2020 Jeep Cherokee
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 304 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 9th highest complaint count among 12 Cherokee model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 9 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 9 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
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraSep 10, 2020
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2020 Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Cherokee, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Renegade and 2019 Dodge Challenger vehicles equipped with 8.4" or 12" radio displays. A software error can cause the rearview camera image to remain displayed after the vehicle has been shifted out of reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
The lingering rearview image can distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.
Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will update the radio display software, free of charge. Optionally, owners can choose to remotely update their software via an Over-The-Air (OTA) update available as of May 1, 2020. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W30-W37.
Campaign 20V191000 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
Representative owner complaints: power train
175 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Jul 30, 2026
My 2020 Jeep cherokee car made a sound and seemed to lose some power a warning came on serv 4wd took to mechanic was told PTU is causing error I put my vin in and it says no recalls I have contacted Jeep Corporate who said they do not have a fix for this at this time and would email me. My husband has the same year make, and model and also has this error. I did call Jeep Corporate and spoke to a Mia who said she had no information on the issue and gave me a case #
Power train, Jul 30, 2026
error : service 4wd , I have had it to 2 mechanic shops and said ptu is causing error, parts r not available. there are recalls for this problem, but I put in my vin in and it says no recalls. please seen nhtsa recall no 26v290 or manufacturer number 40d
Power train, Jul 29, 2026
Ptu failure. Open recall with no fix. Jeep fixed at dealer. Plenty of time has passed since recall was opened. The only fix is to replace the non serviceable ptu. Jeep needs to stop stalling and fix the problem. I want my money back
Power train, Jul 27, 2026
On July 21st while making a left turn the PTU of the Jeep failed. Vehicle was towed to a Dealership and is now waiting for repairs.
Power train, Jul 24, 2026
The PTU has failed and is causing power lose when driving.
Power train, Jul 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the message "Service 4WD" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving at 65 MPH on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with PTU failure. The contact was informed that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); and declined to pay for the repair fee. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered partial assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
Power train, Jul 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Power train, Jul 20, 2026
Service 4wd light came on and lost 4wd. Took to dealer I purchased from and was told I had a PTU failure. My extended warranty through ford would cover but jeep will not sell the parts. Apparently my jeep is not in the recall for the last 10 years of ptu failures. It failed by 50000 miles but a month after the manufacture date 5 year mark
Power train, Jul 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. There was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with powertrain unit failure. The contact was informed that the powertrain unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,173.
Power train, Jul 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission was upshifting roughly while accelerating, causing the vehicle to jerk forward abruptly. The contact stated that while releasing the accelerator pedal, the transmission downshifted roughly. The contact stated that the Service 4WD message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a power transfer case failure. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,000.
Power train, Jul 3, 2026
I own a 2020 Jeep Cherokee with approximately 87,000 miles. Approximately one month ago, my "Service 4WD" light illuminated on the dashboard, and I heard a severe grinding noise coming from the drivetrain. A mechanic scanned the vehicle's computer and pulled active diagnostic fault code C14A7-97 (PTU Motor Component or System Operation Obstructed or Blocked). The mechanic cleared the code to test the system, but the C14A7-97 code immediately returned, proving a hard mechanical or electrical failure exists. This vehicle is experiencing the onset of a Power Transfer Unit (PTU) failure. The timing of this active malfunction perfectly coincides with the release of NHTSA Recall 26V290 (FCA Campaign 40D), which was issued just last month for 2020 Cherokees experiencing the identical PTU defect. However, my specific VIN is currently excluded from the recall list. According to the recall documentation, this component defect poses an immediate safety hazard, including a sudden loss of drive power while moving and a park roll-away risk. Because my vehicle has the exact same active fault code (C14A7-97) as the recalled vehicles, the manufacturer must expand this safety campaign to include my VIN before a full failure and a serious accident occurs.
Power train, Jul 1, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train). The contact called several local dealers. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Power train, Jun 29, 2026
My 4WD guage is displayed with a "service repair needed." I believe the PTU is defected as my vehicle never needed to engage to 4WD. My vehicle vibrates while driving, and acceleration handling is poor.
Power train, Engine, Jun 23, 2026
Sometimes when I am driving and stop, the automatic engine does not turn back on. This has caused my car to stop and need to be restarted in the middle of the road and the amount of times this happens has been increasing.
Power train, Jun 22, 2026
Power Transfer Unit Failure diagnosed by Safford Dodge, Jeep dealership in Fredericksburg, VA. My VIN is not showing up as part of the recall. My car is still awaiting repair.
Power train, Jun 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the 4WD warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with PTU failure; however, the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (POWER TRAIN); because the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
Power train, Jun 22, 2026
The power transfer unit went out of car at 67000 miles (just out of warranty). Haven't got fixed due to expensive. Now has 144000 miles on it and still not fixed. Noticed there were other recalls but mine wasn't part of it yet PTU went out.
Power train, Jun 22, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 7 MPH in the driveway, the service 4WD warning light illuminated. The contact stated the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transfer unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.
Power train, Jun 17, 2026
4WD has issues with the transfer case and cars up to 2019 had issues. I cant get parts and it is not safe to drive.
Power train, Jun 8, 2026
I started getting a warning light in my Jeep (svc 4wd). The dealer diagnosed it as an internal failure of the PTU motor, which needs replaced. I learned that the PTU motor is a recall item for Jeeps long before mine was.manufactured, extending long past my manufacture date. For some reason, my VIN is not included, even though my PTU is failed and presents the symptoms that logically should include it. My discussion with the repair person went so far as to suggest I always use the parking brake, just in case, to prevent spontaneous roll-away. I also learned there are many other Jeep owners facing the same problem, causing at least a month's delay in obtaining a replacement PTU to fix this problem. I believe and respectfully request that this issue should be considered a part of the original recall, to include ALL Jeeps within the stated time frame. This submission is in reference to 2019–2023 Jeep Cherokee (NHTSA Recall 26V-290 / FCA Recall 40D). Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Power train, Jun 7, 2026
I was driving and my power steering suddenly went out by its self. It was a very dangerous and traumatic experience. I had to get a good grip on the steering wheel to keep from hitting a Parked Car or something! I read that it was once a recall for this part but when I took it to the dealer they said it wasn’t. I need some type of help. My car isn’t safe for me or my son
Power train, Jun 7, 2026
I received a warning light svc and, had the car looked at a Jeep dealership in late Feb early March, the PTU case needs to be replaced. There seems to be a recall for this on jeep cherokees but my car isn't listed and my car has had a failure.
Power train, May 27, 2026
Service four-wheel-drive light came on. Took Vehicle to the Jeep dealer for inspection and paid $220.94 diagnostic fee. Jeep dealer stated that the power transfer unit had an internal failure code C1487–97. Dealership quoted a repair cost of $2836.75. Dealership stated the part was on backorder and would not be available for weeks or months or longer. Although there are three recalls specifically associated with this issue for this specific model… The VIN number to this vehicle is not included for some reason. It seems evident that if the part failed it obviously suffers the same issue as the others that are included in the recall.
Power train, May 27, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle began to lose propulsion upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that an abnormal, clunking sound began to emti from the without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle over and attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle lost all forward propulsion. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer where they also experienced the same failure. The dealer managed to get the vehicle to move while in reverse(R); however, the vehicle failed to accelerate forward. The dealer had diagnosed the vehicle with a defective PTU(Power Transfer Unit) and it was later discovered that a recall had been placed on the vehicle for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000(Power Train). Although a recall was placed on the vehicle; the part for the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and the contact was informed that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The contact was given an estimate to have a new PTU placed inside the vehicle; however, that would only be a temporary fix. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
Parking brake, Power train, May 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the warning message "Service Four Wheel Drive" and "Four Wheel Drive Unavailable" had displayed. Also, while operating the vehicle the parking brake had malfunctioned. The cause of the fialure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified and informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000(POWER TRAIN ). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 82,000.