1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,433 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, alongside 11 recall campaigns and 7 defect investigations. It scores 48/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 95,000 miles.
Below average
Where 1997 sits among all Grand Cherokee years
What owners report
“Vehicle fire due to defective front differential which had just previously been replaced. Mjs”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Cherokee
“The vehicles front brake rotors were replaced prior to recall notice 00v-136, consumer requesting reimbursement. Nlm”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Cherokee
“Fuel guage failure. Vehicle ran out of fuel in busy intersection due to faulty guage reading.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Cherokee
“Fuel sending unit failed causing consumer to run out of gas, gauge readings were inaccurate.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Cherokee
“Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning the vehicle will shut off causing consumer to pull over. Dealer notified. Ts”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Cherokee
“Vehicle ran out of gas even though the gas gauge indicated that it contained more than aquarter of gas. Also rear lamps/tail lights malfunctioned.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 Grand Cherokee
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 271 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 120,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 90,000 and 165,893 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (11)
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty vehicles. The fuel tanks in these vehicles are at risk of failure and leakage in certain rear impacts.
Fix: Owners may take their vehicles to dealers and the dealers will perform a free inspection of the rear structure. On vehicles in the recall that are not equipped with a tow hitch, Chrysler will…
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 CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
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…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IF A DRIVER HAS NOT PLACED THE SHIFTER LEVER FULLY INTO THE "PARK" POSITION AND LEAVES THE VEHICLE RUNNING, THE VEHICLE MAY UNEXPECTEDLY MOVE REARWARD AFTER SEEMING TO BE STABLE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A SECONDARY DETENT SYSTEM TO THE FLOOR SHIFTER ASSEMBLY. DAIMLERCHRYSLER SENT INTERIM NOTICES TO OWNERS CONCERNING THIS PROBLEM ON MARCH 22, 2002. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN…
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: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE FUEL TANK MOUNTED FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT ACCURACY CAN DEGRADE OVER TIME, INDICATING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE FUEL IN RESERVE THAN IS ACTUALLY PRESENT.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT.
THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT DESIGN ALLOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR AN INADVERTENT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT UPON VEHICLE IGNITION SHUT DOWN.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 13V252000.
Led to recall campaign 02V053000.
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 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee reliable?
The 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee drew 1,433 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 48/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee are transmission & drivetrain (292 complaints), brakes & stability (216), and fuel system (213).
At what mileage do 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems show up?
Owners most often report 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee problems around 120,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 90,000 and 165,893 miles.
Does the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee have recalls?
11 recall campaigns apply to the 1997 Jeep Grand 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.