1.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
93,352 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 Grand Cherokee engine problems

engine problem

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1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #24

Jul 012014

Grand Cherokee

  • 171,000 miles

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

While driving the vehicle shut off. As if power had been disconnected. After coming to a complete stop started right back up, after a while now it is backfiring, stalling out, bucking. I have read more complaints about this same exact problem the I care to read. Most of the time they lead to the PCM. And im cannot figure out why Jeep hasn't figured out the problem. I cannot afford to keep throwing money into the car to keep it running. Let alone I cannot afford to buy a new vehicle. I have replaced more sensors then I care to mention and have tried all the diy tactics. Now my muffler is exploded. That battery keeps dying and I am forced to borrow a family members car to get back and forth to work because Jeep cant fix the problem. It has gone to a shop just to be told "we cant find the problem". it is unsafe for it to stall out and backfire in the middle of the highway. And it is killing my finances.

- Ivanhoe, NC, USA

problem #23

Mar 122008

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 183,741 miles
Vehicle will shut off intermittently, regardless of speed, outside temperature, length of time engine runs, or any other conceivable factor. A few weeks ago, I drove it to a town 30 miles away and back with no issue. The next time I drove it, the engine shut off two blocks away from my residence. There is no pattern to the malfunctions nor computer codes to download. Have replaced computer, connectors to computer, crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, and many other numerous parts. Various mechanics have been unable to diagnose, some have given up due to frustration. Chrysler dealerships deny ever hearing of the problem, however, I have met three other Grand Cherokee owners in person who have had identical issues. Internet searches will reveal numerous complaints for this vehicle.

- Midland, TX, USA

problem #22

Jul 132011

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 89,000 miles
Engine stalls either at speed or during idle after 20 minutes. Will continue to stall for about 4 minutes, sometimes very hard to start during this time. Then vehicle will run fine with no problems for several hours. The next day, or after vehicle has been sitting for several hours, the process will start again. Every day it will stall after about 20 minutes - sometimes while turning, which will cause a total loss of steering ability, or while on the freeway, or while at a red light or intersection. I narrowly escaped an accident when it stalled and a big rig almost slammed into me. I have been stranded in the middle of a busy intersection multiple times because of this. When the car stalls, sometimes it runs very rough and backfires, which caused the catalytic converter to blow out. Now the catalytic converter rattles and caused my emissions test to fail with high no(ppm) output. I'm going to need to change the PCM and the catalytic converter to fix this, but this was covered under a recall for 1996 vehicles with this same problem. Jeep issued an emissions recall in late 2006 to update the powertrain control module (PCM) software on certain 1996 vehicles. As part of the recall, the catalytic converter will also be inspected for damage and replaced as necessary. 1997 vehicles experiencing the exact same problem were not included in this recall for some reason. Please include the 1997 vehicles in this recall.

- Sunland, CA, USA

problem #21

Dec 092011

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 163,657 miles

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

While driving on highway Jeep lost power then stalled and would not start up right away, after 10 minutes it restarted and was ok. Once again today it did the same thing and after taking it to a repair shop they said that the engine computer must be replaced.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #20

Mar 152011

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 147,000 miles
The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle would backfire and stall sporadically. The contact replaced the crank sensor and the ignition coil twice, with no luck in correcting the problem. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test and was told that there was a short in the wiring harness. The wiring harness was replaced but to no avail. The failure mileage was 147,000 and the current mileage was 151,000. I contacted the Chrysler Dodge manufacturer about my problem and they informed me that they did not manufacture the engine wiring harness for, the 1997 Jeep G Cherokee and that it is my problem. Updated 10/27/2011

- Shrevport, LA, USA

problem #19

Oct 272010

Grand Cherokee

  • 171,000 miles
I have a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee that stalls. Hot or cold, night or day, idling at a light or going 75mph down the interstate. I have had the fuel pump replaced, the fuel system cleaned, the O2 sensor replaces, the water pump replaced, the crank sensor replaced, the map sensor replaced, and the ignition coil replaced (I do still have the old ignition coil). It's in the shop now, and after doing some online research, I have found hundreds of people having the same problem, most of them being charged an outrageous amount of money by Jeep dealers who, ultimately, do not fix the problem. I would not be so concerned, but like many Jeep owners, I have small children. The problem started almost a year ago, happens daily, and if it should happen on a busy road or highway when I am going 60+mph, I am concerned about my safety and that of my kids.

- Fort Collins, CO, USA

problem #18

Jun 012010

Grand Cherokee

  • 135,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle began stalling when the engine was hot. There were no prior warnings; however, when the engine reached 210 degrees it stalled. If the contact placed the vehicle in the park position and tried to start the vehicle it would turn back on. Several mechanics had performed diagnostic test and were unable to determine the cause of failure. The power steering and brakes also failed whenever the vehicle stalled. The failure mileage was 135000. The current mileage was 138836.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #17

Nov 052009

Grand Cherokee

  • 174,000 miles
The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact was driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions; the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired for the malfunction. The failure mileage was 174,00. The current mileage was 176,000.

- Woodland, PA, USA

problem #16

Jan 102008

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo/tsi. Since the date of purchase the vehicle stalled without any prior warnings. The vehicle was taken to the dealer twice. The technicians could not locate any diagnostic error codes, or duplicate the failures. He was in the he process of taking the vehicle back tot he dealer and contacting the manufacturer. The failure mileage was not available. The current mileage was 209,000.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #15

Feb 102009

Grand Cherokee

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving between 65-70 mph on normal road conditions, the vehicle hesitated and vibrated. Suddenly, the vehicle stalled without warning and the RPM's decreased excessively low. There were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The engine restarted after 15 minutes and then resumed operation; however, the performance was poor. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they stated that the failure was related to the primary control module (PCM). The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.

- Engino, CA, USA

problem #14

May 012008

Grand Cherokee

  • 115,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The vehicle stalls while idling or driving 25 mph. The fuel pump, alternator, radiator, map sensor, spark plugs, and exhaust were replaced, but the failure has not been resolved. The contact feels that the vehicle is unsafe to drive because the failures occur without warning. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 120,000 and failure mileage was 115,000.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #13

Mar 182007

Grand Cherokee

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the engine stalled intermittently. The vehicle restarted after several attempts and the engine and brake warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The indicators remained lit until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic eight times, but the failure could not be duplicated. Recently, the dealer replaced the core wires, spark plugs, hoses, caps, and rotor distributor. The vehicle was also repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 02V053000 (power train:automatic transmission;lever and linkage:floor shift). The failure mileage was 90,000 and current mileage was 103,000.

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #12

Jan 212008

Grand Cherokee

  • 123,000 miles
The contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving various speeds, the vehicle sporadically stalls without warning. The vehicle usually restarts immediately afterwards. Prior to the failure, the contact noticed that the engine warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel. He took the vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions and had various repairs performed, which consisted of replacing the throttle position sensor, intake temperature sensor, map sensor, intake air control valve, crankshaft position sensor, distributor, cap and rotor, spark plugs, electrical wiring, fuel pump, oxygen sensor, coolant temperature sensor, and the ignition coil. None of the repairs have successfully remedied the failure. The failure mileage was 123,000 and current mileage was 125,000.

- Lafitte, LA, USA

problem #11

May 142008

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 91,000 miles
Jeep runs for a bit sometimes then just stalls out no matter what speed you are traveling. Changed multiple parts to try and resolve the issue and no luck. I have noticed multiple people on the internet complaining of the same problem with no luck fixing the problem either.

- Maynardville, TN, USA

problem #10

Mar 082008

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
The 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee stalls when you drive and sometimes will come back but usually will not. If you wiggle the plug on the computer it appears to fix the problem for a while but then it begins stalling again. The car stalls at all different times, even in the middle of an intersection! we have done considerable research on the internet and tried the "screw theory" and checked other possibilities. Checked the plug connectors and they were all fine. Everything tests out fine and we can't figure out what else we can do!

- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

problem #9

Jan 042008

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 163,000 miles
While I indicate that this problem began Jan 2008, it has become obvious with research that the problems I had over the last two years led up to this. For the last 2 years, if I am driving in high altitudes, engine will sputter, lose power and threaten to die. Over the last two months, my car will just die. No warning, no speed requirement, no situation requirement. Have replace so many things, it is unbelievable and very costly. Once the car has died, it will refuse to restart for several minutes to one hour. When it does restart super heavy gas smell accompanies. Today it started to backfire. Please do something about this. This happens to many other Jeep Grand Cherokee owners. Mine is a 97. Thank god it has not happened to me on the freeway at high speeds like some others. What kind of havoc would that cause on our freeways during rush hours?

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #8

Feb 022008

Grand Cherokee 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 199,000 miles
My 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo just dies when I'm driving. Doesn't matter what speed I'm going. It died over 10 times on my way home from san jose to san francisco while on the freeway going 60 mph. This problem started over a month ago. We have changed the crank sensor and coil. The trottle has been checked and the fuel injector. We have changed the battery. We don't know what else to change. After reading the same complaints from Jeep owners on the cnet car tech forums I dediced to file a complaint. They have the same problem and are spending a lot of money replacing different parts and the problem continues. This problem is very dangerous, driving on the freeway then the car just dies. I have no money to spend to keep on replacing different parts. Please help. Thanks.

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #7

Jan 132006

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
After driving at highway speed for about 1 hour the car suddenly and spontaneously stops. This has happened on five different occasions.

- Beverly, MA, USA

problem #6

Dec 012004

Grand Cherokee

  • miles
Since mid December 2004, I have been having trouble with my 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It has since been in the shop on a weekly basis, with the same problem of the motor hesitating or cutting off while driving. So here we are $1400 later driving off the lot and the car cuts off twice before driving 1/4 of a mile. They have cleaned the throttle plate twice, replaced the fuel pump, replaced the catalytic converter, replaced a primary coil twice, replaced the O2 downstream sensor, replaced wiring in the steering column and then this week replaced the O2 upstream sensor. And I still have the same problem with the hesitation and cutting off. The only response from the dealership service department was that with this many miles I'm going to be nickeled and dimed with repairs. The car has never given me any major problems prior to December. I am not getting anywhere with this service department and am not ready to give up on this car. I took it to the dealership for the repairs feeling that they would be the most knowledgeable about the car. I am very frustrated at not being able to find out the problem and have it corrected. I would appreciate any suggestions. I have requested a print out from sadler that details all that has been done to this car since December. I would appreciate it if someone could contact me concerning this issue.

- Courtland , VA, USA

problem #5

Jul 152002

Grand Cherokee

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56 miles
I purchased this 1997, Jeep Grand Cherokee from broadway Volkswagen on auto row in oakland ca. At the time the odometer read 48,080K. Two weeks ago the car stopped running while I was driving it. I had to have it towed to albera bros. Jeep/Chrysler dealership where I"ve taken the vehicle since I purchased it. I also purchased a warranty, for $1500 at the time that I purchase the vehicle, which was contained in the contract of the automobile installment payments. The warranty was to cover all repair that is cover for 72 months or 100K miles. I contacted the warranty company, warentech, who's headquarters are in Texas and was advised that they would have to send someone out to look at the car. Someone did come out look at the car and took pictures. After a few days I contacted warentech and was advised that they would have to review the information and would get back to me. After several more days I contacted warentech again. I was advised that they needed me fax them my maintenance records verifying that I had maintained the vehicle. I faxed warentech copies of all recent maintenance records. After two or three more days, I once again contacted warentech and was advised that I needed to send more maintenance records and if I didn't have anymore they would deny coverage for repair to the vehicle. I faxed over a total of 13 more records of maintenance verifying that oil changes as well as other maintenance records. That was two days ago and I"ve not heard anything from warentech since. I have already paid $125 dollars to have the car towed to the dealership and have paid another $140 for a rental car to get to and from work. I am very afraid that warentech is going to refuse to pay for the repairs they've already had almost 2-weeks and nothing has been done. I pay $546 a month car not via payroll deduction and have never missed a payment this for two years and I still owe over$18K for the car. I don't know what to do.

- San Franciso, CA, USA

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