There are 50 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2017 Jeep Cherokeein NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Car shifts out of gear and when trying to accelerate the car won’t go any faster. Feels like it slips out of gear. Happened out of the blue, NO check engine light and no warning
When driving a message popped up to "Service Shifter" and all the red lights turned on the shifter. I was unable to switch out of thus screen to bring the digital odometer back up like when other service message appear. When I was able to pull over and turn off the car and wait and turn it back on again the message and lights appeared again. I was able to get my car into the dealership that day to be looked at. The called later and said it would be $1700 to repair. From talking with the dealership and my own Google searches this is a very well known problem. If this is a very well known problem by Jeep why is this not being recalled? It seems that they are just profiting from this issue instead of making it right.
Parking brake on the jeep automatically engaged while driving. Had vehicle towed to dealership where a new parking brake switch was installed and programed and told it was ready to go. Picked it up and it did the same thing again and turned on the auto start stop light. Took it back to the dealership and they said water had gotten into the back area and corroded the parking brake module and the connector. They wanted to charge me $2500 to fix. I took the vehicle home and parked it and started doing research. This is a known problem that could affect 1.2 million vehicles. My jeep only has 73,500 miles on it and is regularly serviced. It's driven roughly 4 miles a day. This is a safety issue so why isn't there a recall on it. It is a defect in design not a consumer made issue.
A SERVICE SHIFTER message appeared out of nowhere, and now all the lights turn on regardless of which gear I'm in. After a quick internet search, it appears MANY people have experienced this exact same issue with various Jeep models. It seems this is an issue the company should take responsibility for and fix with a recall. The parts to replace this faulty design are expensive, and a repair shop cost would be exorbitant.
Service Shifter is displayed every now and then.
I have had this vehicle since 2017. Over the years the shifter lights have flashed but I turn off the car and it’s fine. I believe there are electrical issues with these models. Yesterday my car randomly shut off. It could have been due to the heat but it was very dangerous. My brights have gone out and it could be because of an electrical issue. I’ve had to change my thermostat twice. I will be looking into trading this car out soon. It could be dangerous as I travel often.
Service shifter alert
When the car is in park, all of my shifter lights turn red and I receive a Service Shifter warning. It does not happen all of the time but over the past day, it has happened when the car is in park.
Over the past several months, I’ve experienced intermittent issues with the electronic parking brake on my 2017 Jeep Cherokee. On several occasions, the parking brake activated unexpectedly while I was driving, creating safety concerns and inconsistent vehicle behavior. As of two days ago, the issue became significantly worse. The electronic parking brake activated again while the vehicle was stationary and has since failed to disengage, rendering the vehicle undrivable. I had the vehicle examined by a certified mechanic, who performed a diagnostic test. The results indicated a water intrusion issue that has caused damage to the electronic parking brake module. The mechanic explained that moisture had likely entered the module area, leading to electrical malfunction and failure of the system to release the brake. This is now a critical mechanical and safety concern that requires immediate repair and resolution.
I purchased a 2017 certified pre-owned Jeep Cherokee from a Jeep dealership in March 2020. Starting in late 2022/early 2023, while driving, everything electrical would shut off and stop functioning without warning (dashboard, radio, air or heat if on, lights near gear shift, could not use hazard lights, turning signal, or power windows), and shortly after the engine would die, leaving me stalled in the middle of the street. I would then have to put the car in park, turn the car off and turn it back on. I took it to 2 Jeep dealerships in Michigan where I was living at the time and they refused to look further than scanning the car to determine if any codes appeared and found no codes. This started happening more frequently in summer 2023 and I took it to a dealership in Indiana; no hard codes came up again and they were unable to replicate the issue. They found some worn wiring with the radio and replaced the radio, hoping it would resolve the issue (invoice attached). This issue started occurring again [XXX] more frequently than before (4 times in a 15-minute window) - this time I was on the highway and had no way to signal the cars behind as I could not use the turning signal or hazard lights and the electrical and engine cut off simultaneously without warning, almost causing a serious accident. The car has been at the dealership for 2 weeks now, and they are unable to replicate the issue; therefore, unable to provide a diagnosis. There was a safety recall for 2017-2018 Jeep Cherokees for the PTU (documentation attached), but my VIN doesn't fall within that recall. Therefore, I am filing a safety report to initiate an investigation for this issue, as this is a significant safety risk and has the potential to cause a fatal accident for myself as a driver and others on the road. This is happening quite often with the Jeeps ranging from 2014-2021 per Jeep forums (documentation attached), and no one has found a solution. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Issue: Persistent “Service Shifter” Warning on 2017 Jeep Cherokee I own a 2017 Jeep Cherokee, and the “Service Shifter” warning continues to appear even after replacing both the wiring harness and bezel. Despite these repairs, the issue persists, creating safety concerns and frustration. This appears to be a recurring problem for many Jeep owners, yet no permanent fix has been provided. I am seeking further assistance or a long-term solution to resolve this issue. Jeep should address this defect to ensure customer safety and satisfaction.
Every so often when putting vehicle in park while running or at start up I get a dash message “service shifter” and all the gear lights light up and I’m unable to shift out of park. The dealership mechanic has now looked at it three times replacing the shifting bezel, wiring harness, and shift box. The issues still happens almost daily.
My dashboard , screen caught fire from the wiring
There are 3 things: sometimes when I go to start my jeep, it will start and cut off. Secondly: my rear back up camera keeps going in and out. I’ve had it replaced and it still goes out. Especially if it rains. Lastly, my “service shifter” light pops up randomly while I am driving and all of the lights on the gear shift will light up. It will not let me upload my videos of the screen
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the instrument cluster was black, and the vehicle also lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that the vehicle resumed full power function and that the instrument cluster and power steering assist returned several seconds later. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred later, and that prior to the second failure the front passenger’s side window had lowered independently. The contact stated that the vehicle returned to normal operation independently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The mechanic reset several functions and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for additional assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she had not yet taken the vehicle to a dealer. The contact stated that the instrument cluster had started to flicker intermittently, as if the vehicle would lose power. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 210,000.
Have a problem with my call losing all power in my jeep while sitting at an intersection waiting for the light to change. Almost got rear-ended cause my car just suddenly lost power. Power finally came back in 20 or 30 seconds but I had people honking horns and I'm was frazzled. Now I have this Service Shifter error on my dashboard and the PNDR lights all are on and red..Came on Jeep automakers. Do better!!
On the speedometer screen a message “service shifter” popped up on my 2017 Jeep Cherokee Latitude. Upon further research, this is an ongoing issue with thousands of jeep owners.
Our 2017 Jeep Cherokee had the service 4WD light come on Tuesday. Our mileage is 60,800. We took it to our local mechanic, who ran a diagnostic. The code C14A7-97 came up as active on our vehicle. Our mechanic said there was a recall for this issue for our model year. We found "Safety Recall W47/NHTSA 20V-343 PTU Input Spline". Since our Jeep had the exact issue that the recall covers and falls within the 2014-2017 manufacture years, we made an appointment with a local Chrysler dealership. We took it in today for them to look at it. They confirmed that the code active on our vehicle is C14A7-97 and that our 4wd system is not working and that if we are in a situation that we need 4wd we will be at risk. They then told us that our VIN is not listed on the recall and our bill would be $3,200. I pressed that it makes no sense that we are having the exact issue in the recall, that we have a Jeep Cherokee as listed in the recall, that our model year is between 2014-2017 as in the recall, and that our mileage is exactly around the mileage listed in the recall that this problem surfaces("on about 67,240"); but it isn't listed in the recall. How can we be having the exact issue reported and not be covered in the recall? We feel they are taking some loophole and risking the safety of their customers, specifically our safety.
The Electronic Parking Brake turned on after putting vehicle in PARK. Could this brake have been applied while driving? If so, there could have been multiple fatalities or serious injuries. I did find some text on how there was a lawsuit going on about this.
My car shuts off when I go over little bumps and light comes on saying press break and shift into park. Then it doesnt start right away but eventually starts again. Also when I go over little bumps my interior lights turn on.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026