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 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The vehicle was able to restart immediately on some occasions and restarted after a while on other occasions. There was no warning light illuminated. Several independent mechanics replaced the fuel filter and the fuel pump and installed an unknown computer software on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, a burning odor was smelled in the cabin. The contact discovered flames and smoke being emitted from the front end of the vehicle. The contact personally extinguished the flames. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle suddenly stalled while driving on the highway. The contact took the vehicle to several independent mechanics but the defect could not be identified. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee laredo. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a crash. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer stated that the air bags should have deployed (after inspecting) but were unable to diagnose the reason why they did not. The vehicle also stalled intermittently before the crash. The current and failure mileages were approximately 136,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The contact stated that white smoke emitted from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that the water pump and head gasket were defective and needed to be replaced. The components were replaced but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 198,000 and the current mileage was 199,400.
Car purchased summer of 2002. Within two years the exhaust manifold part failed causing rumbling noise when car engine is running and slight smell of exhaust. Had a michigan certified mechanic replace the part with a new genuine Jeep exhaust manifold part. New part today is failing again. Told by mechanic part would have to be replaced and that this part is one he has seen fail constantly on jeeps. Mechanic explained part breaks down from heat/cold expansions and when the exhaust is removed the part is in pieces. I am sending this complaint as there are no recalls from Chrysler on a part that is important relating to engine exhaust that cannot be channel through the exhaust pipes safely since the manifold is being made to break down within a two year period. Check other vehicles (I have owned many other named autos) and you will find this part is not being replaced every year. …
My wife, [redacted] was driving down I 75 at 70 MPH and the vehicle just went dead. She coasted over to the shoulder and stopped. She put the vehicle in park, try to start the vehicle several times, fearing the battery would run down. The vehicle finally cranked, the vehicle started fine for a couple weeks and went dead in the middle of traffic in dalton, ga. The vehicle was pushed to the side and again she spent app. 5 minutes, with several tries and the vehicle finally started. The vehicle has stopped on I 75 several times more. Very dangerous. The vehicle has also refused to start twice at first, after setting for a couple hours while [redacted] went in shopping. The vehicle did start. Today the vehicle was setting at home after ridding around town for a couple of hours and refused to start running the battery down. …
My 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited, will not pass safety inspection because it's exhaust manifold is cracked and leaks exhaust gases. The problem seems to be common among Grand Cherokee owners with the 6 cylinder, 4 l engine. The manifold failed due to a stress crack that developed from uneven expansion and contraction during normal operation. The local Jeep/Chrysler dealer informed me that the part fails in almost all 6 cylinder Jeep cherokees and that the present replacement parts are redesigned not to break from stress cracks from normal heating. This tells me that the manufacturer knows of the safety problem, has redesigned it, and is trying to make money off the safety failure. The replacement expense for this safety inspection failure is very high. Estimated cost of the replacing the defective manifold by the dealer is $1100 to $1200. …
My Jeep has been really loud for sometime and is getting louder. It is when you start it up (really bad) and the whole time it's running. I ask my mechanic and he said to try a heat riser. When we went to the Jeep dealer to order it, the parts guy said we could try the heat riser, but more than likely it was a cracked/busted manifold. When we looke, the manifold is cracked in two or three places. I have contacted several mechanics in my area...they all say the same thing....manifolds on these jeeps are bad about cracking. The manifold lists for $431 and they say about $200 to put one in. Plus, I have been told that it's no good to fix the one from the manufacturer by welding it, because it will crack again. The suggestion I am getting is to buy a new aftermarket manifold...all the mechanics say they work better because they have 2 pieces on them that give for extra support. …
Started out to go to work @ 6 am traveled with no issues to the kids sitter's house and then continued on to work on double lane highway speed limit 60 MPH. The Jeep started sputter, jerk and eventually died, didn't realize it had died so pulled off to side of road, turn the Jeep back on it kept sputtering, jerking and died again. Finally, it backfired 3 to 4 times and stayed started. Check engine light came on went and had the code read it stated it was the ignition coil and catalyst system. So we changed the ignition coil and catalytic converter, along with the muffler do to the fact the backfiring blew a hole plum through the muffler. Still same problems. Have had several near miss of crashes, and bodily injury. Now it doesn't want to start and you sit on the side of the road like I did for 2 hours before it wanted to start up.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee laredo. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled every time she drove it beginning in September 2009. Sometimes, she was able to restart it automatically and other times, she would have to tow the vehicle because it would not restart. The vehicle intermittently shut off completely with no warning lights and no specific speed range. She took the vehicle to the dealership and the catalytic converter was inspected and PCM was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred immediately after the reprogramming. She called the manufacturer who stated that they could not assist her. The vehicle had not been repaired at this time. The current mileage was 138,380. The failure mileage was approximately 129,900.
Engine complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 105 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 12% of the model year's 893 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 6 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 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 126,000 miles, and 2% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 7 fires and 1 injury and 1 death 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.