2016 Jeep Cherokee Transmission Problems

Which parts fail

• Transfer case (4-wheel drive)
  6
• Automatic transmission
  4
• Axle assembly › Axle shaft
  1
• Driveline › Driveshaft
  1
• Driveline › Differential unit
  1

Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  8924%
• 25k–50k
  10227%
• 50k–75k
  9726%
• 75k–100k
  4412%
• 100k–150k
  339%
• 150k+
  62%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Jeep Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact's son owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. The contact stated that while his son was parking, the transmission was shifted into park (P), the contact's son lifted his foot off the brake when the vehicle sporadically accelerated, crashing into another parked vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V302000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

I parked my vehicle at 6pm on February 15th. at 2:45 pm I awoke to a loud explosion outside my bedroom window. There was a very large fire, and it was my car. I was in shock we could only watch from our window as the fire department arrived and put out the fire which was spreading to the carport and mailboxes near my parking spot. It also burned a truck parked next to mine. both cars a total loss. My insurance company sent someone to tow my vehicle, but the tow truck driver refused saying the vehicle was untowable, due to the massive damage. the next day a neighbor informed me that he got the whole incident on video start to finish. 'The video shows my engine igniting while off and had been parked for over 6 hours. In the video you see a small flame start under the hood near the windshield wipers. the flame then grew and grew!!!! until the car was completely engulfed in flames. …

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the message "4WD/Pull Over" was displayed, and the Low Oil warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact became aware of the warning lights after receiving an oil change. Additionally, the oil level needed to be topped off after driving approximately 3,000 miles. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and it decelerated and stalled. The contact pulled over, turned off the vehicle, waited for several minutes, then made several attempts to restart the vehicle until the power steering functionality returned and was able to drive as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was confirmed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil, and that the oil level sensor was inoperable. …

The contacts mother owns 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle stalled with an abnormal noise coming from the front. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a power transfer unit and transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The independent mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign number: 23V302000 (Power Train). A dealer was contacted and informed that the vehicle was Canadian and refused to repair the vehicle. Several other dealers were contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was Canadian and could not assist. The manufacturer FCA USA was contacted and informed the contact that they could not force the dealer to repair a Canadian vehicle. …

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that on several occasions while either of her children were driving at various speeds, the transmission warning light illuminated. On one occasion, the FWD warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The contact added that the vehicle then lost power and did not accelerate as intended during each occasion. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and restarted each time, after which it resumed normal driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transfer case unit needed to be replaced due to the Jeep Active Drive One. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where the contact was provided with the same diagnosis: the transfer case unit needed to be replaced due to the Jeep Active Drive One. The vehicle was not repaired. …

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road but he could not park as the gear shifter would not move. The contact waited until the vehicle came to a complete stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle, however the failure reoccurred twice while driving. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the service shifter had failed. The warning message "service shifter" had remained illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was a known defect .The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. …

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, there was a loud banging sound, the vehicle swerved into the left lane, and the vehicle was safely maneuvered to the side of the road. The contact observed that the driver's side front axle blew out. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic where the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that 79 miles later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a different independent mechanic where the driver's and passenger's side front axles were replaced. The contact stated that 40 miles later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to a different independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a suspension specialist where the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. …

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while attempting to shift the gear shifter, there was a loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The steering and transmission were slipping intermittently. The Service 4WD warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the battery cable was faulty and needed to be replaced. The battery cables were replaced. The failure persisted, and the vehicle was returned to the dealer, who diagnosed that the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer stated that the repair was not covered under a recall or under warranty, despite having unlimited coverage. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer confirmed that the repair was not covered under recall or warranty. …

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle began to rigorously vibrate while the 4-wheel drive warning light flashed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was initially diagnosed with a defective drive shaft unit which was repaired; however, upon a test drive, the failure persisted. The mechanic then discovered that the PTU (Power Transfer Unit) was the cause of the failure. The contact then discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed him that his vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact filed a case with the manufacturer. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. …

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH or less, the vehicle was losing motive power and the vehicle decelerated and came to a stop. The contact waited several minutes before restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that there was a banging sound coming from the transmission. The speedometer was blinking and the Service 4WD warning message was displayed on the instrument panel. The failure occurred approximately 4 times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the Power Transfer Units (PTU) had failed. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V302000 (Power Train) and 20V343000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

Related recalls

Transmission complaints in other Cherokee years