1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems
NHTSA has received 1,349 complaints about the 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 28% of them involve transmission. Next are brakes (14%) and fuel system (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,349 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Transmission 28% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 194 and 18
- Injuries and deaths
- 132 and 27
- Typical mileage
- 105,000 miles 266 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 | 7 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 16 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 24 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 35 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 37 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 31 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 27 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 27 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 21 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 16 |
| 200k+ miles | 25 |
What the data shows
Of the 266 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 105,000 miles. For transmission specifically, the median reported mileage is about 70,000 miles (16 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 194 complaints mention a crash; 18 complaints mention a fire; 132 injuries reported; 27 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 82% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Jeep Grand Cherokee with enough data (777 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.
On the evening of december 1, 1998, I had my 1998 grand cherokee in park with the door open while I was getting my mail from a bank of mailboxes. While I was out of the car, it started to roll backwards, even though it was sitting on level ground. The open door hit the bank of mailboxes and I was able to get into the car to stop it. I reported this to the insurance company since I needed to have the drivers door replaced.
S10 direct reply-letter to the white house from constituent requesting help to save families otherwise destined to burn to death in a jeep because of an accident. *tgw the consumer wrote in concerning a 1998 jeep grand cherokee that was hit from behind in stopped traffic and burst into flames, before the two occupants were able to escape. The 1993-2004 jeep grand cherokee has a plastic tank located behind the rear axle.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 jeep grand cherokee. When the contact applied pressure to the brake pedal, the vehicle stalled. Upon restart it operated as normal. The failure began to recur intermittently while driving or stopped. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the crank shaft sensor was replaced. The failure continued to recur intermittently. The failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 160,050. The VIN was unavailable.
Tl - the contact owns a 1998 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle headliner was falling down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who explained that there was no recalls related to this issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 120,000. Pm