NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Jeep Cherokee. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service Shifter" warning message was displayed. The dealer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to turn off the vehicle to reset the computer system; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,917.
The system that failed was the fuse panel that controls the engine and the steering of the car. How this put my safety at risk was I lost all control over the car I could not steer or get the car to turn back on for about 30 minutes. The problem has been reproduced by the dealer. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. There we no issues prior to the failure.
Vehicle has stalled on multiple occasions. Safety hazards include stalling in middle of intersection and being stranded. Call out for service at this time, therefore problem has not been reproduced or confirmed. Not inspected yet. No police involvement. No warning light-including battery or engine light- upon initial start of vehicle. Battery and engine warning lights visible at time of stall. Battery was turning over but engine not engaging, however, able to restart vehicle after multiple attempts. No jump start required. Warning light disappeared after restart of vehicle and only reappeared upon subsequent stalls. No apparent issues- other than stalling- while vehicle is driven. Problem has been very inconsistent.
Shifter, bezel, and harness I have been discussing with several people that this is an issue in a lot of jeeps currently and my car is only 4 years old. This $1400 fix is crazy.
While driving, vehicle shuts off without warning, this has happened 3 times even though the car was supposedly repaired with a new battery and a new alternator.
Rear differential and power transfer unit. Under warranty but part is not available for a min of 3 weeks backorder and was not offered a loaner or rental car. Was told no.loaners available and my car is ok to drive. I drive 300 miles commute 3 days a week on interstate. I think a rental car is covered under the powertrain warranty. I also read now where 2014 thru 2017 have been recalled for this same issues. I am concerned these failing parts could be a risk to my safety. Dealer told me it was safe to drive. However stated there are metal shavings and its binding up. I do not believe it is safe to drive.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who informed the contact the vehicle had an electrical failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel would violently shake and vibrate while depressing the brake pedal. The contact indicated that the check engine warning light was illuminated when the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the passenger’s side and driver side front wheel ball joints were damaged. The passenger’s side ball joint was more severely damaged. The vehicle was then taken to the local dealer who confirmed the diagnoses. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
The whole car stopped while on the highway going 70 miles per hr and would not start back up. I had recently had an oil change days before incident. Had the car towed to dealership and was told I had little to no oil. I advised them I recently had an oil change days ago how is that possible at the dealership. I was told that maybe a cap or something wasn’t placed back properly and there was oil leakage. They assured my car was fixed but now it runs rough and I have anxiety that my car will just shut down with no warning and also the low oil light never came on the car just stopped
My car will randomly shut off going 60mph. I will start it back up and it will make a pop sounds and give a little gas to go and it acts like I I’m giving it more gas than I am. I have almost been hit on freeways because of this. This is the 2nd time in 2 years. I took to a dealership and was told they had to rest my motor but gave me no paper work on that
Service shifter message comes on while reversing the car and all the lights on shifter come on and car suddenly stops.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he had experienced the failure three times. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, she started to smell a burning odor. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact's father inspected the vehicle and noticed that the oil level was low; he also noticed that there was an oil leak but could not determine the location of the oil. The local dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V670000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Start/Stop System - As I was pulling out of a parking lot I stopped and then needed to get a quick insert into traffic. As I started to accelerate the system shutdown and sputtered before starting again, needless to say I was almost rammed by traffic. This happened two times on the same day I was almost hit because of the Off/sputter/restart sequence.
I had stopped at a stop sign & as I proceeded to pull out, the jeep came to a complete stop without any power. After pushing the jeep out of the road after several attempts to restart were unsuccessful, jumper cables were used & were still unsuccessful. A new battery was installed but the jeep still would not start. It was towed to the local dealership for repair after a local repair shop was unable to successfully diagnosis the problem. It was determined there was a short in the power transfer unit that caused a short that would blow a fuse causing the engine to shut down. I was almost 7 hours from home & just moments from getting on the interstate to drive that 7 hours home. There was no warning that anything was wrong with the jeep as all recalls had been done and no maintenance was due at that time. Thankfully, instead of coming to a complete stop unexpectedly on the interstate at 75-80 mph, it was turning from a stop sign in the middle of a 5-lane road just after any morning rush. Thankfully I was not on the interstate with a semi-truck behind me or I would not be writing this today. This issue caused my husband to miss a couple of days of work, 2 unexpected days at a hotel, food, gas & the repair charge to the dealership.
Myself along with several other that I have researched have been having problems with SHIFT SERVICE on our jeep Cherokee cars
Service shifter error
service shifter warning light and It seems like it's happening to a lot of jeep. I believe it should be a recall.
This vehicle is a 2018 jeep with 37700 miles on it. When driving the recently it would stall in traffic. Then it was difficult to restart for a few minutes then it would start again. But yesterday it stalled in city traffic and wouldnt restart. No error message on the dashboard. So i had to have it towed to the dealer. The dealers early assessment is that their significant oil loss in the engine. The engine appears to be damaged now. From the recent oil leak. Dealer stated its not from owner neglect or abuse of the vehicle. The engine shouldnt fail for a 3 year old car with 37,000 miles on it and no neglect. Its a manufacturers issue. This vehicle is my daughters college transportation. Thank God she wasnt rear ended when the car stalled and wouldnt restart.
Engine stall, shuts down while driving
Coming to a stop at a stop sign and the dash made a ding followed by the engine light coming on, the shifter went into park on its own, the display stated “Shift to park and then select desired gear”, lights flashed on the shifter console. Unable to drive I had to restart more than once. Car barely restarted before I was able to shift again and continue home.
The other day yet again, a “service shifter” error showed up on my jeeps dashboard shortly after I started to the vehicle. The error showed on the dash and all of the lights on my shifter turned solid red. This is a big safety issue and seems as if there could be some electrical or power train components malfunctioning internally in my Jeep. After turning the car of and then on again, the error did not come back on. This happens repeatedly every few months or so and is very concerning. I took it to my hero dealer and they stated they could find any faulty codes when running diagnostics and they was nothing they can do. This issue needs to be addressed with Jeep and a recalled needs to be issued immediately before this leads to serious malfunctioning while operating.
Car shuts down after seeing "service shifter"
Driving down the highway the sunroof on our 2018 Jeep Cherokee exploded.
A message stating service shifter continues to come up and car has now started to stop/stall in the middle of driving now. Car dealership has no clue what it is and I am seeing online many others having the same issue. Very dangerous when the car just starts to stop out of nowhere even without the message not on as it can cause accidents.
The parking brake pops on when I'm driving done the road!!! Often times when I start my car and put my car in Reverse or Drive and remove my foot from the brake the parking brake pops on and I start sliding down the road until my car stops!!! The major issue is when I was driving down a HWY at 37MPH no on coming traffic or no traffic behind me thankfully my parking brake engages and I fly into the steering wheel with a seat belt on and thankfully my 5 year old was fully bucked into his car seat and left unharmed!!! Although what if my Jeep does this with other vehicles around??? It's a super big safety and hazard!!! I won't ever purchase another Jeep!!
Driving on Hwy 156 close to hanston city , Kansas a deer came out of nowhere and hit my car , as soon I hit the deer it hit the front of the keep, it lost power immediately, it was still running slowly and temperature on the dashboard said 186, all lights in the dashboard where red, smoke was coming out and I keep driving it till i find a dirt road. No airbags dispatched, there was oil and smoke all the time .
Sunroof exploded driving down interstate 54 East out of Jefferson City MO. No objects struck the sunroof. Sunroof was closed at the time of the incident fortunately, if it had been open passengers in the vehicle were likely to be harmed by this failure. It was a sunny afternoon around 70 degrees outside. Vehicle has 45k miles on it and is in good condition otherwise. Vehicle has been returned to the dealer for repair. I will be contacting Chrysler regarding the incident.
Unknown, my vehicle keeps cutting off in the middle of driving. It's a safety Hazzard to me and everyone else.
Twice so far on this particular Jeep, all of the lights on the shifter light up and on the display above the steering wheel it displays the message “Service Shifter”. The issue will go away once the Jeep is shut off and turned back on. I have researched this online and a ton of people are having the same exact issue with low mileage. This needs resolved ASAP. I would hate to see what happens if we’re driving or to get left stranded somewhere.
In two instances, I have been driving my car and the car dies. Both times there was no oil. I take my car for regular servicing and oil changes and have also taken it to the dealership as I felt it was burning oil too rapidly. They determined there was no issue but I am having to put 3+ quarts every 3000-5000 miles even with oil changes. But when the oil is low there is no indication and the car will die WHILE DRIVING.
I HAVE ONLY HAD MY CAR 3 YEARS AND MY CAR IS ASKING FOR A SHIFTER SERVICE. THE 4 LIGHTS TURN ON. MY CAR SHUTS OFF WHEN I DRIVE AND MESSAGE SAID IT WENT FROM DRIVE TO PARK AND SHUTS OFF. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT JUST SHUTS OFF WHEN I AM DRIVING. IT CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE LET THE DEALER SHIP KNOW OF THE ISSUE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR A DEFECT. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THIS A MANUFACTURE DEFECT AND I SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH A SHIFTER AND ITS ONLY BEEN 3 YEARS THAT I HAD MY CAR. I ONLY HAVE 60,088 MILES. THIS STARTED ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
A warning came on to service the shifter.This has happened several times. I just learned how to report it.
When driving, car completely turns off with no warning. No icons are lit to possibly tell of issue. Car has done this numerous times
All of the lights came on on the shifter while driving and the dash warning stated there was a shifter problem. The check engine light was also illuminated. This issue put my child's safety at risk as she had to pull over on the side of the interstate not knowing if the car would continue to operate in drive. The car had previous problems that resulted in a sudden engine stall making her fear it was too risky to continue to drive. This problem is not rare, and Jeep should be required to fix it.
I keep getting a service shifter warning.
While driving, all lights on gear shifter all light up and message on screen will say shifter needs service. Stays on while driving. Typically occurs at night. When I start the vehicle the next morning the light isn’t on.
When turning and/or accelerating from a stop engine stalling and won’t turn on until after a few tries. Also, oil light for a split second and battery light once stalled. Have had numerous fresh oil changes and once about 50% life on oil give or take the car starts to have these problems.
Had a recall fixed recently. Now showing three Errors. P2122, P0123, P0222
After backing out of a parking spot, I received a "service shifter" warning on my instrument panel and all the indicator lights on my shifter illuminated. After turning the car off and back on, the warning went away but reappeared mid-drive a day later. Concerned that my car may not be fully in gear, or that it might slip out of gear, I made an appointment with my dealership. After inspection, they confirmed that there was an intermittent short in the shifter and it would need to be replaced. Through my own independent research, I found countless reports of the same issue in this vehicle, which the dealership confirmed to me that it is a common problem they are aware of. If this is a common problem, and consumers are forced to spend thousands to repair the issue on relatively low mileage vehicles, it seems to me that a recall may be in order.
All lights on shifter console light up red and light which says "Service Shifter" shows up on dash. Reviews of this problem online is showing it to be a common problem.
Vehicle was purchased brand new 04/06/2018. Within the first month (after putting on 500 miles), the battery had to be replaced. On 06/17/2021, the alternator, battery and sensor had to be replaced at a total cost of $1234. Now, the "SERVICE SHIFTER" light is appearing on my console and it cost me $160 just to run diagnostics at the dealership where I purchased the vehicle and I am told that the gear shift module and wiring harness will have to be replaced at a cost of an additional $460. The vehicle has not yet reached 35,000 miles. After doing an on-line search, it seems this is a very common problem with the JEEP Cherokee models from 2014 - 2018.
Made a right turn onto a street and heard a single ding(the same ding it makes if seatbelt is off) then the car turned off, the red battery light briefly came on and then turned off. I rolled out of traffics way onto the shoulder and placed my car in park and tried to restart it. Car would not restart initially. After 3 tries the vehicle restarted and I was able to make it back onto the road. - the engine shut off and the power steering went out. these are available for inspection upon request. -The vehicle stalled in the middle of traffic so not only my safety but the safety of other drivers was at risk as my vehicle was turning a corner and not able to accelerate as other drivers came up behind me causing them to swerve. -the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center however my wife and I have experience the same issue at two different times. -The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership where the vehicle was purchased brand new and they were not able to provide an answer to the problem. -There were no warning lamps or other symptoms prior to the failure.
While engaged in cruise control at 63mph, going up a hill, upon desending hill car unexpectedly starts to down shift and accelerate to 70+ before I disengage cruise control through brake pedal usage. This has happened repeatedly while desending hills in a mountain terrian area, Does not repeat while driving on flat roads.
The "Service Shifter" message appeared in the display on 27 July 2021. I contacted the dealership to schedule an appointment. My appointment was 2 August 2021. My factory warranty expired in July 2021. The service advisor stated that the repairs would not be covered under the factory warranty if it was still active. The wire harness and the bevel had to be replaced. I contacted Chrysler via email to inquire as to why this repair is not covered by the manufacturer. They replied "Thank you for contacting Jeep Customer Care. I am sorry to learn that you had concerns with your Shifter and I do understand your frustration. Unfortunately, this is not an Open Recall on your vehicle at this time. If it does become an Open Recall in the future, you are able to submit for reimbursement review. At this time due to the Warranty expiring, and it not being an Open Recall we are unable to assist you with the costs. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance by calling us at 877-426-5337." There has been numerous complaints about this issue and the manufacturer has done nothing to resolve this problem. Like most Jeep owners with the same issue, we have to pay for the repairs which is about $600.00. This is a safety issue that should not be ignored. The vehicle could shift into park while driving which, according the other Jeep owners, has happened or the engine will shut off. I think the manufacturer should notify all Jeep owners of this problem and issue a Recall or Technical Bulletin to address this issue.
Service shifter light on and air bag light on
Car stalled entering onto highway. Alternator went out.
My Jeep Cherokee with only 43,000 started to randomly give me error messages that says "service shifter". This has happened multiple times when I am driving and all my lights on the shifter light up red and I am unable to determine what gear I am in. I have to stop driving turn my engine off and back on to get this to correct itself. In addition, one day I was driving and all of my headlights flickered and all of my dashboard lights went out for 5 seconds then came back on. My battery has died twice now recently and there was nothing left on. Due to these issues and the fact that I do not have a check engine light on, I called Jeep to see if there have been any recalls or other complaints, I was informed that there have not been. I have been doing some research online to find multiple forums where people with 2018 are having the exact same issue. This is posing a safety risk and I would like to see what steps can be taken since I am not the only one.
Service shifter light had intermittently turned on/off since about 33,000 miles but after warranty expired. Mechanic shop says the issue is common with my car's make/model. If this is a common issue, a recall should be placed.
Car turn off on its own error code P2172 U1428 maybe throttle body. Other Jeep have a recall on this but my vin isn’t included.