JEEP CHEROKEE · model year

2001 JEEP CHEROKEE

329 NHTSA complaints, 33 crash reports, and 8 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2001JEEPCHEROKEE carries 329 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 33 crashes, 25 fires, 26 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2001 CHEROKEE is service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor with 32 filings, followed by seats (18) and engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (17). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 8 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle, the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 1 investigation file overlapping the 2001 CHEROKEE. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page, a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

329
Complaints
33
Crashes
25
Fires
26
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

329 filings

Crashes Reported

33 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume, review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR32
SEATS18
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE17
SUSPENSION12
AIR BAGS11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING9
SUSPENSION:FRONT8
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION8
EXTERIOR LIGHTING8
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE8
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC7
ENGINE7
TIRES6

Recalls (8)

06E02600023/03/2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE D

06E06500017/07/2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN AJ MOTORSPORT COMBINATION LAMPS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED PASSENGER VEHICLES. COMBINATION LAMPS NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIAT

06E02200013/03/2006

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

CERTAIN AFTERMARKET BRAKE HYDRAULIC MASTER CYLINDERS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT BRAKE CYLINDERS FOR CERTAIN FORD, DAIMLERCHRYSLER, AND JEEP PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE BRAKE CYLINDERS WERE SOLD UNDER THE BRAND NAMES OF NAPA, RAYBESTOS, AIMCO, AC DELCO, CARQUEST, BENDIX, AND WAGNER. ONLY PRODUCTS THAT WERE

09E02500011/05/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES

00V36600009/11/2000

CHILD SEAT

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 225, "CHILD RESTRAINT ANCHORAGE SYSTEMS." SOME OF THE OWNER'S MANUALS FOR THESE VEHICLES ARE MISSING INSTRUCTIONS THAT PROVIDE A STEP-BY-STEP PROCEDURE, INCLU

02V10400008/04/2002

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A 4.0L ENGINE ONLY, THE DESIGN OF THE INTAKE AND EXHAUST MANIFOLDS COULD ALLOW DEBRIS TO ACCUMULATE AT THE #3 CYLINDER LOCATION.

09E01200007/04/2009

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES

06E01100001/02/2006

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

CERTAIN AFTERMARKET AIRTEX ELECTRIC FUEL PUMPS INSTALLED FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR CERTAIN 1997-2004 JEEP WRANGLER; 1997-2001 JEEP CHEROKEE; 1997-2004 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE; AND 2000-2003 DODGE DAKOTA VEHICLES. THE PLASTIC ELECTRICAL GROMMET CONNECTORS AT THE TOP OF THE FUEL PUMP MODULE AR

Recent Complaints

20210713FireFUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2001 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 10 mph, the vehicle lost motive power without warning and there was smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that the top cylinder was faulty. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, but the dealer informed the contact that they did not repair vehicles older than 2006 and would only order a part to cover the manifold. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The Vin was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 02V104000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for diagnosis. The failure mileage was 145,333.

Mileage: 145,333

20200219SEAT BELTS

THE STOCK SEAT BELTS LOCATED IN THE REAR SEAT OF THE VEHICLE DO NOT LOCK IN ORDER TO PROPERLY AND SAFELY INSTALL CHILD SAFETY SEATS. THIS IS NOT A ONE TIME THING AS THEY WILL NOT SECURE AFTER BEING FULLY EXTENDED. I HAVE ALREADY CONTACTED A DEALER AFTER FINDING AN OLD RECALL BUT WAS TOLD THEY WOULD NOT FIX AS THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS SPEAKING OF.

20180626STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

CPSC: PURCHASED A SET OF THE ABOVE PISTONS TO REPLACE PISTONS ON A 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT. THE FIRST SET FAILED ON THE SECOND OPENING CAUSING MINOR VEHICLE DAMAGE TO THE LIFT GATE. THE LOCKING CLIP DID NOT HAVE SUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO HOLD ONTO THE PROVIDED BRACKET. *DT *JS

20180302UNKNOWN OR OTHER

GAS TANK IS DANGEROUS, JUST LIKE RECALL IVE SEEN. COVER HAS RUSTED AWAY SKID PLATE GONE EXPOSING GAS TANK

Mileage: 150,000

20170914ENGINE

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.

Mileage: 117,000

20170107ENGINE

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.

Mileage: 146,000

20160430CrashAIR BAGS

TAKATA RECALL-- I HAD AN ACCIDENT JANUARY 7, 2016, I HIT A POLE. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I DID A SEARCH AND I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS JEEP. I ONLY HAD LIABILITY INSURANCE. I GOT IN TOUCH WITH THE COMPANY THEY HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP AND SUPPOSEDLY HAD IT CHECKED OUT BUT I DON'T BELIEVE IT. I MYSELF AND MY GIRLFRIEND WAS INJURED AND UNDER DOCTORS CARE. MY CAR IS TORE UP IN THE FRONT. WHY? THOSE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THEY COULD NOT TELL ME. I WAS TRAVELING ON RTE 49 EAST.

Mileage: 137

20160329CrashAIR BAGS

2001 JEEP CHEROKEE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO SEVERAL VEHICLE RECALLS AND AIRBAG MALFUNCTION DURING AN ACCIDENT. *SMD

20151105ENGINE

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.

Mileage: 155,000

20150811FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 06E011000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO PERFORM THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL PART. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

20150804FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

HI MY NAME IS [XXX] I BOUGHT A 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE (XJ) IT'S CAME TO MY ATTENTION THAT NHTSA HAS A RECALL FOR THE GRAND CHEROKEE HAS A RECALL FOR THE FUEL TANK PROTECTION I'VE BEEN DOING RESEARCH FOR HOURS ON THE WEB AND I HAVE YET TO FIND THE SAME RECALL ON THE JEEP CHEROKEE MODELS MY FUEL TANK DOES NOT HAVE ANY KIND OF PROTECTION AND I'M SURE I'M NOT THE ONLY JEEP CHEROKEE OWNER THAT HAS NO FUEL TANK PROTECTION TO BE HONEST I LOVE MY CHEROKEE AND THERE'S NO REASON I COULD EVER GET RID OF IT OTHER THAN THE FUEL TANK SAFETY IF YOU COULD PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE YOU AND OR YOUR COMPANY COULD NOT ONLY SAVE MY LIFE IN A REAR CRASH BUT YOU COULD SAVE MILLIONS OF LIVE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

Mileage: 131,000

20150313FireEXTERIOR LIGHTING

GOT HOME SHUT OFF VEHICLE OPENED LIFTGATE WENT TO BATHROOM LOOKED OUT WINDOW A FIRE STARTED FROM INTERIOR LIGHT WITHIN 10 MINUTES WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *TR

Mileage: 130,000

20141120ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ONE DAY, IT JUST STOPPED WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, ON MY WAY FROM WORK. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED TWICE. I ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR A YEAR AND COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS HAPPENED. I CALLED JEEP CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO EXPLAINED THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THE KEY. THE NEXT DAY, MY VEHICLE COMPLETELY STOPPED WORKING. I HAD IT TOWED AND TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED TO HAVE AN ISSUE WITH THE TIPM. I HAD TO PAY MONEY I SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO SPEND TO GET IT FIXED. I LATER DISCOVERED SO MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THERE'S A VERY RECENT, AUGUST 2014, LAWSUIT PENDING IN FEDERAL COURT RELATING TO THIS ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 35,000

20141114ENGINE

SLOWLY LOOSING ANTIFREEZE, ANTIFREEZE MIXED WITH OIL. FOUND TO BE CRACKED HEAD, APPARENTLY A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. REPLACED HEAD. A FEW MONTHS AFTER REPLACEMENT OF HEAD, STARTED TO LOOSE ANTIFREEZE AGAIN REPLACED HEAD AGAIN IN NOV 2014. HAD VEHICLE BACK FOR ONE WEEK, LOST ALL ANTIFREEZE, MIXED WITH OIL AGAIN. HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT 2000 AND 2001 JEEP CHEROKEES AND GRAND CHEROKEES HAVE A VERY HIGH RATE OF THIS HAPPENING. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. *TR

Mileage: 90,000

20141024AIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

Mileage: 80,000

20140726ENGINE

AFTER LOOSING COOLANT AT ABOUT A 1/2 PER WEEK, FINALLY DECIDED TO PULL THE HEAD AND CHECK TO SEE IF IT HAS THE FAMOUS JEEP 4.0L, 0331 HEAD CASTING AND IS KNOWN TO BE WEAK. YEP, I HAVE THE BAD HEAD WITH CRACKS. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL FOR THIS AS IT HAS A HIGH FAILURE RATE..... *TR

Mileage: 120,000

20140517EXTERIOR LIGHTING

I HAVE TWO JEEP GRAND CHEROKEES AND HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH BOTH INVOLVING THE REAR TAIL/BRAKE LIGHTS. I HAVE REPLACED THE BULBS ON AND OFF FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS AND LAST YEAR I REPLACE THE ENTIRE LIGHT HOUSING. I AM EXPERIENCING THIS WITH BOTH VEHICLES AND HAVE NOTICE MANY OTHER JEEPS ON THE ROAD WITH THEIR TAIL LIGHT OR BRAKE LIGHTS NOT PROPERLY WORKING. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM. THE TAIL LIGHTS WORK SOMETIMES BUT THE BRAKE LIGHTS MAY NOT WORK AT ALL, VERY FRUSTRATING. WHEN THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHEN THE TAIL LIGHTS WILL WORK AND THE BRAKE LIGHT WILL NOT, BOTH USING THE SAME BULB. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN APPLYING THE BREAKS AND HAVING THE LIGHTS ON THE REAR OF MY VEHICLE NOT INDICATE THAT I AM STOPPING OR IN FACT MAKING MY VEHICLE LESS NOTICEABLE. I HAVE HEARD THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH BOTH VEHICLES - NOT A COINCIDENT BUT A MANUFACTURES DEFEAT. *JS

Mileage: 35,000

20140417ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

IM DOING INTERIOR WORK ON MY JEEP PURCHASED FEB 19 2014... 2001 GRAND CHEROKEE SPORT.... I REMOVED THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR/LIGHTED MIRROR.. UPON THIS ALL ELECTRIC ON DASH I.E. GAS GAUGE, WATER TEMP GAUGE, RPM, SPEEDOMETER, THE RADIOM KEYLESS ENTRY AND DOOR LOCK ALL WENT OFF PURE SHUT DOWN ON TRHEM ALL FUSES CHECKED IN AND OUT NONE ARE BLOWN...... PLEASE HELP CANT TELL HOW FAST IM GOING OR ANYTHING

Mileage: 154,000

20140417ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

IM DOING INTERIOR WORK ON MY JEEP PURCHASED FEB 19 2014... 2001 GRAND CHEROKEE SPORT.... I REMOVED THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR/LIGHTED MIRROR.. UPON THIS ALL ELECTRIC ON DASH I.E. GAS GAUGE, WATER TEMP GAUGE, RPM, SPEEDOMETER, THE RADIOM KEYLESS ENTRY AND DOOR LOCK ALL WENT OFF PURE SHUT DOWN ON TRHEM ALL FUSES CHECKED IN AND OUT NONE ARE BLOWN...... PLEASE HELP CANT TELL HOW FAST IM GOING OR ANYTHING

Mileage: 154,000

20140417UNKNOWN OR OTHER

IM DOING INTERIOR WORK ON MY JEEP PURCHASED FEB 19 2014... 2001 GRAND CHEROKEE SPORT.... I REMOVED THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR/LIGHTED MIRROR.. UPON THIS ALL ELECTRIC ON DASH I.E. GAS GAUGE, WATER TEMP GAUGE, RPM, SPEEDOMETER, THE RADIOM KEYLESS ENTRY AND DOOR LOCK ALL WENT OFF PURE SHUT DOWN ON TRHEM ALL FUSES CHECKED IN AND OUT NONE ARE BLOWN...... PLEASE HELP CANT TELL HOW FAST IM GOING OR ANYTHING

Mileage: 154,000

Compare 2001JEEPCHEROKEE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE have?
The 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE has 329 NHTSA complaints, 33 crashes, 25 fires, 26 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE?
Yes, the 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE has 8 recall(s). The most common affected component is EXTERIOR LIGHTING. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE?
The most-complained component for the 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR with 32 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEATS and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE.
Is the 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.