1997 Jeep Cherokee problems
Owners have filed 496 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Jeep Cherokee. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 30% of complaints. Next are brakes (17%) and engine (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 496 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 30% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 60 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 30 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 125,000 miles 68 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 12 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 15 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 7 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 68 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 125,000 miles. For fuel system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 82,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 60 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 30 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 14th most-complained-about out of 21 model years of the Jeep Cherokee with enough data (297 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The car jumped into reverse after being put into park, then ran over the driver. The vehicle ran into a tree before stopping. Driver has fractured hip. Dealer has vehicle.
While driving smoke started coming from under the hood and vehicle caught on fire. Jeep dealer has inspected vehicle. Consumer states that four people were injured, possible engine failure. *slc
Vehicle incident 09/23/08 approx. 2:55-3:00 p.m. On highway 90, milton, fl driving a 1997 jeep cherokee, 4 cars in total were involved I was stopped far back in a line of cars waiting for a red light to turn green. The line began to move up slowly, I let my foot up from the brake and within seconds the jeep accelerated forward, I immediately applied pressure to the brakes the car slowed temporarily but continued to surge forward in a jerking hopping motion. My vehicle impacted the car ahead of me.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 jeep cherokee. The contact was driving approximately 45 MPH when she crashed into a cow. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy during the crash. The contact suffered injuries to the right shoulder and right leg. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was not available.
The vehicle stalls unexpectedly when slowing down or coming to a stop. The check engine light is on, however; the code that comes up is for the ignition which was already repaired and not the issue causing at hand. This malfunction is freakishly common when I look it up online for this make, model, and year. This problem is very dangerous as it may or can cause death or serious injury if in intersection or busy road/highway. Please notify me of any solutions or information on this matter.