Seven problems related to equipment have been reported for the 1997 Jeep Wrangler. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I have taken care of this Jeep covering every speck of rust as soon as I seen it and today while cleaning the underside of the Jeep I found a rust hole in the frame. From the outside it looks brand new. After examination I found the entire frame has rusted out form the inside out and was full of chunks of metal. I believe this to be a massive safety hazard that Jeep designed a frame that holds water and salt and will rust out without the owner even knowing how dangerous it is to drive the vehicle.
My frame is rotting from the inside out. The rear trailing arm mounts are welded to the frame and the frame rotted through from the inside out. The vehicle will not pass the required saftey inspection. I started looking for a way to repair/replace the frame and found that this is a common problem. The cost of repair will exceed the value of the vehicle. The date I have entered is the date the problem was found.
The frame is rusting around the rear control arm mounts , I have seen others rust in the same place in person and on the internet. There are even companies that make repairs for this problem like safe-t-cap. The rust on mine is bad enough that it will not pass state inspection without being repaired.
Noticed wobble underneath while driving. Inspected underneath and noticed light showing between transfer case skid plate and frame (should be tight) and bolt hanging down. Took into shop and lower mid frame on both sides is completely rusted through allowing skid plate bolts to fall out with nuts still attached. Skid plate also serves as transfer case mount and when it drops the driveshaft wobbles. Ultimately if it had completely let go on the highway the rear driveshaft would have locked up and locked the rear wheels causing uncontrolled skid, or the driveshaft would break causing danger to the passengers.
Violent wobbling of front of Jeep , it comes and goes at different speeds and you must come to a sudden stop to avoid loosing controll of vehicle . I dont know what is causing this as there is no apparent damage to repair. In my opinion it is a factory defect and the vehicle is unsafe for use on public roads and highways.
For the past 15 years we have been proud owners of a 1997 Jeep Wrangler. In1998, we retired to cape cod, MA. Over the time we have owned our Jeep, it has been kept in immaculate condition; the vehicle has been garage kept, hand washed weekly, and never taken off-road. The finish is near perfect and all regular service has been performed. Currently the mileage is 91,000 miles. At our last service appointment we learned of a major issue with the vehicle's frame. It had rusted through in multiple locations from the inside out. The estimated cost to repair the frame is $5,000 from our local dealer, premier Jeep, in hyannis MA. Our mechanic advised that the frame can be repaired by welding 6 new sections into place at an approximate cost of $2700. Needless to say, we are dismayed. We conducted research to see why this problem occurred despite our upkeep regimen. Apparently, water is known to enter the frame and not properly drain due to it is design. We contacted Chrysler corporate who asked us to have the vehicles good condition confirmed by our local Jeep dealer which we did. Chrysler offered no further assistance. We are filing this report as this frame is going to loose integrity and fail based on no mishandling on our part. There is clearly a defect in the frame design which we believe the manufacturer should stand behind its product.
Standard steel wheels have corroded and one has started to leak air. Metal remaining on other wheels have also deteriorated to a point that they may fail. No indication of failure is evident to the driver. Wheel could rupture and fail causing loss of control to steering. 15x7 steel * 5 bolt on 4. 5bolt pattern backspacing = 5. 5 offset = +38 mm.