Just bought my first XJ, Issues: Airbag Light, Pulsating Breaks, Transfer Case Issue

Hello All,

I'm new to the forums. My name is Mark Jr. and i was referred to the website by my father (MarkSr). I just bought my first XJ yesterday (For $2,400). It is a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Classic Automatic 4WD. It' runs very well, but does have a few issues.

The first thing i noticed was that the Air Bag light is turned on. The previous owner claimed that it was not in an accident, and it was always on when he had it. I notice a small ding in the driver side bumper, so that may have caused an Air Bag to activate. My question is how do i check my Air Bags and if they are not activated, how do i fix the Air Bag light issue?

The second issue i found was that when i break my break pedal pulsates. It's not too bad, but is very noticeable. Do you think a complete break job would stop the pulsating? (I see on ebay for 99.99 complete break set, would this do the job?)

And lastly, when i tried to turn on 4WD, it was very hard. When the car got into 4WD, it would not go back to 2WD. Although it was in 2WD and the indicator lights were off, it still was geared in 4WD. A few miles driving in 4WD and turning the car on and off eventually fixed it and it went back into 2WD. Would a new transfer case fix this?

Thanks,
Mark Jr.

The air bag light is probably air bag sensor out front, you can have the air bag code read and it wil tell you...

The Brakes sound like the rotors are bad....

The 4x4 problem sounds like sticky linkage....


This site is invaluable, if you own an xj you need to know about ... I think you will find that there are alot of very helpful people here.... I am sure others will chime in with input on your problems......

Sounds like a good deal. As for the airbag light, you should be able to tell if the bags have been deployed unless it was fixed. You are gonna have to hit something HARD to set off the airbag in an XJ. It may be your airbag controller. As for Brakes I would get a good set from Napa or another comparable store. XJ's will eat through cheap brakes quickly. Turning in 4wd will be difficult on dry pavement and its also extremely bad for u-joints and the t-case. sounds like you could just adjust the linkage on it and it'll be ok. AS a rule of thumb, never use 4wd on dry pavement.

Next time, try backing up a few feet before attempting to shift.

You did not mention the trans--auto or manual, or the type of transfer case. Were you in 4hi, 4lo, or full-time?

It is an Automatic. I did try the backing up as well. And when i tested it, it was raining and the ground was wet.

At first i put it in 4LO and it was very hard, then i put it in 4HI and drove to test it, and after that it would not get out of 4WD

Yeah, if it was full-time 4wd that is Ok, but wet roads aren't slippery enough for the part-time 4wd and will cause the transfer case to overheat.

Snow/ice/mud/even dirt will provide enough slippage, but not wet pavement.

Like has been said, your 4WD was acting that way because you were on pavement. New brakes should fix you up. Make sure you lube up and/or replace the caliper slide bushings. Oh, congrats!

cheap fix on the brake pulsing is to just jack up the jeep, pull the rotors and take it down to a shop and have them turned. while your calipers are off you can check your pads at the same time to see if they are worn down or not. but that should fix your pulsing, if its a constant vibe thou, i'd check your wheel balancing and alignment.

The airbag issue seems to be common in xjs. Mine has done it intermitently, but never long enough for me to care to investigate. Also a friend has the same issue as your son, the light is constantly on. If my memory serves me correctly there was a recall on xjs regarding the airbag controller. Perhaps call the dealer and have them check the VIN to see if your vehicle was affected and serviced. Not possitive here, just a foggy memory.

does your horn work? if not, airbag light and no horn can point to bad clocking spring..

There was a recall on the airbags.....when I bought my 98 XJ in 2009 I found it had an outstanding recall on the airbag. Apparently the fix is to relocate the airbag control module to a different location. I'm sorry I don't know why it needed to be relocated but that could be part of the issue I suppose

JP hit it on the 4WD. There are two TC's available, Select Trac and Command Trac.
The Select Trac is a 242 TC with the controls of 2 HI, 4 HI Part time, 4 HI Full Time, Neutral, and 4 Lo.
Command Trac is a 231 TC without the 4 HI Full Time position.

One of the discussion points often brought up is tire PSI. Some say all 4 tires should be close to the same for good TC shifting. I have 4-242 TC's and they do shift better with consistant tire PSI.

I am not familiar with the later year options, but it would not suprise me if your Classic has a 242 TC.

Yes my horn does work. I'm going to call the dealership tomorrow morning and see if there is a recall. I hope so, because fixing it for free would be sweet =]

98NWCherokee said:

There was a recall on the airbags.....when I bought my 98 XJ in 2009 I found it had an outstanding recall on the airbag. Apparently the fix is to relocate the airbag control module to a different location. I'm sorry I don't know why it needed to be relocated but that could be part of the issue I suppose

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The reason for the recall was that the control module was subject to damage in its location under the seat. Moisture from spilled liquids and loose cargo in the rear seating area could easily come in contact with the module, damaging it and causing malfunction. The solution was to relocate it to the center console.

Hey JR good looking jeep man. Naxja has some really good information. Im on the other site that you are also on and was helping you find a jeep. But ya man listen to the guys on here. A lot of good information is on here

Unfortunately, after buying the car and driving it home... my check engine light comes on. What should i do?

Go to Autozone and tell the guy behind the parts counter that your check engine light came on, and ask them to pull the codes. They will do it for free

As for the brakes, the vibration is probably a bad rotor or drum, but it could be uneven wear on the pads so I would give everything a look before buying anything. The smart thing would be to replace all that stuff with known-good parts. Brakes aren't something you fool around with. Parts are pretty cheap for what they are, but there sure are a lot of them.

When the car got into 4WD, it would not go back to 2WD. Although it was in 2WD and the indicator lights were off, it still was geared in 4WD. A few miles driving in 4WD and turning the car on and off eventually fixed it and it went back into 2WD. Would a new transfer case fix this?

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It sounds like the transfer case got bound up, but it might just be that the switch did not clear. As everybody has already said, don't drive it in 4WD on dry pavement. If you get it bound up and it doesn't want to unstick, go back and forth a few yards and try to shift the transfer case until it has come unbound. The light does not always switch over right away so you have to rely on feel.

I got my codes for my CEL read, and it seems the problem is my 02 Sensor. Is this an easy fix? Where exactly are they located?

There are 2 O2 sensors on the exhaust. one upstream just after the header and one downstream behind the catalytic convertor. replacing them is pretty easy. bad o2 wont cause the problems you seem to have though, besides the CEL.

Check the fuses on the the airbag light, just bought my 01 and the airbag light was on. Turned out one of the fuses was pulled.