2018 Jeep Cherokee
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 686 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 8th highest complaint count among 12 Cherokee model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 11 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 7 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
Electrical system, wiring, front underhoodAug 9, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
Campaign 18V524000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftJul 26, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Cherokee all-wheel-drive vehicles. The bearing cage for the right front halfshaft assembly may not have been properly heat treated, possibly resulting in the bearing cage breaking and a potential halfshaft assembly failure.
If the halfshaft bearing cage breaks, the halfshaft may not be able to transmit engine power, causing a loss of drive or it can allow the vehicle to move while in the "Park" position. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front right halfshaft assemblies, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U78.
Campaign 18V494000 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
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsMay 1, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 2.4L engine. These vehicles may have been manufactured with a fuel tube that may leak fuel into the engine compartment.
A fuel leak in the presence of the ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel tube, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U39.
Campaign 18V282000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engineOct 24, 2017
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Cherokee and Compass vehicles equipped with 2.4L engines. The engines may have a cracked oil pump housing that can result in oil pump failure.
If the oil pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the oil pump, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 5, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T65.
Campaign 17V670000 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
Representative owner complaints
686 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, Back over prevention, Jul 17, 2023
the infotainment screen flashes a warning on red screen "911 Car Phone malfunction contact dealer". It has done this intermitently for the past couple of weeks. A few times I've started the vehicle and the screen is black, no back up camera, no a/c, no back up warning tone (I back up the vehicle from parking spot using the mirrors and the screen comes on a few minutes after vehicle is moving). I am concerned because I don't know what else isn't working and if something electrical will fail while driving. A couple of weeks ago I made an appt with the local jeep dealer and today was told I need a new radio at the cost of at least $1250 (the dealer has ordered a new radio could take a couple days to a few weeks he wasn't sure). When researching this problem online I saw numerous compaints similar to mine but I don't know if anyone has reported the issue to the NHTSA because the dealer states its a bad "radio" ...but if the 'radio' controls the backup camera, the climate controls and other functions on the screen it seems like more than just a radio problem to me. The vehicle has 55,000 miles so the screen hasn't been used excessively like a vehicle used for long distance daily commutes.
Air bags, Jul 11, 2023
Received a message on car display to "Service Airbag System." Dealer (Tasca of White Plains, NY) determined that one of the crash sensors had failed. Dealer said that first replacement sensor was defective, and that they would need to install a second one. If what the dealer said is true about the replacement sensor, then that's two defective crash sensors.
Electrical system, Jun 27, 2023
While driving I receive warnings I need to service my shifter. Warning stays on instrument panel and disables all other settings and screen. Also all lights light up on shifter unable to see which gear the car is in. THIS IS STILL HAPPENING EVEN AFTER i GET MY OIL CHANGE. AND THEY RESET THE OIL CHANGE.
Suspension, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jun 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact placed the gear shifter in the park and the restart message was displayed. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. While making a turn, the vehicle was difficult to steer. Additionally, the key fob was inoperable. There was an abnormal rattling sound detected. While driving, the vehicle was swaying. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were flashing. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that a wiring harness was loosened. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Power train, Jun 7, 2023
My Jeep has started to massively consume oil. I can only go roughly 1500-2000 miles before needing to add oil to my vehicle. I’ve taken it into my mechanic’s shop twice and they’ve been unable to fix it. Once was Nov of 2022 where they just did an oil change. I brought it back on Feb 13, 2023 because it was completely dry/devoid of oil and had to be towed to their shop. The car would not turn on due to no oil. They replaced the crankcase ventilation valve to attempt to fix the oil consumption issue and did another oil change. They also advised I bring it to the dealership for the oil consumption issue because there was an open recall on it, which I did on Feb 23, 2023. Chrysler reprogrammed the Powertrain Control Module. Still consumes oil at an alarming rate. My last oil change I had 77,218 miles on my car and I had to add two quarts of oil before my current oil change at 80,700 It was already extremely low at 78,500. My concern is that there’s no telling when it runs outs of oil and it just dies in the middle of traffic. On freeways. In turn lanes. There’s no warning. One second it’s running and the next it’s just DOA despite proper maintenance on the vehicle. That’s dangerous when you’re on a busy freeway like I-45 in Houston at 5pm. Or at a red light and suddenly you have a dead car. Being a week overdue on an oil change is one thing but for it to be bone dry to the point that the vehicle cannot even operate is alarming.
Power train, Jun 6, 2023
Transmission seemed to go into neutral momentarily while driving at highway speed, causing engine to rev and loss of power to drive wheels. Problem occurred on four separate occasions on approximately 300 mile drive. There were no warning lights except a notice that cruise control was automatically turned off on the one occasion that it was active when the failure occurred. I was towing a trailer weighing approximately 3200-3300 lbs. and in semi-manual shift mode in 5th and 6th gear when problem occurred. Vehicle has not yet been taken to dealer.
Power train, Jun 5, 2023
The shifter service came one
Engine, May 26, 2023
Please note we are religious about vehicle care, maintenance and safety. What I describe was not due to lack of maintenance and had zero warning. In early April, we were driving our Jeep on State Route 69 in Arizona and from one moment to the next went from completely normal to engine heating, smoking and alerts telling us to turn off the vehicle immediately while we were driving 50 mph with no where to pull off. We were fortunate to be close to our local Costo in Prescott and coasted into the parking lot. We quickly learned we had no engine coolant but didn't understand why since we bring our Jeep in for routine oil changes, fluid, tire and brake checks. The following week our Jeep was towed to our mechanic who discovered the coolant hose had a hole in it caused by the friction created by it laying against the air filter. This was the original design of this vehicle and should have been recalled because there is no way of knowing you have a problem until something is about to explode. We are very fortunate the engine did not blow up and cause an accident as it very well could have. Because we thought Jeep had a good reputation, we reported this to them with photos of the damage, the repair bill, the sequence of events, our mechanics contact information if they wanted to talk to him, etc.. but they did not care and are not willing to assist. Our mechanic also shared that when he called the local Jeep dealer in our area, that they had these coolant hoses well stocked as if they know it's a problem yet they don't bother to recall these vehicles because of it. We speculate any accident involving the same design where the engine exploded or caught fire, is because of this problem, and Jeep needs to do something about it. We for one would like to be reimbursed for this ridiculous repair. We have to other very old vehicles (GMC w 270k miles and a Ford w over 400k miles), never have we had to replace the engine coolant hose.
Other or unspecified, May 26, 2023
"Service Shifter" comes on, all lights next to shifter turn red. Have to turn vehicle completely off and on repeated number of times to correct.
Power train, May 16, 2023
Power transfer unit went out. While I was driving lost power to all wheels and luckily I was able to avoid a wreck and have no parking on trans mission.
Electrical system, May 12, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and an unknown repair was performed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who informed the contact the vehicle had an electrical failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Other or unspecified, Apr 25, 2023
The "service shifter" message came on while driving. This issue was repaired at the dealership before when I still had the warranty. They said it was faulty and repaired it. Now the light is on again when I have just 68000 miles. Sounds like it is faulty again. Should there be a recall?
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 19, 2023
Check Engine Light Stays on. Computerized message states check Electrical Service Throttle. When I get new gas in the car. The car stops in the middle of the highway or at the stop lights/signs and dies. Car has a very hard time starting back up. I had $1110.00 of repairs and took the car back to the same repair shop 4 times. It has never been able to be repaired. It is very dangerous to be driving on the roads and the car suddenly dies and has a very difficult time restarting the engine. This is only the first 30 miles after it has been filled with new gas. I have a friend living in another state. She has the same model of Jeep as I do and she has the same challenge with her car.
Steering, Suspension, Electrical system, Apr 17, 2023, crash
This vehicle is designed to be a flat tow vehicle for a class a motorhome. No one made me aware of the death wobble and this caused an accident which could have been deadly. We did 13,000 dollars in damages to my motorhome and jeep. After hours of research i found this to be a common problem from Jeep. i contacted the local jeep service department and they were not aware of this. Come to find out there is a jeep part to correct the problem, at a cost of $286.39 and a labor charge of $460.00 to install. If jeep is aware of this problem, why are they not advising the public to not flat tow this jeep until the necessary parts are installed. There is nothing in the manuals regarding this problem!
Electrical system, Mar 29, 2023
The system that failed was the fuse panel that controls the engine and the steering of the car. How this put my safety at risk was I lost all control over the car I could not steer or get the car to turn back on for about 30 minutes. The problem has been reproduced by the dealer. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. There we no issues prior to the failure.
Engine, Mar 18, 2023
Car stalling while driving, under all kinds of conditions, loss of power steering,brakes. Vehicle unsafe to drive.
Electrical system, Engine, Mar 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled and stopped in the middle of the road. The contact stated the instrument panel had begun to flicker on and off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, there was vibration, and the engine was running very rough. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Electronic Control Module and the throttle body and O2 sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Other or unspecified, Mar 12, 2023
While driving I receive warnings I need to service my shifter. Warning stays on instrument panel and disables all other settings and screen. Also all lights light up on shifter unable to see which gear the car is in.
Engine, Feb 25, 2023
The car burns oil too fast. When the car is low on oil, there is NO INDICATION and the engine will stop. Even when you are driving.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Feb 25, 2023
Since the car hit 20,000 miles, the "Service shifter" light will come on randomly. The dealership has had to "replace" the shifter components twice. And now it will come on when you put the car into reverse. This is a faulty part which needs to be replaced.
Power train, Feb 25, 2023
The SERVICE SHIFTER light comes on when the vehicle is put in DRIVE. The first time it happened was about 1 year after purchase (March 2019). I found out there was a recall for a part (the bezel on the shifter) associated with this and the dealer replaced it. Now the SERIVCE SHIFTER light is coming on EVERY time the car is used(at least this week)--when I back out of the driveway and shift to DRIVE. I called the dealership and they told me that most of the time, turning the car off and restarting it will clear the problem. It hasn't and I asked what they can do to fix it. They told me to bring the car in for a $200 computer diagnosis and they will go from there. I have only owned the car for a couple months shy of 5 yrs and it only has 35,000 miles on it. I informed them that since it is part of the POWER TRAIN it should be covered under warranty--they told me it's not. This is also a known problem with this year and model. I would like for JEEP to stand by their product and remedy the problem at no cost. Our household also owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and has NEVER had any issues with it.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Feb 23, 2023
The service shifter light keeps coming on. Sometimes when stopped in traffic the vehicle’s transmission will shift from drive, to some unknown position, then the engine will stall out when attempting to go forward with traffic. The car will then not start and the shifter will not allow any gear shifting to be done. Can not be put into neutral in order to be push or easily towed. This has happened 4 time within the past 18 months. Each time the dealership acts surprised and responds that they have never heard of a service shifter issue before. They tried a software update, which didn’t help. They also stated that they could replace several parts that added up to over $2000. Stated it wasn’t their problem since it is out of warranty. Yes, it is available for inspection. Always being out in risk at busy intersections due to a potential of being hit in the rear end of the car because people expect your car to be moving. Have had several cars swerve at the last minute barely missing me. And having to exit the vehicle is even more dangerous. Yes, the dealer has seen the issue along with an independent repair shop. Service shifter message is on most of the time but no one really knows how to fix it.
Other or unspecified, Feb 10, 2023
Service Shifter warning comes on intermittently. All lights on shifter column light up so thankfully I know where to put shifter based on habit. Was repaired less than a year ago, and repaired almost 2 years prior to that as well. Scheduled next week to get repaired again for a 3rd time in less than 4 years. This is all being done at the dealership/certified Mopar service. Whatever is being done isn't the correct fix or there is a flaw somewhere. This shouldn't keep happening.
Other or unspecified, Feb 8, 2023
Message displayed on dash "service shifter"
Power train, Jan 30, 2023
4WD not working. A message started appearing in December 2022 that the 4WD was not available and to have it serviced. I was shocked because the vehicle is only 5 years old. The 4WD is very important because we live up a large hill. When it snows it is definitely a safety issue to be able to get up and down the hill as well as driving on snowy roads. Without it working it could cause an accident and we could be hurt. We took it to an automotive service center to have it diagnosed. They said the power transfer unit and actuator case assembly needed to be replaced. They also said the week before they checked this vehicle they had a 2016 and 2017 jeep Cherokee that had the same problem. Both of those vehicles had recalls to fix them. This jeep is a 2018 with 79,500 miles. It was purchased in 2017 so it had to be built in 2016 or 2017. The parts used to build this had to have been defective or something. This kind of thing should not happen so my vehicle should have a recall. It's not that old plus the 4WD isn't used except a few times in the winter. I sure wasn't expecting something like this to happen.It is very much needed in the winter to keep us safe going up and down the hill and driving in the snow. I was also told there is a national back order on parts to fix this. That doesn't help when it's winter time. I could get hurt sliding down the hill or trying to go up and slide backwards! I would like a response as soon as possible if this problem will be recalled so I can get on a list when the parts are available. I shouldn't have to pay for this problem.