RoadVitals

1978 Jeep Cherokee

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Oct 6, 1999
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
2
Latest Nov 23, 1987
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1978 Jeep Cherokee, most frequently naming the brakes category. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Brakes1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
87V178000

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

Nov 23, 1987
180,000 units potentially affected
The defect: THE KEY OPERATED TAILGATE WINDOW WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSE IF THE SPRING LOADED KEY DOES NOT RETURN TO OFF POSITION WHEN RELEASED.
The risk: WINDOW COULD CLOSE ON A CHILD OR OTHERS RESULTING INPERSONAL INJURY.
The remedy: OWNERS SHOULD NOT LEAVE KEY IN TAILGATE OF UNATTENDED VEHICLE. REPAIR MECHANISM TO ASSURE PROPER KEY RETURN OPERATION.
CHRYSLER CORPORATIONView on NHTSA.gov
78V003000

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:SPRINGS

Dec 9, 1978
1,995 units potentially affected
The defect: THE THROTTLE LINKAGE CONTROL SPRING MAY NOT CLOSE RAPIDLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED. IF THE THROTTLE DOES NOT CLOSE AS RAPIDLY AS EXPECTED, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT DECELERATE PROPERLY. THIS FAILS TO COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO.124, "ACCELERATOR CONTROL SYSTEMS".
The remedy: DEALER WILL INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL THROTTLE RETURN SPRING WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
CHRYSLER CORPORATIONView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Brakes
Filed Oct 6, 1999

BRAKES ARE LOCKING UP ON WET ROAD. WHEN TRYING TO STOP IMMEDIATELY THE RIGHT REAR BRAKES LOCKS UP; UNCONTROLLABLE. CONTACT DEALER WORKED ON IT THREE TIMES. AFTER FORTH REPAIR ATTEMPT, THE LEFT REAR IS NOW LOCKING EVEN ON DRY PAVEMENT WITH SPEEDS AS LOW AS 20 MPH.

NHTSA ID
850143
Incident
Oct 13, 1997

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Jeep Cherokee by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2027000—
2026320—
2025000—
2024000—
2023310—
2022483059.9
20211504064.9
20202783061.9
20191,61111060.1
20186807159.9
20171,3256158.7
20161,4039260.8
20151,78011461.1
20142,63913359.2
2006170027.2
20012298160.7
20003697161.4
19993668161.0
199839811159.0
199739010263.1
199644710161.9
199560811967.7
19945199966.5
199341871566.7
19921135969.5
19912339667.7
19902709666.8
19891916366.4
1988974361.9
1987579767.9
1986218367.6
1985177465.4
1984774—
1983013—
1982022—
1981122—
1980132—
1979021—
1978Viewing120—
1977010—
1976041—
1975050—
1974031—
1973100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.