Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Jeep Cherokee, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Service brakes, hydraulic80
- Power train65
- Air bags52
- Electrical system47
- Fuel system, gasoline32
- Engine and engine cooling30
- Structure27
- Fuel system, other23
- Suspension18
- Seat belts17
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 31 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 32 1998 Cherokee vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 21 people died inside them, and 13 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 1998 Jeep Cherokee failed the safety check 2.24% of the time — 31% more often than the average 1998 passenger car (1.71%). Median odometer at inspection: 175,832 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
154 first registered in 1998 are on Dutch roads; 56% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm112
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld83
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen82
- Remverschil op 1 as te groot56
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde49
- Uitlaatsysteem niet gasdicht / onveilige afvoer uitlaatgasse31
- Remleiding door corrosie aangetast25
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt20
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
266 cars built in 1998 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 628 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, 309 of these cars first registered in 1998 took their annual MOT test. 67% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 1998 the figure was 64%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 1998 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 18.4% | 16.0% |
| Brakes | 13.3% | 11.8% |
| Suspension | 8.7% | 12.4% |
| Body, chassis, structure | 8.1% | 9.3% |
| Visibility | 5.5% | 6.7% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 4.2% | 7.2% |
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
51 1998 cars are on the New Zealand register; 35% arrived as used imports, 59% 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 7 variants: combined 11.5–14.9 L/100 km (about 16–20 mpg US), CO₂ 265–343 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cherokee · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 13.2 | 9.4 | 11.5 |
| Cherokee · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.9 | 11.4 | 13.3 |
| Cherokee · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.7 | 11.8 | 13.4 |
| Cherokee 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 14.7 | 13.0 | 13.9 |
| Cherokee 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 15.7 | 12.5 | 14.3 |
| Cherokee · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 16.9 | 12.1 | 14.8 |
| Cherokee 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 17.2 | 12.1 | 14.9 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 1998 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 … |
| 1998073 17 Apr 1998 | Seats And Restraints THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH C.M.V.S.S. 210 - SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES. THE FRONT SEAT BELT SHOULDER TURNING LOOP ANCHORS MAY HAVE BEEN OMITTED FROM … |
| 1998036 23 Feb 1998 | Brakes THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM RESERVOIR DIAPHRAGM MAY SPLIT OR TEAR. A RUPTURED DIAPHRAGM CAN CAUSE AN INCREASE IN ENGINE IDLE SPEED AND LOSS OF POWER ASSIST … |
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 VEHICLE. THE FRONT SEAT BELT SHOULDER TURNING LOOP ANCHORS WERE NOT PROPERLY HEAT TREATED AND ARE NOT PROPERLY HARDENED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE POWER BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM RESERVOIR DIAPHRAGM CAN SPLIT OR TEAR.
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 1998 Jeep Cherokee: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 634272 | FLASH PROGRAMMING FAILURE RECOVERY. *SLC |
| 634077 | SUBJECT REGARDING OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR GLASS REPLACEMENT. *SLC |
| 633948 | SUBJECT REGARDING FLOOR PAN CORROSION. *SLC |
| 625650 | SUBJECT REGARDING OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR GLASS REPLACEMENT. *TT |
| 620071 | SUBJECT REGARDING ADDITIONAL DIAGNOSTIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES CAUSED BY AN EVAPORATIVE SYSTEM LEAK. *TT |
| 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 |
| 616722 | SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT A LIGHT TO MODERATE SPARK KNOCK CONDITION DURING ACCELERATION (UNDER LOAD). *TT |
| 615688 | SUBJECT REGARDING CHILD SEAT TETHER ANCHORS. *TT |
| 614650 | ;SUBJECT REGARDING RTV USE ON CORPORATE AXLE. *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 |
| 6092297 | SOME VEHICLE ENGINES MAY EXHIBIT A LIGHT-TO-MODERATE SPARK KNOC CONDITION DURING ACCELERATION (UNDER LOAD). *TT |
| 6092295 | SOME VEHICLE ENGINES MAY EXHIBIT A LIGHT-TO-MODERATE SPARK KNOCK CONDITION DURING ACCELERATION (UNDER LOAD). *TT |
| 6089800 | DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION IS NOW OFFERINB AIRBAG ON / OFF SWITCHES FOR SELECTED VEHICLES. *TT |
| 6089311 | CONCERNS WITH A/C EVAPORATOR ODOR. *NLM |
| 6089148 | CONCERNS ON INCORRECT FAULT MATURE TIME - DTC $B7 LEAK DETECTION PUMP SOLENOID CIRCUIT. *NLM |
| 6089145 | CONDITIONS ON OBD II MISFIRE MONITOR. *NLM |
| 6089130 | INFORMATION ON A/C REFRIGERANT LEAKS. *NLM |
| 6088884 | INFORMATION ON POOR DRIVABILITY WITH HIGH DI (DRIVABILITY INDEX) FUEL. *NLM |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation