Total Complaints
7 filings
JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE · model year
1989 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
7 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1989JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 1 fire, 0 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 1989 GRAND CHEROKEE is service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip with 1 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control:catalytic convertor (1) and steering:hydraulic power assist system (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 6 investigation files overlapping the 1989 GRAND 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.
7
Complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20190528ENGINE
CATALIC CONVERTER RECALL ELECTRIC RECALL COOLANT TEMP CIRCUIT RECALL OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD I WILL NOT TEST IT ON FREEWAY WITH ALL THE SEVERE SYSTOMS HAPPENING WITH MY JEEP BEEN SMOKING FROM ENGINE SOMETHING WITH MY COOLANT AND TEMP CIRCUIT INPUT MY HEADLIGHTS ELECTRIC SYSTEM PERIOD BEEN COMPLETELY NOT DOING WHAT THERE MADE TO DO EVEN WHEN I CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS THEY STILL SEEM TO BE MESSING UP ALSO MY TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH SOLENOID CIRCUIT IT'S BEEN WRONG I MISFIRING ALL OF A SUDDEN FROM CYLINDER 3 + 6 AND THEN ALSO JUST RANDOM MISFIRES CUZ OF MY PERFORMANCE OF MY VEHICLE 2 TO BE UNSAFE FOR THE ROAD SOUNDS LIKE MY TRUCK IS GOING TO FALL APART AND JUST WHEN I DRIVE IT IT'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG STARING I PUT POWER STEERING FLUID DOES NOTHING SEEMS TO GO RIGHT AND ONCE I FIX ONE THING MORE MULTIPLE THINGS GO WRONG AND IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IN THEIR COMPLAINT AND NOW MY VAN IS SHOWING THAT IT HAS A ZERO REPAIRED SHOWING I TH
Mileage: 190,000
20190528POWER TRAIN
CATALIC CONVERTER RECALL ELECTRIC RECALL COOLANT TEMP CIRCUIT RECALL OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD I WILL NOT TEST IT ON FREEWAY WITH ALL THE SEVERE SYSTOMS HAPPENING WITH MY JEEP BEEN SMOKING FROM ENGINE SOMETHING WITH MY COOLANT AND TEMP CIRCUIT INPUT MY HEADLIGHTS ELECTRIC SYSTEM PERIOD BEEN COMPLETELY NOT DOING WHAT THERE MADE TO DO EVEN WHEN I CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS THEY STILL SEEM TO BE MESSING UP ALSO MY TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH SOLENOID CIRCUIT IT'S BEEN WRONG I MISFIRING ALL OF A SUDDEN FROM CYLINDER 3 + 6 AND THEN ALSO JUST RANDOM MISFIRES CUZ OF MY PERFORMANCE OF MY VEHICLE 2 TO BE UNSAFE FOR THE ROAD SOUNDS LIKE MY TRUCK IS GOING TO FALL APART AND JUST WHEN I DRIVE IT IT'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG STARING I PUT POWER STEERING FLUID DOES NOTHING SEEMS TO GO RIGHT AND ONCE I FIX ONE THING MORE MULTIPLE THINGS GO WRONG AND IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IN THEIR COMPLAINT AND NOW MY VAN IS SHOWING THAT IT HAS A ZERO REPAIRED SHOWING I TH
Mileage: 190,000
20190528EXTERIOR LIGHTING
CATALIC CONVERTER RECALL ELECTRIC RECALL COOLANT TEMP CIRCUIT RECALL OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD I WILL NOT TEST IT ON FREEWAY WITH ALL THE SEVERE SYSTOMS HAPPENING WITH MY JEEP BEEN SMOKING FROM ENGINE SOMETHING WITH MY COOLANT AND TEMP CIRCUIT INPUT MY HEADLIGHTS ELECTRIC SYSTEM PERIOD BEEN COMPLETELY NOT DOING WHAT THERE MADE TO DO EVEN WHEN I CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS THEY STILL SEEM TO BE MESSING UP ALSO MY TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH SOLENOID CIRCUIT IT'S BEEN WRONG I MISFIRING ALL OF A SUDDEN FROM CYLINDER 3 + 6 AND THEN ALSO JUST RANDOM MISFIRES CUZ OF MY PERFORMANCE OF MY VEHICLE 2 TO BE UNSAFE FOR THE ROAD SOUNDS LIKE MY TRUCK IS GOING TO FALL APART AND JUST WHEN I DRIVE IT IT'S SOMETHING DEFINITELY WRONG STARING I PUT POWER STEERING FLUID DOES NOTHING SEEMS TO GO RIGHT AND ONCE I FIX ONE THING MORE MULTIPLE THINGS GO WRONG AND IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYTHING THAT EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IN THEIR COMPLAINT AND NOW MY VAN IS SHOWING THAT IT HAS A ZERO REPAIRED SHOWING I TH
Mileage: 190,000
20020221SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED VEHICLE VIBRATES. DEALER HAS RESURFACED BRAKES TWICE, BUT PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
19990820STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE POWER STEERING UNIT FELL OUT OF THE VEHICLE, CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK UP. *ML
19970106FireENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
EXHAUST FIRE, CATALYTIC CONVERTER SYSTEM CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED. NOT THE OWNER, BUT INSURANCE CO REPORTED THE FIRE. *AK
19950206SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
ABS RECALL DONE, ABS ACTUATOR MAKES LOUD SOUND WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. TT
Compare 1989JEEPGRAND CHEROKEE to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
PE19011Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Seat Belt Retraction
PE15030Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Powered vehicle rollaway
PE15021Preliminary EvaluationClosed
False Positive Automated Braking
PE10031Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires
EA05020Engineering AnalysisClosed
FAN BLADE FAILURE (ENGINE COOLING FAN)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1989 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE have?▼
The 1989 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 1 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1989 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE?▼
The most-complained component for the 1989 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE is SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR and STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM.
Is the 1989 JEEP GRAND 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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.