1996 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE Complaints

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. *TR

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. *JB

WHILE BACKING SLOWLY AND TURNING, WE EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE MOUNTING BRACKET FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP ON OUR 1996 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED 5.2 LITER V-8. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE SERPENTINE BELT TO FLY LOOSE, THE PUMP TO BECOME INOPERATIVE AND THE PUMP TO FALL INTO THE RADIATOR FAN WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT AND SPRAY ANTI-FREEZE ALL OVER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE BRACKET SHOWED AN OLD FRACTURE AT THE BOLT HOLE NEAREST THE FIRST NUMERAL MOLDED INTO THE PART. AT A SALVAGE YARD A NEARLY IDENTICAL BRACKET FROM A 1994 MODEL OF THE SAME VEHICLE SHOWED THAT FAILURE WAS BEGINNING ON THAT PART IN PRECISELY THE SAME LOCATION. *TR

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE CUSTOMER HAD RECALL WORK DONE AND PAID OUT OF POCKET CUSTOMER STATES THAT SHE FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTION FOR REIMBURSEMENT BUT HAS NOT RECEIVED MONEY**CC THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD IF SHE DIDN'T HAVE PROOF THAT PAYMENT WAS MADE FOR THE REPAIR, SHE WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSED. *JB

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. *JB

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. *NM

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. *JB

1996 GRAND CHEROKEE HOOD STRUCK WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING. *TS THE HOOD LATCH WAS DEFECTIVE. *NM

JUST OVER A YEAR AGO, MY 1996 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO ENCOUNTERED A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP. AS I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF PROCURING A REPLACEMENT PUMP, A FRIEND TOLD ME TO CHECK FOR RECALLS/TSB'S ON IT AS HE HAD EXPERIENCED MANY FUEL PUMP PROBLEMS WITH THESE. THERE WERE, I BELIEVE TWO TSB'S INVOLVING MY VEHICLE SO I CALLED CHRYSLER. THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DETERMINE IF THE PROBLEM WAS THE PUMP. I TOLD HER I HAD ALREADY DONE THAT. SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD TO DETERMINE IT AND IF IT WAS THE PUMP, CHRYSLER WOULD COVER THE REPAIR. I HAD IT TOWED TO CHRYSLER ($65) AND THEY INDEED FOUND IT WAS A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP AND REPLACED IT AND I WAS CHARGED OVER $600 FOR THE REPAIR. AFTER THE FACT, CHRYSLER DECLINED TO PAY FOR WHAT THEY PROMISED. I HAD FOUND A REPLACEMENT PUMP THAT I WAS PREPARED TO INSTALL MYSELF FOR $163 AND HAD CHRYSLER BEEN HONEST AND DECLINED TO COVER THE REPAIR, I WOULD HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IT MYSELF FOR $163 AND BEEN ABLE TO GO ON VACATION TO THE OUTER BANKS INSTEAD OF PAYING ALMOST $700 AND HAVING TO CANCEL MY VACATION. I HAVE CONTACTED , EMAILED, ETC MANY PEOPLE AT CHRYSLER TO NO AVAIL. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT WHEN YOU DEAL WITH CHRYSLER, YOU BETTER GET IT IN WRITING! PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN!. *NM

REAR MAIN CRANKSHAFT OIL SEAL FAILURE RE: SERVICE BULLETN,DATED 3/15/96 NHTS REFERENCE NO 5423