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 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1. Came out of gear when in park and crashed sustaining 5000.00 dollars in damage. Had received a letter from daimler-Chrysler in 2002,however it was not dated stating the car could do this. No recalls were present at the time. They denied any problem when car crashed. Called an attorney who was a relative that told without a doubt (100%) the car would do this. He then called me back and stated he could not represent me because he represented daimler-Chrysler. He was hired by Chrysler after he bought a viper from them that was a lemon and he shoved it you know where and won. They realized what an outstanding attorney he was then hired him. Talk about family ethics. They finally installed the secondary detent system in 12/2008. I was told it was repaired. 2 the car is stalling at high speeds,during u turns, while at stop signs. It to dangerous to drive. …
My Jeep Grand Cherokee has been sputtering, stalling when stopped and when driving, backfires blown apart 2 mufflers. It will not show a check light or give an error code when hooked up to a computer. Have researched online and found several people with same issue. Have done as they have and replaced nearly every sensor. Have yet to replace PCM/ECM. Don't know if this will fix due to some online have and still having the same issue. Like the people online I have taken it to different mechanics, none of which could duplicate or find a problem. Surprised with as many people having this issue Jeep hasn't resolved this. I think dealerships are aware of this issue because some people online have traded their jeeps in and gotten very little towards trade-in.
My 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee (original owner) stumbles and dies, it does restart once I shift to neutral. It is getting more frequent. I had a total of 8 incidences in the past week. 6 times happened pulling up to stop sign at about 15 MPH. 2 times happened while cruising along at 55 MPH. I lost power steering and brake boost. There is a lot of internet information regarding the same problem. This is a safety issue. I'm worried driving my Jeep in any traffic now.
Last summer I had the vehicle in the shop for intermittently shuts off when driving.they replaced fuel pump. And alternaer and belts.the vehicle was also had a tuneup.the vehicle sta.. Iirts right up but when I am driving it will cut off at any time.the vehicle is unsafe .I have put over two thousand dollars in my vehicle.the dealer has taken my money and the vehicle is a death trap.I am retired and I need my car to get around.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving, the vehicle seized and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. A dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that they could not assist. The failure mileage was 172,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. While driving at 45 MPH, the power steering failed. In addition, water spilled from the vehicle's water pump. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 210,000.
ECM has a fault circuit board per dealer and needs replacing . Causes completer power failure and engine will quit running , all electrical goes out -- no lights at night or emergency flashers -- and power brakes fail to work . This happens at any time , stopped or on the road .
Engine stalls either at speed or during idle after 20 minutes. Will continue to stall for about 4 minutes, sometimes very hard to start during this time. Then vehicle will run fine with no problems for several hours. The next day, or after vehicle has been sitting for several hours, the process will start again. Every day it will stall after about 20 minutes - sometimes while turning, which will cause a total loss of steering ability, or while on the freeway, or while at a red light or intersection. I narrowly escaped an accident when it stalled and a big rig almost slammed into me. I have been stranded in the middle of a busy intersection multiple times because of this. When the car stalls, sometimes it runs very rough and backfires, which caused the catalytic converter to blow out. Now the catalytic converter rattles and caused my emissions test to fail with high no(ppm) output. …
Engine stall/shut off on a highway at 70 miles/hr in center lane of a five lane interstate highway with plenty of gas in the tank. Has happened three times on different days. I'm original owner. Heavy failure analysis done. Allege that Jeep cut corners that risk driver safety. They used and May still be using cheap chinese microprocessor chips in their program control modules (PCM). Fred bailey fatal accident is telling. His Jeep shut down on a bridge. Plenty of gas in the tank. Tractor trailer plows into the back of this Jeep (like mine). The gas tank explodes and he dies. Www.dyingjeep.com shows a Jeep video actually doing the stall/die routine. Www.Jeep forum.com has literally thousands on posts/threads by angry and frustrated owner who have even much newer jeeps that do the same thing. I paid a lot of money to keep my Jeep in working condition. …
Driving at steady 35 MPH engine started to stutter,lost power and stalled unexpectedly. Took a few times cranking to restart,finally started. This has occurred intermittently with no warning or dash indicator like check engine light coming on. Numerous repair attempts and thousands spent since,problem still occurs now average of twice weekly. Occurs at different speeds,temperatures and conditions. Have found online reference to many similar stalling problems for people around us. Dealer said there is no recall or bulletins that would help fix,very hard to diagnose. Finally found that if jiggle wire connector to engine e.c.u. Could make engine stall. E.c.u. …
Engine complaints in other Grand Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee?
NHTSA has 96 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 10% of the model year's 991 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline (22 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it has 5 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 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 132,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 2 injuries 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.