THE Cherokee employs a double wishbone front suspension and live-axle rear suspension design. The new front suspension replaces the old solid axle set-up, while at the rear coil springs replace the ancient leaf springs. The lower wishbones up front are cast iron and the upper arms forged steel and coupled to cast iron steering knuckles with permanently lubricated ball joints. The rear design is similar to the Grand Cherokee, combining live axle, trailing upper A-arm, dual trailing lower arms, coil springs, gas charged shock absorbers and a stabiliser bar. In April 2002 Jeep confirmed it would lower the suspension of the Cherokee, officially to smooth highway ride. However, the real issue was believed to centre around stability problems encounterd by two magazines in road tests, including a rollover by US publication Autoweek.