JEEP COMANCHE · model year

1987 JEEP COMANCHE

5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1987JEEPCOMANCHE carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 1 fire, 3 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 1987 COMANCHE is engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline with 1 filings, followed by vehicle speed control:accelerator pedal (1) and steering:gear box (other than rack and pinion) (1). 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.

NHTSA currently has 29 investigation files overlapping the 1987 COMANCHE, and 3 remain open. 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.

5
Complaints
1
Crashes
1
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

5 filings

Crashes Reported

1 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL1
STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM1

Recent Complaints

20030324ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED DUE TO A FAULTY WATER PUMP. *NLM...*AK

20010307CrashSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DRUM

FIVE ACCIDENTS WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF BRAKES WORKED PROPERLY. I HAVE TALKED TO SEVERAL OWNERS OF THIS PARTICULAR TRUCK AND ALL HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL WRECKED TRUCKS THAT ARE THE SAME MODEL.

20010117STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A TURN STEERING WHEEL WILL LOCK UP AND NOT TURN. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO SHOP, AND FOUND OUT THAT STEERING BOX WAS CRACKING.*AK

19961213VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

WHEN DRIVING THE ACCELERATOR STICKS ALL THE TIME . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK

19960626FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AND JEEP CAUGHT ON FIRE , PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK

Compare 1987JEEPCOMANCHE to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 3 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1987 JEEP COMANCHE have?
The 1987 JEEP COMANCHE has 5 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 1 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1987 JEEP COMANCHE?
The most-complained component for the 1987 JEEP COMANCHE is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL and STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION).
Is the 1987 JEEP COMANCHE 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.