"How reliable is the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee?"

"Based on 1432 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a median complaint mileage of 120000 miles. The most common issue is Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee is Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch, accounting for a significant portion of the 1432 total complaints filed."

1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1432 complaints

1432

Total Complaints

120,000mi

Median Mileage

Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch

Top Issue

143

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

90,000 25th Percentile

120,000 Median Mileage

164,682 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch

127

Rotor

Tank Assembly

Fuel System, Other

Automatic Transmission

Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip

Fuel/Propulsion System

Fuel Gauge System

Fuel System, Gasoline

Fuel Pump

Severity Assessment

143

Crashes

Fires

112

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"AFTER VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FOR 15 MINUTES AND PARKED THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE AT 1,500 MILES.THE REASON IS UNKNOWN AS OF NOW. *AK"

"CONSUMER STATES WHEN SHE WAS PARKING HER VEHICLE IT SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT ON FIRE, NO INJURIES. *AK"

"ABS BRAKE FAILURE, DRIVING VEHICLE AT LOW SPEED, APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, LOSS OF EFFECTIVENESS, ON DRY SURFACE, IMPACT 12:00 POSITION, HITTING THE HOUSE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Tank Assembly 78 complaints

25th: 55,998 mi Median: 68,899 mi 75th: 76,147 mi

Automatic Transmission 54 complaints

25th: 91,250 mi Median: 95,000 mi 75th: 98,752 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 193 NY: 133 MA: 96 FL: 94 PA: 92 TX: 69 MD: 55 IL: 55 MI: 50 NJ: 48

Who Files Complaints?

36.1%

Original Owners

63.9%

Second+ Owners

Jeep Grand Cherokee — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1993	784	129,000	Rotor	68
1994	775	146,000	Vehicle Speed Control	142
1995	983	115,461	Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch	146
1996	1249	139,000	Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch	156
1998	1349	105,000	Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch	194
1999	2319	80,800	Rotor	157
2000	1855	85,000	Rotor	132
2001	1128	69,000	Rotor	95
2002	1770	74,000	Air Bags	98
2003	887	71,000	Air Bags	60
2004	1570	64,000	Air Bags	149
2005	2732	80,000	Electrical System	137
2006	1750	81,000	Electrical System	79
2007	1475	70,000	Electrical System	47
2008	990	76,200	Electrical System	35
2009	195	62,360	Electrical System	9
2010	171	70,000	Electrical System	18
2011	2421	64,000	Electrical System	90
2012	2308	65,000	Electrical System	72
2013	1102	66,000	Electrical System	41
2014	3365	46,865	Power Train	224
2015	1725	40,000	Power Train	179
2016	434	32,537	Power Train	45
2017	552	33,000	Engine	38
2018	1160	19,000	Electrical System	75
2019	516	31,000	Electrical System	25
2020	329	7,100	Electrical System	39
2021	643	17,500	Electrical System	34
2022	415	26,000	Electrical System	12
2023	617	13,266	Electrical System	26
2024	355	12,000	Electrical System	9
2025	87	-	Electrical System	3

Active Recalls (11)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 09E012000 | 07/04/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

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.

Tank Assembly

Campaign 13V252000 | 19/06/2013

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.

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 install a Chrysler designed tow hitch free of charge, provided the condition of the vehicle can support pro

Headlights

Campaign 09E025000 | 11/05/2009

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

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.

Exterior Lighting

Campaign 06E026000 | 23/03/2006

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

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.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Campaign 06E022000 | 13/03/2006

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.

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.

Glass, Side/Rear

Campaign 07E104000 | 11/12/2007

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT(S) MAY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY SHATTERED GLASS.

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 REIMBURSE WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS FOR CURRENT INVENTORY AND AT A SPECIFIED RATE FOR REPLACING THEIR CUSTOMER

Fuel Pump

Campaign 06E011000 | 01/02/2006

IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FUEL LEAK COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

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.

Rotor

Campaign 00V136000 | 10/05/2000

THE REDUCED STRENGTH CAN ALLOW THE CAST IRON WEAR SURFACE TO SEPARATE FROM THE HUB, REDUCING THE BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE VEHICLE.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THESE ROTORS WITH ROTORS THAT ARE COATED WITH A CORROSION PROTECTION.

Floor Shift

Campaign 02V053000 | 15/02/2002

INADVERTENT MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

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 SEPTEMBER 23, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE D

Tank Assembly

Campaign 97V194000 | 07/11/1997

OWNERS MAY NOT BE AWARE THAT THEIR VEHICLE IS LOW ON FUEL INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH IF THE VEHICLE STOPS DUE TO NO FUEL.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL LEVEL SENDING UNIT.

Sensor/Control Module-Inactive

Campaign 97V080000 | 16/05/1997

UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AIR BAG ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED MODULE.

Extend Your Transmission Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Change transmission fluid at manufacturer intervals — not 'lifetime' fluid
Come to a full stop before shifting from reverse to drive
Don't ride the brakes on hills — use a lower gear
Check transmission fluid level and color monthly — dark fluid needs changing
Address slipping, hard shifts, or delayed engagement immediately

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28