Exhaust leak and engine missing

scott2011

My '03 Jeep Liberty developed a quite audible hole in the exhaust system overnight (sound is coming from engine compartment) and at the same time has begun missing. The missing occurs most often in the low end of gears - once through the gears (in 4th or 5th) and at highway speeds it smooths out again. My question is are these two problems related?

Tester

It could be. If the exhaust leak is before any of the primary oxygen sensors, it can throw off the sensor signal to the computer to where the engine misses under certain operating conditions.

If the exhaust noise is coming from the engine compartment, there's an exhaust leak at the engine. Have this checked out and I'll bet once it's fixed it'll resolve the problem.

Tester