Total Complaints
3 filings
JEEP JEEP · model year
1996 JEEP JEEP
3 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1996JEEPJEEP carries 3 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 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 1996 JEEP is tires:tread/belt with 1 filings, followed by power train:automatic transmission (1) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control:catalytic convertor (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 9 investigation files overlapping the 1996 JEEP, and 1 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.
3
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
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 |
|---|---|
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20070326ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
I HAVE A 1996 PRE-OWNED JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON ITS CATYLIC CONVERTER AT LEAST A YEAR AGO. I HAD CALLED AGAIN TO HAVE MY CAR ON THE LIST. MOST RECENTLY, I CALLED ABOUT A MONTH AGO IN FEBRUARY TO DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY ONLY RECEIVED THE BACK-ORDER PART ONCE EVERY 3 WEEKS IF THEY WERE LUCKY. WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE RATTLING NOISE. WELL, LAST WEEK MY CAR HAD TWO EPISODES OF SHUDDERING WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP. THIS WEEK, MY ENGINE CCHECK LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR AT LEAST TWO DAYS. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS COULD VERY MUCH BE DUE TO THE CONVERTER BY A SERVICE PERSON. MY CAR WAS ALREADY AT A CRITICALSTAGE OF NEEDING THE REPLACEMENT. I COULD NOT AFFORD TO WAIT UNTIL MY ENGINE NEEDED REPLACING. SO WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE ?*AK
20050208POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
POWERTRAIN TRANSMISSION: AUTOMATIC. MY TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR PROPERLY, CAUSING LOSS OF POWER AND WHINNING. THIS OCCURS MOSTLY THE FALL AND WINTER MONTHS DURING COLDER TEMPERATURE UNDER 32 DEGREES. PLEASE ADVISE.*AK
Mileage: 70,000
20010306TIRES:TREAD/BELT
THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE WHILE DRIVING (SEARS RESPONSE 215X70X15 DOT #CKUL 220-051). NLM
Compare 1996JEEPJEEP to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
PE25014Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Failure
PE22009Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Electronic Parking Brake Water Ingress
PE19012Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Frame weld deficiencies
PE13027Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Headliner Fires
DP09005Defect PetitionClosed
Fuel Storage System Crash Related Fires
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1996 JEEP JEEP have?▼
The 1996 JEEP JEEP has 3 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 JEEP JEEP?▼
The most-complained component for the 1996 JEEP JEEP is TIRES:TREAD/BELT with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR.
Is the 1996 JEEP JEEP 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.