Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Jeep Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
A light on my dashboard came on while I was driving at 55 MPH that read "service transmission". The odometer stopped working and my car didn't seem to be functioning properly. Stopping at a light, my car nearly stalled when I needed to cross over an intersection. I had to have my vehicle towed to be serviced the following day. I was told by the service station that the issue wasn't with the transmission- but that the car needed a software update. I could have been hit when my car nearly stalled driving across the intersection. I addressed my concern with FCA, but was told that software updates are routinely needed and should be done at the same time as my oil change. My car only has 5300 miles and is only driven short distances (mostly on the weekend). This issue should not be happening with a car so new and such little mileage. …
As of lately, the speedometer toogles up & down through a set of numbers even after attempts are made to reduce speed especially when on cruise control. During cruise control vehicle accelerates beyond set limit & requires extreme force to decelerate. It happens randomly as does many dangerous issues mainly after a software update takes place with the vehicle. If the updates don't cause acceleration concerns it causes vehicle to shut off in traffic & over the last several months a few high risks for major traffic accidents were only avoided by the swift maneuvering of other vehicles or myself when possible to avoid collision. Never before experienced so many malfunctions of mechanical/technological problems from a vehicle. …
My Jeep keeps breaking down while the vehicle is in motion and I have almost been in several wrecks because of it. I have now done my own research on this issue going on with cars that have my same year make and model and have been experience the same exact issues as I am all over the us. I have been speaking with some of these people who were writing these comments on the Jeep website and they have all said they are not dependable and highly unsafe as they have also almost got into wrecks because of it. At this point its only a matter of time before someone is gets hurt due to the vehicle shutting down while in motion or worse, death. Something must be done to stop the sale of this unsafe vehicle. I am stunned nothing has yet to be done about this. My car has now been in the shop since I bought it and no one can figure out what is wrong with it. …
My 2016 Jeep Cherokee started having issues. On my way home from work the service transmission message popped up on my display and engine light came on and had absolutely no acceleration capability. Managed to stay with traffic and proceed to the off ramp to a gas station. I followed what it's said on owner manual: turn off the car and turn on the car while on natural for few minutes and the message went away but the engine light was there for a while and got turned off it self. But the next day same issue happened again. I took the car to Jeep dealership, they did not have a transmission specialist to check the car. I had to make an appointment with another dealership, the appointment is for tomorrow. …
This issues has happened twice once I was at an intersection and the second time I was on the freeway. I am driving with no issues and then all of a sudden the car loses speed. I will go from 70-0mph with in seconds, all the lights will come on on my dash board and I am unable to speed up or even steer out of the way. The second time this happened to me I was in the fast lane on the freeway with my daughter,no cars behind me because I would have been hit with out a question. It sounded as if the car shut down with out actually turning off. I had the car towed to the dealer where they had no explanation for me both times this happened. As soon as they would connect it to diagnose they said the codes would clear and the car was working. Both times this has happened and now I am scared every time I drive. Now the stereo will not turn on. …
First of all, this is a brand new vehicle. I bought it 6 weeks ago and it has less than 3000K miles. The vehicle was in motion and it shut down/ stalled out. How can a new vehicle just loose power? The dashboard told me service the transmission. The emergency brake light came on and the check engine light came on. The Jeep sat in the median of a 4 lane busy highway just running. It took an hour for roadside service to have a tow truck to come to me. My baby, puppy and I were just stranded in the middle of a bad storm. Jeep knows of this. They don't care about their consumers. Now my life is in danger with this piece of crap. Crap that costs me $26K! The tow truck driver told me I was his 4th customer today with the same problem as the others who have this exact model. Please do not buy! Your life will be in jeopardy or at the hands of an unmerciful company. …
First the car kept reporting that my front left tire was low and even after I checked the pressure, it continued to do so. It took several hours for it to stop. Now I have a 'service shifter' error and all of the lights on my shifter are on. I hear a high-pitched electronic sound when I shift into drive. I have read several forums and there are consumers reporting that when that happened to them, their wheels locked up and the car completely stopped. A few of the cars were totaled! I am going to call the dealer in the morning. Apparently this very dangerous problem has not happened enough for Jeep/Chrysler to consider a recall. One last note: when these errors light up on the dash, you cannot access any other information. You cannot even see your speedometer.
This is safety concern! 2016 Jeep Cherokee car would stop while you driving high speed without any warning sign and all the light will come on can not shifting or restart the car. It happened on me twice already. One time on highway I-95, one time on a busy local road at pa. Jeep dealership said it was computer updating, I could not get it. After first time they repaired it, I did feel something wired with the car. So I brought it back to Jeep dealership two more time for diagnose. They all said the car had no problem. Not even a month, it happened again. Suddenly stop! This time they still trying to fix it for me, but I could not trust Jeep again. I mean if they can fix it, it would not happened again after three time what ever fix or diagnose.
My vehicle Jeep was in motion on the interstate when my service transmission light came on and I almost caused a major accident when my Jeep slowed way down. When I accelerated it would hardly move. Mind you I was on the interstate!! Very scary experience. This is not the first experience I have had with my Jeep while in motion on highway it jumps bucks and revs up on its own when it was doing that I had to take it to be hooked up to tester to see why my battery light came on? Had to replace coil pack #4 and I did it again 6 months down the road and had to replace coil pack #2. The check engine light stays on. My Jeep only has 59064 miles. I am very scared terrified and nervous driving me Jeep.
"service shifter" warning comes up on the dash periodically. Been happening over the last year. Sometime it's a few days or months before it comes back on. Contacted local Jeep dealership who said not to bring it in until the warning is consistent. Also, dealership said they can't check the warning unless it's active. The warning goes away if the vehicle is turned off and back on. Warning has come on while both in motion and stationary. Searched numerous websites and it appears alot of people are having this issue. Why isn't there a recall on this? Seems like no one really knows how to fix it.
Traction Control complaints in other Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2016 Jeep Cherokee?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2016 Jeep Cherokee, 2% of the model year's 1,411 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2016 Jeep Cherokee traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2016 Jeep Cherokee, though it has 9 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2016 Jeep Cherokee traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 32,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.