Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Jeep Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Jeep Cherokee. When the vehicle was powered off and restarted within five minutes or longer, the vehicle would hesitate to start or have a rough start and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the third cylinder failed. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 02V104000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,000.
As with many other Jeep owners with the 4.0 engine (hundreds that I have seen) my 2001 Jeep Cherokee's cylinder head cracked. Mine was at 117K miles, and the average mileage for failure seems to be 100K - 120K miles. This is a definite design flaw. My Jeep was well maintained and should not have had a cracked cylinder head. I ask NHTSA to contact current owners of Jeep 4.0 engines to really see how often this fault occurs. Chrysler seems to take no responsibility for this, which is why I am asking the NHTSA to investigate.
In the 2000 and 2001 cherokees with the 4.0 engine head casting 0331 Chrysler knew about the cylinder heads cracking. In 2002 they contracted with tupy manufacturing in brazil to remake the head casting that ran until the 4.0 was stopped being used by them. Mine has since cracked and Chrysler says that no factory recall was done and such I'm stuck with a cracked head that they knew was faulty.
I purchased a new 2001 Chrysler Cherokee Jeep. (4.0 liter in line 6 cylinder.) approx. 2 years after purchase date (50,000 miles driven), the car was out of warranty and I was informed by a registered Chrysler dealer that the car needed a new engine. The expense to perform the diagnostic work and install replacement engine and related parts amounted to $4,500. I was a diligent car owner with a very small income, a single parent who has to work, and a 5 year car-payment plan -- in essence, I changed the oil, took the car for any service or repair needed. I gather from calls to chrsyler and my Jeep dealership that I just got a "bad" engine and because it's out of the 2-year warranty there is no course open to me to be reimbursed for the repairs done. Obviously, since I still have 3 years left on my car payments I could not just walk away and leave the car. I need help. …
While driving on highway at 70 MPH and without warning, headlights went completely out causing poor visibility which resulted in an accident, consumer rearended another vehicle causing one injury, upon impact the airbags did not experience deployment, consumer had been to dealer several times due to taillights inoperable and headlamps inoperable prior to accident, dealer replaced fuses and found connector's loose. Consumer states front end pulled to the left while driving, dealer found no problems. Consumer states on normal braking, pedal goes to the floor and during above mentioned accident brakes locked causing a block of skid marks, prior to accident when dealer could find no problems with ABS or hydraulic brake system. …
First, engine began to loose overheat and loose coolant at 55,000m - 1 qt every 200 - 300 miles. No leak found by mechanic. Loss continued. Then loss of oil pressure when engine was warmed fully. Pressure drops at all RPM but down to 0 when idle is below 1300 RPM( (at idle). Cannot find leak but have been advised on several forums that this year (98 - 01) Jeep 4.0 engines have a very high failure rate related to this problem. The problem appears to be a faulty engine casting prone to internal cracking, causing coolant loss and loss of oil pressure. Jeep dealer denies and knowledge of this issue. But, Jeep sent a special letter to buyers of this year/model Jeep Cherokee that they were desperate to buy as many of this year make/model as they could and would provide a reasonable trade-in value. …
Complaint received via e-mail. I have had a consistent problem with my brakes since I brought it. The first failure occurred at 9012 miles. Dealership replaced the front calipers and rotors. Then at 18811 miles dealership resurfaced the front and rear rotors because they were warped. At 24,806 miles the failure recurred. Dealership replaced all 4 brake rotors. Currently, at 32,000 miles the failure recurred, but the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer, dealership, and other Jeep owners informed me that this was a design flaw that occurred in the earlier and some later model jeeps, but has been modified in 2005 model. The consumer stated that the vehicle was taken in for repair three times while under warranty. The engine light was on for one week. The low coolant light comes on when the vehicle is started (cold) and goes off when the vehicle is warm.
My daughter called because of a noise in the engine compartment. I went to her work, raised the hood, started the engine, and shortly 1-2 minutes thereafter, a loud popping/grinding occurred. The fan disintegrated sending parts through the radiator, shroud, and toes of my left shoe. And injury could have occurred but did not. I found 1999-2004 jeeps had a recall for this very type of event. However, it missed he VIN. I believe all of these vehicles should be included in the recall. My youngest son has a 1999 that the fan came apart damaging the radiator and resulting in engine failure. I have owner 7 jeeps but never seen this before. Any assistance in alerting the public will be appreciated.
1. Vehicle was losing coolant but nothing showing up in the engine oil coolant or burning out the tail pipe. I was going through about a half gallon per week. Vehicle maintained loss of coolant for about 6 months, the added problem of lost oil pressure then became a problem. 2.eventually the head started leaking bad enough that coolant was present in the oil, at which point the problem was present and able to diagnose. 3. At that point the main bearings were a complete loss and determined that the cam bearings were gone as well and had to replace the entire motor.
After driving my vehicle for approx 20 minutes I notice smoke coming from the front of the hood. I opened the hood and found that the hose leading from the engine was very. My temperature gauges all registered normal so I added some engine coolant and did not drive the vehicle until the next am. After a 3 mile drive to work same situation again. I took the car to my mechanic and was told the radiator had rotted and need to be replaced. Odd since there was no indication prior to the smoke.
Engine complaints in other Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2001 Jeep Cherokee?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2001 Jeep Cherokee, 19% of the model year's 229 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Jeep Cherokee engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2001 Jeep Cherokee, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Jeep Cherokee engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 6 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.