10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
5,390 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.

2020 Jeep Cherokee engine problems

engine problem

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2020 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments

problem #16

Nov 102023

Cherokee

  • 49,413 miles

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

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact became aware that the vehicle was making abnormal sounds and had started jerking. 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 failure mileage was 49,413.

- Los Alamos, NM, USA

problem #15

Sep 282023

Cherokee

  • miles
The vehicles emergency brake engaged while driving down the highway at 70 mph on its own. This caused the vehicle to come to an immediate stop almost causing a serious wreck. We have had the vehicle in the shop for it dying and this happening when stopped or at very sloe speeds but never like this. Each time we have been told there is nothing wrong with the vehicle since no codes were thrown. Clearly this is not the case.

- Clever, MO, USA

problem #14

Aug 022023

Cherokee

  • miles
Our Jeep has had multiple accounts of shifting hard, hesitation while shifting, and a on and off service 4wd light. We reported these issues to the Jeep dealership it was purchased from and they said nothing was wrong after 4 scheduled maintenance visits. We brought our Jeep to a neighboring dealership who immediately found the issue and said it was a major transmission component that went bad. Fast forward to a week later and the part has been fixed but the issue is still happening!

- Newfield , NJ, USA

problem #13

Jul 182023

Cherokee

  • miles

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

When coasting at low speeds the vehicle makes multiple click sounds and now there has been a clunking sound seems like when. Trying to downshift or upshift almost as it can't find a gear. When in a stoped position I put it in drive ease the gas and it will jump into gear. Has been multiple complaints about clicking and clinking with the vehicle and nothing fixing the problem unless ptu, transmission, u joint or driveshaft is replaced this is scary to spend so much on a vehicle for my family and worry about when it's going to break down.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #12

Feb 282021

Cherokee

  • miles
The start and stop feature in the vehicle keeps malfunctioning and has done so every since I purchased car in 2021. Took it to dealer and they replaced the battery and that still did not stop it from malfunctioning meaning it go completely dead this is a safety hazard and now that my car is out of warranty the dealer is giving me issues when fixing it even though it should have been fixed the first time. This is a know problem to the dodge.dealer I went to bc one of the tech told me alot of people have this problem with Cherokee. The malfunction with the start and stop feature has caused Mt Car to go dead on highways and freeways which is dangerous.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #11

Dec 152022

Cherokee

  • miles
This 2020 jeep cherokee altitude burns close to 3 quarts of oil. I have 26000 miles on it. I havent received any recalls or notice from dodge/crysler dealer. This is ridiculous

- Lake In The Hills, IL, USA

problem #10

May 302022

Cherokee

  • miles

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

About a week ago, a faint smell of gasoline was noticed at the front of the vehicle after it was shut off. The smell became stronger and more noticeable with each passing day. Today, gasoline can be smelled coming out of the air vents as well as outside of the vehicle. Wife seems to think the smell started when she started using the Air Conditioning. No signs of fuel leaking. No Check Engine Light. The vehicle has 20450 miles on it. We are trying to get it into the dealership as soon as possible, but at this point we are not driving it out of an abundance of caution.

- Glassboro, NJ, USA

problem #9

Dec 212021

Cherokee

  • miles
In December 2021 the "AWD not available" warning message came on. During a trip, the cruise control did not work. Took car to dealer on January 4, 2022. Diagnostics revealed the following: oil leak in the engine, repaired under the warranty. Body controller module and body wiring failed, replaced under warranty. Power transfer unit failed, power transfer unit replaced under warranty. Car returned to me repaired on January 14, 2022.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #8

Nov 272021

Cherokee

  • 16,800 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact noticed that the vehicle was on fire while parked in a parking lot. The contact mentioned the fire caused 2 other vehicles to catch on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and determined the fire was caused by the engine. A police report was filed. The vehicle was damaged. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,800.

- Ipswich, MA, USA

problem #7

Aug 112021

Cherokee

  • miles
The first time- driving and the -€˜D-€™ button on the shifter started blinking and got stuck in Drive, excellerated, couldn-€™t stop. Shut car off! Rest after 15 mins and scheduled repair/check. Shifter box-assembly was replaced and found to be the problem. 2nd time- got stuck in reverse and wouldn-€™t move. Took it to the dealer, scheduled repair/check, told to keep driving it. 3rd time- check engine light came on, stopped at dealer, told to keep prior appointment and not to clear it. Never checked it. 4th time- driving at speed of 65, car shut off, no power but had brakes. Towed to dealer car still not able to start. Currently at the dealer.

- Wyalusing , PA, USA

problem #6

Jul 142021

Cherokee

  • 13,000 miles

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

The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his nephew was driving approximately 70 mph, a burning odor was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. The driver then noticed flames coming from the engine compartment. The driver stopped the vehicle and exited. No further information was available. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away from the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and an unknown dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,000.

- Dexter, ME, USA

problem #5

Jan 052021

Cherokee

  • 3,000 miles
The contact leases a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, an unknown burning odor occurred. The contact stated that another vehicle alerted her that the vehicle was on fire underneath. The contact quickly coasted over to the side of the road and as she exit the vehicle the hood exploded engulfed into flames. The contact stated that the vehicle burned down to a crist. The fire department extinguished the fire of what had left of the vehicle. A fire and police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and was later taken by the vehicle insurance to an insurance auto auction lot where it still remained. The contact called kelly Jeep Chrysler, 353 broadway, lynnfield, MA 01940, and informed them of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000. The VIN was not available.

- Marblehead, MA, USA

problem #4

Aug 102020

Cherokee

  • 1,460 miles
Low oil pressure warning, engine RPM started fluctuating and almost stalled. Vehicle has 1400 miles it, was advised by dealership that I will have to add a quart of oil every 1500 miles to the vehicle, and that they are aware that I should not have seen the low oil pressure warning but in fact the engine should have stalled. That they have heard others in a right or left hand turn their cars stalling out as they called a safety feature. That to me sounds unsafe

- Shelbyville, TN, USA

problem #3

Jun 082020

Cherokee 4-cyl

  • 1,128 miles
Engine light came on the 29th day of ownership, with odb code P0139. The one O2 sensor was replaced, driving back home after the repair the engine light came back on. Took it back the next day same code P0139, this time they replaced the ECM/PCM computer. After almost two weeks the engine light came back on with the same code. I purchased this car with on 7 miles on it and it's been in the dealership 3 with less than 2K on it.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #2

Jun 012020

Cherokee 4-cyl

  • 950 miles
Vehicle stalls anytime it idles or comes to a stop. Stalls while in reverse or drive. Stalled several times in reverse backing out of driveway. Stalled while trying to go straight after coming to a stop at a stop sign. Stalled in the middle of an intersection while trying to make a left turn after being stopped, waiting oncoming traffic to clear. Stalling in an intersection could have caused serious injury or death to myself or proceeding oncoming traffic through the intersection. When vehicle stalls, the emergency parking brake is activated and requires the car to be put in park and restart the vehicle. After stalling, engine has a hard time starting again. Check engine light comes on after stalling. Vehicle was purchased new with 10 miles on odometer. Currently has 950 miles on odometer and is not drivable. After trying to find the problem for over a week, my local Jeep service center said that they found raw fuel in the hose from the purge valve, charcoal filter, and other components. Fuel is overflowing into these components of the vehicle, which is a manufacturing issue. Fuel pump is said to need replaced, which is a very common problem with 2019 models. This needs to be recalled on 2020 Jeep Cherokee, as well.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #1

Feb 062020

Cherokee

  • 496 miles
Driving my vehicle during rush hour traffic when the check engine light came on and a throttle issue message flashed, vehicle experienced a drastic loss of power causing an unsafe driving condition for myself and other motorists. This vehicle was purchased new with only 8 miles on the odometer, currently has 500 miles, vehicle has the 2.4 liter engine and automatic 4X4 transmission. Contacted the Jeep dealer whee I purchased the vehicle and they did not mention that there could be a known issue with this Jeep, however after some research I found an article on the same identical issue being reported by multiple Jeep owners of the 2019 year model with the same 2.4 liter engine, see: Https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/2019-Jeep-Cherokee-recalled-over-stalling-risk/ based on the article that I found it seems like there is a software update that needs to be performed in order to correct the issue, however some drivers still had problems after the update was done. I was asked to bring the vehicle to the dealer on Monday, some Jeep owners also reported that after 4 hours of the vehicle sitting with the engine off, the problem goes away, making it difficult for the dealer to replicate the issue during diagnostic and there may not be a code stored that can be pulled by the service department. I hope that NHTSA keeps an eye for this, if the problem is a known issue by now to Chrysler-Fiat and no fix has been applied to current year model Jeep, then Chrysler -Fiat may be acting in "bad-faith" and knowingly selling vehicles that should probably be part of a nationwide recall campaign, also there is a serious safety concern about a vehicle that is rendered powerless while operating on a highway or in our case, having to drive on the steep hills of the pacific nw as part of our daily commute.

- Sultan, WA, USA

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