The 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee is a vehicle that came with a choice of 4.0L 6-cyl and 5.2L 8-cyl engines. At 29 years old, many are reaching the point where repairs cost more than the car is worth. Running or not, we'll make you an offer and tow it away for free.
| Body style | Special Purpose Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Engines | 4.0L 6-cyl, 5.2L 8-cyl |
| Transmissions | Automatic 4-spd |
| Drive | Rear-Wheel Drive, 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive |
| Fuel | Regular Gasoline |
| Fuel economy | 12–14 city / 16–20 highway / 14–16 combined MPG |
| EPA annual fuel cost | $4,200–$4,800 a year (EPA estimate at current fuel prices, 15,000 miles) |
| Tailpipe CO₂ | 555–635 grams per mile |
| Versions tested by EPA | 4 configurations: Grand Cherokee 2WD, Grand Cherokee 4WD |
| Age | 29 years |
Specs, fuel cost and emissions from the EPA's fueleconomy.gov data. Your car's exact equipment may differ.
NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls covering the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Open recalls don't stop you from selling or junking the car, but check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which apply to yours.
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 1993-1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee and 2002-2007 Jeep Liberty vehicles. The fuel tanks in these vehicles are at risk of failure and leakage in certain rear impacts.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
On certain sport utility vehicles, if a driver has not placed the shifter lever fully into the "park" position and leaves the vehicle running, the vehicle may unexpectedly move rearward after seeming to be stable.
Risk: Inadvertent movement of the vehicle could result in a crash.
Vehicle description: passenger and multi-purpose vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of connecticut, illinois, indiana, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, or wisconsin, and the district of columbia. The front disc brake…
Risk: The reduced strength can allow the cast iron wear surface to separate from the hub, reducing the brake effectiveness of the vehicle.
Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles. The fuel tank mounted fuel level sending unit accuracy can degrade over time, indicating significantly more fuel in reserve than is actually present.
Risk: Owners may not be aware that their vehicle is low on fuel increasing the risk of a vehicle crash if the vehicle stops due to no fuel.
The electrical circuit design allows the potential for an inadvertent air bag deployment upon vehicle ignition shut down.
Risk: Unexpected air bag deployment can result in occupant injury.
Owners have filed 991 complaints about the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee with NHTSA. 112 reports involved a crash and 17 reports involved a fire. Owners reported 89 injuries.
Complaints are reports from owners and aren't verified by NHTSA. One complaint can list several components. Mileage is the median odometer reading owners reported for that component.
Manufacturers have filed 105 technical service bulletins and communications with NHTSA covering the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. These are repair instructions for known issues, not recalls.
Charging System, Battery Diagnostic Tools and Warranty This information only bulletin discusses using the correct test equipment for testing batteries and charging system
Repair Parts Used For Structural Repairs This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to structural repair parts usage.
Use of Salvage/Recycled Parts This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to collision repair industry awareness regarding the use of recycled or sa
Use of Aftermarket Parts This bulletin involves discussing FCA US LLC position with regard to collision repair industry awareness regarding the use of aftermarket parts.
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications (technical service bulletins).
NHTSA opened 7 defect investigations covering the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires
ODI has completed an extensive analysis of rear crash fuel tank system integrity data for the subject Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee and Liberty vehicles (SVs).As of June 2013, ODI knew of 56 post-collision fatal fires, 28 non-fatal fires, and 6 fuel leak incidents (totaling 90 incidents, 75 fatalities and 58 injuries)
Crash Related Fuel Tank Fires
NHTSA has conducted extensive analysis of the data regarding fuel tank integrity for the model year (MY) 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee (JGC). As a result of that work, the agency has decided to upgrade its safety defect investigation to an Engineering Analysis and to expand the scope of vehicles included in the investi
Fuel Storage System Crash Related Fires
In a letter dated October 2, 2009, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned NHTSA to open a defect investigation and recall model year 1993-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokees.CAS alleged that the subject vehicles have defective fuel tank storage systems that present a fire hazard in crashes. CAS alleged that the plastic fuel
Hood latch failure
Odi opened ea02-029 to determine whether a safety-related defect trend existed in the my 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee hood latch assemblies.during ea02-029, there was no specific failure mechanism identified that could differentiate the my 1997 vehicles from other vehicles containing this same hood latch assembly or could
Hood latch
There is no summary currently available
Roll-away in reverse when parked
Daimlerchrysler has recalled the zj models to incorporate a secondary detent spring into the shifter.even though the wj 6 cyl. Vehicles use the same manual detent lever that as the vehicles in the recall population, odi believes that the wj redesigned shifter, which improves floor shifter functionality and ergonomics,
Inadvertent rollaway in reverse park
It depends on its condition, whether major parts like the engine, transmission and catalytic converter are still there, and current scrap and parts prices where you live. Its parts make up much of its value. Enter your ZIP code above for a free offer on your specific car.
Yes. We buy 1997 Grand Cherokees that don't start, were in an accident, failed inspection or have a blown engine or transmission. Towing is always free.
Yes. Open recalls don't prevent a junk sale. NHTSA lists 5 recalls for the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee; you can check whether any are still open on yours with the VIN lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Usually the title and a photo ID. Rules differ by state, including what to do with your plates and whether to file a notice of sale. Check our state-by-state car title guides for the official forms.
Data retrieved October 2026.
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