2019 Jeep Cherokee
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 1,643 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 12 Cherokee model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 40 involved a crash and 19 involved a fire. 37 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power trainMay 7, 2026
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may fail.
A failed PTU may result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Dealers will update the Drivetrain Control Drivetrain Control Module, PTU, and Electronic Park Brake software, and replace the PTU, as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters explaining the safety risk were mailed June 25, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy becomes available. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 40D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 14, 2026.
Campaign 26V290000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Steering, rack and pinion, rackAug 29, 2019
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The steering rack gear may break, possibly causing a loss of steering control.
A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V99.
Campaign 19V637000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bagsJun 13, 2019
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The impact and acceleration sensors may fail and reduce the air bag system's ability to properly detect certain crash events.
In the event of a crash, the inability to properly detect a crash may result in improper air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected sensors, free of charge. The recall began August 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V63.
Campaign 19V449000 on NHTSA.gov
SeatsMar 28, 2019
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The front passenger seat mounting bolts may be loose.
In the event of a crash, the seat may move, increasing the risk of injury.
Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will tighten the mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall began April 11, 2019. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V31.
Campaign 19V248000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, instrument cluster/panelDec 20, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The instrument cluster may fail resulting in a lack of activation of warning chimes, messages, and gauges.
Without the activation of warning chimes, messages, and gauges to provide vehicle information to the driver, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UC4.
Campaign 18V917000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionOct 19, 2018
Chrysler(FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with 2.4L engines. Improper transmission calibration may result in a stall.
A vehicle stall can increase the risk of crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will re-flash the transmission controller with a new calibration, free of charge. The recall began November 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UA9.
Campaign 18V739000 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
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, disc, caliperAug 9, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and Jeep Compass, 2018 Dodge Journey, and 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began September 29, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U86.
Campaign 18V523000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionJul 26, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica non-hybrid vehicles. A component in the transmission may not have been welded properly, possibly causing the transmission to not transmit engine power to the wheels.
If the transmission weld fails, the vehicle will stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U85.
Campaign 18V492000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engineMay 25, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with 2.0L engines. The engines in these vehicles may be missing valve stem keepers, which can allow the valve to drop into the engine cylinder causing engine damage. These engines may also have a reversed camshaft cap that can damage the camshaft bearing causing camshaft failure.
Cylinder damage or camshaft failure can cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair or replace the affected engine components, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 9, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U52.
Campaign 18V344000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
804 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Dec 16, 2023
Rear differential failing
Power train, Dec 14, 2023
The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) failed which rendered the AWD system useless for the vehicle. The car has been in the shop for 6 weeks and will likely be in the shop another at least another three because the PTU is on national backorder. This is the same failure that Jeep recently recalled for the previous year model Jeep Cherokee, but Jeep has not issued a recall on this year model.
Power train, Dec 6, 2023
I purchased a 2019 Jeep Cherokee Latitude Plus brand new from a local dealership. My Jeep now has a little over 30,000 miles on it. I noticed when taking off from a complete stop, I would give my car gas and the vehicle would not respond. I would continue to press the gas pedal down almost to the floorboard hoping to get the vehicle to respond. When the car does respond, the transmission would slam itself into 1st gear and take off. The last time I experienced my car slamming into 1st gear, I was turning onto a busy highway, at night and light rain. When the car did shift into gear it caused me to go into the left lane with cars turning on to the highway from the other side of the road. I was originally turning into the right lane. I almost crossed over into a turning lane with numerous cars waiting to make a left turn onto the street I just pulled out from. I did not have any warning lights on the dashboard to let me know of an issue at any of the times the car was acting up. On numerous other occasions, it feels like the transmission is not shifting correctly while going at various speeds. I would need to let off the gas and then give the car gas again to get it to shift. My dealership’s service department has had my car since November 20, 2023, and I’m being told they have not been able to duplicate the issue. They wanted to know if I wanted to pick up my car. I feel this issue will cause a serious accident which could cause serious injury or death if not detected and fixed.
Power train, Dec 1, 2023
PTU failure. Not being able to shift into 4 wheel drive. Afraid of losing forward power while driving on busy interstate. No longer have the extra safety and control that is available with 4 wheel drive
Power train, Nov 30, 2023
The SVC4WD light has been turning on. Took it to get a diagnosis and the was told PTU is failing and needs to be replaced. Estimated repair costs are $1320
Power train, Other or unspecified, Nov 30, 2023
My "Service 4 Wheel Drive" light went off in my 2019 Jeep Cherokee (Limited) and my local Jeep Dealership informed me that the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) had failed. Moreover, a complete failure of the PTU while driving would be very dangerous so I was lucky for this not to happen. I drive in Philadelphia and rarely have need of the 4WD feature so the part failure is mostly likely due to poor design or manufacturing. The repair cost me over $2600 (the invoice they emailed me before payment is attached). I learned that several previous models of Jeep Cherokees have been recalled due to PTU failures. It is irresponsible on the part of the manufacturer to continue to produce parts that fail on new models especially when failure is so dangerous.
Power train, Nov 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle independently shifted into neutral and then lost power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road to attempt to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact referred to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V739000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
Power train, Nov 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the transmission erroneously shifted from 4WD to 2WD, and the vehicle would no longer accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. After pulling off the roadway and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle remained in 2WD with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission control module (TCM) message displayed. On another occasion while driving approximately 25 MPH, the transmission message displayed, and the transmission erroneously shifted to reverse, and the vehicle would only operate in reverse. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Nov 4, 2023
Stopped car at red light. Car died. Totally. Engine cut out. Brakes failed, no steering. Tried to restart multiple times. Luckily light was on a decline. Ended up putting it in N and drifting through intersection and into parking lot. Again, no steering, no brakes. Very frightening. When turning key initially after stall, lights on instrument panel lit up but no engine start. By the time I got into the lot, not even lights. Totally dead. Had it towed to dealer. No idea what's wrong. VIN says no unrepaired recalls but this sounds an awful lot like the " engine stall" recall for 2.4L engines. Bought used with 5k miles. Wondering now if this issue was previously " fixed" and is recurring, if it can be permanently fixed or is an unsafe vehicle. I'm [XXX] and transport 2 grandchildren under 8. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Oct 30, 2023
Vehicle stops accelerating randomly and loses power. Service electronic throttle control light comes on and engine light and traction control light and vehicle will not accelerate or stalls. Had vehicle towed to dealership and the code is saying the PTU is bad and needs to be replaced. This happens all the time, thankfully I’ve been very lucky thus far not having my children in the vehicle with me when it happens as this could cause a very serious accident.
Power train, Oct 29, 2023
Rear differential failure. This car is my daily driver, and is in circumstances misused. Driving home from work with no warning the differential housing cracked and failed. A failure like this could potentially put myself, other occupants and other drivers on the road a risk by unexpectedly failing with zero warning. There was no sound, nor warning light, the only reason I noticed was when exiting my vehicle I could smell burning fluid. Upon inspection I found that the rear differential housing was cracked, and spewing fluid all over the exhaust.
Power train, Oct 20, 2023
Failure of the power transfer unit.
Power train, Oct 17, 2023
PTU not functioning. Safety recall only for 2014-2017. Same issues for later models.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Oct 6, 2023
URGENT: Date of near life & death situation.10-6-2023.This 2019 KL Cherokee lost accelerating power while in heavy traffic. As the car was losing speed the "D" drive indicator on center dash started flashing a moments later 2 messages displayed: Msg 1: Service transmission Restart in Park with vehicle @ zero speed. Msg 2: Shift to park or neutral Press brakes and select gear. (Center dash is the screen between tachometer and speedometer) Followed instructions, turned key to off position for a few seconds then started engine placed shifter in drive, accelerated engine to 2000 RPMs, car failed to move. Turned key off a second time, waited about 18 seconds for the mileage readout to clear then another 6 seconds (+-) for the outline light bars for the center screen to clear. Then when started it engaged a drive gear. Even in residential areas there are large trash trucks and large delivery trucks hurrying about, added to this vehicle faulting in roadway much less a center lane on the interstate with no time to pull out of traffic. Don't trust the car seat and booster seat even with air bags to save your children. Action is required to remove these vehicles from service after it has been proven the manufacturer cannot supply the dealership with a successful repair for a well documented failure of a common safety hazard in many of their vehicles. The dealership did not duplicate the problem but did confirm all of the information supplied them matched with the faults stored in PCM Memory. Not being able to duplicate leaves the Technician with just an image of the perils these faults puts the operator and public in, Catastrophic. No specific component could be proven at fault, with vehicle operating normal. After a diagnostic fault code retrieval the option was to allow them to spend maximum 6 hours in electrical testing to verify integrity of electrical connections and components. Trust and confidence in an organizations leadership to accept responsibility for mistakes
Power train, Air bags, Other or unspecified, Oct 4, 2023
Questions answered in order: Major component glitch, messages for most components appeared on screen, Air bag, Transmission, zero speed, annunciator alarming, will try to duplicate and take pictures. Car stalled in road as driving. In process No indication prior to failure, all at once.
Power train, Sep 30, 2023
Ptu transfer case failing at only 79k miles may case other issues
Power train, Sep 29, 2023
Ptu transfer case failed ad leaking 79k miles obviously it’s pre-failure. Girl friends car in shop for same reason and others online stating same issues as the 2014 recalls
Power train, Sep 20, 2023
Recently a light for Service 4 Wheel Drive came on in my 2019 Jeep Cherokee. Since my Powertrain warranty is out of reach by 3,000 miles (63,000 miles) I am now forced to pay over $3,000.00 out of pocket to replace the PTU on my 2019 vehicle that only has 63,000 miles on it. The recall for earlier models does not cover they year of my vehicle, but I feel that it may not have been fixed with the 2019 model. If the PTU would have gone out while driving, I could have lost complete forward movement of the vehicle and it could have put both me and my young daughter in severe danger. The Service 4 Wheel Drive light is now on constantly and I was given no other choice but to pay to have it fixed for the safety of my daughter.
Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Aug 25, 2023
I believe my PCM went bad.
Power train, Aug 25, 2023
Power transfer unit bad. Confirmed by independent repair shop. 4wheel drive unavailable and service 4wd lights illuminated on dash. Part on back order with no release date.
Power train, Aug 20, 2023
PTU failure 4 will drive problem
Power train, Aug 17, 2023
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal down to the floorboard and the vehicle responded, however, the transmission shifted hard. The contact stated that the transmission was not shifting into the intended gear while driving at various speeds. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V739000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Power train, Aug 3, 2023
SERVICE 4WD LIGHT CAME ON. JEEP DIAGNOSED IT AS A BAD PTU. NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. SOUNDS LIKE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR JEEP CHEROKEES IN EARLIER MODEL YEARS AND SPECIFIC VIN#'S IN 2019. THIS IS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR AND IT IS AT NO FAULT OF MY OWN. NOT TO MENTION THE HUGE SAFTEY ISSUE IT COULD HAVE CAUSED IF MY VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING. JEEP NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
Power train, Jul 19, 2023
I was driving and the car would randomly stop in the middle of the road, then I was unable to get it to start again unless i put the car in park turn off car and open door then restart the car. This happened multiple times, I’ve been to so many places to get help and they act like i’m crazy. It’s not consistent either. I had it happen this week but before that it had been 2 months. It has happened at least 20 times within the past year
Power train, Jun 29, 2023
Transfer Case assembly already needs to be replaced. The part has been on a nationwide back order and our vehicle has been in the shop for over 2 months. I’ve already read that this has been a recalled issue in earlier models.