1991 Jeep Cherokee Transmission Problems

PARTICULAR INCIDENT INVOLVED SAID VEHICLE ROLLING BACKWARD DOWN A SUBTLE GRADE AFTER THE OWNER EXITED THE VEHICLE W/KEYS IN HAND. THE VEHICLE SHIFT LEVER WAS ENGAGED IN D (DRIVE) AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING. AS A RESULT, VEHICLE IMPACTED ANOTHER CAR INCURRING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE REAR OF SAID VEHICLE. WHEN VEHICLE MOTOR IS TURNED OFF, WHILE TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER IS ENGAGED IN D (DRIVE), R (REVERSE), 3, OR 1-2 (LOW GEAR) AND IGNITION KEY IS REMOVED, VEHICLE CAN MOVE FREELY FORWARD OR BACKWARD (AS IF IT IS IN NEUTRAL GEAR). FOLLOWING INCIDENT, CONDITIONS LEADING TO THE INCIDENT COULD BE RECREATED AT WILL (VEHICLE ROLLED FREELY WHILE IN GEAR AND ENGINE TURNED OFF). VEHICLE DOES NOT ROLL FREELY WHILE IN P (PARK). *NM

NHTSA ID

10155234

Incident

Apr 12, 2006

Mileage

170,468 mi

VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND WITHOUT WARNING IT JUMPED OUT OF GEAR, ROLLED DOWN THE STREET, AND HIT A TREE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. *AK

NHTSA ID

10067301

Incident

Apr 16, 2004

WHILE DRIVING AT 5-10 MPH LOST ALL POWER AND VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, LOSING TRANSMISSION FLUID. HAD TO BE PUSHED ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC. VEHICLE GAVE NO WARNING. TOOK TO DEALER, PROBLEM WAS NOT REMEDIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NHTSA ID

8007578

CHEROKEE SLIPPED OUT OF PARK INTO REVERSE, TRAPPING DRIVER. DRIVER WAS THROWN ONTO CONCRETE AND JEEP DROVE OVER LEFT LEG, CRUSHING IT.

NHTSA ID

9003265

Incident

Jun 20, 1994

VEHICLE WAS STOPPED. TRANSMISSION IN PARK. PAKING BRAKE ON. DRIVER EXITED VEHICLE TO OPEN REAR LIFTGATE. AS SOON AS DRIVER EXITED THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN MOVING BACKWARDS. THE DRIVER DOOR KNOCKED THE DRIVER TO THE PAVEMENT AND THE FRONT LEFT TIRE ROLLED OVER PART OF THE DRIVER'S BODY. DRIVER SUSTAINED FACIAL AND KNEE INJURIES REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION AND 3 MORE FOLLOWUP SURGERIES. MORE FACIAL SURGERY MAY BE REQUIRED. THE DRIVERS VEHICLE STOPPED WHEN THE REAR STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS PARCKED ON LEVEL PAVEMENT. WITTNESSES WERE PRESENT. *AK

NHTSA ID

747875

THE ENGINE IS ROUGHER SOUNDING FOR THE LOW MILES, EVEN THE GEARS SOUND TOO WORN. *AK

NHTSA ID

727931

Incident

Mar 25, 2000

THE JEEP CHEROKEE EQUIPPED WITH THE AW4 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WHICH IS ALL AUTO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED SINCE THE BEGINING OF THE 1987 MODEL YEAR HAVE A SERIOUS DESIGN DEFECT IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT WILL CAUSE UNWANTED AND DANGEROUS AUTOMATIC DOWNSHIFTING INTO FIRST GEAR FROM SECOND GEAR AT AN UNACCEPTABLE HIGH RATE OF SPEED. IF THE OPERATOR HAS MOVED THE SHIFT LEVER INTO THE 1-2 GEAR SHIFT POSITION FOR BETTER CONTROL AND ENGINE BRAKING AND THE VEHICLE SPEED DROPS BELOW 28 TO 23 MPH THE TRANSMISSION WILL WITHOUT WARNING ABRUPTLY DOWNSHIFT TO FIRST GEAR. IF THE VEHICLE IS ON WET, ICY OR GRAVEL COVERED ROADS IT WILL GO INTO A SKID CONDITION USUALLY WITH LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM FIX THE PROBLEM, THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THE PROBLEM AND CONTACTED CHRYSLER. CHRYSLER REPLYED THAT THIS WAS NORMAL OPERATION AS PER ITS DESIGN. OVER THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO I CONTACTED CHRYSLER DIRECTLY INCLUDING THEIR ENGINEERS. THE SAID THEY WERE AWARE OF THE DESIGN DEFECT, HOWEVER NOT ENOUGH CUSTOMERS HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT THE CONDITION TO WARRANT THEM TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM. OF COURSE IT IS NOT MENTIONED IN THEIR OPERATORS MANUAL, AND IF SOMEONE LOST CONTROL THEY WOULD PROBABLY NOT HAVE A CLUE AS TO WHAT HAD CAUSED IT. I THEN CAME UP WITH ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY THAT COULD BE INCORPORATED IN THE VEHICLES TRANSMISSION CONTROL UNIT THAT FIXED THE PROBLEM. I OFFERED IT TO THE COMPANY IN 1992 SO THEY COULD MAKE IT EITHER AVAILABLE TO THEIR PAST CUSTOMERS AND TO RE-DESIGN THE CIRCUITRY INTO THE NEW CHEROKEES PRODUCED SINCE THAT TIME. THEY DECLINED THE OFFER. THE DESIGN CHANGE WOULD NOT HAVE COST THEM MORE THAN $10.00 PER VEHICLE FOR RETROFITTING PAST VEHICLES AND LESS THAN $5.00 PER VEHICLE TO INCORPORATE THE CIRCUITRY INTO NEWLY MANUFACTURED VEHICLES. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFO AND CHRYSLERS RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM AT HTTP://WWW.CHEROKEE-JEEP.COM THANK YOU. *AK

NHTSA ID

726289

Incident

Oct 1, 1991

CLUTCH PEDAL BROKEN WHERE THE CONTROL HORN ATTACHES TO THE PEDAL. THIS WAS WELDED TO THE PIVOT TUBE ON ONE SIDE ONLY, CAUSING ALL THE STRESS ON THIS COMPONENT TO BEAR ON A 1/4" SQUARE PIECE OF METAL.

NHTSA ID

702016

Incident

Dec 30, 1998

WHEN RECALL WORK PERFORMED FOR SHIFT INTERLOCK THE SHIFT HANDLE WAS BROKEN.

NHTSA ID

541897

Incident

Aug 3, 1998

THERE IS A GASKET IN SIDE SLAVE CYLINDER THAT IS FREEZING UP, UPON STARTING CAR TRY TO PUTTING IT IN REVERSE, CAR ACCELERATES OUT INTO THE STREET. TT

NHTSA ID

958261

Incident

Dec 1, 1991