1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE Complaints

ON SATURDAY, JUNE 21, 2003, I WAS DRIVING HOME ON A COUNTRY ROAD AT @ 40 MILES PER HOUR WHEN MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE EXPLODED AND SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE RIM. I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I WAS NOT DRIVING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED, AS I WAS NOT INJURED AND MY JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE REMAINED UPRIGHT. *NLM

TRANSFER CASE FAILED AT APPROX. 75,000 MILES. NO KNOWN CAUSE/EFFECT DISCOVERED. MECHANICS SAID THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.$1800 TO FIX. BELIEVE CHRYSLER KNOWS IT HAS A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION AND WILL NOT RECALL THEM. *NLM

CV JOINT/BOOT ON FRONT OF 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE LIMITED BROKE DROPPING THE FULL TIME 4 WHEEL DRIVE SHAFT. AUTO PURCHASE INCLUDED 100% WARRANTY 1 YEAR OR 15,000 MILES ON INTERNAL POWERTRAIN. WARRANTY CO. SAY DAMAGE IS NOT CONSIDERED PART OF INTERNAL POWERTRAIN. TWO WEEKS AFTER LEAVING THE LOT, I NOW HAVE A 2-WHEEL DRIVE. MY HUSBAND & I ORDERED A BRAND NEW CVJ/DRIVE SHAFT AND HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR OVER 2 WEEKS FOR DELIVERY, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE RUN AROUND. THE DEALER THAT WE BOUGHT THE PART THROUGH SAYS 118 OF THESE ARE CURRENTLY ON ORDER WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY ARE ON B/O DUE TO THE DEMAND. WE'VE MADE A PAYMENT ON A 4 X 4 AUTOMOBILE WE RODE FOR 2 WEEKS THAT IS NOW A PARKED 2 WHEEL DRIVE. *NLM

MY OUTSIDE REAR VIEW MIRROR HAS TURNED A GOLD COLOR AND YOU CAN NOT SEE OUT OF IT AT NIGHT SAFELY. *AK

GAS GAUGE MALFUNCTIONS CONTINUOUSLY. PRESUMABLY FUEL SENDING UNIT FAILED AFTER ABOUT 2 YEARS. GAUGE CONTINUOUSLY BOUNCES FROM "FULL" TO "EMPTY" WITH THE WARNING BEEPER SOUNDING EACH TIME IT REACHES THE EMPTY MARK. GAUGE IS COMPLETELY UNRELIABLE AND IS OF NO VALUE IN DETERMINING HOW MUCH GAS ACTUALLY REMAINS. *NLM

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY VEHICLE LOCKED UP AND STARTED SMOKING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT PROBLEMS WERE DIFFERENTIAL AND TRANSFER CASE. *AK

THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED IT WAS DUE TO A FAULTY MODULE. *JB

I PURCHASED A 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE IN JULY 2002 WITH 30000 MILES WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. I HAVE TWO PROBLEMS TO REPORT. PROBLEM 1-- MY JEEP ONLY HAS 44000 MILES ON IT NOW AND MY BRAKE ROTORS ARE WARPED. PROBLEM 2--THIS MAY SOUND FUNNY BUT ITS TRUE. THE 1998 JEEP GRAND I HAVE HAS ITS SPARE TIRE INSIDE COMPARTMENT ABOVE FUEL TANK. THIS PAST WINTER I TRIED TO REMOVE MY SPARE AND FOUND THAT DUE TO CONDENSATION IT WAS FROZEN TO THE COMPARTMENT. ALTHOUGH I DID NOT NEED IT AT THAT TIME I THOUGHT THAT WAS STRANGE. WELL IT JUST SO HAPPENS I HAD TO USE MY SPARE TIRE ON 5/16/03, WHEN I REMOVED THE SPARE FROM THE COMPARTMENT THERE WAS ABOUT 1 GALLON OF WATER SITTING AROUND THE SPARE. I HAVE NO LEAKS AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF IT IS A DESIGN DEFECT OR WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF THE CONDENSATION BUILD UP. *JB

THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON 5/9/2003. RECALL # 02V053000. ON 5/7/2003 THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY MOVED BACKWARDS, DRAGGED THE CONSUMER, AND THEN HIT A TREE. *JB

HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR TOOK IT INTO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL, AND I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT MY TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING IN 1ST & 2ND GEAR. I HAD THE DIFFERENTIAL REPAIRED AND THE TRANSMISSION SERVICED. WE GOT SNOW THIS YEAR WHERE YOU WOULD NEED THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE, WELL BEING I NEVER HAD THE NEED TO USE THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE MODE I WAS SURPRISED TO FIND OUT THAT MINE DIDN'T WORK. TOOK IT INTO THE SHOP AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRANSFER CASING AND TRANSMISSION NEED TO BE REPLACED. SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER I BOUGHT THE JEEP FROM. I LET THEM REPAIR MY TRANSFER CASING AND WAS TOLD BECAUSE I DIDN'T HAVE THE EXACT SAME TIRES ON THE VEHICLE THAT IS WHAT CAUSED THE TRANSFER CASING TO FAIL. THE TIRES WERE THE SAME SIZE ON THE FRONT AND REAR JUST DIFFERENT BRANDS. THEY TOLD ME THAT I DIDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. I THEN PICKED THE JEEP UP AND THE ROARING SOUND CAME BACK SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO SEE WHAT THEY THOUGHT THE NOISE WAS I WAS TOLD AT THAT TIME THAT MY FRONT DIFFERENTIAL WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED AND THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WAS ALSO BAD, BUT BEING I HAD THAT WORK DONE AT A INDEPENDENT SHOP I HAD TO TAKE IT BACK TO THEM TO FIX THE REAR AND THEN TOOK THE JEEP BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM DO THE WORK ON THE FRONT. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF TAKING THE JEEP BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE MY JEEP IS NOW PULLING TO THE RIGHT. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE MY JEEP FOR A WEEK. I REALLY HAVE NOT HAD MY JEEP SINCE JANUARY I REALLY THINK THAT DAIMLER CHRYSLER KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE 1998 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE AND I HOPE THAT SOMETHING WILL BE DONE ABOUT. *JB