Comments: 1-15, 16-21
Inside rear view mirror fell off in the first 2 years. It fell off again in 2003.
Rear wiper assembly unscrewed itself and fell off. I repaired it.
Dash lights, speedometer, etc all failed. Dealer repaired it.
Broke again one month later, same repair had to be done again. Covered under warranty.
Passenger door developed an awful creak.
All items listed below happened just after the warranty expired:
Front rotors wore out at 30,000 km. I replaced them at my expense.
Front rotors were recalled by Chrysler and they replaced them again, free.
Air conditioner completely broke just after the warranty expired. Very expensive repair.
Heater dials broke in 2002. Very expensive repair due to heater coil being located under passenger side dash.
Replaced all gaskets, everything was leaking in 2003.
Gas gauge started working improperly in 2003. It showed the tank was empty just after I filled it up with gas!
Heater broke in the winter of 2003/04.
Radiator rusted out in 2004.
Rear brake seals had to be replaced due to leaks in 2004.
The Jeep Cherokee Sport is the worst vehicle I have ever purchased. It was a repair pig.
Do not be mislead by people who review this vehicle and state it is great and performs well. You will be misleading yourself into believing it is a reliable SUV. It is not! It is fun to drive, especially in snow! No doubt about it. It is also a nice looking vehicle. If you love to spend money on repairs, go for it. They come fast and regular.
This vehicle is made of poor parts that break on a reliable time table. I started carefully researching this series and discovered that the problems I had are typical of this series.
I have had this SUV from day one. Make sure you read reviews from original owners and not from people who have just purchased it. Trust me, this SUV is a repair pig.
I will never buy another Chrysler product again. First and last. I complained to Chrysler customer service and the response back was, "It is disappointing when an unexpected repair occurs".
On a good note, the front seats are comfortable. There is excellent cargo space. The back seats are not comfortable at all. Bench seating. In a rear end collision, the passengers in the back seats will all suffer whiplash. No head rests.
One last note, it eats a lot of gas!
Well my only question would be, didn't you just saay forget it and sell it before doing all these repairs? My jeep rules.
I agree with the other comment added. You must have just had a bad example of a Jeep. I've got a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport 2.5L Turbo Diesel with 240,000kms on the clock, and it has never had a thing wrong. It's reliable, efficient to run, looks and drives like new and is a pleasure to own.
If your Jeep was supposedly that bad, you should have sold it before you spent all that money. I love my Jeep. They really are great. Chrysler sure do know how to build a 4x4.
I have a 1998 Jeep Cherokee sport and must say that I love it, however, I have had constant problems since buying it used in 2001 with 32,000 miles. The front brakes continually warp! Ceramic pads have been installed with top of the line rotors and still they warped in 2 months with normal around town driving, I have replaced them 2 times already and am due for the third replacement in 2 days. Also, as I have discovered, I am not the only Jeep owner with a water problem. When the Jeep is parked on level ground, water enters from nobody knows where and water runs underneath the dash board onto wires and onto the passenger side floor. I too, also have the malfunctioning fuel gage and have discovered that it corrects itself after running the Jeep for a while. I must say that I love my Jeep, but wonder how many Jeeps are out there with the same problems as mine.
I've owned a 1998 Jeep Cherokee since day 1 and have put 195,000 km on it. I love it. It has never left me on the side of the road. Fantastic off road. The only issue I have is that about once a year, the check engine light turns on and the diagnosis is "a conflict between 2 sensors". We reset the system and ignore it. Happens every August.
My 1998 Cherokee Sport (4.0L, automatic, 4wd), bought new, is my second Jeep. My first, a 1988 Comanche Sport (4.0L, 5 speed, 2wd) was in fully functional running condition at 218,000 miles when I bought the Cherokee - and the original clutch was just beginning to wear out.
At almost 125,000 miles I, too, have a malfunctioning gas gauge - sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. My heater core began to leak at about 105,000 miles (very common and a chore to replace). And, my turn signal stem occasionally sticks when I try to indicate a right turn. With the exception of belts, brakes, tires, fuses and other parts which one would expect to replace at certain intervals, these are the only problems that I've encountered.
I drive my Cherokee (and drove my Comanche) to their absolute limits of speed, handling and load capacity. I don't beat them to death, but I certainly don't baby them; if either of them were in any way prone to mechanical failure, abnormal wear or poor engineering or assembly issues, I'd know!
I mourn Daimler - Chrysler's decision to drop the Cherokee (as I did their decision to drop the Comanche pickup). Given the opportunity, I would never own another style of vehicle. The size, appearance, drive-ability and durability of my Cherokee is without equal, and I only hope that I can maintain mine until the Jeep folks realize the error of their ways and reintroduce it...
By the way, I have driven a new Liberty and I truly believe that it was designed solely as a way to wean younger Jeep owners out of their CJs and into a Grand Cherokee. The Liberty is in no way a replacement for the Cherokee. Anyone considering purchasing a Liberty might want to look for a good, used Cherokee before they sign those papers...
My '98 Cherokee Sport has over 141,000 miles, has never been in for a single regular checkup, and has given me almost no trouble at all. I agree that this guy must have gotten a bad egg.
I have 128K on mine. No problems AT ALL until 45 days ago. Since then my radiator went out, my transmission seems to be slipping, my engine light stays on (signaling the electronic problem with the transmission) and now my mechanic hears something in the engine that he believes indicated the engine is going out. I loved it too, now I am just doubting the Jeep line. After this body, there is nothing out there that I can even look at.
I drive my 98 Cherokee Sport to the limits all the time and the only problems that I have encountered is that the fan likes to chew holes in the radiator and the rear springs a to week. Other than that it is a great vehicle.
No matter what vehicle you own it will need some repairs, the repairs you have listed are nothing to serious at all, some people need engines, transmissions etc. I have had 3 of these jeeps and they are the best!
I bought my 98 Jeep Cherokee Classic, 4.0 straight 6, brand new. It now has 186,000 miles on it, and the only repairs I have had to do on it were in the last year. Water pump, power steering pump and an alternator, think about it... any other car would probably had a problem with the the transmission and/ or engine by time it hit 120,000 miles. The total cost of these repairs were about $170 and about an hour and a 1/2 of his life. None of these repairs left me stranded either. I drove it home after each of these problems occurred.
My 92 Ford Explorer, 6 months after the warranty ended had a replaced $1700 transmission and a $1000 head job, not to mention the Firestone Tire recall which still cost me $400 after the rebate, the starter, the alternator, and the water pump twice. All these repairs took place within a 6 month period. If my rear-view mirror fell off and my lights blew out on the dashboard, oh well fix it... it a $10 fix all together... super-glue and a bulb! If the rotors wear out replace them, it's an easy fix as well with anyone with tools and a jack. Or stop beating on the vehicle, that Jeep should of lasted until it rusted out...
I bought my 1998 Cherokee Sport new and have 31,000 miles on it now. It never gave me any trouble until a month ago. As I was driving along it suddenly died. I managed to get it off the road, but then it restarted and I drove home. Two days later I ran out to the store and it wouldn't start. Turns out I needed a new fuel pump. Okay, had that done and it ran fine. Exactly two weeks later, once again it wouldn't start... luckily I was still at home. Had it towed once again and the mechanic needed to change two relays and his scanner showed a crack in the vacuum hose which he repaired. I love my Jeep and keep it in good shape, but since the recent problems I'm afraid to drive it outside my area in fear something else will go wrong and being a "nervous nelly" doesn't help either. I've often been told it looks like I just drove it out of the showroom and having only 31,000 miles on it, I know I wouldn't get much if I traded it in. Does anyone have any idea how much it could be sold for privately?
I have been looking at a 1998 Jeep Cherokee with 132000 miles on it. I need a car to drive from late December until about early March. I normally drive an SLK and last year it told me in no uncertain terms that it was not a winter/snow car. The Jeep I've been looking at with 132K is clean and drives well, but after reading all of the comments I'm very nervous. The price I've been given is $4000.00. I hate taking any cars to the dealer or shop and people have told me to stay away from a Cherokee Sport (1998-99) because they don't do well over 100K miles. I'm looking for advice from anyone. My email address is loupiano@yhoo.com Thanks for any advice.
I have a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport and absolutely love it. It has 110,000 miles on it and has given me very little trouble. The biggest item was a fuel pump which went out about 2,000 miles ago. An annoying problem is the inside rear-view mirror fell off the windshield last week, but that's an easy fix. The Jeep has gone through the cold and snow of Michigan winters and the heat of Michigan summers and just smiled. I bought it with 50,000 on it and have never regretted the purchase. My son wants to trade me, but there is no way he's getting his hands on my Jeep.
I bought my 1998 Cherokee Sport new in Fall 1997. Now ten years later I couldn't be happier with the vehicle. Yes, some repairs, but on net a great functional vehicle. Mine is a 5-speed (had to order it special) with up-country package. Off road it is as good as vehicles costing double or more. Old fashioned part time 4wd, works great in all rough conditions. I will keep it forever if I can.
I purchased a 98 Cherokee with 48000 on the clock. Problems so far, fuel pump, dash instruments, (Chrysler won't fix here in Australia), welsh plugs ($1500aus) and the rotors went at 105000KM. Still love the thing, but would like the hemi Grand Cherokee.