10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,599 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2017 Jeep Cherokee drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2017 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 1 of 20)

problem #393

May 012023

Cherokee

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Service shifter keeps going on but no dealer ship know what the problem is and I have been stuck because of it.

- Lawrenceburg, KY, USA

problem #392

Apr 142023

Cherokee

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that when he stopped the vehicle and shifted into park(P), the gear was not recognized. Additionally, the -??Service 4WD-?? warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

- Antelope, CA, USA

problem #391

Apr 192023

Cherokee

  • miles
Upon starting the vehicle, the service shifter message came on the dashboard screen and all the lights on the shifter illuminated red. If I drive with it on, it stays on. When I turn off the Jeep and turn it back on, the message and lights go off. However, this message has appeared about once a month for the last few months. It is unknown if my safety has been at risk. I've called two different dealers and got widely different answers about what the problem could be, as well as very different cost estimates to fix it. But, no one really knows what the fix is. I've investigated this problem online and have found 100s if not 1000s of complaints about the same problem with no clear solution. Why is there no recall for this yet. It's been going on for years.

- Union Grove, WI, USA

problem #390

Mar 172023

Cherokee

  • 61,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed making a left turn, there was an abnormal grinding noise detected from the front of the vehicle and it failed to move. The vehicle failed to shift gears or park. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her about a NHTSA Campaign Number 20V343000 Power Train). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 61,000. The contact mentioned the rear differential was previously repaired.

- Lenoir City, TN, USA

problem #389

Mar 132023

Cherokee

  • 86,000 miles
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that on various occasions and while his daughter was driving at various speeds, the "shift to park(P) or neutral(N), Press Brake" warning message and battery warning light were illuminated, and the vehicle was losing motive power shortly after. The vehicle was able to restart, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where the failures could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

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problem #388

Feb 222023

Cherokee

  • miles
Ever since my transmission repair in October 6, 2022 I have had many lights on my dash and I continued to take it back to the dealer and they couldn't explain why they continued to be on. They were totally confused. The service 4wd light remained on and It was taken into another Jeep Dealer for review and it turns out the PTU assembly and actuator are in need of replacement and it is at a cost of $3500. The transmission and gear shift assembly were just replaced at a cost of $9,000 in October of 2022. Jeep has had many issues with the transmission and PTU assembly. Jeep stated they only have six dealers across the US with these and they can't get them as they are behind on the manufacturing because of all the problems. This should either be covered under the powertrain warranty or a recall process. This has been well documented of the problems.

- Parker, CO, USA

problem #387

Jul 292022

Cherokee

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle at close to the end of the powertrain warranty of 5 year 60,000 miles had the transmission go out. The actual mileage was 55,733. There were no actual dashlights lights prior to the incident. Basically the vehicle would actually go into reverse. The vehicle was then taken to a repair shop for an expensive replacement. The transmission shifter was also needing replacement. Two wheel sensors also were a problem and were in need of repair.

- Parker , CO, USA

problem #386

Jan 012023

Cherokee

  • 76,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle was drifting. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle jumped. The service shifter warning light was illuminated and was flashing on and off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the thermostat, service shifter and assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 76,000.

- Port Richey, FL, USA

problem #385

Feb 202023

Cherokee

  • 90,200 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while approaching a stop sign, the contact heard an abnormally loud sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact noticed that the vehicle was rolling backwards even while in park and turned off. The contact stated that an unknown software update was performed; however, the failure recurred. There was no warning light prior to the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed of failure with the differential and spline. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,200.

- Hermantown, MN, USA

problem #384

Nov 072022

Cherokee

  • 97,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the transmission warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who replaced the transmission shifter. Later while driving, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 97,000.

- Willimantic, CT, USA

problem #383

Jan 012023

Cherokee

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The service shifter light keeps coming on. It will also misfire when the start-stop system is used. Sometimes when it misfires it will cause the valves to be out of sink and then the engine runs very rough until it is fixed.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #382

Dec 292022

Cherokee

  • miles
The automatic transmission shifter transmits a warning to the instrument panel display with the words SERVICE SHIFTER. All of the red shifter console lights light up at once. The vehicle will not engage the PARK safety brake at times after parking the vehicle when the warning is illuminated. While operating the vehicle no other instrument readings are available (speed, mileage, etc). The vehicle has not yet been inspected by a dealer or mechanic and is a continuing problem. This issue first appeared one month ago and there was no other indication of a problem prior to the first occurrence.

- Old Hickory, TN, USA

problem #381

Dec 152022

Cherokee

  • miles
W84 Powertrain Software- July 30 2022 Jerry Seiner Casa Grande Dealership technicians inspected and reprogram the PCM and TCM software and closed the recall but 2 months later all the lights on my dashboard came on check engine light service shifter park brake etc. I went back to the dealership and the advisor told me to go to the dealership where I bought it from. I ended up going to Larry Miller Chrysler Jeep Avondale in Arizona. The vehicle was braking on its own while driving high speeds on the highway and while driving I almost crashed. My vehicle was in and out of the dealership many times and the technicians didnt seem to know what was wrong with the vehicle. Almost 6 months after the initial problem it seems its fixed. 01/13/2023 was the last time I had to return because the dashboard lights were turning on after driving the vehicle an estimate of 100 miles.

- Casa Grande, AZ, USA

problem #380

Jan 142023

Cherokee

  • miles
Service shifter light comes on and all lights light up on shifter. This is a issue that I brought up about 2-3 years ago when I purchased the vehicle. Took it to dealership they replaced a cable and another part I believe. The issue is now happening again. My cruise control on the vehicle also does not always decelerate when it should and will speed up over the amount its set for.

- Springtown, TX, USA

problem #379

Oct 072022

Cherokee

  • miles
When driving my jeep the dashboard will randomly give me a warning to service my shifter and all of the lights on shifter will go red. I have to turn my jeep off and back on for the lights to go back to normal. I have had to replace the power transfer unit due to the 4 wheel drive not working anymore. I took my car into the dealership to the PCM W84 Recall and two weeks later my transmission fluid exploded and the engine was smoking. Had to replace the heat ignition coil and the inlet hose. Paid $2,000 to repair and a week later my check engine light came on and now my car is overheating. Took it to the dealer and they added coolant and said it was an air bubble in the coolant. A couple of days later the issue happened again, took it in two more times and they filled the coolant, but now saying that the cylinder head gasket needs to be replaced which is another $1,700.

- Orem, UT, USA

problem #378

Nov 122022

Cherokee

  • miles
The vehicle began making a crunching/grinding sound, and lost some traction/control. It then only would go very slowly even though I was pressing the accelerator, and then the RPM meter was revving up and down even after I took my foot completely off the pedal. After turning it off on the side of the road for about 15 minutes, we were able to drive it home with no further issues. The following week when I went to have it inspected (the first time I drove it since), it made it less than 10 miles before it did the same thing and was unable to be moved this time. We towed it in to have it inspected at a jeep dealership and they confirmed it is a PTU/Transmission issue. I have a video of the second incident if needed.

- Hendrix, OK, USA

problem #377

Oct 012022

Cherokee

  • miles
Power transfer unit went out on it's own while driving car normally. Car was kept in excellent condition with no prior issues. Dealership would not help cover and quoted at $4500 for repair. Extended warranty (https://prestige-warranty.com/) will not cover the cost as they label the PTU as "different" than a normal transfer case that they would cover. So I purchased a Trailhawk rated Jeep Cherokee that has a specially designed PTU to go off-roading that very commonly breaks and goes out, rendering the Trailhawk as a broken RWD SUV. A recall campaign (W48) was issued, but only updated software in 2014-2017 Jeep vehicles to prevent the vehicle from rolling in park AFTER the PTU part is broken. There were NO efforts made to recall and replace the PTU part itself which inevitably breaks in every 2014-2017 Trailhawk vehicle. This is not acceptable.

- Alpine, UT, USA

problem #376

Nov 132022

Cherokee

  • miles
This past Sunday night, 11/13/22, I experienced a 9-speed transmission failure in my vehicle. The car immediately lost the ability to propel itself, and I was forced to veer onto the shoulder, to narrowly avoid being rear-ended. My car only has 89,440 miles on it. It is currently at a reputable transmission shop, where a diagnosis determined that the transmission experienced a mechanical failure, and would need to be replaced. I was also informed that parts to complete a replacement, are "on national backorder, with no ETA". This leads me to believe that there are a large number of failures, or Chrysler doesn't want to produce new faulty parts, to replace original faulty parts. Additional research unearthed overwhelming evidence of this being an ongoing issue with Chrysler-€™s 9-speed transmissions, throughout their product line. The car has not been taken to a Chrysler dealership as of yet, as additional towing charges would be incurred. Symptoms of a problem only appeared days prior to the failure, in the form of a few "hard shifts". From that time until the failure was less than 200 miles. The only warning light that appeared was after the transmission failed. I believe Chrysler is knowingly selling a defective product, with no real solution, and should be responsible for all costs associated with replacement, service, and alternate transportation (towing, parts, labor, rental fees, etc.). Chrysler's 9-speed transmissions should all be recalled, to prevent people from being seriously injured or killed.

- New Berlin, WI, USA

problem #375

Oct 192022

Cherokee

  • miles
While driving the vehicle suddenly and unexpectedly stops running without any warning. Engine stops. Car just coasts. PRNDL indicator (D for drive) on instrument cluster flashes instead of a constant D. Then some sort of messages comes up similar to "shift to neutral to start engine". Car will not restart. Car coasts to stop without power and no power steering. Then I need to turn ignition off. I will then cycle locks (locked then unlocked). Then turn on ignition. From here the car attempts to start but it is not an immediate start up like normal. The gauge needles (speedometer and tachometer) both go all the way to the right while the car attempts to restart but this startup takes about 10+ seconds of attempted cranking to finally restart. This is a long clicking sound before restart. This has happened 3-4 times now in the 30 days. Most recently on a main road where I had to coast without power and power steering to the shoulder. I have not yet been to the dealer. Car is out of warranty.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #374

Oct 072022

Cherokee

  • miles
Getting "Service Shifter" warning light and Jeep doesn't have a resolution for this. I have not been stranded yet or paid for service, but based on what I'm finding, sounds like both are a strong possibility and resolution appears to extremely unlikely!

- Mentor, OH, USA

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