1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1349 complaints
1349
Total Complaints
105,000mi
Median Mileage
Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch
Top Issue
194
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

70,000 25th Percentile
105,000 Median Mileage
154,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch
286
Rotor
87
Automatic Transmission
67
Fuel System, Gasoline
50
Fuel/Propulsion System
42
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
40
Vehicle Speed Control
36
Electrical System
36
Structure
31
Tank Assembly
30

Severity Assessment

194
Crashes
18
Fires
132
Injuries
27
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"PULLED INTO PARKING AREA & PUT VEHICLE IN PARK. REACHED IN REAR FOR BAG & EXITED VEHICLE. HEARD A CRASH. NOTICED VEHICLE HAD HIT COMPRESSOR SHIELD. TRIED TO GET VEHICLE OUT OF PARK. BUTTON WOULD NOT DEPRESS TO RELEASE DRIVE/REVERSE. CALLED DEALER & INFORMED VEHICLE NEVER IN PARK POSITION, WAS STEERI..."
"REAR WIPER DOES NOT PERFROM PROPERLY."
"STEERING WHEEL MISALIGNED."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Rotor 87 complaints
25th: 22,000 mi Median: 40,000 mi 75th: 59,800 mi
Automatic Transmission 67 complaints
25th: 55,000 mi Median: 70,000 mi 75th: 85,000 mi
Fuel System, Gasoline 50 complaints
25th: 88,295 mi Median: 122,500 mi 75th: 158,500 mi
Fuel/Propulsion System 42 complaints
25th: 143,100 mi Median: 180,000 mi 75th: 193,064 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 159 NY: 82 FL: 80 NJ: 69 IL: 69 VA: 68 TX: 65 MA: 61 PA: 53 OH: 43

Who Files Complaints?

36.2%
Original Owners
63.8%
Second+ Owners

Jeep Grand Cherokee — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
199378468
1994775142
1995983146
19961249156
19971432143
19992319157
20001855132
2001112895
2002177098
200388760
20041570149
20052732137
2006175079
2007147547
200899035
20091959
201017118
2011242190
2012230872
2013110241
20143365224
20151725179
201643445
201755238
2018116075
201951625
202032939
202164334
202241512
202361726
20243559
2025873

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28