My wife, [xxx] was driving down I 75 at 70 MPH and the vehicle just went dead. She coasted over to the shoulder and stopped. She put the vehicle in park, try to start the vehicle several times, fearing the battery would run down. The vehicle finally cranked, the vehicle started fine for a couple weeks and went dead in the middle of traffic in dalton, ga. The vehicle was pushed to the side and again she spent app. 5 minutes, with several tries and the vehicle finally started. The vehicle has stopped on I 75 several times more. Very dangerous. The vehicle has also refused to start twice at first, after setting for a couple hours while [xxx] went in shopping. The vehicle did start. Today the vehicle was setting at home after ridding around town for a couple of hours and refused to start running the battery down. I placed a charger on the battery, got a 25% charge and the vehicle started. The vehicle starts easy, when it starts. The vehicle for the most part is a good vehicle, but I am afraid, this issue is going to cause an accident. Can you help. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee engine complaints
Page 2 of 5: complaints 11 to 40 of 105, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Jeep advertises that there grand cherokees can withstand water up to 20 inches deep. I beg to differ and I have been lied to. Was driving through my neighborhood on my way to a buddy's house a few blocks away, I hit a small puddle on my way and my engine just seized up and everything went ballistic. Measured the puddle and it was a whopping inch and a half deep. Had my buddy tow me back home to check it out and low and behold, there it was, rod #1 sticking right through my oil pan about an inch. Bent to high [xxx] and sheared right off (note: also noticed the electrical components said "japan" and when I pulled the oil pan and pulled the rod, in big bold letters "china" stamped on the rod") now I have a 6000lb paper weight sitting in my driveway that I can do nothing with. Now if jeep advertises that their vehicles are safe in water up to 20 inches, why did an inch and a half deep puddle hydrolock my engine resulting in rod #1 being shot through the oil pan and all electronics fried? Hmmmm interesting. Also notice how the foreign mass market parts were the only ones to fail. Seems a little fishy. It grinds my gears because I have been a die hard mopar enthusiast since I was born, my father worked for chrysler from the day he graduated to the day he died and slaved for the company and this is the products they are selling to the american public. I smell [xxx]and it pains me to say that I will never ever purchase a chrysler product for the rest of my days........screw chrysler and their fiat owned corporation. I do not support foreign products in any way shape or form. [xxx]= complete crap information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who ran a diagnostic test and stated that they could not duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 312,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle began to shake before stalling without warning. After allowing the vehicle to sit for 30 minutes, the contact was able to restart the vehicle however, the failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where the cam shaft sensor, ignition coil, ignition switch, distributor cap, crank sensor, and the starter was replaced over the course of several visits. The failure recurred after each repair. The ECM was replaced and the failure did not recur until seven months later. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 142,000 and the current mileage was 151,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that white smoke emitted from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the water pump and head gasket were defective and needed to be replaced. The components were replaced but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 198,000 and the current mileage was 199,400.
Stalling/stumbling of engine, fuel or electrical while driving at 35 miles per hour on city street. Has never stalled at freeway speeds, low speed only. Last stalling friday december 7, 2012 on city street. Previous incident occurred march of 2012 on city streets.
Started out to go to work @ 6 am traveled with no issues to the kids sitter's house and then continued on to work on double lane highway speed limit 60 MPH. The jeep started sputter, jerk and eventually died, didn't realize it had died so pulled off to side of road, turn the jeep back on it kept sputtering, jerking and died again. Finally, it backfired 3 to 4 times and stayed started. Check engine light came on went and had the code read it stated it was the ignition coil and catalyst system. So we changed the ignition coil and catalytic converter, along with the muffler do to the fact the backfiring blew a hole plum through the muffler. Still same problems. Have had several near miss of crashes, and bodily injury. Now it doesn't want to start and you sit on the side of the road like I did for 2 hours before it wanted to start up.
The engine stalls randomly at various speeds.this has happened on busy and dangerous highways.I have replaced the ECM and gave it a complete tune-up and crank position sensor. The engine usually restarts after a few minutes of sitting. This problem is all over the internet. Nobody has figured it out. I hate to see anybody get hurt or killed by this unexplained problem.
Jeep has been stalling for 2 years at least. Stalls under all conditions, idle, high speed, cold or hot outside temp. Recently the past month it is stalling constantly at the rate of 2-5 times per day, average mileage 25 miles per day. Stalls at highway speeds are bad, and in traffic can be deadly. Stalls in intersections are worse as there is not enough time to react and get the vehicle away from heavy traffic. Basic research will show that thousands of people have this same exact problem.
Engine suddenly cut off while driving, power brakes and steering were immediately lost, although lights and gages remained operational. Battery and grounds tested fine. Cap, rotor and plugs are all new, wires and coil test fine, and vehicle has new mopar crank position and throttle position sensors. Research on jeep technical sites finds identical problems being traced to failure of power control module PCM, sometimes also referred to as engine control module (ECM).
This is a commonly known defect with these jeeps which has never been adequately addressed by the federal safety agency. Someone is going to get killed if the manufacturer is not held responsible. Infamous stalling problem. Whether going 10 MPH or 70 MPH, vehicle will stall with no warning. Generally will re-start after turning off ignition, but not always immediately. On my jeep, I have replaced the computer module, crankshaft position sensor, fuel pump, fuel filters, maf sensor, distributor cap, rotor, plugs and plug wires. I have had the computer module wiring harness reworked. Still stalls, and I have been forced to park the jeep for safety reasons.
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 jeep grand cherokee laredo. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a crash. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer stated that the air bags should have deployed (after inspecting) but were unable to diagnose the reason why they did not. The vehicle also stalled intermittently before the crash. The current and failure mileages were approximately 136,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle would intermittently stall when driving at various speeds and when sitting idle. In addition, the electrical system would fail when the vehicle would stall. The dealer replaced the spark plugs, wires, rotor cap, throttle body, fuel filter, 02 sensor, pvc valve, unknown hoses and couplings. The failure persisted and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure or produce any diagnostic codes. The approximate failure mileage was 206,000 and the current mileage was 209,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee laredo. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled every time she drove it beginning in september 2009. Sometimes, she was able to restart it automatically and other times, she would have to tow the vehicle because it would not restart. The vehicle intermittently shut off completely with no warning lights and no specific speed range. She took the vehicle to the dealership and the catalytic converter was inspected and PCM was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred immediately after the reprogramming. She called the manufacturer who stated that they could not assist her. The vehicle had not been repaired at this time. The current mileage was 138,380. The failure mileage was approximately 129,900.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. The contact stated that his vehicle stalls for no reason. The failure occurs in traffic on occasion and takes a couple of minutes before restarting. The failure occurs while driving at low speeds or up to 50 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they were unaware of the stalling issue. After the contact complained numerous times, the dealer replaced the coil and charged the contact $300. The dealer will not allow the contact to return because the failure still persists. The manufacturer stated that they do not get involved with individual dealers. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 125,000.
All jeep grand cherokee laredo's air conditioning stops working, know defect to them in 1998. I can't drive my jeep in the summer due to health issues from no air. If you look in the summertime at the number of jeeps with windows down you can bet there a.c. Has quit. It is about $900 to fix it. Known problem with the evaporator core, there solution, drill a hole in the floor.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. The vehicle stalls and hesitates sporadically. The failure occurs every few days or multiple times per day. It also occurs when the vehicle is idling or parked. The vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. Through online research, the contact discovered numerous complaints for this same defect on his type of vehicle. He believes a recall should be issued. The failure mileage was 77,000 and current mileage is 78,000. Updated 12/10/08 *cn the repair mechanic stated the problem may be the crank sensor. Updated 12/17/08.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and then shut off. It would not restart immediately. The next morning, the failure recurred. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 150,075 and failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted, but stalled again a few miles down the road. The failure occurred three previous times. A local mechanic was unable to identify the cause of the failures. The vehicle is currently at the dealer. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 200,003.
1996 jeep grand cherokee stalls.
Vehicle was loosing power, cutting out and dying. While accelerating or driving at a constant speed it would cut out. When you would slow the vehicle to stop or turn it would die loosing all power steering, brakes, etc. Check engine light would turn on but sometimes the reading would be lost by the time it went to mechanic. Crank shaft sensor was replaced with a napa brand. Still the problem kept happening. Several other parts were replaced over 3 years trying to figure it out. Finally in march 07 the mechanic replaced the crank shaft sensor again but with a factory part. Haven't had any problems since. I am upset because I had to pay for a part to be preplaced twice plus others, exceeding $1000 because the after market part wasn't compatible with my vehicle. Either napa needs to stop making this part or jeep needs to let consumers know that this particular part won't work. Have read reports of other vehicles having same problem. Maybe this could help them.
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 jeep grand cherokee. The parts for recall number e22 regarding the mandatory emission catalytic converter are unavailable. As a result, the vehicle will not be able to pass inspection in a timely fashion and would be illegal to drive. The dealer stated that there is no specific date as to when the parts will be available. The current mileage was 145,000 and failure mileage was 144,000. *updated 12/12/07 *bf updated 12/12/07.
Paint is fading and has started peeling, also chips very easily. Exhaust manifold is also cracked. The paint problem has been steadily getting worse since I first noticed it approx. (2) years ago. The vehicle was still loud after the muffler was changed, dealer diagnosed a cracked exhaust muffler. I contacted chrysler who would not stand behind the factory problems. They stated the vehicle was to old and had to many miles on it.
I understand that it is a common problem for the ( 1996 and newer jeep grand cherokee )exhaust manifold. They develop an exhaust leak, where the weld of the 2 exhaust pipes off of the engine meet the flange ( leak at weld of flange ) for the transfer to a single exhaust pipe. I've just had a recall completed by jeep because of the rattle in the catalytic converter, which I was told posed an emissions question, but the exhaust manifold leak posses a much larger problem not only with exhaust leak of hot gases of co, and the effectiveness of the catalytic converter.
Engine cuts out or has difficulty starting. Periodically(could be more than once a day) the motor turns over but will not start as it normally should. Often have to wait approach. 10 minutes and will start. Often after only a few minutes. Also, while driving along at high speed the engine will cut out and may restart immediately(seconds) and occasionally must pull off of highway and wait a few minutes before it will restart. Recall on PCM ; technician advised me that it might be PCM , but problem has worsened since recall on PCM was performed. At least 20 failures. Perhaps more.
Consumer had the catalytic converter repaired under recall. Within days the check engine light illuminated. Mechanic determined that the catalytic converter was defective.*ts the consumer was told by the dealer's technician that the catalytic converter had efficiency failure. The consumer was told that the part would not be covered under the recall again because the part was not and original oem part.
Car purchased summer of 2002. Within two years the exhaust manifold part failed causing rumbling noise when car engine is running and slight smell of exhaust. Had a michigan certified mechanic replace the part with a new genuine jeep exhaust manifold part. New part today is failing again. Told by mechanic part would have to be replaced and that this part is one he has seen fail constantly on jeeps. Mechanic explained part breaks down from heat/cold expansions and when the exhaust is removed the part is in pieces. I am sending this complaint as there are no recalls from chrysler on a part that is important relating to engine exhaust that cannot be channel through the exhaust pipes safely since the manifold is being made to break down within a two year period. Check other vehicles (I have owned many other named autos) and you will find this part is not being replaced every year. How can an emissions test be accurate if the exhaust is not being channeled through it's system? The exhaust smell is right by the front car doors, where the manifold part is failing. I hope your department will look into this exhaust problem is dangerous to the environment and humans.
Rear main crankshaft oil seal failure re: service bulletn,dated 3/15/96 nhts reference no 5423
Heater hose jammed accelerator linkage causing runaway vehicle at very high speed...shifted into neutral to avoid collision...brakes were insufficient to stop the vehicle as jamming caused engine RPM's to go very high [approx. 5000 RPM].
I was told that all exhaust manifolds on the straight 6 cylinder motor developed a crack in the same location due to stress and the replacment parts have been reenginereed to "flex". I fear mild to severe carbon monoxide contamination of the interior cabin could occur common complaints of headaces. This seems to be a very common problem that is very expensive $900 est. That many consumers take a chance and do not make repairs.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history