Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2017 Jeep Cherokee owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's husband struck a curb. The contact's husband depressed the brake pedal and attempted to make a turn, but the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The "Service Shifter" message was displayed, and the vehicle made an abnormal sound and stalled while driving. The steering wheel was firm while making the turn. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the failure was self-corrected. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was unable to be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the independent mechanic that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the contact had heard an abnormal noise. The vehicle had started overheating. The vehicle was hesitant to accelerate and the steering had become firm. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty shifter vessel and ECU jumper harness. The vehicle had been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,808.
I believe the PTU is malfunctioning and causing the transmission to slip or jerk. I am experiencing uncontrolled movement while driving. The vehicle is available at any time for inspection upon request. This puts myself and 2 small children at risk while driving, therefore my ability to use this vehicle is extremely limited and high risk. I have taken it to a jeep dealership in porterville ca who stated my transmission needed replacement. they verbally stated my ptu was ok but never confirmed it with documentation. i have taken it to private mechanics who could not find any issues saying that the problem is internal. the mechanics i have taken it to in the past year have not come to a solution other than to suggest i wait for a resolution to the recall. The service all wheel drive light came on/off about a year ago and was consistant for several months but has turned off for awhile now.
I was driving like normal about 15 mph after just pulling out of the gas station onto the main road and have no issues with my car as of late and all of a sudden it just stopped. All the lights lite up on the shift, every light lite up on the dash saying everything needed to be serviced, I was unable to move or do anything with the car, not even turn it off and i was in the middle of the road! Luckily no one was behind me and I was still able to engage my hazards. After about 10 min's my car turned off on it's own. I sat for another 10 before finally being able to turn it back on and move it to the side of the road and eventually get it back to my house 2 miles away. Clearly this is a serious safety issue and is not ok, especially the fact that my car was bought brand new and is not even 5 years old!
After the weekend rain, I went to start the 2017 Jeep Cherokee it did not start. I had the battery car jumped and it started up when driving it the steering wheel locked up. The dashboard started to display antilock brake assist off system, power steering assist off system, service transmission restart in Park with vehicle 0 speed, and so many red lights started flashing afterwards. I was in the car with my children a car that was coming behind me had to swerve around me as my car instantly stopped. This could've been a horrific or fatal car accident. I just hit my car check to renew my plates the emissions pass and everything safety was good. With this current situation, I would now have to get my car back to the dealership for further inspection, and will be without a car.
While driving the Service Shifter prompt came on and all the lights on the gear box turned red. The safety risk when this prompt came on is huge as you are driving and trying not to panic as you don't know if the car will stall or stop suddenly. MANY other people with Jeeps have experienced this problem. There should be a recall for this issue. This vehicle has under 25,000 miles. I went to the dealership and was informed the parts are not covered under warranty. It was confirmed the Bezel and Wire Harness will have to be replaced which the dealership did on 6/24/2021. The vehicle was only inspected by the dealership. No other warnings or dashboard messages prior to 6/23/2021.
Service shifter message has been appearing and at times, all lights on PRND lighting up. The vehicle transmission may still engage or may not. Recent occurrence on 07/13/2013, vehicle took 20 minutes before transmission engaged. Fortunately, I was parked at work, going home. If this occurred on the road, has potential of wreck happening. Jeep dealership leaning towards voltage error, cleaned battery terminals, test drove, could not replicate error. Did not drive until 07/17/2023, service shifter message came back without all PRND lights coming on.
my 2017 jeep cherokee (vin [redacted] ) has two recalls that are affecting the vhicle. the first is the shifter and harness recall that causes the vehicle to display "service shifter" messages randomly, and all of the shifter lights turn on. the second is the recall effecting how the vehicle shifts. please send me information on how to get these recalls fixed without having to pay a fortune. [redacted]
Car stalls without warning or indicator lights and will not restart in a safe manner. There are dozens of reports concerning this situation online and it is a SERIOUS safety issue that has received no attention. There is apparently and "incomplete" notice from JEEP that has failed to reach all customers. This has now happened to me three times - 2 of which were in situations that created significant safety risk.
I was driving my 2017 Jeep Cherokee Latitude 2.4L, car won't start, I have oil pressure sensor to warn me when low doesn't alert me at all, only time is when I realized a beep when I made turns and would indicate oil pressure low! I can't get my car to stop and it stalled on me while driving with no indication of low oil, and I have two kids and could have been very bad, since no power no breaks no steering!
Steering complaints in other Cherokee years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2017 Jeep Cherokee?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the steering of the 2017 Jeep Cherokee, 3% of the model year's 1,337 complaints. The component named most often is gear box › shaft sector (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2017 Jeep Cherokee steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2017 Jeep Cherokee, though it has 6 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 2017 Jeep Cherokee steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 39,000 miles, and 41% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.