2016 Jeep Cherokee
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 1,406 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 5th highest complaint count among 12 Cherokee model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 37 involved a crash and 14 involved a fire. 27 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Electrical system, wiring, rear compartment/trunkPark outsideMay 11, 2023
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a power liftgate. An electrical short in the power liftgate module may lead to a vehicle fire with the ignition on or off.
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will relocate the power liftgate module and add a water shield. In addition, dealers will inspect for corrosion and replace the module and electrical connectors, if necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner letters were mailed March 1, 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 49A. This recall supersedes recalls 15V-393 and 15V-826. Vehicles repaired under the prior recalls will still need to have the new remedy performed.
Campaign 23V338000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionApr 27, 2023
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may become damaged and disengage the transmission and differential, resulting in a loss of drive power or loss of park function.
A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash. A loss of park function can cause an unintended vehicle rollaway which can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
FCA US LLC will notify owners, and dealers will perform a software update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 11, 2023. Owners may contact FCA USA LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 45A. This recall expands previous recall number 20V-343.
Campaign 23V302000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, driveline, differential unitJun 11, 2020
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a two-speed Power Transfer Unit (PTU). Relative movement in the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) between the differential input splines and the transmission output shaft may cause some input spline teeth to wear off, which may eventually cause a loss of engagement between the transmission and the differential inside the PTU. If this occurs, power cannot be transferred between the front wheels and the transmission which results in a loss of drive while the vehicle is in motion and a loss of the Park function while stationary.
A loss of drive can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning. A loss of the Park function can cause unintended vehicle rollaway which can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
FCA US LLC will notify owners, and dealers will perform a software update that will maintain vehicle propulsion by engaging rear wheel drive and prevent rolling in Park by activating the electronic parking brake if a failed input spline occurs. This recall began July 14, 2020. Owners may contact FCA USA LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is W47.
Campaign 20V343000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiringMay 17, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Campaign 18V332000 on NHTSA.gov
EquipmentDec 21, 2017
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling various Dodge, Chrysler, and RAM vehicles equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. A list of the affected trailer models is available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17V824-0103.pdf. These extinguishers may become clogged, preventing the extinguisher from discharging as expected or requiring excessive force to activate the extinguisher. Additionally, in certain models, the nozzle may detach from the valve assembly with enough force that it could cause injury and also render the product inoperable. For a full list of the affected fire extinguisher models visit: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf
If the fire extinguisher does not function properly, it can increase the risk of injury in the event of a fire.
Chrysler will notify owners instructing them to contact Kidde for a replacement fire extinguisher, free of charge. The recall began February 14, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403 or Kidde customer service service toll-free at 1-855-262-3540, or online at www.kidde.com and click on "Product Safety Recall" for more information. Chrysler's number for this recall is T82.
Campaign 17V824000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsAug 10, 2016
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2014-2016 Jeep Cherokee vehicles manufactured July 29, 2013, to February 5, 2016. The seat fasteners on the first or second row seats may not have been tightened to the proper torque specification.
Loose fasteners may allow the seats to move, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupants in the event of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the seats or seat sets, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during September 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall S63.
Campaign 16V590000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftMay 11, 2016
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jeep Cherokee vehicles manufactured September 30, 2015, to October 2, 2015. The left halfshaft may have been incorrectly manufactured causing it to fracture without warning.
A fractured halfshaft may disconnect from the drive axle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left halfshaft, free of charge. The recall began on June 30, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler's customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's recall number is S38.
Campaign 16V287000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftMay 11, 2016
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2016 Jeep Cherokee vehicles manufactured October 3, 2015, to March 22, 2016. The right halfshaft may have been incorrectly manufactured causing it to fracture without warning.
A fractured halfshaft may disconnect from the drive axle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the right halfshaft, free of charge. The recall began on June 30, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler's customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's recall number is S39.
Campaign 16V284000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, wiring, rear compartment/trunkDec 9, 2015
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jeep Cherokee vehicles manufactured February 18, 2015, to September 10, 2015 and equipped with the power liftgate option. In the affected vehicles, water may leak into the Power Liftgate Control Module and result in a high resistance short circuit.
A short circuit in the module increases the risk of a fire.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the module and connectors for corrosion, replacing the damaged components as necessary. The mastic shield will be removed and the module will be covered with a water shield. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on February 1, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R67. This recall is superseded by NHTSA recall 23V-338.
Campaign 15V826000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
1,406 reports, newest first.
Power train, Sep 7, 2023
Transmission failed in vehicle with only 96K miles. When attempting to accelerate, car would not switch gears properly and this hinder the ability to gain speed. We had an original diagnosis that the input output sensor needed to be replaced, and after weeks and several thousand dollars, we were told that the part still failed and a whole new transmission needed to be put in.
Air bags, Sep 7, 2023
PASSENGER AIRBAG INADVERTENT DEPLOYMENT. WARNING LAMPS: Service airbag system Service parking brake 4wd unavailable Driver seatbelt not fastened Phone unavailable occasionally Check engine DESCRIPTION LEADING UP TO INCIDENT: Several days of seeing warning lamps. Limited driving. Disconnected battery for 8 hrs. Reconnected battery. Backed out of garage into driveway. Sat in car idling at 2000 RPMs with AC on. After 3 mins, passenger airbag deployed. Additional Info: Nothing on passenger seat at time. No work had been done in or around IP. {instrument panel}.
Power train, Sep 1, 2023
4WD sensor came on. PTU bad and needs to be replaced. Feeny in Midland MI quoted $2,400 to fix. Back order is difficult due to part not being made right now they said. It has 71k miles on it.
Other or unspecified, Aug 31, 2023
I own a 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk (VIN [XXX] ) that just had a Service Shifter message and required a shifter replacement due to a faulty shifter. My Jeep was in-service as of October 2015 and it is my opinion that it should have been a part of the S28 recall on the Grand Cherokees. I have requested reimbursement from Jeep and was told it would be denied because it was not under the covered VIN. I requested that the dealership keep the part in order to confirm it was the same defect, but they said it was already destroyed. I feel like Jeep did not do a wide enough recall to cover all vehicles with that defect and would ask for you to look into it and assist me with getting reimbursement for the costs incurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 30, 2023
Car hesitation to accelerate and jerks when driving from a start . Took it to the dealer and they couldn’t get a code from issues. The issue happens sporadically but will be taking car back again to see if they can figure it out after next incident.
Power train, Aug 29, 2023
The SVC 4WD light has come on. I cannot switch to any of the 4wd modes. I do not have the locking differential or anything, just the standard PTU that comes with the Jeep Limited. When I press the brakes when switching from park to drive or reverse, there is a clicking noise in the shifter as well. I am not sure about the safety of myself or others at the moment, as this just happened. The problem has not yet been confirmed by a dealer. No body official has yet to inspect the vehicle component. The SVC 4WD light came on intermittently for about a week, and is now on permanently.
Electrical system, Service brakes, Aug 28, 2023
While driving my jeep the service park brake light came on and shortly after the park break automatically engaged and brought me to a stop, it has been in the shop 4 different times for this same issue and they can’t get it fixed, I get it back and it just continues to happen over and over, this is a huge safety issue and I would like there to be a fix for it
Structure, Aug 27, 2023
Automatic trunk does not open with either inside button on dash or outside button on latch. So I had to open it manually. While it was up the motor spontaneously activated, causing the trunk lid to hit me on the head. When it did hit my head, it did not automatically go back up. The issue is intermittent and when I took it to the dealer, they could not replicate it. This has happened several times.
Power train, Aug 23, 2023, crash
I was sitting at a red light when the light turned green I hit the gas and I heard clunk truck put it on park got out to check andy car rolled backwards into a man's car then wouldn't go forward or reverse and then after awhile mechanic got there and said the right front axle came undone from the ptu some how
Power train, Aug 23, 2023
The service 4WD light has come on and I have no AWD or 4WD so I took my jeep to Merlins to get diagnosed. They reported back to me that code C14A7-97 PTU Motor came up. They also told me that it is a safety recall and to take it to Jeep to have repaired. I have called 4 Jeep dealers and they have all told me that I do not have any open safety recalls and it will cost between 3 to 6k to repair. I have goggled the code and my Jeep does fall within the years of the recall and they have extended the recall. Merlins gave me the screen shots of the code and the safety recall and my Jeep should be included it it. I only have 61k miles on my jeep. I want to get my Jeep added to the recall or added as an independent recall.
Power train, Aug 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the "Shift from Park to Drive" message displayed. Additionally, the SVC warning light illuminated. The contact shutoff and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission shifter was replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Power train, Aug 18, 2023
Dealer is refusing to replace a failed/noisy PTU as it does not have the mil code. Stellantis own paper work states it “may” have codes. Not that it must. They have refused to replace the part under the XJ1 warranty extension.
Power train, Aug 17, 2023
My 4X4 service light came on and I was advised by the Dealership that my Power Train Unit needs to be replaced.
Electrical system, Aug 5, 2023
Our Vehicle is currently at the Dealership for a Power Liftgate electrical issue. There is a documented recall for 2016 Jeep models regarding the Power Liftgate. Our vehicle does not show any open recalls but this should be investigated as being associated with the active recall for Power Liftgate.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Aug 4, 2023
Since inception of purchasing the vehicle in January 2019, I have experienced a sudden jolt, banging sound/feeling. In the beginning the issue was subtle. In addition, I have felt a sudden loss of speed. It should be noted I did not seek any service at this time. As a side note, sometime in 2020/2021 i received a letter of a recall for fault PTU however this was for another jeep i owned no longer in my possession. This prompted me to call mopar to see if my current vin was possibly on that first recall of jeeps however i was advised it was not even though i had experienced the same issues described. Fast forward to as of recently august 2023, I received a recall letter with this current vin and proceeded to the nearest dealership for repair. I was advised the repair was a software update. As I was leaving the dealership after the update, I felt the loss of power, jolt and grinding when turning to backup with the service 4wd illuminated. I reparked and walked back inside the dealership when I was advised the repair was only a software update. In addition, I was advised a diagnostic test could be done for $175. I was advised to wait a couple of key cycles to see if the issues corrects itself. The software update has since not corrected itself and I feel as though I am at risk of an accident. This issue is getting worse with my vehicle and is a safety concern. I feel as though I am being penalized for faulty PTU which is on the manufacturer for costs to assure correction/repairs made. Thank you your time in reading this.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Aug 2, 2023
The vehicle just cuts off while in the middle of driving and everything shuts off. New battery installed 2 months ago, no loose cables, plenty of gas. Cutting off while driving poses a very bad hazard. The last time it happened the shop that had recently changed my oil two weeks prior said it was due to loose battery cables and it has now been a month since that occurrence took place. Now it's happening again.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Aug 1, 2023
Ptu fail the second day of purchasing my car on my birthday with my 2 daughters was in the car with me a 1 year old and 2 year old the car made a big boom and stop it put it self in park. I took the car to a shop yes it was confirmed the ptu yes I took it to Jeep no they appeared after that happen
Power train, Service brakes, Jul 30, 2023
Vehicle had been running fine .Then coming home from work Friday came up to a yield sign went to press on gas heard a noise then car drifted to a stop wouldn't move in drive or reverse was able to drift to side of the road. Was a lot of traffic driving by wasn't able to inspect the car. Called for a tow truck they got my car on a flatbed and took vehicle to dealership were I bought vehicle. They looked at jeep next day said it needs a new transmission. I've read about a lot of people having issues with the zf 9 speed transmission. If this were to happen on a highway someone could be killed or seriously injured. Chrysler, jeep have been having problems since 2014-15 with the 9 speed transmission they were supposed to have fixed the problems in 2016 but sounds like there fix was unsuccessful. Thank you
Power train, Jul 29, 2023
The PTU has failed and needs to be replaced. There were no indicators of it failing, and had it gone out completely while driving it could have caused a serious crash. Dealership has evaluated it, and stated there is no recall and the part needs to be replaced for a cost of over $3,300. There is a national backorder on the part as other vehicle owners are facing the same problem. There were 2 recalls in relation to the PTU in similar models of this vehicle, but they did not address all cars made during that time frame, and the latest safety recall was a software patch and didn't actually replace the faulty part.
Steering, Power train, Vehicle speed control, Jul 25, 2023
My 2016 Jeep Cheroke with 75,000 miles started to show a yellow 4WD service light. It would come on and off. I brought it to a Jeep service repair center, where it currently sits, and they confirmed the PTU is NO good. Needs to be replaced at a cost of over $3,000. And to make matters worse, I was advised not to drive the Jeep because it is a safety issue! Also, there is a recall out for "certain" Jeep Cherokees, not mine, with the same exact issue! My Jeep Cherokee was manufactured during the time of the recalled Cherokees but it isn't part of this recall at this point?! I do not have $3,000 to repair a failed PTU which is part of a recall but not my jeep "yet," but if I am driving the Jeep and the PTU totally fails, the Jeep will lose power to the wheels and it can cause an accident. Jeep knows this PTU is an issue but won't help. This is a safety issue.
Power train, Jul 23, 2023
Alike several other report I have read on here, my service 4wd dashboard light came on. I took it to the Oxford Dodge dealership where I purchased it and was told the PTU (power transfer unit) needed to be replaced and is currently on backorder. I am concerned that 1000’s of jeeps 2016&2017’s had been recalled for a PTU issue, but like mine and several others on here they were not included in the recall yet her the issues arise and fear that there may be a lot of Jeep’s needing to be recalled and that ppl’s safety is at risk if not performed.
Service brakes, Jul 20, 2023
Parking brake electronic module experienced water corrosion, automatically engaged right electronic parking brake & brake would not release. This issue has been reported on the same makes/models as my vehicle and a recall was issued- my VIN is not covered in the recall, though it’s apparent it should be. This is a dangerous issue as the water corrosion caused the parking brake to automatically engage with no solution for releasing due to the water damage.
Power train, Jul 20, 2023
Transmission light will come on. Then I'll lose power. I've taken it to my local jeep shop who have said it's a bad PTU.
Power train, Jul 20, 2023
4WD Service light came on for 2 mins then would turn on off after driving for 3 weeks. Then light came on and would not turn off. Car was taken to independent auto shop and was diagnosed as a bad PTU (power transfer unit). Currently waiting for service at jeep dealership. Service wait is over 3 weeks. Car is stuck in 2wd and has no traction control even if it is stated as being engaged. Front wheels spin on slightest touch from a stop and on turns at speeds over 35 mph.
Power train, Jul 14, 2023
PTU motor failure.