2.1

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
75,500 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 1998 Jeep Wrangler:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #2

Jun 082011

Wrangler 4WD 6-cyl

  • 95,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Jeep Wrangler. While driving approximately 15 mph, the contact heard a loud rattling noise underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the catalytic converter was replaced. Recently, the contact discovered a voluntary recall issued by the manufacturer pertaining to the power train control module. The contact was displeased to know the VIN was not included in the recall and ineligible for reimbursement for the prior repair. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000. The consumer stated the exhaust manifold cracked on two separate occasions and had to be replaced.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #1

May 022004

Wrangler 4WD 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 56,000 miles
I have a 98 tj Jeep 2.5lt with on it 57,000 now. What I experienced was a major power loss in the while getting on the freeway. The symptoms were as follows. The engine would rev up but the rpms & speed would rise slowly. I though maybe the clutch was slipping and pulled off the freeway and drove it back home. I noticed it got worse and the engine was running poorly at idle and if you gave it gas it would bog down and die. I also noticed strong exhaust fumes and very little pressure from the exhaust pipe. So I took it to the muffler shop for a new catalytic converter and they informed me that I should take it to the Jeep dealer. Because in ca there's a federal recall law that states that the dealer must replace the catalytic converter at no cost to the owner if it fails before 80,000 miles regardless if you bought it new or not and mine had 56,000. So I took it to the dealer and they installed a brand new catalytic converter free of charge and labor. The Jeep runs great and the dealership was very nice.they said they have had problems on this with certain models. Hope this helps. Oh if you really want to know if that's the problem just disconnect the exhaust pipe going up to the exhaust manifold real quick and fire it up if it starts right up and has power then you know that's it. But hook it back up don't drive it like that. You might damage the engine. You'll need a 14mm deep socket and some WD40 to removed the 2 nuts on the studs. That's it.

- Concord, CA, USA