1999 Jeep Cherokee Problems, Recalls & Reliability
516 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1999 Jeep Cherokee, alongside 8 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 20/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Brakes & stability leads the reports, typically around 77,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 1999 Jeep Cherokee has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 1999 sits among all Cherokee years
What owners report
“The rotors failed causing a shimmy in the vehicle, dealer has also refaced the front brakes, consumer states now the brakes are shimmying again and dealer stated problem was with the back brakes . Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Cherokee
“The dealer said they have seen this problem in many wranglers with the same clutch and transmission. The throw-out bearing has rotated on the clutch fork and the fork has been pushed down over the throw-out bearing, causing the clutch slave to extend to the maximum, which causes the clutch not to…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Cherokee
“When traveling dark area of roadway, the headlights on high beam, suddenly lights go dark. Switching back to low beam the lights do work. We replaced the headlights and the multifunction switch. The lights worked for a short period of time and then the problem occured.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Cherokee
“Possible engine failure caused the vehicle to catch on fire while in consumers garage. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Cherokee
“Window blade fell of front shield due to a clip being improperly installed, three months later the window regulator failed, causing window to fall. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Cherokee
“While driving through an intersection and consumer had a frontal collision. Consumer states the airbags did not deployed. Please provide any further information. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1999 Cherokee
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 135 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 80,360 miles. Half of those reports fall between 55,000 and 125,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (8)
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN AJ MOTORSPORT COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO.…
Fix: AJ MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 31, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AJ MOTORSPORT AT 626-618-2026.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT BRAKE CYLINDERS FOR CERTAIN FORD, DAIMLERCHRYSLER, AND JEEP PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE BRAKE CYLINDERS WERE SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAMES OF NAPA, RAYBESTOS, AIMCO, AC DELCO, CARQUEST,…
Fix: AFFINIA (BRAKE PARTS, INC.) WILL REPLACE THE SUBJECT BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2006. OWNERS CAN CONTACT AFFINA GROUP CUSTOMER SERVICE AT…
CERTAIN AFTERMARKET AIRTEX ELECTRIC FUEL PUMPS INSTALLED FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR CERTAIN 1997-2004 JEEP WRANGLER; 1997-2001 JEEP CHEROKEE; 1997-2004 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE; AND 2000-2003 DODGE DAKOTA VEHICLES. THE PLASTIC ELECTRICAL GROMMET…
Fix: AIRTEX WILL NOTIFY ITS CUSTOMERS AND WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED FUEL PUMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 25, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AIRTEX CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER AND MULTI-PURPOSE VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE ROTORS WITH ROTORS THAT ARE COATED WITH A CORROSION PROTECTION.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. WATER AND/OR ROAD SALT IN THE PROXIMITY OF THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE COULD LEAD TO CORROSION.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE AND LOCATE THE NEW MODULE ON THE TOP OF THE TRANSMISSION TUNNEL.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 13V252000.
Technical service bulletins
71 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 1999 Jeep Cherokee. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 1999 Cherokee TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1999 Jeep Cherokee reliable?
The 1999 Jeep Cherokee drew 516 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 20/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 1999 Jeep Cherokee problems?
The top reported problems for the 1999 Jeep Cherokee are brakes & stability (118 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (58), and electrical (47).
At what mileage do 1999 Jeep Cherokee problems show up?
Owners most often report 1999 Jeep Cherokee problems around 80,360 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 55,000 and 125,000 miles.
Does the 1999 Jeep Cherokee have recalls?
8 recall campaigns apply to the 1999 Jeep Cherokee. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.