1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE Complaints

I PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW, AND IN JULY OF THIS YEAR PULLING INTO A BORDER CHECK POINT, THE ENTIRE VEHICLE STARED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY, I THOUGHT I HAD BLOWN BOTH FRONT TIRES. AFTER A CLOSE INSPECTION BY THE BORDER PATROL THEY COULD SEE NOTHING WRONG, SO I PROCEEDED TO MY DESTINATION. I HAD THE SAME VIOLENT SHAKING AT NO MATTER WHAT SPEED I WAS GOING, IT WAS A HOLIDAY WEEKEND SO I SIMPLY DROVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DROVE 10 MILES TO GET OFF OF THE FREEWAY. WENT TO A TRUCK STOP AND CALLED THE DEALER THEY INFORMED ME THAT IT WOULD NOT HARM THE VEHICLE AND THAT I COULD DRIVE IT INTO TOWN (APPROXIMATELY 19 MILES). IT HAS BEEN WORKED ON SEVERAL TIMES, SO FAR I HAVE HAD A COMPLETE INSPECTION, ALIGNMENT, TIRES TAKEN OFF AND REMOUNTED AND BALANCED, TWO DAYS AGO THEY PUT NEW TIRES ON. FROM ALL OF THE INFORMATION I HAVE FOUND ON THE INTERNET, ANYONE WOULD BE A LITTLE CRAZY TO BUY THIS PRODUCT. HOPEFULLY THEY GET MINE FIXED BEFORE IT KILLS SOMEONE. I NOW HAVE JEEP PRODUCT THAT HAS BEEN BRANDED WITH THE NAME OF DEATH WOBBLE. MAKES ONE REALLY FEEL SAFE. I ALSO SAW MANY ACCIDENTS CAUSED BY THIS SAME PROBLEM. WHY ARE THESE VEHICLES STILL ALLOWED ON THE HIGHWAY? *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AND APPROACHING A TRAFFIC STOP WHEN THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. UPON RESTART, THE VEHICLE RESUMED NORMALLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED SPORADICALLY AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE PCM AND WIRING HARNESS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

TL* THE DRIVER OWNED A 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED WHEN HE LOST CONSCIOUSNESS. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DRIVER WAS KILLED DURING THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

MY 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LAREDO HAS BEEN STALLING INTERMITTENTLY FOR A WHILE THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE I WAS SLOWING DOWN WITH TRAFFIC BEHIND ME TO TURN RIGHT. AS I WAS ENTERING MY TURN THE JEEP LOST ALL POWER I DID NOT HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTROL STEERING AND MY VEHICLE RAN OFF THE ROADWAY CRASHING INTO A DITCH. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL WHILE STOPPED OR DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS. UPON RESTARTING THE VEHICLE IT BEGAN TO FUNCTION NORMALLY; HOWEVER, INTERMITTENTLY IT WOULD NOT RESTART IMMEDIATELY UNLESS THE CONTACT ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO REMAIN TURNED OFF FOR A FEW HOURS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 184,064.

1 DRIVER GETTING INTO THE DRIVERS SEAT, PREPARING TO LEAVE BY BUCKLING THE SEATBELT AND PUSHING IT FIRMLY INTO THE BUCKLE LOCK 2 THE CAUSE IS UNKNOWN AFTER MANY FAILURES, AS THE BELT SIMPLY BEGINS TO WIND BACK TO THE B-PILLAR AS IF THE DRIVER HAD JUST EXITED THE VEHICLE. NO NOISE IS MADE, NO FORCE NEEDS TO BE EXERTED ON THE BELT TO RECREATE THE FAILURE, IN WHICH RECREATION IS IMPOSSIBLE. OFTEN FAILURE MAY OCCUR AFTER AN EXTENDED AMOUNT OF DRIVING TIME. 3 UNKNOWN TO DATE. *TR

DRIVER DOOR LATCH FAILED DUE TO SPLITTING METAL IN DOOR. DOOR OPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. AFTER THE EVENT I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM AND FOUND THAT IT IS A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE. THIS IS HIGHLY DANGEROUS AND NEED TO BE ADDRESSED IMMEDIATELY. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE JEEP THE ENGINE WOULD JUST STOP RUNNING. IT WOULD USUALLY START AGAIN BY TURNING THE KEY BUT NOT ALWAYS. TOOK TO LOCAL JEEP DEALER & WAS TOLD IT WAS THE PCM PO351 WHICH I PAID TO REPLACE. AT 76800 MILES 02/17/2010 THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED & THE SAME DEALER SAID SOMETIMES THEY GET A BAD PCM & IT WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE JEEP IS TOWED BEHIND A MOTOR HOME & AT 78558 MILES 08/30/10 THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED WHILE IN THE STATE OF WA. THE JEEP DEALER THERE SAID "FOUND COIL PRIMARY STORED IN PCM" SO I PAID FOR A COIL/IGNITION 8035004 REPLACEMENT. WHILE STILL IN WA & APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES LATER THE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AGAIN JUST AS IT DID BEFORE. I DECIDED TO TOW IT BACK TO PHOENIX & NOT DRIVE IT UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE ATTEMPTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. AN INDEPENDENT GARAGE ON 01/03/2011 AT 79503 MILES STATED IN PART "FOUND ENGINE WOULD STUMBLE & CODE PO351 WOULD SET WHEN IGNITION COIL HARNESS CONNECTOR IS TAMPERED WITH. REPLACE CONNECTOR. WIGGLE CONNECTOR AT PCM CAN CAUSE STUMBLE. INTERNAL DEFECT CAUSING SHUTOFF. PCM STILL UNDER WARRANTY. PART ON NATIONAL BACK ORDER" CHECKING THE INTERNET FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS SHOWS THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRING NUMEROUS TIMES GOING BACK MANY YEARS SO THIS IS NOT NEW A PROBLEM TO JEEP. HAVING THE ENGINE JUST QUIT RANDOMLY IS A SAFETY ISSUE & HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR TOO MANY YEARS AS EVIDENCED BY THE INTERNET INFORMATION. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 79729.. 01/31/2011 & NO PARTS AVAILABLE.

VEHICLE ENTIRELY STALLS WITHOUT WARNING AT IDLE OR VERY LOW SPEEDS. JERKS AND FLASHES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT FOR ONE SECOND OCCASIONALLY WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL ROAD SPEEDS. HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY UNDER NO SPECIFIC CONDITIONS (COLD, HOT, WET, DRY, ETC.) INTERMITTENT PROBLEM SO CODES CANNOT BE DETECTED. FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS IN HEAVY MID DAY CITY TRAFFIC IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. COULD NOT BE RESTARTED FROM PARK FOR 10 MINUTES, BLOCKED ENTIRE INTERSECTION AND ENTRANCE TO PLAZA. WAS ALMOST HIT BY ONCOMING VEHICLES MULTIPLE TIMES. HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF THIS HAPPENS IN TRAFFIC AS IT HAS BEFORE. BOUGHT USED. APPEARS TO HAVE HAD PCM, AIR FILTER, PLUGS AND WIRES REPLACED. STALLING ISSUE IS OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY PREVALENT AMONGST THIS VEHICLE AND MUST BE ADDRESSED BY THE RESPONSIBLE COMPANIES BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED, LIKELY BEFORE MORE PEOPLE ARE KILLED.

I HAVE A 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE THAT I LOVE. HOWEVER, MY FACTORY INSTALLED SUNROOF LEAKS (AND BY LEAKS I MEAN IT POURS RAIN ON ME). I HAVE TAKEN IT TO FIVE SEPARATE REPAIR SHOPS, INCLUDING A JEEP DEALERSHIP, AND EACH HAS TOLD ME THAT A SEAL FROM THE SUNROOF HAS BROKEN OFF AND IT WILL BE $600 AS THEY HAVE TO INSTALL A NEW GLASS PIECE WITH THE SEAL BUILT IN AS THAT IS THE ONLY WAY JEEP MAKES SUNROOFS NOW. THIS SEAL IS A KNOWN DEFECT, AS ADMITTED BY THE JEEP DEALERSHIP. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT IT IS SUCH A KNOWN DEFECT THAT YOU CAN ONLY BUY THE GLASS AND SEAL TOGETHER NOW. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS CAN BE A KNOWN DEFECT WITH JEEPS AND YET NOT BE A RECALL. I CANNOT AFFORD THE $600 TO REPAIR WHAT SHOULD BE A SIMPLE FIX, BUT HAS TURNED INTO A NIGHTMARE EVERY TIME IT RAINS, WHICH IS OFTEN SINCE I LIVE IN OREGON. I CONSTANTLY HEAR ON JEEP COMMERCIALS HOW JEEP PRIDES ITSELF IN ITS NAME. I LOVE EVERY THING ABOUT MY JEEP, EXCEPT FOR AN OBVIOUS DEFECT THAT IS NOT BEING ADDRESSED. BELOW I HAVE FOUND SEVERAL WEBSITES DISCUSSING THE LEAKING SUNROOF ISSUE AND THE SEAL DEFECT TO SHOW THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY JEEP OWNER WITH THIS PROBLEM. I LOVE MY JEEP, IT HAS BEEN THE BEST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER BOUGHT AND IT IS OFTEN THE ONLY VEHICLE THAT CAN GET ME TO MY PROPERTY IN THE WINTER DUE TO THE LAND BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH TERRIBLE ROADS. I WAS INTERESTED IN BUYING A NEWER ONE WITHIN A COUPLE OF YEARS UNTIL THE SUNROOF ISSUE HAPPENED. I FIND IT DISTRESSING THAT A KNOWN DEFECT IS ALLOWED TO REMAIN UNRECALLED AND JEEP OWNERS HAVE TO SUFFER FOR IT. IS JEEP PLANNING ON ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE OR WILL I NO LONGER BE A JEEP OWNER? HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F0F2A28 HTTP://WWW.MYJEEPCOMPASS.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=11517 HTTP://WWW.JEEPGARAGE.ORG/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=15716 I HAVE ALSO SENT A COPY OF THIS EMAIL TO THE CONSUMERIST AND SAFERCAR.GOV. *TR