2004 Jeep Cherokee What is wrong with my baby?!

did your check engine light come on? Not sure why it would jerk on just one side of the vehicle. When was the last time you had a tune up? I remember having a similar issue, the truck jerked, my rpms dropped then everything came back no issues, the check engine light came on and when i plugged it said that the Throttle Position Sensor set off the light. I cleared the code and it never came back...

At only 44000 miles, you shouldn't be seeing trouble codes that aren't really there...

But then again, it is a Jeep. Those idiot lights get wacky sometimes.

I think a tuneup would probably be the answer, though. If your plugs and wires are old and/or are of a lousy quality, it might be time to replace them.

Let me guess, though: the original plugs and wires were swapped out around 30k, and you have new ones from a Jiffy Lube or someplace like that?

I would go with Chrysler plugs and wires only. They're pricey, but much better than KEM or Autolite or any of those other cheap brands.

Also, make sure the plugs are gapped correctly. In a couple of cars I've tuned up, I've found that the plugs I pulled out weren't ever gapped at all. That'll definitely contribute to some poor performance...