014 Models:

The 2015 and 2014 models still had the same two engine options that we saw with the later model years but had a dramatically increased towing capacity of between 6,200 - 7,400 lbs. overall.

If we look at the chart we can see that the vehicles were the engines listed do not mention anything about having a tow package installed and I was not able to find anything in the manuals either.

The 3.6 L engines had the same maximum trailer weight ratings for both the four-wheel drive and 2-wheel drive models, while the 5.7 liter engines had slightly different metrics, when comparing the two versions by about 200 lbs.

2015 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2015 & 2014 Charts

2013-2011 Models:

The 2013 - 2011 models had a maximum towing capacity that ranged from 5,000 -7,400 lbs. and if you look below you'll notice I posted two different charts, one for the 2013 and 2012 models and then a separate chart for the 2011 models.

Everything in the 2011 chart was identical except for the fact that they included the gross combined weight ratings on the chart on top of all the other information, which I always like to see.

2013 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2013-2012 Charts

2011 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2011 Chart

2010 Models:

The 2010 models had slightly different options when we look at the engine configurations, a 3.7 liter engine and that same 5.7 liter engine that we see in later model years. The overall towing capacity for the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokees ranged from 3,500 - 7,400 lbs.

We again see that the gross combined weight rating is in fact included in this chart as well and a lot of the other information is the same as later model years like a 10% maximum trailer tongue weight rating and the maximum frontal area of your trailer is roughly the same as well.

2010 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2010 Chart

2009 Models:

The 2009 model Cherokees had quite the tow truck and if we look we can see a towing capacity range of between 3500 - 7400 lbs., which it's still the same but we see a whole lot of variation when it comes to engine options.

If we go down the list, we can see a 3.7 L, 4.7 L, 5.7 l and a 3.0 L diesel option. This chart also lists the gross combined weight rating for each model, along with some engines that came equipped with a tow package and then a couple of the diesel engines that had a sub model listed.

Other than the massive amount of engine options, everything else was as expected and fell in line with the later model years.

2009 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2009 Chart

2008 Models:

The 2008 models have the same 3,500 - 7,400 lb. towing capacity that we saw for the 2009 and 2010 models, but there were not as many engine options in the chart and it was a bit different compared to the 2009 models, which is why I had it separated into its own section.

Other than that, all of the other information is relatively the same as it is for the later model years. There were two models that had a tow package option which gave a much higher trailer weight rating and there were two diesel engines instead of three.

2008 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2008 Chart

2008 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart 2

2007 Models:

The 2007 models have the same 3,500 - 7,400 lb. towing capacity range but different from the 2008 models because there was only one diesel engine option, instead of two.

Again, all of the other information is pretty much the same and there were no other differences I noticed when comparing the 2007 models to the 2008 models.

2007 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2007 Chart

2007 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart 2

2006-2005 Models:

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2006 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2006 Chart

2005 Grand Cherokee Towing Chart

2005 Chart

GVWR, GCWR and GAWR Specs...

GVWR and GAWR: The gross vehicle weight rating was only provided for the 2006 and 2005 models in the charts that I have listed above and for all the other vehicles, you'll have to look on your certification label, which can be found on your driver side door pillar or door. 

On the certification label, you can find the gross vehicle weight rating, along with the gross axle weight rating specs for the front and rear axles and other helpful information.

Mopar's Gvwr And Gawr

Mopar's GVWR and GAWR

GCWR: I was actually surprised to see the gross combined weight rating metrics listed on the 2005-2011 charts, and I am a big fan I love having these metrics listed because they are a part of the equation when it comes to calculating overall load weights for your vehicle and your trailer.

I was not able to find the gross combined weight rating specs for the other model years anywhere else but if I do happen to find them in the near future I will update this post to keep it as relevant and accurate as possible.

A Note On Trailer Brakes...

Jeep does recommend having your trailer equipped with its own brake system if your trailer exceeds 1,000 lbs. Remember, Jeep just recommends trailer brakes for trailers that weigh in at 1,000 - 2,000 lbs. but they state that they are required if your trailer weighs over 2,000 lbs.

You will want to make sure you check with your local state laws to see what they require as far as weight limits and trailer brakes, as it may be different than what Jeep recommends.

Mopar Trailer Brake Recommendations

Mopar's GVWR and GAWR

Towing Package Options:

There weren't many options when it came to the towing package, in fact there was only one option and Jeep referred to this as the "Trailer Tow Group IV" which includes heavy-duty engine cooling capabilities, a class IV hitch receiver, a 4 and 7 pin wiring harness, rear load leveling suspension and a full size spare tire.

I was able to find this information in the brochure and the example below shows what is included in the package for a 2020 Grand Cherokee, so it may not apply to your model year. You'll have to look up your specific model year's brochure to see what is included.

2020 Grand Cherokee Tow Package Example

2020 Grand Cherokee Tow Package Example

Do I Have A Towing Package Installed?

Obviously, you can look up what is included in the package for your specific model year and Visually check to see if you have all of these items equipped on your vehicle but it will be hard for most people to determine whether or not they had a factory-installed package.

There's no clear-cut answer I was able to find that explains how you would go about determining whether or not you had a tow package installed on your vehicle, so the best advice I can offer to you would be to take your vehicle into a dealership to see if they can verify whether you have one of these packages installed.

Resources I Used For This Article:

All of the information in this post was gathered primarily from the owner's manuals, including the charts I have posted and I linked to those individual manuals below for those of you out there they want to dive deeper into any of the information I have here or to double-check the data.

I also found little tidbits of information in the brochures that are available online and are definitely worth checking out as well.

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