Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 070397 | 05/09/1997 | 07-05-93 | 6088786 | Concerns with engine coolant usage. *nlm | 01/07/2000 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 070397 | 05/09/1997 | 52963 | Various car owner's have expressed interest in using engine coolants made with propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol. *yc | 11/13/1997 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 22 | 08/01/2006 | 10020666 | Reprogram pcm and inspect catalytic converter. *kb | 12/08/2006 | |
| 980130183197 | 01/30/1998 | 54178 | Subject pertaining to obd ii misfire monitor. *yc | 03/30/1998 | |
| 084995 | 12/01/1995 | 46496 | Whenever an oil pressure sensor is replaced, be sure to check the polarity of the terminals in the harness connector. incorrect polarity can lead to premature failure of the sensor. disassemble the connector and reverse the wires. | 04/25/1996 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||||
| 182498 | 07/31/1998 | 602322 | Some vehicles may exhibit light spark knock with a warm engine under load. *yc | 10/26/1998 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 1100605 | 12/21/2005 | 10018993 | Illuminated mil as the result of a diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0420 - catalyst efficiency, or may have failed a california smog or state i/m test but without an illuminated mil, or a rattling sound from the underside of the vehicle. cat | 01/26/2006 | |
| 250298 | 10/23/1998 | 602881 | Subject regarding i/m ( inspection maintenance ) testing - obd ii carb readiness monitor information. *yc | 01/20/1999 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||||
| 110798 | 12/11/1998 | 603108 | Outer exhaust manifold studs may fatigue/break. *ak | 02/02/1999 | |
| 110798 | 07/31/1998 | 602327 | The outer exhaust manifold studs may fatigue and break. *yc | 10/26/1998 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 08/07/2012 | 131862 | 1 | |
| I was driving down the highway,and all of a sudden i heard a loud noise. so i pulled over to the nearest gas station and realized i was leaking oil profusely. then i realized the driver side motor mount had broken off of the engine causing a large hole in the engine block. i have taken great care of my vehicle, changed the oil every 3,000 miles, and then this happens at random. i didn't hit anything to cause the motor mount to break, so why would it break for no reason? anyways, the leaking oil caused a fire beneath my vehicle, and inside the engine compartment. but i quickly put out the fire by a container of water i had in my vehicle. i had my 13 year old brother with me and thank god he or myself was not injured. but it caused us great fear and stress. *tr | |||
| 08/07/2012 | 131862 | ||
| I was driving down the highway,and all of a sudden i heard a loud noise. so i pulled over to the nearest gas station and realized i was leaking oil profusely. then i realized the driver side motor mount had broken off of the engine causing a large hole in the engine block. i have taken great care of my vehicle, changed the oil every 3,000 miles, and then this happens at random. i didn't hit anything to cause the motor mount to break, so why would it break for no reason? anyways, the leaking oil caused a fire beneath my vehicle, and inside the engine compartment. but i quickly put out the fire by a container of water i had in my vehicle. i had my 13 year old brother with me and thank god he or myself was not injured. but it caused us great fear and stress. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 02/06/2012 | 125005 | ||
| Car stalls while driving with no warning. stalls on freeway or in city driving. this is an infamous manufacturing defect on 96 jeeps. very hazardous because engine cuts out completely while in motion. requires pulling over with engine not running to restart engine. jeep then will repeatedly die after re-starting. since engine dies while in motion, cars behind are in real danger of colliding with my vehicle. this issue is almost impossible to fix with normal mechanical problem-solving. engine light does not come on. this issue is well documented in online blogs for jeeps with this problem. this problem with stalling while in motion poses a great threat to public safety. jeep/chrysler is aware and does not acknowledge the problem. | |||
| 08/27/2009 | 1 | ||
| 1996 jeep cherokee caught fire while driving on the westbound side of the ohio turnpike. *kb ohio traffic crash report # 10-0774-91 | |||
| 06/01/2007 | 150000 | 100 | |
| At a slow roll while the vehicle is in gear the engine will idle down then die. it restarts immediately but will stall again unless more throttle is given. the problem is intermittent making it hard to pinpoint the exact cause. *tr | |||
| 08/15/1999 | 80000 | ||
| The entire rear axle was replaced at the advice of jeep service. they claimed that the wheel bearings would not not seat in the axle as the "races" were worn beyond the point of holding them in. because i needed the vehicle for my business, i had no choice but to have them repair it while they had it apart as i did not have time to do the job myself. it was a three week wait for parts as it was. then i noticed the "musty" smell. upon futher investigation i discovered the entire jeep was saturated under the carpets on both sides. mold everywhere. no wonder my allergies were killing me. i've since gutted the vehicle and bleached the entire floor areas. i am now in the process of coming up with a solution to the problem so i can pass it on to other jeep owners. chrysler has a bulletin out on a procedeure to clean the a/c drain but it does not work as it comes back each year. i've found that gluing nylon screening in the air intake under the hood keeps all of the debris that clogs this drain tube out of the heater box. now i am working on a way to stop the water from running back into the dash area through the firewall where it drains out into the frame. not one dealership would talk to me about this. i know that they know about it because of the bulletin. also, i found that the "vents" behind the rear fixed glass on the cherokee have a small holding cup and a tube which the water that enters that area drains into, what i couldn't believe was that it drains into the rear of the vehicle, inside, which results in the entire rear of the vehicle becoming wet under the rear rug. this problem is solved by punching a hole through the floor and extending the factoy drain tube through the floor so the water drains outside the vehicle where it belongs. i am a car buff and pretty knowledgeable about repairs and i could not believe my eyes when i saw these design flaws. they are blatantly obvious. | |||
| 96259 | 1 | 12/30/1999 | |
| While driving vehicle, the vehicle hit a bump in the road that caused the vehicle to make a loud noise. the dealer stated that the front engine mount bolt had sheared into the block causing the motor to drop. ts scc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 05/03/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Car has been well-maintained throughout ownership/no abuse of any sort on our part hastened the extensive repairs/overall repair bill was $1500.head gasket and assoc. problems caused the water pump to seize up, the serpentine belt to slip off/the metal parts to be chewed up which went into the radiator causing the water lines and the radiator to be flushed as well.we are concerned about the extensiveness of this problem and the repair cost. we have contacted chrysler, but they said they will not proceed with a recall until nhtsa reports this problem to them.that file # is 8646708. we previously owned the same make and model(1988 jeep).we sold it at 200,000 miles--never having extensive repair problems such as this. *ak | |||
| 04/08/2000 | 3 | 03/01/2000 | |
| Water pump went, causing the engine coolant sensor to go, tire rod needs to be replaced. told this wasn't usual unless a lot of mileage. could the mileage been altered? was this vehicle in an accident before i purchased it? | |||
| 02/20/1999 | 05/01/1998 | ||
| The water pump went out on way out of town. white smoke poured out from behind the jeep. we immediately pulled over and used our phone to call for help. we were told from a mechanic that it sounded as if the water pump went out. we waited for the jeep to cool off, then added water to the radiator. we were able to drive at 35 mph until we found a service station to pull over at. at that time the technician told us that it was indeed the water pump and there was no more that could be done that day (saturday-5:00p.m.). we got our vehicle towed back home to lafayette, la. the next morning and at that time the towing/service technician also said it looked as if the engine head gasket was blown. is that common for this vehicle with this milage? also, the brakes went out and we had them fixed a month ago at lafayette motors inc. could they have known about the water pump or is that impossible? also, was there supposed to be any warning as a check engine light? we got no warning, but the smoke pouring out. *ak( dot number: ) | |||
| 12/08/1998 | 1 | ||
| When getting out of the vehicle someone noticed fuel leaking from the vehicle. dealer determined that the water pump broke, and the dealer replaced the water pump. *ak | |||
| 12/25/1996 | 1 | 09/09/1996 | |
| Engine fire. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||
| 04/08/2001 | |||
| While driving consumer heard fan hitting housing of the radiator. also, vehicle would not go in 5 th gear or reverse. motor had dropped about 3 inches. motor mount bolts had broken. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - HOSE | |||
| 08/10/1996 | |||
| Failure of the gas hose, the gas hose rubbed against the axle, causing a hole in the gas line.ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 07/07/2006 | 171150 | 4 | 02/14/1996 |
| I one day was on my way home from work one day and the check engine light came on and my car suddenly lost all back pressure i could not climb hills and started to smoke but before i could make it home my car began to smoke and eventually caught on fire leaving stranded with no vehicle in site i then called the police dept they had to put out. they said i was lucky to get out. *nm | |||
| 1 | |||
| The vehicle stalled, which caused consumer to lose all power.*ak *jb | |||
| 10/31/2002 | 01/01/2099 | ||
| Mounts failed when turning car into parking lot. car is at dealer for repair now. sheared off bolts have to be drilled out. dt | |||
| 07/05/2002 | 3 | ||
| Consumer states that 3 grade 8 engine mount bolts on the left side have sheared off. *slc | |||
| 10/01/2001 | |||
| Vehicle was driving along and hit a bump. consumer heard a noise and thought that linkage shifted. consumer's mechanic discovered that right motor mounts broke. *ak | |||
| 05/03/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1996 | |
| Car has been well-maintained throughout ownership/no abuse of any sort on our part hastened the extensive repairs/overall repair bill was $1500.head gasket and assoc. problems caused the water pump to seize up, the serpentine belt to slip off/the metal parts to be chewed up which went into the radiator causing the water lines and the radiator to be flushed as well.we are concerned about the extensiveness of this problem and the repair cost. we have contacted chrysler, but they said they will not proceed with a recall until nhtsa reports this problem to them.that file # is 8646708. we previously owned the same make and model(1988 jeep).we sold it at 200,000 miles--never having extensive repair problems such as this. *ak | |||
| 1 | |||
| All 3 bolts that hold motor mounts to block broke off while driving, causing engine to drop or fall.*ak consumer is requesting manufacturer compensate him for damages and also car rental the he had to endure. *jb | |||
| 04/08/2001 | |||
| While driving consumer heard fan hitting housing of the radiator. also, vehicle would not go in 5 th gear or reverse. motor had dropped about 3 inches. motor mount bolts had broken. *ak | |||
| 10/13/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1997 | |
| The shearing of the right engine mount to engine bolts could have allowed the engine to drop down onto the steering mechanism thereby causing loss of control. due the the engine droppping down on the right side, the rear transmision mount was torn from the cross member and the transmission shifted right which could have caused a drive shaft disconnection. i don't know if the engine shift could have impacted the throttle linkage. this shearing of the 3 mounting bolts was not caused by normal wear and tear as the bolts failed simultaneously. it is possible that the bolts were not sufficiently hardened, or possibly over tightened at assembly causing premature failure. the vehicle was essentially disabled and the only thing keeping the engine in place was the distributor landing on the chasis mount hanger. | |||
| 08/26/2000 | 1 | 11/01/1996 | |
| I crossed a railroad track at approximately 15 mph and came to a stop approximately 1 block away. as soon as i applied the accelerator, a loud bang and the sound of dragging a muffer occured. i immediatley pulled over and discovered that the shroud around the primary fan was broken into many pieces. i took the jeep to the dealer the next day they were open (occured on a saturday) and was told that the 3 bolts securing the right engine mount to the block had sheared causing the engine to fall several inches. this requires removing the engine to drill and tap the three holes to install a new bolts. diamler-chrylser is willing to pay for the bolts but not the $1000 labor. the jeep has never been off road and maintained excellently. | |||
| 08/26/2000 | 1 | 11/01/1996 | |
| Engine front motor mounts that screw into the side of the engine have sheared off. dealer has repaired problem, but has no reason for the cause. *ak | |||
| 03/07/2000 | 1 | 03/16/1996 | |
| Felt a thunk beneath the jeep, discovered the bolts holding the engine in place (3) had sheared off allowing the engine to dropdown on one side. | |||
| 09/10/1999 | 09/01/1996 | ||
| The right side engine mount broke, causing the engine to drop out of place while driving. dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| Three engine bolts sheared off, leaving the engine hanging low on the front end. this happened while traveling at 60 mph. dealer has replaced the bolts. *ak | |||
| 03/08/1998 | 2 | 04/01/1996 | |
| On the first occasion the motor mount bolts broke and the side of the engine collapsed downward. due to the collapse the fan moved down and it hit the fan cover. when the motor mount collapsed it chipped away at the surface of the engine block. the second time the motor mount bolts came out completely and the engine fell to the side again this time wedging fan into the radiator. the first time the dealership repaired the motor mounts, but obviously did not do a good enough job, in order the keep the motor mount secure. | |||
| 06/12/1999 | 3 | 09/01/1995 | |
| Upon hitting a bump on an interstate highway, i noted unusual sounds coming from the undercarriage of my 4-wheel drive vehicle. i immediately took this vehicle to a repair facility where it was discovered that three (3) of the six (6) bolts which attach the engine to the body of the vehicle had broken off, causing the engine to shift. the only reason that the engine did not fall off entirely is that a part of it caught on the chassis of the vehicle, preventing the engine from falling off entirely. the repair facility manager indicated that this type of mishap occurs regularly with jeep vehicles. *ak | |||
| 06/12/1999 | 3 | 09/01/1995 | |
| Upon hitting a bump on an interstate highway, i noted unusual sounds coming from the undercarriage of my 4-wheel drive vehicle. i immediately took this vehicle to a repair facility where it was discovered that three (3) of the six (6) bolts which attach the engine to the body of the vehicle had broken off, causing the engine to shift. the only reason that the engine did not fall off entirely is that a part of it caught on the chassis of the vehicle, preventing the engine from falling off entirely. the repair facility manager indicated that this type of mishap occurs regularly with jeep vehicles. *ak | |||
| 02/20/1999 | 05/01/1998 | ||
| The water pump went out on way out of town. white smoke poured out from behind the jeep. we immediately pulled over and used our phone to call for help. we were told from a mechanic that it sounded as if the water pump went out. we waited for the jeep to cool off, then added water to the radiator. we were able to drive at 35 mph until we found a service station to pull over at. at that time the technician told us that it was indeed the water pump and there was no more that could be done that day (saturday-5:00p.m.). we got our vehicle towed back home to lafayette, la. the next morning and at that time the towing/service technician also said it looked as if the engine head gasket was blown. is that common for this vehicle with this milage? also, the brakes went out and we had them fixed a month ago at lafayette motors inc. could they have known about the water pump or is that impossible? also, was there supposed to be any warning as a check engine light? we got no warning, but the smoke pouring out. *ak( dot number: ) | |||
| 01/27/1999 | |||
| While driving about 5 to 10 mph heard a loud noise and pulled over to see what the problem was. took the vehicle to the shop, and dealer noticed that the motor mounts had sheared off. *ak | |||
| 07/28/1998 | |||
| When driving vehicle hit a bump in which the engine mount bolts sheared off, causing the engine to drop several inches, resulting in the vehicle driving very rough. consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer replacing parts. please provide any further details. *ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 07/07/2006 | 171150 | 4 | 02/14/2006 |
| One day my jeep was getting no back pressure, turned around my check in engine light came on on my way home from work it started to smoke and then eventually caught on fire luckily i got out. fire dept had to put fire out. *nm | |||
| 06/18/2001 | 0 | ||
| Consumer was traveling about 35mph on a side street and without prior warning vehicle shut down. airbag light and lights inside and outside went out. vehicle will be towed to a mechanic. dealership was contacted numerous times. *ak | |||
| 07/26/2000 | 1 | 04/15/2000 | |
| The engine cylinders were bad, the engine overheated causing complete engine failure. *mjs | |||
| 09/11/2000 | 1 | 05/01/1996 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 09/21/1999 | 3 | 10/01/1995 | |
| Three engine mount bolts snapped at once while driving 55 mph on palisades parkway in new jersey. there was no warning (vibrating engine, noise, etc) before bolts snapped. according to my mechanic, this is the second jeep cherokee he has seen with this problem. since there is relatively low mileage on the jeep, and since i do not drive it off road, this should not be happening. the only reason the engine remained in the car was due to the distributar cap. it took 4 titanium drill bits to remove all three snapped bolts. were it not for my distributor cap, this problem could have cause a major accident on a major new jersey highway. | |||
| While traveling the vehicle would stall with out indications. manufacturer has been contacted. please provide further informaton. *ak | |||
| 10/06/1998 | 4 | ||
| Fuel pump has been replaced four times. the car dies and will not star. , dealer performed repairs, and the problem still exists. occurrences on 11-4-98/11-21-98 and 12-23-98. provide further information. *ak | |||
| 08/24/1998 | 12/20/1996 | ||
| While driving the engine overheated. the vehicle also stalled and the steering wheel locked and the truck would not turn back on. | |||
| 10/01/1996 | 1 | 07/20/1996 | |
| Engine oil leak. | |||
| 05/01/1998 | 1 | 07/20/1996 | |
| Steering box leak. | |||
| 05/01/1998 | 1 | 07/20/1996 | |
| Front coil springs weak. | |||
| 04/16/1998 | 11/27/1995 | ||
| While going in reverse noticed rubbing grinding noise. dealer replaced engine and transmission but noise continued. | |||
| 01/01/1997 | 06/06/1996 | ||
| Heard noise when accelerating from a stop and when placing transmission into gear forward and reverse. | |||
| 07/05/1996 | 3 | ||
| While driving the vehicle stalled with out indication, causing an accident. dealer has been contacted. *ak consumer states stalling occurred due to a faulty pcm. *slc | |||
| 1 | 10/10/1995 | ||
| Noise from bottom end of engine block. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS | |||
| 12/20/2001 | 1 | 11/01/1999 | |
| One of the pulleys brackets holding the serptine belt broke causing loss of power steering and minor damage to the engine compartment. the estimate damage is undetermined at this time, until it can be check out. the bracket holding the pulley cracked in half. when i talked with the service department at the jeep dealer, i was told that this was a normal occurence when the vehicle has in excess of 100,000 miles. because the bracket is made out of aluminum i have 92,000 miles. anyway i was told that this is not a manufacture defect, therefore the manufacture will not pay for repairs.*ak | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 10/30/2008 | 200006 | 1 | |
| 1996 cherokee 4.0 ho 6 cylinder exhaust header cracked at coupler joint. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2007 | 130000 | 1 | |
| 1996 cherokee 4.0 ho 6 cylinder exhaust header cracked at coupler joint. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 11/29/1995 | 1 | 09/21/1995 | |
| Oxygen sensor failed. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||
| 05/04/2006 | 140226 | 1 | 03/31/2000 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was taken to a private repair shop for repair of the catalytic converter due to back pressure and rattling in the engine. on august 25, 2006 the contact received a recall notice for a catalytic converter problem. the recall was not in the nhtsa database. the contact sent the billing information to the manufacturer, who denied reimbursement because the work was done after the recall. on may 4, 2006 the work was completed before the recall notice was received. updated 01/10/07. *jb | |||
| 06/01/1999 | 4 | 08/01/1998 | |
| Ac failed four times within two weeks; vehicle is under warranty, but dealer won't replace and still hasn't fixed the problem. catalytic converter was replaced, but improperly installed; had to return to dealer second time to get it fixed, as they had it improperly attached and mounted next to gas tank. vehicle also drives rough, and sounds horrible, although dealer said no other problems were found. | |||
| 1 | 01/01/1996 | ||
| Catalytic converter fire. | |||
| 1 | 08/01/1996 | ||
| Converter clamp was never installed, causing noise and abrasion due to chaffing. | |||
| 08/01/1996 | |||
| Converter clamp was never installed at factory. constant noise from under vehicle, hot pipe shifted rearward and began rubbing against fuel tank. | |||
| 08/01/1996 | |||
| Converter clamp was never installed allowing hot pipe to shift rearward and rub against the fuel tank. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE | |||
| 01/01/2004 | 180000 | 1 | 09/01/1997 |
| 1996 jeep cherokee, exhaust manifold failed at weld point, not able to repair due to poor metal used by manufacturer. the exhaust must be replaced, jeep manufacturer is aware of problem, refuses to admit it is a manufactures defect. mechanics will tell you it is a common problem with jeeps. exhaust manifold failure is expensive to fix and can lead to multiple problems within in the engine it's self and the converters. *nm | |||
| 01/15/2000 | 3 | 12/01/1996 | |
| When hitting a bump at 35 miles an hour car made a noise which sounded like the muffler fell off. looking at engine, it was tilted and sitting on distributor. mechanic had never seen anyting like it. *ak | |||