Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1999 record →
STEERINGS COLUMN HAS SOMTEHING LOOSE INSIDE IT. CAN FEEL CLUNK IN STEERING ON INITIAL ACCELERATION, ON BROKEN PAVEMENT, AND WHEN COMING TO A STOP. CAN ALSO FEEL THE CLUNK THROUGH THE BRAKE PEDAL. THERE IS NO DOUBT, SOMETHING IS LOOSE IN THE COLUMN. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT VEHICLE BEING SAFE TO DRIVE.
CONSTANT GRINDING/GARBALING SOUND (HEARD IN INTERIOR OF VEHICLE) COMING FROM TRANSFER CASE LINKAGE AREA. CAN BE HEARD AT ALL SPEEDS AND SEEMS TO VARY IN INTENSITY WHEN MAKE ANY KIND OF TURN.
SUNROOF: IN THE FULL OPEN POSITION, BETWEEN 30 & 50MPH, WITH THE SIDE WINDOWS UP, OR PARTIALLY OPEN, A HORRIFFIC VIBRATION IS FELT IN THE "CABIN" WHICH IS IRRITATING TO THE EARS, VOCAL CHORDS, IS SO BAD, THAT THE RADIO SPEAKERS SEEM LIKE THEY ARE READY TO BREAK. DEALER REFUSES TO ARRANGE A MEETING WITH CHRYSLER REP TO DISCUSS THE PROBLEM, WHICH I FEEL IS ATTRIBUTED TO A BAD DESIGN, WHICH JEEP IS CALLING "WIND BUFFETING" IN THE OWNERS MANUAL, INDICATING THEY KNOW THERE IS THIS PROBLEM. THE STARTER FAILED, AND ROCKING THE VEHICLE TO A BETTER SPOT ON THE STARTER ALLOWED IT TO START, BUT VEHICLE IS STILL SLUGGISH STARTING AT TIMES, SEEMING AS THOUGH THE BATTER IS WEAK. JEEP WILL NOT REPLACE STARTER UNTIL A TOTAL FAILURE. BRAKES.. BAD VIBRATION DUE TO APPARENT WARPED ROTORS. THESE ARE BEING REPLACED ON WARRANTY WITHOUT DISPUTE, INDICATING THAT CHRYSLER KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ROTORS. THIS VEHICLE SEEMS TO BE THE "LEMON OF THE FLEET" ONLY GIVING A MAXIMUM OF 14.5MPG, HIGHWAY, AND LESS IN CITY ONLY, AND DOES NOT IDLE SMOOTH. *AK
REAR SEAT BELT WILL NOT SECURE CHILD RESTRAINT
CONSUMER'S FOOT SLIPS OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN SHOES ARE WET, HAS RESULTED IN 3 ACCIDENTS. THIS HAS NEVER OCCURRED WITH PREVIOUSLY OWNED VEHICLES. *ML
DURING MANUFACTURING OF VEHICLE THE SHIFT PARK LOCK WAS NOT ADJUSTED PROPERLY CAUSING VEHICLE IGNITION KEY TO STICK IN IGNITION WHEN IN PARK. MJS
AT 12,000 MILES I NOTICED A SLIGHT VIBRATION IN THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, I CALLED THE DEALER, BUT DECIDED NOT TO FOLLOW UP AND BRING IT IN AT THAT TIME. IN MID MAY, I WAS TRAVELING ON THE MA TPKE, AND UPON BRAKING NOTICED A PRONOUNCED VIBRATION IN THE FRON END OF THE VEHICLE. MY DEALER, WHO IS VERY RELIABLE, TOOK THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THE FRONT ROTORS AND REAR DRUMS WARPED. AT FIRST THEY INFORMED ME THAT CHRYSLER HAD CHNGED ROTORS WITHOUT NOTIFYING THEM. UPON THEIR FURTHER EXAMINATION THEY FOUND THAT MY JEEP HAD THE OLD PARTS AND THEY REPLACED THE ROTORS AND DRUMS. AT 17,300 MILES I NOTICED THE SAME VIBRATION IN THE FRONT END WHEN BRAKING ON I84 IN CT. THE DEALER AGAIN INSPECTED THE ROTORS AND FOUND THAT THEY WERE DEFECTIVE. THIS TIME THEY WILL TURN THE ROTORS "ON THE VEHICLE" WITH CHRYSLER'S OKAY. WHILE THE WORK IS UNDER WARRANTY I QUESTION WHETHER THIS WILL BE A PERMANENT SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. MY COMPLAINT IS NO WAY TO BE CONSTRUED AS AGAINST THE DEALER, IN FACT THE DEALER ENCOURAGED ME TO CONTACT CHRYSLER CUSTOMER SERVICE, WHICH I DID. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED BY CHRYSLER THAT A TECHNICAL BULLETIN IS OUT CONCERNING THE DISC BRAKE PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN COMPLAINTS ON THE NHTSA SITE, OF "MINOR" PULSATION IN THE DISC BRAKES, THE PULSATION ON MY VEHICLE WAS VERY PRONOUNCED AND IN FACT THE VEHICLE WAS SHAKING. I QUESTION IF A RECALL IS IN ORDER. THANK YOU. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
POSSIBLE ENGINE FAILURE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CATCH ON FIRE WHILE IN CONSUMERS GARAGE. NLM
TRANSFER CASE: CONSTANT RASPY, GRINDING NOISE.
WHILE DRIVING ALL GUAGES HAVE GUIT REGISTERING AND AIRBAG LIGHT COMES; TACHOMETER AND SPEDOMETER DON'T REGISTER ANYTHING; VOLT, OIL PRES., GAS, AND TEMP ALL STICK WHERE THEY ARE WHEN GUAGES SHUT OFF. WHEN THIS HAPPENS AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON IN DASH. WHEN GUAGES COME BACK ON AIRBAG LIGHT GOES OUT. THIS HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES IN THE PAST WEEK. THE LAST THREE TIMES OCCURED IN ONE DAY. NOTIFIED LOCAL JEEP DEALER OF PROBLEM TWICE. BLOWN OFF FIRST TIME. SECOND TIME SAID NO QUALIFIED PEOPLE ON HAND TO CHECK OUT PROBLEM. GAVE ME APPOINTMENT FOR THREE WEEKS FROM THAT DAY.
THE PLACEMENT OF THE FUEL TANK IS VULNERABLE TO RUPTURE IN EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT.
CONSUMER HAD AN ACCIDENT WITH THE JEEP CHEROKEE AND DRIVER'S SIDE/PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK
NO SUMMARY
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. THEN SHORTLY AFTERWARDS CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE THEN FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, CAUSE UNKNOWN. *AK
WHEN DRIVING AT 60 TO 65 MPH, THE ABS LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON, AND THE CONSUMER HAS TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY AND TRY TO GET THE ABS LIGHT TO GO OFF. THE DEALER FIXED THE ABS LIGHT, AND THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED TWICE AND THEY CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1999 Jeep Cherokee → · Every Cherokee year → · How the figures are calculated →