1998 Jeep Cherokee problems
Owners have filed 553 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Jeep Cherokee. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 18% of complaints. Next are fuel system (12%) and air bags (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 553 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 42 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 45 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 117,000 miles 95 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 | 6 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 12 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 9 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 15 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 12 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 12 |
What the data shows
Of the 95 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 117,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 42 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 45 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 1998 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 21 model years of the Jeep Cherokee with enough data (358 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
To avoid accident my son swerved & did a 180 & came to a stop & was hit by a ford pickup head on. Jeep was totaled. Niether of the front air bags deployed.
Brakes failed at 20 MPH. Rear-ended volvo station wagon. Was told by mechanic that I needed brakes and rotors replaced. Cherokee had less than 14,000 miles on it. Five months later jeep recalled rotors. Because I did not have original oem parts (ie. Rotors) they would not assist me in disputing insurance rate increase or cost of rotor/brake replacements. ***note*** jeep is on third set of rotors and is in need of yet another as these are warped. And jeep is not at the 100,000 mile mark yet! *nlm
Hood latches on 1998 jeep cherokee sport are corroded and hood would not stay closed, had one replaced already, now the one on the right side of vehicle is acting up causing both to malfunction. This is a severe hazard. We are the original owners of this vehicle.
Instrument panel does not work properly like the speedometer. Also, gasoline/oil pressure gauge are not working, and air bag light is on. Dealer notified.