2018 Jeep Cherokee Complaint Log

My 4 wheel drive service light came on. I took it to the dealer and they said it will cost me 4000 dollars to be fixed , I checked on the internet and this has been and on going problem for the jeep cherokee car since 2014, In fact the ptu problem has recalls on some of these cars. I called the dodge corporation and they said my car was not under warranty and has not been recalled My car need to be recalled, this is a flaw in the cars design . If problem is not addressed sudden lost of motive power can potential cause vehicle to crash without prior warning. Lost of park function is at stake and can lead to unintended vehicle rollaways. The car is at the dealership to be fixed

My 2018 Jeep Cherokee with 88K miles on it. I heard a loud popping sound, and my car was jerking. Took it into the dealership for maintenance and I need to replace the rear diff and axle shaft. This could have locked up worse and caused an accident. I see that there are more complaints about this same problem.

2018 Jeep Cherokee Limited, 154k miles currently. Purchased vehicle from third party with under 100k miles. Vehicle maintenance was always done per manufacturer suggestions(from third party and myself), at 152k miles I noticed vehicle overheating when driving 25-55MPH (with AC off). Also noticed a reduction in the powertrain. Vehicle diagnostic done at local mechanic and cleared(no coolant leak, no oil leak engine was in good condition.) Oil change and other regular maintenance work done as well. Then engine eventually blew a gasket, and a hose resulting in me having to replace entire engine and other damaged components due to the engine being poorly built.

Service shifter light comes on intermittently. Have noticed a “catch” that occurs at times when accelerating when the light is on but not every time.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the transmission shifted into neutral(N) unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle after the failure. Additionally, while the vehicle was in park(P), the vehicle roll backwards, and the parking brake was engaged to prevent the vehicle from rolling. Several local dealers were notified of the recall and the failures and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Last week we noticed steering wheel controls not working, steering wheel heater .. cruise control ,, hands free,controls Today took in to Jeep dealer In superior Wi was told it is the Clock Spring , squib,, said that we have to replace entire unit including new airbag .. as we do not know for sure if until the work done ,air bag would deploy as per dealer ,he isn't 100 percent sure. ,and the entire thing has to be replaced at a hefty cost of 1000.00 as well as safety , being told that other larger trucks and Jeep models have had this as a recall I contacted JEEP and they said nothing they can do ,, but to hang on to receipts in the event of a future recall.. we do not feel that they are treating this as the safety issue that it truly is . This is after we have had rear driver caliper replaced over heating and seizing , at 800.00. also been told this is common for Jeep and another safety issue as well . The dealer said both are recall worthy on this vehicle .this has been all within 50 -60,000 miles.. We feel something needs to happen here before someone gets killed. Thank You

See attached document for complaint

The trunk has leaks coming in. It happened 1 year ago and it is now happening again. Last year jeep charged me almost 4 thousand dollars to replace the computer system because of a leak coming in and shorting the wires. It took 3 months for them to fix. I now see a similar issue was recalled in a year previous model of my car.

Service shifter notification comes on, all lights on shifter light up. I’ve had it “fixed” 2 times under warranty and it continues to do it. Owned since 2017 and this has happened more times than I can remember. Dealership has little answers. Eventually car will begin sputtering, all service lights come on, you lose control of brakes and steering and have to pull over. Turn off, take key out, open door. Let it sit. Turn back on and typically will drive fine until the next time. All supposedly related to service shifter.

My 2018 Jeep Cherokee rear differential started making an intermittent noise at about 35,000 miles. Now at 42,000 miles the dealership I purchased it new from has determined that the differential needs replacing. It is four months past the 5 year/60,000 mile power train warranty. There are no repair parts available, it is on back order with no ETA. This condition indicates to me that there may be a part recall in order for the rear differential failures, as there are no parts available in a nationwide search by my Jeep representative. Is there a history of known failures?

The rear differential has failed on my Jeep after 42,000 miles. I tow this this vehicle behind a motorhome and it could have locked up or thrown parts and differential oil on the highway. It would be worse if it exploded while driving at highway speeds. It was replaced but failed again after only 900 miles. There are no parts available, Jeep has also changed suppliers, again with no parts available. It is now nearly April, with no ETA for a replacement part. There should be a recall on this part, as there are multiple incidents of similar failures on various Jeep websites. I paid $1,000 to Jeep out of pocket, as my powertrain warranty was 4 months past expiration. I contacted NHTSA in January about this and have not received a response as of yet.

Unknown…the Jeep using oil terribly, with no leaks. I have it serviced every 3000 miles, and it is always low or no oil on the dipstick at that time. I just had the oil changed, and fuel injection cleaned about a month ago…less than 700 miles since. The Jeep is cutting off while driving. It won’t start back for 2-3 minutes, and I’m sitting in traffic. It’s terrifying!!! When checked with OEM, it doesn’t show any codes, although an engine light is on. I’ve spoken with 3 different mechanics, that all stated this is common with this model…with no solution, no recall, and no idea what part to repair. I’ve been told throttle body, throttle body clutch, starter, etc…No one really knows where to start. And those parts are NOT cheap to replace as an experiment. I bought my Jeep new, with only 3 miles on it. This issue is new, within the last 2 weeks. The losing oil has continued since purchase, and it will cut off if the oil is low. This is different. As I stated before, the oil was just changed, and is not low. Please help!!!

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light intermittently flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed, and the mechanic discovered a major oil leak coming from the vehicle. The contact was informed that the oil gasket covers, and oil coolant assembly needed to be replaced. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,012.

Braking system engaged while driving at ~40mph. Emergency brake also appeared to engage. Once completely stopped, vehicle brakes were locked up and vehicle had to be hauled for service.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park(P), the electric parking brake engaged independently. The contact was unable to release the parking brake. The contact contacted an independent mechanic who informed her husband how to release the parking brake. The vehicle was taken to the mechanic where it was diagnosed that the failure was due to water damage. The vehicle was repaired. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not covered under recall for the failure. The contact stated that approximately 10 days later the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was returned to the independent mechanic who confirmed that there was water corrosion causing the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

I went in to my dealership Nov. 24,2023 for a water leak to the driver side floor and to the back seat behind the driver side. It was starting to smell so I used some carpet cleaner to get rid of the smell. They replaced the panel cowl side trims on both sides of the windshield. I told them that only driver side floor and back seat behind the driver was wet. Never said that there was a water on the passenger side floor? Charged me $543.22. Had to go back a second time because it was still leaking on Dec. 20,2023. This time they put caulking to solve the problem at no charge. Now April 19,2024 I still noticed that it's leaking after I washed my vehicle. So now I have to go in a third time in less than 6 months. Never solved my water leak after paying them $543.22. I do believe that this water leak was happening possibly since day 1 having the vehicle. I bought weathertech floor mats once I purchased my vehicle. I had a liner on the floor and then the floor mat on top. So its like using 2 mats. Never thought to look underneath my mats for a water leak. I do not want this problem to persist and possibly have black mold in my vehicle. Already contacted Jeep customer service if they can help resolve this issue and If they can provide me with a rental car for my inconvenience. They did provide me a case number. Still waiting for their response. Please let me know if you need more information. Thank you.

My 2018 jeep Cherokee emergency park and brake got stuck and wouldn’t release and I had to take it back to the dealer ship I got it from . We repaired it 11/20/2023 at classic Chrysler in NC had to wait almost 2 weeks because they had to order a part in . They replaced the parking brake switch/module. And it’s about 2 weeks later And the same issue is happening again .

Regarding Recall Transport Canada Recall 2025-012, also known as Safety Recall 01C and NHTSA ID Number: 25V011000 My Jeep has the service 4WD message displayed on the dash along with the noise/vibration/grinding as described in the same recall for other Jeeps for my model year. I'm not sure if this recall needs to be expanded but I'm curious to know what the process looks like as my problem is identical to the other Jeeps effected by this recall but my Jeep isn't listed.

My jeep will stall without warning. If i turn, it stalls out, brake it stalls, turn the vehicle on hit the gas to go and step off the gas it stalls. Sometimes it won’t start or it will start then stall out. It’s without warning and has had me left on the side of the road multiple times after pushing it out of the way or trying to get it to start again. I’ve had the computer plugged up to it and even the mechanics said they haven’t seen this before. I’ve had the individual parts to the engine tested, they work just fine such as alternator. I will just randomly lose power while driving. I also have the random Gear Shifter Error that it seems every Jeep owner is going through.

I struck the back of a semi truck on the freeway at an estimated 35-40 miles per hour. I did not apply my brakes. Extensive damage to the entire front of my vehicle.

Failure of PTU while driving. Seems to be the same issue with the 2016-2017 that currently has a recall

I see no open recalls on this issue however I did find a class action lawsuit related to this issue. My emergency (Parking) brake engaged and will not disengage. I stopped to get gas yesterday and upon re-entering the vehicle two lights appeared, the service parking brake message appeared on the screen along with the brake light. The car would not move the brakes would not disengage. Several attempts to press the switch to turn off the parking brake failed. I sat for 5 hours at a gas station waiting for AAA to find me a tow truck to get home. They were unable to locate a tow because of the need to dolly the vehicle because of the engaged parking brake. A friend came to assist me and after several thousand tries the parking brake disengaged. He followed me home (5 miles). This morning I attempted to take the car in for service as the warning lights were still on the dash. The parking brake is again on and will not disengage.

Water is leaking from body seems and shorting out parking module. It has happened twice.

I am getting random "service shifter" fault message displayed. No apparent fault or change when driving. Contacted Jeep dealership and am told this is very common issue with no long term fix. Fix the problem please.

Service 4WD light came on. Vehicle was diagnosed at dealership and they advised the PTU needs to be replaced. This poses a serious risk for injury.

The right side emergency brake engauged on its own after stopping had to reset the emergency brake to move again

On two different occasions I was stopped at a red light with my foot firmly on the brake, and the car all of a sudden started moving forward. This caused me to barely be able to stop before hitting another vehicle. My foot was still on the brake even though the car was moving forward.

Engine Failure 3 out of 4 cylinders not working 122,000 miles on car and regular service for oil changes and maintenance

I believe the shifter bezel is faulty. When pulling out of my drive way backwards a service shifter light came on and caused me to get stuck sideways and having multiple cars nearly tbone be because the hazard lights wouldn’t turn on after. I can’t even drive because of this incident I don’t feel safe in this jeep!!! I called jeep in Elk Grove California and they never heard of it, however I’ve found over 500 issues on Reddit and other forum sites of people having the same issue but more at 16,000 miles! No because I don’t have the money to fix their faulty product. The light “service shifter” appeared right when I put it into drive then everything went to [XXX].

It is my understanding that the PTU systems in Jeep Cherokee latitudes is an ongoing issue with them. If this fails I could lose power of my vehicle, which in my opinion is a safety issue. I found out today that mine is going bad and there isn’t a recall on the 2018 models. This could cost me thousands for an issue that Jeep should’ve fixed with past models that have had the same problems. I bought this vehicle a few years ago with 78,000 miles and it now has around 124,700 miles. I would think if Jeep cared about the customers that are buying these vehicles then they would want to make sure they’re safe. So basically the complaint is that there isn’t a recall on the 2018 models. Please help!!!

Turn into our street, windshield whippers came on. Fuse blown, take out still stay on. Kept changing them, Fuse kept blowning. Replace mod with turn single, wheel part. Pic sent. Worked two weeks, did it again. Now they are saying it's the radio is pulling to much, relay needs to be replace the radio. Which mileage, radio, back up camera, whatever else is connected together causing the problem. This safety problem because back up could hit someone or something, whippers just coming on scared, hurting window, windshield whippers it self if dry out. This should be recall and concern. I don't understand why this not. Jow it's taken so long figure out problems at car place. They took the suv apart still cant figure problem out. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

"Service 4WD" light on the dashboard. 4WD will not disengage which from what my mechanic says is caused by issues related to the transfer case / faulty actuator

In the beginning of July, the parking brake engaged on its own and a warning came up on the dash. It took some jockying to get the brake to disengage but it continued to happen. We took it to the dealer where purchased who told us that the parking brake control module was damaged by water and that bedause of this the extended warranty that we purchased for a few thousand dollars would not cover it (even though we were told it covered everything). The dealer wanted $2000 to fix it. I took the Jeep to a qualified mechanic whom I deal with, and he replaced the the control unit. We picked up the car and a week or so later the brake came on again. We took it back to the mechanic who dug deeper and found out that the body of the car was leaking, and water had run down and into the control unit again. It is now November (going on five months!) and we still do not have the car back because he is waiting for the part to come in. I'm a pretty patient person but this is ridiculous. I'm paying for a car that I haven't had for five months and then I'm told this is a common issue with Jeeps and no warranty will cover it. I sincerely beleive this should be arecall issue by Jeep. Especially when they cannot get me a part to fix it for months! Any help you can render is much appreciated. Thanks

While driving I receive warnings I need to service my shifter. Warning stays on instrument panel and disables all other settings and screen. Also all lights light up on shifter unable to see which gear the car is in. THIS IS STILL HAPPENING EVEN AFTER i GET MY OIL CHANGE. AND THEY RESET THE OIL CHANGE.

The PTU (Power Transfer Unit) is bad... I took it to the dealership prior to my extended warranty expired. The whole shifter would light up (D,N,R, L,2) it displayed service shifter but it was intermittent so when I would take it in to Chrystler, Jeep dealership the warning sign on the dash nor all the shifter lights wouldn't display. The car finally broke down along with the transmission. I was carless for 8 months. The PTU I purchased was refurbished and its bad. The same thing was displaying on the dash (Service Shifter) and all the lights on the shifter have turned on as well. Intermittent once again. I know there were recalls for this from 2014 to 2017. Mine is a 2018 and I think it's the same problem. I was on the road making a left infront of a semi when the PTU went out in June 2023. causing damage to the trasmission. It has been a nightmare!

the infotainment screen flashes a warning on red screen "911 Car Phone malfunction contact dealer". It has done this intermitently for the past couple of weeks. A few times I've started the vehicle and the screen is black, no back up camera, no a/c, no back up warning tone (I back up the vehicle from parking spot using the mirrors and the screen comes on a few minutes after vehicle is moving). I am concerned because I don't know what else isn't working and if something electrical will fail while driving. A couple of weeks ago I made an appt with the local jeep dealer and today was told I need a new radio at the cost of at least $1250 (the dealer has ordered a new radio could take a couple days to a few weeks he wasn't sure). When researching this problem online I saw numerous compaints similar to mine but I don't know if anyone has reported the issue to the NHTSA because the dealer states its a bad "radio" ...but if the 'radio' controls the backup camera, the climate controls and other functions on the screen it seems like more than just a radio problem to me. The vehicle has 55,000 miles so the screen hasn't been used excessively like a vehicle used for long distance daily commutes.

Jeep Cherokee 2018 limited AC turns off throughout the drive. It makes the SUV vibrate to the point I can’t see out the review mirror. Had AC serviced and checked. Issue persisted shortly after.

Received a message on car display to "Service Airbag System." Dealer (Tasca of White Plains, NY) determined that one of the crash sensors had failed. Dealer said that first replacement sensor was defective, and that they would need to install a second one. If what the dealer said is true about the replacement sensor, then that's two defective crash sensors.

The shifter service came one

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running, the "Parking Brake On" and "Remove Parking Brake" messages were displayed; however, the parking brake was not engaged. The contact stated that several days later while the vehicle was running, the vehicle started rolling while the gear shifter was in park(P). The contact was able to stop the vehicle and the vehicle restarted. The contact stated that while driving later that day, the vehicle was not accelerating above 20 MPH. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a drivetrain failure, and it was recommended that the transmission, transfer unit, and rear differential be replaced. The contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20E037000 (Power Train), and the contact was informed that the power transfer unit serial number was included in the recall, however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Transmission seemed to go into neutral momentarily while driving at highway speed, causing engine to rev and loss of power to drive wheels. Problem occurred on four separate occasions on approximately 300 mile drive. There were no warning lights except a notice that cruise control was automatically turned off on the one occasion that it was active when the failure occurred. I was towing a trailer weighing approximately 3200-3300 lbs. and in semi-manual shift mode in 5th and 6th gear when problem occurred. Vehicle has not yet been taken to dealer.

Power transfer unit went out. While I was driving lost power to all wheels and luckily I was able to avoid a wreck and have no parking on trans mission.

The "service shifter" message came on while driving. This issue was repaired at the dealership before when I still had the warranty. They said it was faulty and repaired it. Now the light is on again when I have just 68000 miles. Sounds like it is faulty again. Should there be a recall?

Please note we are religious about vehicle care, maintenance and safety. What I describe was not due to lack of maintenance and had zero warning. In early April, we were driving our Jeep on State Route 69 in Arizona and from one moment to the next went from completely normal to engine heating, smoking and alerts telling us to turn off the vehicle immediately while we were driving 50 mph with no where to pull off. We were fortunate to be close to our local Costo in Prescott and coasted into the parking lot. We quickly learned we had no engine coolant but didn't understand why since we bring our Jeep in for routine oil changes, fluid, tire and brake checks. The following week our Jeep was towed to our mechanic who discovered the coolant hose had a hole in it caused by the friction created by it laying against the air filter. This was the original design of this vehicle and should have been recalled because there is no way of knowing you have a problem until something is about to explode. We are very fortunate the engine did not blow up and cause an accident as it very well could have. Because we thought Jeep had a good reputation, we reported this to them with photos of the damage, the repair bill, the sequence of events, our mechanics contact information if they wanted to talk to him, etc.. but they did not care and are not willing to assist. Our mechanic also shared that when he called the local Jeep dealer in our area, that they had these coolant hoses well stocked as if they know it's a problem yet they don't bother to recall these vehicles because of it. We speculate any accident involving the same design where the engine exploded or caught fire, is because of this problem, and Jeep needs to do something about it. We for one would like to be reimbursed for this ridiculous repair. We have to other very old vehicles (GMC w 270k miles and a Ford w over 400k miles), never have we had to replace the engine coolant hose.

This vehicle is designed to be a flat tow vehicle for a class a motorhome. No one made me aware of the death wobble and this caused an accident which could have been deadly. We did 13,000 dollars in damages to my motorhome and jeep. After hours of research i found this to be a common problem from Jeep. i contacted the local jeep service department and they were not aware of this. Come to find out there is a jeep part to correct the problem, at a cost of $286.39 and a labor charge of $460.00 to install. If jeep is aware of this problem, why are they not advising the public to not flat tow this jeep until the necessary parts are installed. There is nothing in the manuals regarding this problem!

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact placed the gear shifter in the park and the restart message was displayed. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. While making a turn, the vehicle was difficult to steer. Additionally, the key fob was inoperable. There was an abnormal rattling sound detected. While driving, the vehicle was swaying. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were flashing. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that a wiring harness was loosened. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Doing some investigation into this vehicle, it revealed that the current design of the rear compartment does not provide adequate protection against water intrusion. There are several points of entry through which water can seep into the electronic components, including the improperly sealed connector to the EPB. Furthermore, similar incidents involving the same make, model, and manufacturing year indicated that this is not an isolated problem. Numerous reports from owners of 2018 Jeep Cherokee have surfaced, describing similar cases of water damage leading to the malfunction of the electronic emergency brake. This suggests that there is a systemic manufacturing defect that needs to be urgently addressed. The implications of these malfunctions are significant. Not only does this defect render the vehicle immobile, but it also poses a serious safety risk to the driver and other road users. In both the March 2023 and June 2024 incidents, the affected vehicles were stranded in traffic, creating a potential hazard and increasing the likelihood of accidents. It is evident that this issue has the potential to cause harm and must be addressed without delay. Given the recurring nature of this problem and the severity of its consequences, immediate action is imperative. It is crucial that the manufacturing company identify and implement a solution that effectively prevents intrusion into the rear compartment by implementing alternative waterproofing measures. Additionally, it is essential for the company to take responsibility for the vehicles already affected by this defect. Adequate compensation and rectification measures should be provided to the affected owners. This could include financial reimbursement for as well as a recall and systematic examination of all vehicles manufactured during the same period to identify and resolve any potential issues before they escalate.The implications of these malfunctions pose serious safety risks and demand immediate attention.

Car stalling while driving, under all kinds of conditions, loss of power steering,brakes. Vehicle unsafe to drive.

At exactly 37000 miles my service “shifter light” comes on every 4-5 days. I’ve noticed in the warmer months it comes on more frequently. During the cold winter it came on twice. It’s becoming warmer again and it’s popping up often. My husband has a 2017 jeep Cherokee with the same exact issue. Our dealership gave us no answer to this problem. Not sure why, i just hope this doesn’t cause a major issue or hopefully a recall soon to fix this!

Since the car hit 20,000 miles, the "Service shifter" light will come on randomly. The dealership has had to "replace" the shifter components twice. And now it will come on when you put the car into reverse. This is a faulty part which needs to be replaced.