Jeep Cherokee Transmission Problems

Transmission complaints by model year

Which parts fail

• Automatic transmission
  122
• Automatic transmission › Park/neutral start interlock switch
  82
• Transfer case (4-wheel drive)
  31
• Driveline › Differential unit
  19
• Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift
  16
• Manual transmission
  12
• Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
  11
• Driveline › Driveshaft
  10

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

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  1,18337%
• 25k–50k
  72923%
• 50k–75k
  58318%
• 75k–100k
  35111%
• 100k–150k
  2979%
• 150k+
  632%

What owners report

I had pulled the vehicle into my garage. When I tried to shut the car off the car it would not shut off. In fact many components of the car seem to be completely out of sync. The car would not go into any gear. I could not shut the car off. No matter what I did the car just kept running. I finally more or less gave up and just let it keep running for a couple of hours. When I went back into the garage to check what was happening the car had finally stopped running. At that point I had call a towing service and arranged to have the vehicle taken to Autonation Jeep Chrysler the next morning where I had purchased the vehicle. This was a newly purchased vehicle and only had a total of 78 miles on it. Surprisingly the next morning I went into the garage to check on what was happening with the vehicle and to my surprise the vehicle had stopped running. …

On October 1, 2026, at approximately 1,968 miles, my 2026 Jeep Cherokee experienced a serious powertrain failure. I began driving home from work and the vehicle initially moved without severe shaking. While traveling on the highway at approximately 70 mph and then accelerating uphill, the vehicle progressively lost power and began shuddering violently. The check-engine light began flashing while the red Electronic Throttle Control warning remained on screen. The vehicle appeared to enter a limp mode and I had significant difficulty maintaining speed and climbing the hill. A highway patrol officer followed me with his lights and siren and with his escort I was able to safely reach the next highway exit, but I was concerned that the sudden loss of acceleration could have resulted in a crash, particularly in highway traffic. …

The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly downshift upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the "Service 4WD" message was intermittently displayed on the instrument panel. The failure occurred while the message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on several occasions, and the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The contact was assured that the vehicle was safe to drive despite the persistent failure. The contact drove the vehicle across the country without failure; however, the failure returned after a while. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, where a code reader retrieved codes related to the Power Control Unit. …

The contact owns a 2022 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving uphill at 30 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and then roll backwards with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rubbing sound coming from the vehicle, with the "4WD" and "Neutral Warning Vehicle May Move Even in Park" messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact immediately pulled over and shifted to park(P); however, the vehicle continued to roll backwards. The contact engaged the parking brake and called for Police assistance and an officer arrived and sat with the contact until a tow truck arrived. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and the contact was able to drive the vehicle onto the driveway and parked the vehicle. …

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds, the contact heard a popping sound coming from the hood. The contact stated that the engine revved, and the vehicle decelerated while the accelerator pedal was being depressed. The contact pulled the vehicle off the roadway. The contact stated that the vehicle remained on and failed to shut off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the PTU failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the AWD warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the PTU failed again and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was safe to drive however, the failure recurred. …

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving on a ramp at 40-45 MPH, there was an abnormally loud grinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle, and the vehicle lost drive power. No warning light was illuminated. The electronic parking brake engaged automatically. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact restarted the vehicle, but the failure persisted, and the electronic parking brake engaged automatically. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the PTU had failed; however, parts were not available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. …

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle began to lose propulsion upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that an abnormal, clunking sound began to emti from the without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over and attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle lost all forward propulsion. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they also experienced the same failure. The dealer managed to get the vehicle to move while in reverse(R); however, the vehicle failed to accelerate forward. The dealer had diagnosed the vehicle with a defective PTU(Power Transfer Unit) and it was later discovered that a recall had been placed on the vehicle for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000(Power Train). Although a recall was placed on the vehicle; the part for the repair was unavailable. …

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact became aware of an abnormally loud sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred at a busy intersection. The contact attempted to shift the gear shifter into park; however, the vehicle rolled backwards. The contact enabled the parking brake. The Police were called to assist with traffic. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with PTU failure. The contact was informed that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of an unrepaired recall. The contact was advised to contact the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that parts were unavailable. …

Related recalls (12)

NHTSA investigations