10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
110,544 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1996 Jeep Cherokee engine problems

engine problem

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1996 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments

problem #6

May 092013

Cherokee

  • 212,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

All of a suden this very bad shaking problem has occured at about 50 mph. Very unsafe. My cetified ase mechanic has been trying to find the problem for over a week now - no luck so far.

- Florence, MT, USA

problem #5

Feb 062012

Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 125,005 miles
Car stalls while driving with no warning. Stalls on freeway or in city driving. This is an infamous manufacturing defect on 96 Jeep. Very hazardous because engine cuts out completely while in motion. Requires pulling over with engine not running to restart engine. Jeep then will repeatedly die after re-starting. Since engine dies while in motion, cars behind are in real danger of colliding with my vehicle. This issue is almost impossible to fix with normal mechanical problem-solving. Engine light does not come on. This issue is well documented in online blogs for Jeep with this problem. This problem with stalling while in motion poses a great threat to public safety. Jeep/Chrysler is aware and does not acknowledge the problem.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #4

Aug 272009

Cherokee

  • miles
1996 Jeep Cherokee caught fire while driving on the westbound side of the Ohio turnpike. Ohio traffic crash report # 10-0774-91

- Lodi, OH, USA

problem #3

Jun 012007

Cherokee 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At a slow roll while the vehicle is in gear the engine will idle down then die. It restarts immediately but will stall again unless more throttle is given. The problem is intermittent making it hard to pinpoint the exact cause.

- Idaho City, ID, USA

problem #2

Aug 151999

Cherokee

  • Automatic transmission
  • 80,000 miles
The entire rear axle was replaced at the advice of Jeep service. They claimed that the wheel bearings would not not seat in the axle as the "races" were worn beyond the point of holding them in. Because I needed the vehicle for my business, I had no choice but to have them repair it while they had it apart as I did not have time to do the job myself. It was a three week wait for parts as it was. Then I noticed the "musty" smell. Upon futher investigation I discovered the entire Jeep was saturated under the carpets on both sides. Mold everywhere. No wonder my allergies were killing me. I've since gutted the vehicle and bleached the entire floor areas. I am now in the process of coming up with a solution to the problem so I can pass it on to other Jeep owners. Chrysler has a bulletin out on a procedeure to clean the A/C drain but it does not work as it comes back each year. I've found that gluing nylon screening in the air intake under the hood keeps all of the debris that clogs this drain tube out of the heater box. Now I am working on a way to stop the water from running back into the dash area through the firewall where it drains out into the frame. Not one dealership would talk to me about this. I know that they know about it because of the bulletin. Also, I found that the "vents" behind the rear fixed glass on the Cherokee have a small holding cup and a tube which the water that enters that area drains into, what I couldn't believe was that it drains into the rear of the vehicle, inside, which results in the entire rear of the vehicle becoming wet under the rear rug. This problem is solved by punching a hole through the floor and extending the factoy drain tube through the floor so the water drains outside the vehicle where it belongs. I am a car buff and pretty knowledgeable about repairs and I could not believe my eyes when I saw these design flaws. They are blatantly obvious.

- Southington, CT, USA

problem #1

Jan 082003

(reported on)

Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 96,259 miles
While driving vehicle, the vehicle hit a bump in the road that caused the vehicle to make a loud noise. The dealer stated that the front engine mount bolt had sheared into the block causing the motor to drop. Ts scc

- Coram, NY, USA

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