1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Electrical System Problems

Source: NHTSA · Updated Aug 6, 2024 · 56 complaints analyzed

Owners have filed 56 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 6% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 151,500 miles.

56electrical system complaints
151,500median miles at failure
3mention a crash
1mention an injury
0related recalls
43%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph

At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?

Based on 32 complaints that reported the odometer reading.

Under 10k miles1 · 3%

10k–25k miles0 · 0%

25k–50k miles1 · 3%

50k–75k miles2 · 6%

75k–100k miles3 · 9%

100k–150k miles8 · 25%

150k+ miles17 · 53%

How serious are the reports?

Of 56 complaints, 3 mention a crash, 4 a fire, 1 an injury.

Jeep Grand Cherokee electrical system complaints by model year

Peak: 2005, with 927 complaints

n = 7,478 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Model year	Electrical System complaints	Share of that year	Median miles
2026 Grand Cherokee	4	16%	10
2025 Grand Cherokee	30	39%	—
2024 Grand Cherokee	115	46%	14,000
2023 Grand Cherokee	178	45%	21,545
2022 Grand Cherokee	129	49%	20,450
2021 Grand Cherokee	115	28%	1,812
2020 Grand Cherokee	73	30%	12,000
2019 Grand Cherokee	84	23%	14,000
2018 Grand Cherokee	339	40%	27,750
2017 Grand Cherokee	87	24%	33,451
2016 Grand Cherokee	61	20%	33,570
2015 Grand Cherokee	138	10%	28,000
2014 Grand Cherokee	484	20%	37,000
2013 Grand Cherokee	376	47%	68,000
2012 Grand Cherokee	837	51%	70,000
2011 Grand Cherokee	780	48%	62,568
2010 Grand Cherokee	47	40%	85,000
2009 Grand Cherokee	47	34%	82,675
2008 Grand Cherokee	473	64%	78,000
2007 Grand Cherokee	658	59%	79,000
2006 Grand Cherokee	753	59%	90,000
2005 Grand Cherokee	927	45%	92,000
2004 Grand Cherokee	144	11%	92,000
2003 Grand Cherokee	55	7%	85,500
2002 Grand Cherokee	85	6%	102,600
2001 Grand Cherokee	42	5%	55,000
2000 Grand Cherokee	112	8%	104,000
1999 Grand Cherokee	84	5%	121,181
1998 Grand Cherokee	60	6%	116,000
1997 Grand Cherokee	56	6%	151,500
1996 Grand Cherokee	65	7%	148,000
1995 Grand Cherokee	40	6%	138,000

When owners reported it

Peak: 2015, with 7 complaints

n = 56 complaints · Source: NHTSA

Related recalls (0)

No safety recall lists electrical system for the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.

What owners report

Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.

I purchased this vehicle and noticed the fuel gauge was fluctuating excessively so i check if there were any recalls for this vehicle . When entering vehicles vin # it states 0 opened recalls for this vehicle, not sure if it was previously repaired. Please help me resolve this issue. Electrical…
Received Oct 12, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11363851

Ecm has a fault circuit board per dealer and needs replacing . Causes completer power failure and engine will quit running , all electrical goes out -- no lights at night or emergency flashers -- and power brakes fail to work . This happens at any time , stopped or on the road .
Received Aug 12, 2019 · NHTSA complaint 11243393

Wiring harness lost connection to ground for the pcm. Ground would not allow fuel pump to work properly without major work to the wiring harness.
Received Feb 7, 2018 · NHTSA complaint 11071665

Frequently asked questions

Do all 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokees have electrical system problems?

No. NHTSA has 56 owner complaints about electrical system for the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee (6% of the 991 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.

Was there a recall on the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee electrical system?

No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.

At what mileage do electrical system problems start?

The median reported mileage is 151,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.