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
1,643 reports, newest first.
Air bags, Aug 24, 2022, crash
I was driving under the speed limit at night after work and a bull Elk piped out running at fun speed. I barely had a chance to put my foot on the break. I had to a head on collision. My 2019 Jeep trailhawk front airbag deployed. My driver side knee air bag blew my ACL. I no longer have one in my right knee. I have to get a new ACL from a donor “Cadaver” from my understanding the brand of knee airbag are recall. Takata brand. They explode when deployed. It caused multiple problems in my leg. I can’t walk
Power train, Aug 23, 2022
This Jeep is going to kill myself and or my family. 1st I have already have had the tranny recalibrated less then a year ago and once again it's shifting rough around the same spread 47-53 miles per hour. 2nd. Since the day this was purchased in Dec of 2019 with 10 miles on it. There are dead spots in the acceleration. We have almost been hit a few times as the vehicle will not react to pushing on the accelerator. The recalibration of the transmission does not affect the dead spots that are in the acceleration either. They continued to be there. I cannot afford to keep taking this vehicle into the the shop to have it recalibrated 2x a year. Theese deaths trap should be recalled or removed from being driven as they are going to kill someone. There is no approximate days as it is a daily occurance since purchased.
Engine, Aug 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road and activated the hazard lights. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle after approximately 25 minutes. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown recall as it had already been completed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
Electrical system, Aug 15, 2022
The multifunction display delaminated after 30 months of ownership. This caused random phone calls, changes to the navigation settings, seat heater functions to randomly come on/off and constantly rotated through various settings. The results of these daily occurrences have caused very dangerous distractions. More than once I have drifted out of my lane trying to stop things from changing.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 8, 2022
When originally took car home brakes would like skip, as though you had hit patch of ice and not stop, slip to stop. Took it in twice to dealer Nothing found wrong. I gave up. Around 25k still doing same but worse stopping ability. I took to fix it shelby twp mi they did inspection and said rotors on all 4 wheels were warped missing spots, like it had been skipping and eating tge rotors the pads had a good 30 percent life left. They had me replace all 4 pads and rotors June 20 2022.a weeks later I notice same skipping sliding not stopping correctly like metal grindingwhen stopping randomly.Less then 1.5 months later they replace front rotors and pads same problem. Shop is now wanting to replace calipers and more. Less then 35k . No accident trying to avoid looking to see recalls
Power train, Wheels, Aug 7, 2022
DROVE VEHICLE AND VERIFIED NOISE. RACKED VEHICLE AND CHECKED FOR THE CAUSE OF THE NOISE. FOUND THE PTU OUT PUT BROKEN INSIDE THE PTU, ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE DRIVE SHAFT. SMOKE IS FROM THE PTU FLUID LEAKING OUT ALL OVER THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND Note BURNING OFF. NOTE CHECKED FOR THE CAUSE OF THE PTU FAILURE AND FOUND THE FRONT AND REAR TIRES DIFFERENT CIRCUMFERENCE. TIRES WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED TO PREVENT DAMAGE TO THE NEW PTU
Electrical system, Structure, Service brakes, Aug 5, 2022
When stopped at a light, the light turned green, the parking break engaged and the car shut off. The car behind me almost rear-ended me. After waiting a minute I put the car in park and tried to start the car again. I had to put the gas pedal to the floor to get the car to start and not stall out. This has happened on multiple occasions. I took the car to the dealer and learned that I had a motor with faulty rings and was given a new motor, however this problem has still persisted. The driver side door also accumulates water. Enough water to hear when making a turn.
Service brakes, Engine, Aug 3, 2022
The Jeep auto restarted after a sitting at a red light then the car shut off and would not go. The accessory lights were still on and the dashboard indicated the emergency brake was on. Pushed the restart car button but the car did not respond. I manually turned off the emergency break and waited a minute then the car restarted after pushing the button. My safety was put at risk because the light had turned green and the car behind me had started to go. I put my hazard lights on and the car drove around me. Had this happened at a higher speed the car would have ran into the back of me and I'm pregnant so the life of my unborn child would have been put at risk. The problem has not been reproduced. There was no warning that the car was going to experience a problem. After it restarted I checked the battery indicator on the dash board and it was well charged. The only indication that there was a problem during the incident was that the dashboard said emergency break in red.
Other or unspecified, Aug 2, 2022
When stopped the car will engage the emergency break and stall. The car then has difficulty restarting. It will just turn over and over and eventually after letting it sit for a minute, it will restart. The brake light and now the battery light come on. Initally, we thought it may be due to the seat sensor & the car thinking that no one was in it so it was engaging the brake. However, the dealership says the seat sensor is fine. Now it is my understanding this may have to do with the auto start stop and the aux battery not fully charging which causes it to pull power from the main battery. There is no way to permanetly turn off the stop/start. By turning it off temporarily, it causes the aux battery to not charge but if I leave it on my car stalls when stopped. Ive taken it in at least twice when under warranty & they "could not replicate" the issue so it was never fixed. Now it's 3 months out of warranty and is stalling regularly - twice in the last week. They said they may try to get it covered under warranty since Ive brought it in multiple times before but they dont know. It is very unsafe to have the car stall when stopped. Im taking the car in today for them to look at it. Ive spoken to two dealerships and they both told me that this has been an on going problem they have seen on this car recently.
Power train, Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and accelerating, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic updated the transmission control module however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted and a case was filed. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Power train, Aug 1, 2022
This vehicle was making rubbing noise when cornering at 50-60 mph, and a clunk when accelerating after a coast. The service department found fluid in PTU and the RDM was black, burnt, and full of metal shavings. They recommended to replace PTU, RDM, and some sway bar links. My research online indicates there has been a lot of PTU failures on Cherokees. I was at 61698 miles, just over the 60000 mile warranty and they refused to allow me a good will warranty repair as I was a "second owner". Quoted ~$4000 for repairs. I am a senior citizen, and I don't drive the car aggressively or go 4-wheeling.
Service brakes, Jul 31, 2022
Multiple times when moving the Jeep Cherokee in the driveway suddenly the parking brake engages by itself. Parking brake engages when in reverse backing up or after backing up then putting in drive. This happens never touching the emergency brake switch. The emergency engages on its own. I can turn off(disable) the emergency brake after it automatically engages. This has happened multiple times over the last 3 years after new purchase.
Steering, Power train, Jul 27, 2022
While attempting to accelerate from a stop on a slight incline the battery light came on and I was unable to move forward I was in drive pushing the accelerator but rolling backwards and the power steering stopped working. I put the Jeep in park turned it off and restarted but the same thing happened. After the third or fourth try the Jeep resumed normal operation.
Electrical system, Jul 25, 2022
Center dashboard Information Touch Screen is delaminating and causing erratic driveability issues (automatic transmission shifting and lurching at a stop) and most recently navigation mistakes
Other or unspecified, Jul 22, 2022
My dash material is lifting and I’m not sure who to contact. Jeep said this is not an issue but I’m finding many people with the same issue. This has to be a factory defect. How do I get this taken care of.
Steering, Electrical system, Engine, Jul 18, 2022
Vehicle stalled when slowing to a stop prior to coming to a complete stop, power steering went out and loss of vehicle control almost causing wreck 7/15/22.
Power train, Jul 18, 2022
Front End Differential/PTU. Recall on many Jeeps except this year for the PTU. If system was to fail, cause the transmission to lock up causing a possible accident. Confirmed through a dealership garage, report about it is not in hand yet. But I can get it. Only noticed habit of it was turning the wheel and it would jump trying to turn. Brought to the dealership and confirmed the PTU and Differential Shaft.
Electrical system, Air bags, Jul 16, 2022
The knee air bag on the drivers side is partially hanging out of its compartment , despite never being in a wreck. The engine stalls out during take off ! The anti theft system keeps locking me out
Steering, Wheels, Jul 13, 2022
Was driving on the interstate and power steering went out suddenly and vehicle became very hard to control and get off the road
Engine, Jul 11, 2022
Going to work cylinder number 2 piston and rings failed with 72k miles. When I proceeded to call the dealership for parts to have repaired they do not offer parts but a complete engine. The service Manager also proceeded to say they have one in the parking lot with the same scenario. I also did a search online and found another that has failed.
Electrical system, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 11, 2022
Auto stop shuts off the whole car at a red light when trying to start back up it fails & automatically put emergency break on & leaves us stranded in the middle of traffic. It has happened a handful of times. Also, when the car is completely off & I start to start it up it girls the first time until I try a second time. The car also has trouble accelerating & shifting gears.
Engine, Jul 5, 2022
Multiple times, my car's start/stop system has forced my car to shut down while at a stop light. After the hundredth time, I took it to the Jeep dealership. They did find that my car is burning oil and that was possibly the cause of it. They did a fresh oil change and had us watch the consumption and then bring it back in when it lost enough oil to qualify as low. I've burnt 3qt of oil in 2,000 miles! We were told that Chrysler said the acceptable range is 1qt every 1,000 miles. I'm over that, but Chrysler doesn't want to fix the issue.
Steering, Jun 28, 2022
2019 JEEP Cherokee Trailhawk started making a "cluncking” noise in the front suspension/steering at 12k miles. Reported the issue to the dealer @15k service (July 2020). Dealer stated there was no issue. Reported the noise again at 22k miles (March 2021)-dealer stated that engine oil leak was getting into an electrical plug for the front power transfer/traction control modules and activating features that caused the noise, which dealer “addressed” by stopping the leak. The “cluncking” noise continued getting louder. At about 28k miles, i drove through a puddle of water and the vehicle lost steering control--it pulled hard to the right and needed strong persistent correction to avoid going off-road. I got a wheel alignment and rotated the tires just-in-case. "Clunk" noise continued and every time car hits a puddle/wet pavement with both tires, it pulls to the right, risking loosing total control if i don’t anticipate the pull. Took it to the dealer again @ 32k miles. Informed dealer that the same “clunck” had gotten louder, the vehicle was loosing steering control every time I hit water on the road. Dealer diagnosed a noisy and defective rack and pinion, even though the previous two complaints for the same noise were ignored. I took the car to another dealer and did not inform them of the diagnosis. This dealer also diagnosed a bad rack and pinion system and tie ends and broken engine mounts. I called JEEP Customer Service, who promised to call me back within 24 hours but never did. The car is now out of warranty for an issue i reported twice under warranty. There is a recall (V99) for defective rack and pinion units on this model but this VIN apparently is not covered, although it clearly has an issue.
Power train, Jun 27, 2022
Svc 4wd light illuminated on instrument cluster. Brought the 2019 Jeep Cherokee in to the Jeep Dealership Service Department. I presented them with my extended warranty paperwork. Upon initial examination, the service department determined the PTU had a catastrophic failure and needs to be replaced. The warranty company sent an investigator out to ensure the repair was needed only to determine that it needs a teardown with digital images for $500.00 customer pocket to be sent to the underwriters to make an accurate determination. Previous Cherokee model years faced the same PTU failures and were covered by a Jeep Recall for faulty manufacturing.
Other or unspecified, Jun 24, 2022
Stop/Start. The jeep will often stop while driving at any speeds, including top speed. It’s as if the stop/start has kicked in abruptly stopping my car as I’m driving. When this happens sometimes, not consistently, the stop/start light will come, or ye automatic brake lift even the motor light, When the situation occurs, I try to carefully pull over if I have not speed from coast to do so. Then I manually shut the ignition off and then re-start my jeep. The engine does not usually want to restart and sometimes takes several tries (as if it’s an old car in cold winter temps). I have even stalled while going through a highway intersection. Because I had just started accelerating when I stalled there was not enoug speed so I stopped in the middle of intersection. Luckily people were able to swerve. I have two friends with the same make, model and year office. Both have experienced the same issues once their vehicles reached 60,000-70,000 miles. Their dealer found the problem to be with the automatic break lock. Unfortunately because I have not completely broke down, dealers have been unable to diagnose my problem. This is a huge danger and hazard. I hope to hear this is a recall or update that will he resolved soon.