1.3

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
138,000 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.

1997 Jeep Cherokee engine problems

engine problem

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1997 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments

problem #4

Sep 082010

Cherokee

  • 149,000 miles

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

Went out to go somewhere and it had a hard time starting. As I began to drive down the road my Jeep started to backfire, all of a sudden it cut off and the steering wheel locked up and the lights went out it was dark so I could of been injured. When I got it to crank back my ABS light has been on ever since and we have bought about 5 hundred dollars in parts and tried everything we know to do even the mechanics we have asked about it have no answers for us, we can't afford to buy another vehicle and no one wants to buy it from us because of all of the problems we have had with our Jeep!

- Hilliard, FL, USA

problem #3

Feb 012008

Cherokee 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 165,000 miles
I own a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 L6 two wheel drive with 165,000 miles. I was driving down the highway at 65 and the engine died. Thankfully I was on an empty highway and was able to drive into the emergency lane. This happened four times since. I still had power but the engine would not respond. I took it to the dealer who could not find the problem. I have since heard of this happening to many 1990's Jeep, with no real known cause or cure. I changed the oil, spark plugs and cleaned the fuel lines. I will attempt to replace the PCM. This is a very dangerous instance and I am frustrated that none of the mechanics that I have been to, even dealers, could find the problem, and just allowed me to continue down the road. If a cure for this problem is found I would like to be contacted.

- Oroville, WA, USA

problem #2

Feb 152003

Cherokee

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles
Radiator & various ac parts needed replacement. Steering gave out in 2002. A screw went through an engine part. Recently, a joint connecting the axel to the steering mechanism had to be replaced. Fuel pump failed. Incredibly, it is inside the gas tank. I have since learned that Jeep gas tanks corrode on the inside, thus clogging the fuel pump. This is a very expensive repair because of the labor. There is still the possibility that this new fuel pump may also fail, because the gas tank was not replaced and the problem still exists. I\\\\\\'ve heard numerous similar complaints regarding the fuel system from other Jeep owners. There should have been a recall.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #1

Jan 202004

Cherokee

  • 164,000 miles
Engine light continued to stay on. Dealer stated transmission control module malfunctioned.

- Detroit, MI, USA

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