NHTSA Complaint #10226966 — 2001 JEEP CHEROKEE

FIRST, ENGINE BEGAN TO LOOSE OVERHEAT AND LOOSE COOLANT AT 55,000M - 1 QT EVERY 200 - 300 MILES. NO LEAK FOUND BY MECHANIC. LOSS CONTINUED. THEN LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE WHEN ENGINE WAS WARMED FULLY. PRESSURE DROPS AT ALL RPM BUT DOWN TO 0 WHEN IDLE IS BELOW 1300 RPM( (AT IDLE). CANNOT FIND LEAK BUT HAVE BEEN ADVISED ON SEVERAL FORUMS THAT THIS YEAR (98 - 01) JEEP 4.0 ENGINES HAVE A VERY HIGH FAILURE RATE RELATED TO THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE A FAULTY ENGINE CASTING PRONE TO INTERNAL CRACKING, CAUSING COOLANT LOSS AND LOSS OF OIL PRESSURE. JEEP DEALER DENIES AND KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ISSUE. BUT, JEEP SENT A SPECIAL LETTER TO BUYERS OF THIS YEAR/MODEL JEEP CHEROKEE THAT THEY WERE DESPERATE TO BUY AS MANY OF THIS YEAR MAKE/MODEL AS THEY COULD AND WOULD PROVIDE A REASONABLE TRADE-IN VALUE. THEY DID NOT SPECIFY WHY THEY WOULD NEED TO ACQUIRE SO MANY OF THIS PARTICULAR USED YEAR/MODEL JEEP CHEROKEES. *TR