1998 Jeep Cherokee Problems and Recalls (388 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 1998 Jeep Cherokee is Brakes (16% of 388 owner reports). There are 11 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Brakes — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 388 complaints · 11 recalls
What problems show up on the 1998 Jeep Cherokee?
64 of 388 filings named Brakes (16% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Fuel system (51 reports).
There are 11 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags, Brakes, Fuel system, Electrical, Lights, and Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 1997 has 380 reports on file; this year has 388. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What owners reported
System named most often: Brakes 64 complaints · 16.5% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
- Crashes 34
- Fires 5
- Injuries 31
- Deaths 1
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES) | 64 | 16.5% | 4 crashes · 0 fires |
| Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM) | 51 | 13.1% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) | 50 | 12.9% | 8 crashes · 2 fires |
| Airbags (AIR BAGS) | 38 | 9.8% | 13 crashes · 0 fires |
| Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) | 35 | 9.0% | 0 crashes · 2 fires |
| Engine (ENGINE) | 24 | 6.2% | 0 crashes · 1 fires |
| Seat belts (SEAT BELTS) | 15 | 3.9% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| Suspension (SUSPENSION) | 14 | 3.6% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY) | 13 | 3.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| Unclassified NHTSA leftover | 299 | 77.1% | 27 crashes · 4 fires |
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
- Campaign 98V023000 was reported 421 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 00V105000 was reported 509 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 00V136000 was reported 1,241 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 06E011000 was reported 2,759 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 08V056000 was reported 3,580 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
- Campaign 09E025000 was reported 3,853 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 1997-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 1998-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 1998-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 1998-Q3 | Owner reports | 16 | |
| 1998-Q4 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 1999-Q1 | Owner reports | 24 | |
| 1999-Q2 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 1999-Q3 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 1999-Q4 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2000-Q1 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2000-Q2 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2000-Q3 | Owner reports | 26 | |
| 2000-Q4 | Owner reports | 14 | |
| 2001-Q1 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2001-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2001-Q3 | Owner reports | 17 | |
| 2001-Q4 | Owner reports | 15 | |
| 2002-Q1 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2002-Q2 | Owner reports | 13 | |
| 2002-Q3 | Owner reports | 18 | |
| 2002-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2003-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2003-Q2 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2003-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2003-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2004-Q1 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2004-Q2 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2004-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2004-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2005-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2005-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2005-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2006-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2006-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2007-Q2 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2008-Q3 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2009-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2009-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2010-Q4 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2011-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2012-Q3 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2013-Q2 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2014-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2014-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2014-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2015-Q1 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2015-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2015-Q3 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2015-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2016-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2016-Q4 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2017-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 98V023000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 98V048000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 00V105000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 00V136000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E011000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E022000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E026000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 06E065000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 08V056000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E012000 | |
| Recall campaign | 1 | 09E025000 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | EA12005 |
Safety Recalls (11)
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags, Brakes, Fuel system, Electrical, Lights, and Seat belts.
-
Recall campaign 00V105000
Airbags
- Report date
- Component:
- Airbags (AIR BAGS)
- Consequence:
- SUCH CORROSION CAN LEAD TO ILLUMINATION OF THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT OR COULD ALLOW INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIR BAGS.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE AND LOCATE THE NEW MODULE ON THE TOP OF THE TRANSMISSION TUNNEL.
-
Recall campaign 00V136000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- THE REDUCED STRENGTH CAN ALLOW THE CAST IRON WEAR SURFACE TO SEPARATE FROM THE HUB, REDUCING THE BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VEHICLE.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE ROTORS WITH ROTORS THAT ARE COATED WITH A CORROSION PROTECTION.
-
Recall campaign 06E011000
Fuel system
- Report date
- Component:
- Fuel system (FUEL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FUEL LEAK COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
- Remedy:
- 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 1-800-880-3056.
-
Recall campaign 06E022000
Safety recall 06E022000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- LOSS OF BRAKE FLUID CAN LEAD TO A DECREASE IN BRAKE LINE PRESSURE AND AN INCREASE IN STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH CAN RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- 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 1-800-323-0354.
-
Recall campaign 06E026000
Safety recall 06E026000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
- Remedy:
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 06E065000
Safety recall 06E065000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 08V056000
Electrical
- Report date
- Component:
- Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
- Consequence:
- THESE VEHICLES DO NOT MEET THE REQUIRED STANDARDS.
- Remedy:
- U.S. DRIVE RIGHT WILL MAKE ALL THE REQUIRED MODIFICATIONS. A REPRESENTATIVE WILL TRAVEL TO THE CUSTOMER'S LOCATION AND MAKE THE MODIFICATIONS ON SITE. THE RECALL WILL BE PERFORMED ON A REGIONAL BASIS BEGINNING MARCH 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT U.S. DRIVE RIGHT AT 1-888-632-5936.
-
Recall campaign 09E012000
Safety recall 09E012000
- Report date
- Component:
- Not available in the source record
- Consequence:
- DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 09E025000
Lights
- Report date
- Component:
- Lights (EXTERIOR LIGHTING)
- Consequence:
- DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
- Remedy:
- 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.
-
Recall campaign 98V023000
Brakes
- Report date
- Component:
- Brakes (SERVICE BRAKES)
- Consequence:
- THIS CAN CAUSE AN INCREASE IN ENGINE IDLE SPEED AND A LOSS OF POWER ASSIST DURING BRAKE APPLICATION WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE BRAKE BOOSTER DATE CODE AND ANY BOOSTERS WITH THE SUSPECT MANUFACTURING DATE RANGE WILL BE REPLACED.
-
Recall campaign 98V048000
Seat belts
- Report date
- Component:
- Seat belts (SEAT BELTS)
- Consequence:
- IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY.
- Remedy:
- DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SEAT SHOULDER BELT TURNING LOOP ON THESE VEHICLES.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Showing 10 of 388 complaints · page 1 of 16
CrashFireInjuryDeath
The contact owns a 1998 Jeep Cherokee equipped with Goodyear Tires, Tire Line: Wrangler Radial A/S, Tire Size: 275/75/R15, DOT Number: 1PJHLFNWR. The contact stated that he had purchased two tires from Walmart that were installed in the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle started wobbling. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly as he continued driving, causing him to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to Walmart, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the rear tires were out of round and the tread had separated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that he needed to drive to the nearest Goodyear dealer for the tire replacements; however, the nearest Goodyear was 100 miles away. The tires were not replaced. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The tire failure mileage was approximately 200. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON, WE FIND A RECALL THAT IS OPEN AND ACTIVE. BRIGHT VEHICLE TO YAKLIN FOR REPAIR AND THEY DECLINED THE REPAIR BECAUSE THE PART HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
JEEP DEVELOPED COMMUNICATION ISSUES, DASH DISPLAYED "NO BUS." ONE MORNING I STARTED THE JEEP AND WENT TO SHIFT TO GEAR AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. TOOK IT UP THE ROAD AND BACK THINKING I HAD A COMMUNICATION ISSUE TO DIAGNOSE, THE DRIVERS AIR BAG DEPLOYED TURNING ON MY ROAD. SEEMED TO HAPPEN WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE.I LEARNED ABOUT THE RECALL CORROSION IN AIR BAG MODULE MAY LEAD TO INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT. I DROPPED MY VEHICLE OFF TO NYE DODGE JEEP RAM IN ONEIDA NY. REPAIR ORDER WAS MADE NOV 14TH 2019. I WAS GIVEN A 1-800 NUMBER TO CALL, PLACED 4 CALLS BEFORE MY CASE WAS ESCALATED CORRECTLY. MADE NUMEROUS CALLS TO THE 800 NUMBER AND EVENTUALLY ON 12/5 MAYBE 12/6 AN INSPECTOR CAME AND INSPECTED MY VEHICLE. WITH BASICALLY NO PROGRESS AFTER A MONTH AND A HALF I PICKED UP MY VEHICLE. WITH A COUPLE MORE CALLS TO THE 800 NUMBER AND BEING TOLD WERE "ON HOLD" WITH CHRYSLERS END MY VEHICLE IS STILL NOT FIXED AND THE 800 NUMBER CALLS ALL END WITH WELL LEAVE A MESSAGE FOR WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE WITH YOUR CASE TO CALL YOU, THEY HAVE YET TO CALL GOING ON 3 WEEKS. I WAS TOLD THE AIRBAGS ARE NOT AVAILABLE FROM CHRYSLER. LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION OR TO AT LEAST GET THE MODULE INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT LOCATION AND ILL SOURCE AIRBAGS. IT HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF TIME TO NOT HAVE ANY ANSWERS AND MY RECALL NOT COMPLETED.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT AREA OF THE VEHICLE AND THE SUSPENSION WAS UNSTABLE, THE CHECK ENGINE, MULTIPLE GAUGES, AND VARIOUS WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED RANDOMLY. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES AND THE CONTACT WAS WAITING FOR A RESPONSE TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD INSPECT AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 198,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME AND THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILED TO WORK DUE TO THE GAUGES NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 00V105000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO PASS A VEHICLE INSPECTION DUE TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TO BE TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER SOFTWARE HAD A DEFECT THAT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 198,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS EXPOSED DUE TO THE TRAILER HITCH BEING REMOVED AND COULD NOT BE REPLACED DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 185,000.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V252000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, STRUCTURE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
CrashFireInjuryDeath
NOTHING I TRIED TO CALL DEALER AND THEY WERE NOT VERY HELPFUL. I THINK THEY FEEL IF THEY IGNORE PEOPLE THEY WON'T HAVE TO FIX OUR CARS.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 1998 Jeep Cherokee?
Owners named Brakes most often — 64 of 388 reports (16%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 1998 Jeep Cherokee?
NHTSA lists 11 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags, Brakes, Fuel system, Electrical, Lights, and Seat belts. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 1998 Jeep Cherokee?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop check pads, rotors, fluid and whether the pedal feels firm. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.