Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Jeep Cherokee, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Fuel system, gasoline85
- Service brakes, hydraulic62
- Fuel system, other52
- Power train47
- Engine and engine cooling45
- Air bags28
- Electrical system23
- Vehicle speed control15
- Equipment12
- Steering11
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 27 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 14 1997 Cherokee vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 11 people died inside them, and 6 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 1997 Jeep Cherokee failed the safety check 2.41% of the time — 51% more often than the average 1997 passenger car (1.60%). Median odometer at inspection: 183,168 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
131 first registered in 1997 are on Dutch roads; 55% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €46,709.
Most common APK defects
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm116
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen79
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld60
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde58
- Remverschil op 1 as te groot35
- Uitlaatsysteem niet gasdicht / onveilige afvoer uitlaatgasse28
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht25
- Roestschade dorpel23
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
181 cars built in 1997 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 467 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 196 of these cars first registered in 1997 took their annual MOT test. 60% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1997 the figure was 64%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1997 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 17.3% | 16.1% |
| Brakes | 16.8% | 11.8% |
| Suspension | 10.2% | 12.2% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 8.2% | 7.2% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 7.1% | 9.7% |
| Visibility | 4.1% | 6.6% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In New Zealand
68 1997 cars are on the New Zealand register; 46% arrived as used imports, 50% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 6 variants: combined 12.5–15.0 L/100 km (about 16–19 mpg US), CO₂ 288–345 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 13.6 | 11.2 | 12.5 |
| Cherokee 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.3 | 12.3 | 13.4 |
| Cherokee · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 15.3 | 11.3 | 13.5 |
| Cherokee 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 15.5 | 12.1 | 14.0 |
| Cherokee · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 16.5 | 11.9 | 14.4 |
| Cherokee 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 17.1 | 12.3 | 15.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
3 Transport Canada recalls for the 1997 Jeep Cherokee.
| 2000143 29 Jun 2000 | Brakes On certain vehicles originally retailed in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, the composite front disc brake rotors may fail due to corrosion. The cas… |
| 2000103 17 Apr 2000 | Airbag On certain vehiclces, water and/or road salt in the proximity of the air bag control module may lead to corrosion. Such corrosion could result in illumination … |
| 1997208 21 Nov 1997 | Fuel System THE FUEL TANK MOUNTED FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT ACCURACY MAY DEGRADE OVER TIME, INDICATING SIGNIFICANTLY MORE FUEL IN RESERVE THAN IS ACTUALLY PRESENT. THIS COUL… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
U.S. DRIVE RIGHT IS RECALLING 107 MY 1994-1998 RIGHT HAND DRIVE, 4-WHEEL DRIVE JEEP CHEROKEE VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 101, 'CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS;' NO. 108, 'LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT;' NO. 111, 'REARVIEW MIRROR;' NO. 114, 'THEFT PROTECTION;' NO. 115, 'VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER;' NO. 118, 'POWER WINDOW SYSTEM;' NO. 120, 'TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS;' NO. 208, 'OCCUPANT CRASH PROTECTION;' AND NO. 301, 'FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY.'
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 ISLAND, VERMONT, OR WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE FRONT DISC BRAKE ROTORS CAN EXPERIENCE SEVERE CORROSION IF OPERATED FOR AN EXTENSIVE PERIOD IN THE "SALT BELT." IF THE ROTORS ARE NOT REPLACED, THE CORROSION CAN EVENTUALLY COMPROMISE THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE STAMPED STEEL CENTER HUB SECTION OF THE ROTOR.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. WATER AND/OR ROAD SALT IN THE PROXIMITY OF THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE COULD LEAD TO CORROSION.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Jeep told its dealers about the 1997 Jeep Cherokee: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 634272 | FLASH PROGRAMMING FAILURE RECOVERY. *SLC |
| 633948 | SUBJECT REGARDING FLOOR PAN CORROSION. *SLC |
| 633931 | SUBJECT REGARDING DOOR SAG/CREAKING SOUND. *SLC |
| 620066 | SUBJECT REGARDING GENERIC SCAN TOOL (GST), PUBLICATION NO. 81-170-00008 PROVIDED WITH THIS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO PROVIDE REFERENCE INFORMATION WHEN USING GENERIC SCAN TOOL ON OBDII VEHICLES. *TT |
| 620059 | SUBJECT REGARDING AIRBAG / CLOCK SPRING SERVICE FOR VARIOUS MODELS INCLUDING 2002 MODEL YEAR JEEP LIBERTY. *TT |
| 618049 | SUBJECT REGARDING WIRE SPLICE REPAIRS. *SB |
| 615688 | SUBJECT REGARDING CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT |
| 612160 | SUBJECT ON THE CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *MJS |
| 612142 | SUBJECT ON THE HEAD LAMP FLICKER. *MJS |
| 610635 | SUBJECT REGARDING CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT |
| 609995 | THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES A REVISED WIRE SPLICE PROCEDURE AND RELATED PARTS. *TT |
| 609988 | SUBJECT REGARDING MISDIAGNOSED LEAK DETECTION PUMP SYSTEMS WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P1494, P0442 P0455, OR P0456. *TT |
| 6092304 | SUBJECT REGARDING NON-DEPLOYED AIRBAG HANDLING PROCEDURES. *TT |
| 6089800 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION IS NOW OFFERINB AIRBAG ON / OFF SWITCHES FOR SELECTED VEHICLES. *TT |
| 6089311 | CONCERNS WITH A/C EVAPORATOR ODOR. *NLM |
| 6089145 | CONDITIONS ON OBD II MISFIRE MONITOR. *NLM |
| 6089130 | INFORMATION ON A/C REFRIGERANT LEAKS. *NLM |
| 6089094 | THIS BULLETIN INVOLVES WASHER FLUID LEAKS FROM REAR WASHER FLUID NOZZLE. *NLM |
| 6089080 | CONCERNS WITH WIND NOISE. *NLM |
| 6089055 | CONCERNS WITH LOWER INSTRUMENT PANEL/KNEE BLOCKER RATTLE. *NLM |
| 6089038 | INFORMATION ON TIRE AND WHEEL RUNOUT. *NLM |
| 6088886 | CONCERNS WITH ERRONEOUS MIL ILLUMINATION. DRIVABILITY IMPROVEMENT. *NLM |
| 6088884 | INFORMATION ON POOR DRIVABILITY WITH HIGH DI (DRIVABILITY INDEX) FUEL. *NLM |
| 6088851 | BULLETIN INVOLVES ENGINE SUPPORT TICKING NOISE. *NLM |
| 6088834 | INFORMATION REGARDING NHTSA AUTHORIZED AIRBAG DEACTIVATION FOR MEDICAL NECESSITY. *NLM |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires
FAULTY GAS GAUGE INDICATORS
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation