2017 Jeep Cherokee
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 1,334 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 12 Cherokee model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 24 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 27 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power trainApr 29, 2025
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may become damaged and disengage the transmission and differential, resulting in a loss of drive power and/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.
Dealers will update the drivetrain control module and PTU software and replace the PTU, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning February 19, 2026. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 01C.
Campaign 25V011000 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
Equipment, other, labelsAug 31, 2017
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The tire and rim size information required to be on the Certification label was omitted during manufacturing, which may result in an incorrect tire and rim combination being installed on the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The missing tire and rim designation information may lead to an incorrect combination being installed on the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners and will provide a corrected certification label, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T53.
Campaign 17V543000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, knee bolsterNov 2, 2016
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2017 Jeep Cherokee vehicles manufactured October 13, 2016, to October 17, 2016. Improper welds on the driver's knee air bag inflator may prevent the air bag from properly inflating.
If the driver's knee air bag does not properly inflate, there is an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's knee air bag module, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S84.
Campaign 16V799000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
343 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Oct 16, 2019
SERVICE SHIFTER MESSAGE POPPED UP. ALL LIGHTS ON SHIFTER CAME ON.
Other or unspecified, Oct 8, 2019
THE SHIFTER SERVICE LIGHT COMES ON AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE GEAR SHIFT LIGHT UP RED. I HAVE TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND THEN ON AGAIN TO SHIFT GEARS. IT HAPPENS AT RANDOM TIMES ON A REGULAR BASIS. I'M LISTING THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, BUT IT HAPPENS MORE AND MORE.
Other or unspecified, Oct 7, 2019
I PUT MY CAR IN DRIVE AFTER BACKING UP AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFTER ILLUMINATED AND I GOT THE NOTICE TO "SERVICE SHIFTER ". I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AND THE SHIFTER WAS NORMAL AGAIN.
Other or unspecified, Oct 7, 2019
SERVICE SHIFTER WARNING CAME ON AND GEAR SHIFT LIGHTS ARE ALL RED ON P, R, N, D - THIS WAS WHILE IN MOTION GOING DOWN THE ROAD
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Oct 5, 2019
I KEEP GETTING A SERVICE SHIFTER WARNING WHILE DRIVING MY JEEP. ALL THE LIGHTS FOR THE SHIFTER LIGHT UP (D,N,R AND P). I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND RESTART THE CAR OFF TO DISMISS THE WARNINGS.
Other or unspecified, Sep 30, 2019
WHEN I STARTED MY CAR, A "SERVICE SHIFTER" MESSAGE APPEARED ON MY DASHBOARD SCREEN & EVERY GEAR ON THE SHIFTER TURNED RED. I TURNED MY CAR OFF & BACK ON AGAIN. THE MESSAGE & RED COLORS ON THE SHIFTER APPEARED, AGAIN. I THEN TURNED MY CAR OFF & BACK ON AGAIN, & THE MESSAGE & COLORS DID NOT APPEAR.
Other or unspecified, Sep 27, 2019
STARTING 2/23/19 WARNING LIGHTS FOR PARK BRAKE, SHIFTER, 4WD, PARK ASSIST, TIRE PRESSURE AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. WENT AWAY AFTER DRIVING DOWN ROAD. DID IT AGAIN 7/10/19, TOOK TO DEALER. THEY PATCHED A TIRE AND SAID NOTHING ELSE WAS WRONG. DID IT AGAIN 7/16/19. TOOK TO DEALER, THEY KEPT A FEW DAYS, SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND AN ISSUE. DID IT AGAIN 9/13/19. DID NOT TAKE TO DEALER. DID IT AGAIN 9/27/19 AND THIS TIME CAR HAD TROUBLE DRIVING. DEALER WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX THIS ISSUE! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!
Other or unspecified, Sep 19, 2019
THE SERVICE SHIFTER NOTICE COMES UP AND ALL THE GEAR LIGHTS LIGHT UP AT ONCE.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Electronic stability control (ESC), Sep 16, 2019
BEZEL AND SHIFTER HARNESS MALFUNCTION WHICH IS DANGEROUS AND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON INTERNET. DEALER ORDERED PARTS. $456. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL.
Other or unspecified, Sep 6, 2019
2017 JEEP SERVICE STIFTER COME ON SEVERAL TIME WHEN DRIVING, I HAVE TO STOP AND TURN IT OFF BEFORE I CAN TURN IT ON AGAIN TAKEN IT BACK TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND, MY JEEP MOVING THEN I TURN OFF JEEP AND SOMETIMES JERKING WHEN AM DRIVING BEFORE COMING TO A STOP I FEEL LIKE SOMEONE HIT MY FROM BEHIND .
Other or unspecified, Sep 2, 2019
THE MESSAGE SERVICE SHIFTER APPEARS ON THE MAIN DISPLAY, AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFTER CONSOLE LIGHT UP. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME IT'S HAPPENED IN THREE MONTHS. ONCE WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, THE OTHER TWO TIMES WERE ON STARTUP FROM PARK. I HAVEN'T NOTICED ANY DRIVING ISSUES. YET.
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 27, 2019
ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHEN I START MY VEHICLE THE ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE SHIFTER LIGHT UP. THE DASH WILL THEN SAY THE MESSAGE "SERVICE SHIFTER NOW". THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAR THE MESSAGE IS TO SHUT MY CAR OFF AND RESTART IT. SOMETIMES 3 OR 4 TIMES IN A ROW. LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I HOOKED UP A TESTER TO SEE IF IT GAVE A CODE. IT GAVE CODE U0164 "LOST COMMUNICATION WITH HVAC CONTROL MODULE". I SHUT IT OFF AND RESTARTED AND THE DASH SAID "NO BUS" AND I HAD NO CONTROL OVER MY FRONT WINDOWS, RADIO, TOUCH SCREEN OR HVAC. MY HEATER WAS ON HIGH AND SO WAS THE FAN. I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING TO CHANGE IT. AFTER I SHUT IT OFF FOR APX. 15 MINUTES OR SO IT CORRECTED ITSELF. SPEEDS VARIED FROM 0 MPH UP TO 60 MPH. SOMETIMES HAD TO DRIVE WITH THE MESSAGE BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T GO AWAY AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE SEVERAL TIMES.
Other or unspecified, Aug 20, 2019
SERVICE SHIFTER WARNING LIGHT COMING ON WHILE DRIVING OR PARKED EVERY OTHER DAY. I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND SHUT MOTOR DOWN AND RESTART AND WILL COME ON AGAIN IN A FEW DAYS..
Power train, Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 16, 2019
THE 'SERVICE SHIFTER' WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AND THE STEERING LOCKS UP. THIS HAS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE AND THE SHIFTER CONTROL MODULE AND WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED. IT HAS BEEN ABOUT 10 MONTHS SINCE THAT SERVICE. CHRYSLER HAS A WARNING NOTED BUT IT'S NOT A RECALL.
Other or unspecified, Aug 8, 2019
IN MOTION 3 TIMES NOW ALL SHIFTING LIGHTS LIGHT AND WE GET ERROR MESSAGE SERVICE SHIFTER SOON. ONCE IT STARTED RUNNING RUFF AND FELT LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO SHIFT WITHOUT HUMAN INPUT. PULLED OVER TURNED OFF WAITED SHORT TIME STARTED AND ERROR WAS GONE. THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED TURNED OFF CLEARED ON RESTART AND DROVE 1/4 MILE CAME BACK ON. NO DEALER IN AREA CLAMES TO HAVE EVER HEARD OF IT. I CAN FIND OTHERS ON ONLINE FORMS WITH SAME ISSUE DEALERS ALSO SAYING NEVER HEARD OF IT. A FIX NEEDS TO BE FOUND OTHERWISE THIS IS AN EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE LAWN ORNAMENT.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Aug 6, 2019
SERVICE SHIFTER NOTIFICATION CAME ON AGAIN. I HAD IT REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY AT 33704 MILES. CAME ON AGAIN APPROXIMATELY 50,000. CALLED DEALERSHIP, NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. LOOKED ONLINE, THIS IS AN ON GOING ISSUE WITH CHEROKEE'S AND FGA WILL NOT DO A RECALL. **THIS NOTIFICATION CAMES UP ON THE HUD AND CANNOT BE REMOVED WITHOUT SERVICE, THUS MAKING MY DISPLAY USELESS.**
Other or unspecified, Jul 31, 2019
MY "SHIFTER NEEDS SERVICE" LIGHT COMES ON, ALONG WITH ALL OF THE OTHER LIGHTS AND I AM FORCED TO STOP MY CAR, TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART THE VEHICLE IN ORDER FOR THE LIGHT TO GO AWAY. I HAVE IT SCHEDULED FOR SERVICE BUT THEY WILL NEED IT A MINIMUM OF 2 DAYS. IT SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF OTHER JEEP CHEROKEE OWNERS ARE HAVING SIMILAR ISSUES YET THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS. WONDERING WHY NOT?
Other or unspecified, Jul 26, 2019
2017 JEEP CHEROKEE LIMITED - 36,600 MILES. STARTED MY CAR, PUT IT IN REVERSE AND THE SHIFTER SERVICER MESSAGE APPEARED ON MY DASH AND ALL OF THE LIGHTS WHERE MY SHIFTER IS LOCATED TURNED RED. TURNED THE CAR OFF, RESTARTED IT AND THE MESSAGE WAS GONE AND LIGHTS WERE OFF. EXACTLY THE SAME THING HAPPENED YESTERDAY AFTER ANOTHER 50 MILES. TURNED THE CAR OFF, RESTARTED, SAME RESULTS. IT SCARES ME. I GOOGLED SERVICE SHIFTER JEEP AND SUDDENLY THERE WERE TONS OF COMPLAINTS FOR MULTIPLE MODEL YEARS FOR THE SAME THING. IS THIS CAR SAFE?
Other or unspecified, Jul 25, 2019
AS I TOOK A LEFT HAND TURN MY 2017 JEEP CHEROKEE LATITUDE 4 CY 4WD JUST SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, I JUST HAD MY OIL CHANGED 5000 MILES AGO BUT YET, THERE WAS BARELY ANY OIL IN MY VEHICLE. I WAS IN MOTION ON A CITY STREET, CAR COULD HAVE REAR ENDED ME.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jul 25, 2019
TODAY WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. I GET INTO MY CAR AND TURN IT ON AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY SHIFTER ARE LIT UP RED AND THE SERVICE SHIFTER DISPLAY COMES ON. I TURN OFF MY CAR AND RESTART IT AND THE LIGHTS GO OFF. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE WHEN I GOT I TO MY VEHICLE TO START IT.
Other or unspecified, Jul 22, 2019
SERVICE SHIFTER NOTIFICATION
Other or unspecified, Jul 21, 2019
WHILE I WAS DRIVING A 'SERVICE SHIFTER' LIGHT SUDDENLY APPEARED IN MY CENTER DISPLAY AND ALL THE RED LIGHTS NEXT TO THE SHIFTER WERE LIT UP. NOT SURE WHY OR WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT.
Steering, Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, Jul 20, 2019
THE SHIFTER HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE ON THE VEHICLE; THE FIRST TIME IN WARRANTY (2018) AND THE SECOND TIME THIS WEEKEND WHERE I NEEDED TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. (JUNE 2019) AT RANDOM TIMES, THE SERVICE SHIFTER MESSAGE APPEARS AND THE ENTIRE SHIFTIER PANEL LIGHTS UP. THE CAR ACCELERATES BY ITSELF AND SOMETIMES THE CAR JERKS FORWARD ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CAR IS IN PARK OR I AM ON THE BRAKES.IN RUSH HOUR HIGHWAY TRAFFIC, BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC OR LOCAL TRAFFIC SAME THING. I CAN BE DOING 20 MPH OR 75 MPH AND THE ERROR MESSAGE APPEARS. I REPORTED THIS TO MY RICK HENDRICKS JEEP DEALER AND THEY SAID THEY SEEN IT BEFORE AS WELL AS NAPLETON IN FLORIDA. I ALSO LOOKED ONLINE AND SEE THAT MULTIPLE 2016 -2018 JEEP OWNERS REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE ONCE THE CAR IS MORE THAN 10,000 MILES. THE CAR CHANGES GEAR BY ITSELF.
Other or unspecified, Jul 17, 2019
WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AN INDICATOR LIGHT IN THE DASH CAME ON THAT STATED "SERVICE SHIFTER". THEN NEXT TO THE ACTUAL SHIFTER ALL OF THE PRND LIGHTS LIT UP AND STAYED LIT FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE DRIVE.
Other or unspecified, Jul 16, 2019
SERVICE SHIFTER LIGHTS APPEARS ON DASHBOARD AND SHIFTER GEAR LIGHTS ARE ALL IN RED. THE ONLY 'FIX' I HAVE READ ABOUT IS TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN TO 'RESET' THE CAR COMPUTER. THE LIGHT CAME ON AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE A CITY STREET. JEEP APPARENTLY DOES NOT KNOW THE CAUSE OR A PERMANENT FIX.