Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Jeep Cherokee submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 61 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 61, in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS EXPOSED DUE TO THE TRAILER HITCH BEING REMOVED AND COULD NOT BE REPLACED DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 185,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V252000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, STRUCTURE) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
IT STARTED WITH THE LIGHTS TURNING OFF WHEN I HIT A BUMP. THE WHOLE JEEP WOULD GO DARK. INSTRUMENT PANEL, OVERHEAD LIGHTS, DRIVING LIGHTS, ALL OF THEM! THEN AFTER PARKING THE JEEP, DAY OR NIGHT, THE ALARM SYSTEM WOULD GO OFF ALL BY ITSELF. THE DOOR SWITCHES LOCKING AND UNLOCKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THEN THERE WAS THE RADIO THAT WOULD TURN ON AND OFF BY ITSELF. THEN THE WINDOWS DECIDED TO STOP GOING UP AND DOWN. WHEN I WOULD START THE JEEP THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGES WOULDN'T MOVE, TURN ON. SO, I WOULD TURN OFF THE JEEP AND RESTART IT. SOME OF THE GAUGES, WOULD TURN ON BUT OTHERS, WOULD NOT, LIKE THE FUEL TANK GAGE, SPEEDOMETER GAGE. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, THERE WOULD BE A PUDDLE OF WATER ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FLOOR BOARD. I STILL TO THIS DAY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT TO HAPPEN EVERY DAY AND EACH TIME IT WAS TURNED ON. THEN THERE IS THE TRANSMISSION AND REAR END THAT STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS. IT STARTED TO SLIP OUT OF GEAR AND THE REAR END MADE A NOISE. I HAD ALL THE OIL LEVELS CHECKED OUT, BUT STILL IT WOULD HAPPEN. I DO RECALL GETTING A FLYER IN THE MAIL, REGARDING A RECALL, BUT IT ALSO SAID THAT THE DEALER, DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. WHY WOULD YOU SEND OUT A FLYER THAT YOU HAVE NO WAY OF FIXING BECAUSE YOU CAN'T GET THE PART'S? ! AND ARE YOU EVEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE WORRY YOU PUT ME THROUGH? IT BECAME ANOTHER REASON TO PARK THE JEEP. HOW COULD YOU DO.THIS, TO SO MANY PEOPLE? WITH ALL THESE STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING TO THE JEEP, I HAD TO DO WHAT WAS BEST FOR MY SAFETY, AS WELL AS, THOSE WHO WERE ON THE ROAD DRIVING AROUND ME. I JUST COULDN'T LIVE WITH MYSELF, KNOWING THAT I COULD HAVE COST SOMEONE OR MYSELF INJURY OR DEATH, BY HAVING THE JEEP ON THE ROAD KNOWING IT WAS HAVING SO MANY PROBLEMS. IT HAS NOW BEEN CLOSE TO THREE-YEARS SINCE THE LAST TIME I DROVE IT.
BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE NOT KNOWING OF THE GAS TANK DESIGN PROBLEM AND NOW IM STUCK WITH A VEHICLE THAT I DON'T DARE TO DRIVE OR SELL. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH A PLASTIC FUEL TANK LOCATED NEAR THE REAR BUMPER. A TRAILER HITCH HAD NOT BEEN INSTALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V252000 (FUEL SYSTEM). HOWEVER, THE PARTS NEEDED WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND EXPLAINED THAT THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF WHEN THE PARTS WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DELAY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.
IN JUNE 2013 A SAFETY RECALL NUMBER N45/NHTSA 13V-252 WAS MADE FOR MY VEHICLE. I GOT NOTICE THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. IT IS NOW MARCH 2014, 9 MONTHS SINCE THE SAFETY RECALL AND I HAVE YET TO HAVE THE CORRECTION ON MY VEHICLE MADE! HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO GET THE PARTS THEY NEW? HOW LONG CAN THEY DRAG THEIR FEET AT THE POSSIBLE EXPENSE OF SOMEONE'S LIFE? *TR
A RECALL BASED ON 37 FATAL ACCIDENTS OVER THE COURSE OF 20 YEARS, INVOLVING MILLIONS OF CARS AND BILLIONS, POSSIBLY TRILLIONS, OF MILES DRIVEN IS ABSURD. IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT A PERSON WOULD BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING THAN DYING IN A FIRE CAUSED BE A CAR CRASH. I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST TEN OTHER CARS WITH A SIMILAR INCIDENCE OF FIRE AND FATALITY AFTER A CRASH. *TR
I JUST FOUND OUT I HAVE A CRACKED MANIFOLD, MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR HAS BROKEN PUT A NEW PART IN IT AND NOW THAT IS BROKEN,I HAVE ALSO HAD TO PUT A NEW TRANSMISSION IN IT WITH ONLY 148,000.00 MILES. IN 2006 I HAD TO FIX THE GAS TANK BECAUSE IT WAS BROKEN TOO. IS THIS NOT A RECALL PROBLEM????? ANY OF THESE, I HAVE HAD THE JEEP SINCE 2000 AND I BOUGHT IT WHEN IT HAD 20,000 MILES ON IT. PLEASE HELP BECAUSE THIS IS 2012 AND I ONLY HAVE 156,000 MILES ON IT NOW. THANK YOU. *JS
STANDARD JEEP CHEROKEE (HAD BEEN MAINTAINED BY US GVT. UNTIL I BOUGHT) HESITATES OR STALLS WHEN TURNING WHEN GAS TANK BELOW 25-35% . IS HAZARDOUS AND HAVE NEARLY BEEN REARENDED A FEW TIMES, FROM 2003 THRU 2009. CHRYSLER SAYS KNOWN PROBLEM WITH FUEL FILTER/PUMP 'SOCK'--BUT NO ASSISTANCE IN THE 500$ PLUS POTENTIAL REPAIR COSTS. THIS IS THE BIGGEST SAFETY PROBLEM I HAVE EVER HEARD OF IN A MODERN CAR AND IT'S RAMPANT AMONG CHEROKEE OWNERS. *TR
1998 JEEP CHEROKEE SE HAS HAD A FUEL PUMP REPLACED (5 YEARS AGO) BEFORE THE RECALL OF SAME AND NOW THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE HAS TO BE REPLACED (BOTH TIMES AT A COST OF $1000+ WHICH IS EXCESSIVE AND REALLY MADDENING. *JB
1998 JEEP CHEROKEE LIMITED 4.0 - WHEN TURNING LEFT AND THE FUEL LEVEL IS BELOW APROX 1/3 FULL THE ENGINE STALLS AND STOPS RUNNING. THIS CREATED A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN PROCEEDING THROUGH INTERSECTIONS WITH ON COMING TRAFFIC. I AM AWARE THAT MANY JEEP OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM WHICH LEADS TO A CONCLUSION THAT THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. *TR
WHILE DRIVING FUEL GAGE FLUCTUATES LEAVING THE CONSUMER WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE GAS TANK. ALSO, THE ELECTRICAL LOCKING MECHANISM FOR THE DOORS MALFUNCTIONED. UPON USING THE AUTOMATIC LOCK BUTTON, IT WILL NOT LOCK UNLESS CONSUMER GETS OUT OF THE VEHICLE, AND USES THE KEY. ALSO, CONSUMER HAS TO USE THE KEY TO LOCK THE TAILGATE. *AK THE CONSUMER SITED THE RECALL FOR THE FUELGAGE NEEDED TO FIX THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL FOR THE CONSUMERS VEHICLE. *TC
GAS GAUGE READING INACCURATE, BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES.*AK
ENGINE COMPLETELY DIES WHILE NEGOTIATING SHARP LEFT OR LEFT U-TURN WHEN FUEL GAUGE READS .25 TANK OR LESS REMAINING. *NLM
WHEN THE GAS GAUGE WAS AT A QUARTER TANK, THE VEHICLE STALLED AT HIGHWAY SPEED. *JB
THE GAS GAUGE DOESN'T SHOW HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE MOST OF THE TIME. THE GAUGE FLOATS BACK AND FORTH FROM EMPTY TO HALF EMPTY, OR DOESN'T REGISTER THE PROPER AMOUNT WHEN I PUT GAS IN THE TANK. *NLM
THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN CONSUMER TRIED TO START IT, THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY THE GAS TANK WHICH HAD DISINTEGRATED AND CLOGGED UP THE FUEL LINES.*JB
THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS OF RECALL 97V194002 (FUEL SENDING UNIT) BUT THE DEALER WILL NO REPAIR THE VEHICLE DUE TO VIN. *NLM
WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY VEHICLE STALLS BECAUSE GAS TANK IS EMPTY BUT READS A 1/4 TANK. DEALER CONTACTED. TS *JG
GAS TANK HAS A HOLE ON TOP OF TANK AND IS LEAKING GASOLINE. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE AT A HIGH SPEED, AND RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT.*AK
FUEL TANK BEGAN TO SPONTANEOUSLY LEAK FROM THE TOP WHEN FILLING THE TANK COMPLETELY FULL. DEALERSHIP REMOVED TANK, INSPECTED, AND FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF DAMAGE OR WEAR AND HAD NO EXPLANATION FOR THE LEAK. JUST AS WITH COMPLAINT ODI ID: 755138, DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY SPECULATE THAT THE TANK MAY BE DEFORMING UNDER LOAD (I.E., A FULL TANK OF FUEL) CAUSING THE LEAK. IF TRUE, THIS WOULD SUGGEST STRUCTURAL FAILURE OR MATERIAL DEFECT OF THE TANK AS SUGGESTED IN ODI ID: 755138. IN SUMMARY, THE PROBLEM IS ESSENTIALLY IDENTICAL TO ODI ID: 826441.*AK
CONSUMER STATES THE FUEL GUAGE IS READING INCORRECT. CONSUMER STATES GAUGE IS READING THERE IS GAS WHEN THERES IS NONE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*JB
FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYS INACCURATE AMOUNT OF FUEL IN TANK. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND A NEW FUEL SENDING UNIT WAS INSTALLED.*AK. CONSUMER ALSO STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE BEGAN STARTING AND STOPPING, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED. *JB
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.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .