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
1,334 reports, newest first.
Power train, Oct 27, 2021
The "Service shifter" notification continues to come on while driving. All shifter lamps light up which scares the driver not knowing what gear you are in. The driver has to pull over to turn off the vehicle and turn it back on to clear the notification and light. On busy Interstates and Highways, this puts my family at risk! I have found that there are many forums out there for jeeps 2014 to present that have had these issues for years without a clear fix. Some have stated they have spent $$$ without resolution. I just called a jeep dealership about my issue and they told me that they would have to charge me over $150 to confirm that I'm having this issue before addressing it! If this is a continued flaw or issue with the vehicle, why hasn't it be addressed and resolved before some is hurt or worse?
Other or unspecified, Oct 26, 2021
Ever few thousand miles, a ding will occur and a service light will come on along with a message stating, service shifter. P R D N L, light up on the shifter and will not turn of until a complete shutdown of vehicle.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Oct 20, 2021
Shifter lights up in red and it flashes a warning sign of "service shifter."
Power train, Engine, Oct 13, 2021
After the vehicle stalled I waited a minute and tried to start the vehicle again. The engine started and came up with the error "Service Shifter." The status lights for all the gears were red. The vehicle was parked on a flat parking lot and it was 55 degrees outside. The vehicle had previously run fine a few minutes before.
Engine, Oct 13, 2021
Drove approximately two miles and stopped the vehicle. Less than five minutes later start the car again. After three to five seconds the engine stalled. Vehicle was parked in a flat parking lot. It was about 55 degrees and clear this morning. I can no longer count the number of times this has happened on my hands.
Power train, Oct 12, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. The contact stated while driving at 40 MPH and going up a hill, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact stated he veered the side of the road and switched gears to park. The contact stated as soon as he exited the vehicle, the vehicle rolled down and ran over his right arm. The contact stated his wife who was sitting in the passenger seat promptly depressed the brake pedal with her hands and the vehicle stopped. The contact sustained a bruised wrist but did not seek medical assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the power transfer unit had failed and the failure was related to the recall for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (POWER TRAIN). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they would follow up with the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 128,000.
Steering, Power train, Electrical system, Oct 4, 2021
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!
Power train, Oct 4, 2021
Unknown
Air bags, Seat belts, Service brakes, Oct 2, 2021
Initially started with parking brake coming on and it took 15 mins of pushing and pulling the button/switch and turning car on and off. Then service air bags light came on. Next was saying passenger and driver seat belts not buckled even tho both were buckled. Then abs light came on. Mechanic determined it was OCR sensor located under center console. Apparently can only get part from jeep and its $400. Ordered and the Jeep wont recognize it so replacement had to be ordered. Now tire pressure light is on as well. Says front driver and rear passenger are low even tho all tires are at 34psi. The seat belt dinging is constant even tho belts are buckled. I have no cruise control. Over past 2 weeks have had the parking brake issue twice. The rest of issues are constant. So now driving around waiting on part with constant worry my parking brake will engage. Other issues are inconvenient and annoying but the brake and airbags are saftey issues. Also my odometer blinks constant too.
Service brakes, Sep 30, 2021, crash
While on I95 SB getting ready to exit to 295W the pickup in front of me jammed on his brakes. I hit my brakes, realized I would not stop in time, I pressed harder on the brake and went into a skid and impacted the pickups right rear. Why did the anti skid stop working after applying more pressure? Dealer claims if the brakes were pumped it could have confused the system. ??????
Power train, Sep 22, 2021
Frequent service shifter light comes on but goes away after restarting car, transmission slipping
Electrical system, Service brakes, Sep 21, 2021
I started my vehicle and when I selected the drive gear all the red lights came on every gear. The service shifter warning came on the dash. I couldn’t move the vehicle for a week. The electronic parking brake start flashing on and off. I had this happen once before on vacation. I took it to the dealer in Vancouver Washington and they claim to have done a flash update, and took my brand new battery that was only three months old. Replaced it with the Mopar battery with less cold cranking amps, and charged me for it. Also, they refused to give me my battery back.
Vehicle speed control, Sep 21, 2021
The shifting of the vehicle is erratic. Sometimes when accelerating it will not change gears, redlining before it eventually does shift, lurching the car forward. This can take an extremely long time for the car to shift like it should and is a safety concern in traffic as others are not expecting this odd behavior. It can cause issues when trying to accelerate and merge on to the highway. Multiple dealerships have indicated that they hear this from owners all the time but that Chrysler has provided no resolution. The manufacturer has refused on multiple occasions to inspect the vehicle. At 1200 miles the check engine light came on. The dealership indicated the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced but Chrysler refused to replace it.
Engine, Sep 21, 2021
After turning the key in the ignition the engine will start. After three to five seconds the engine stalls out.
Other or unspecified, Sep 21, 2021
When turning the key in the ignition the vehicle will sometimes not start. The engine does not try to turn over or engage.
Air bags, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 17, 2021, crash
I went into a ditch hit two trees and a culvert before stopping and no airbags were deployed My 2017 jeep is a total loss lucky I didn’t receive any major injuries , a laceration to my face quick need to be closed and brusing and scrapes. Mentally I am not okay know it could have been with my children in the vehicle but that day it was just myself
Exterior lighting, Structure, Other or unspecified, Sep 16, 2021
I have a photo of this sticker. Inside on the car's body frame of the driver's side of my 2017 JEEP, there is a sticker that says: THIS VEHICLE MAY INCLUDE MERCURY -- added devices installed by the manufacturer: Video display (which I have to touch to operate the radio and phone call free feature) Navigation/Camera Display (which I have to touch to operate the radio and phone call free feature) HDI Headlamps (which I touch when I wash my car) Remove devices before vehicle's disposal. Upon removal of devices, please reuse, recycle or dispose as hazardous waste. When I travel (on a straight road like Interstate 5 in Washington and Oregon) for more than 3 hours, I get nauseous, dizzy, and do not feel well for hours afterwards. This has been an on-going scenario. I had asked my mechanic to check the AC system, clean all of the vents, and replace the filters and it still did not fix my reaction to driving in the car or being just a passenger. This is unacceptable! Please recall and rectify this hazardous situation immediately among all owners of a 2017 JEEP. Why it is always in the hands of the consumer to make things right? Why can't corporations just do the right thing for its customers and the earth? This blatant irresponsibility and corporate greed is getting so old. FYI: Health Effects of Mercury Exposure The inhalation of mercury vapour can produce harmful effects on the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, lungs and kidneys, and may be fatal. The inorganic salts of mercury are corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested. [March 31, 2017] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/mercury-and-health#:~:text=Health%20effects%20of%20mercury%20exposure&text=The%20inhalation%20of%20mercury%20vapour,induce%20kidney%20toxicity%20if%20ingested. https://www.epa.gov/mercury/health-effects-exposures-mercury https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/toxzine/mercury_toxzine.html COMPLETED FORM 09/16/2021
Steering, Power train, Electrical system, Sep 12, 2021
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.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 9, 2021
My service shifter will lock up and the gear shift will read that my car is in park, reverse, neutral, drive all at the same time. My dash will read “service shifter” however it has been doing that since I purchased it. The wheels on the car will jerk and lock up. Luckily, I am not going fast and can safely pull over. The car will sputter and act like it is struggling to go. I have had everything checked and all other recalls fixed. When I mentioned it to the service department, they said they could replace the part but it doesn’t guarantee that it will fix the issue. He gave me a quote to fix it and said the part is on back order or may be recalled soon. If it isn’t in the process it needs to be before it takes someone’s life. When I have checked social media it appears that multiple people are having the same issue.
Other or unspecified, Aug 31, 2021
I was driving and my car just stop on the freeway out of no where, no warning, no lights on absolutely nothing, it wouldn't start, after a couple minutes it started up again. later that day the same thing happened. Thank God an accident did not happen specially when it stop on the freeway.
Power train, Electrical system, Aug 28, 2021
While driving the warning chimed with a “service shifter” message on the dashboard screen. All of the lights (P, D, N, R) were light in the shift indicator. Due to the warning message I was not able to see any other information on my dash. I wasn’t sure if I could even keep driving leading me to panic for fear that I couldn’t even put the car in park. After some research I have come to find this is a recurring problem with 2014-2019 Jeep Cherokees. Since this occurred on a weekend I intend on leaving the car parked for safety and calling a dealership Monday morning.
Engine, Aug 26, 2021
Engine mounts broke and engine drop on excel dealership say mounts broke no warning light just heard a thump going about 25 mph then loud noise and rough engine. afraid to drive any further had a burn smell called tow truck sent to dealer.
Power train, Aug 26, 2021
The Service Shifter warning comes on the dash and all of the LED's on the shifter turn red. It used to only happen when the vehicle was turned on. We would shut off the car and restart it and it would go away. Lately, it's been getting progressively worse. We have to turn off the car and restart it multiple times, sometimes running it through the gears to get the warning to go off. But, now it's turning on while driving. We haven't been to the dealership yet, but there are numerous complaints about SERVICE SHIFTER on the 2017 Jeep Cherokee. I hope they don't wait too long to issue a recall.
Electrical system, Engine, Aug 19, 2021
answers to the question and detailed description is below - the car completely shutdown while driving. - as the car shutdown while driving in the traffic, it was a major safety concern. - yes, service center told me it is just due to the battery - yes, by the authorized service center - no warning is appeared before the incident. I have a 2017 Cherokee purchased 2.5 years ago, 25.000 km and having regular service every 6 months. Just 100 km after i serviced the car, it shutdown while driving !!! The authorized service checked the car and the issue was just the battery. Generally when you have battery issue the car will not start without a jumper / booster but will not shutdown while driving at all. For Cherokee, it shutdown while driving !. Jeep service manager informed me that due to the used technology Cherokee can shutdown while driving when the battery finish (which is generally not the case in other cars). When i asked why the manufacturer didn't get any precaution for this, they mentioned that only Grand Cherokee has auxilary battery as a precaution and it is not obliged by the government and they just get some cases which is not enough to make a recall.
Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 17, 2021
Getting frequent SERVICE SHIFTER messages on dash board display. Repaired at a Jeep dealership previously, did not fix problem.