general problems of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee - part 1

While driving less than one mile from my residence, my 2014 Jeep Cherokee suddenly displayed a warning related to shifting, followed immediately by a complete loss of engine power. The vehicle shut off without warning while in motion. At the time of the incident, the dashboard displayed the messages: “shift to desired gear” and intermittently “service shifter. ” I was able to safely maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road; however, this incident has now occurred multiple times, consistently in the same general location and under normal driving conditions. The sudden loss of power creates a serious safety hazard, particularly given the lack of warning and potential for this to occur in higher-speed traffic conditions. This issue appears consistent with known problems involving the transmission wiring harness and shifting system in this vehicle model. Immediate investigation and corrective action are warranted to prevent potential accidents or injuries.

I have a safety recall 49a on my 2014 Jeep Cherokee I took it in for the recall on 03/03/2026, my trunk was working perfectly fine before I had to recall done on it and now my trunk doesn’t work at all.

I am reporting a failure of the remedy for recall s55 (NHTSA 16v-529). The manufacturer’s authorized repair, a software-update only, failed to correct the underlying hardware defect in the transaxle jumper harness. As a result, the wires in the harness physically melted due to the high electrical resistance as stated in the s55 recall, which caused a total loss of motive power while driving and rendering the vehicle immobile. This created a significant crash risk as we were suddenly left completely immobile and stranded in the middle of busy traffic, not to mention a fire hazard. Prior to the total failure, the vehicle exhibited electrical symptoms including sporadic starting, locks locking and unlocking by itself, improper revolution, and harsh transmission shifting. In addition to the melted wires in the transaxle jumper harness, there is now oil pooling under the vehicle, signaling further critical damage caused from the recalled part's failure. In the aftermath we are now assessing our federal rights to repair from the manufacturer. The dealership and manufacturer claim the recall is 'completed' because of the initial software update, but the physical defect remains and has worsened into a hazardous state. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate the adequacy of the s55 software-only remedy, as it does not prevent the hardware from failing, leaving countless in a dangerous situation. Any help or advice you could provide on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much.

In November 2025, I recently completed a recall repair to my 2014 Jeep Cherokee (nhsta #xxx/Jeep #49a). I picked up my Jeep and parked it and did not drive it for several weeks. In December 2025, I rented my 2014 Jeep Cherokee on turo and within the first 24hrs of driving, the renter contacted me and told me the electronic parking brake malfunctioned when the vehicle was parked, which prevented the car from further operation. I towed the car to a mechanic who confirmed the problem with malfunctioning electronic parking brake (epb) due to water intrusion in the rear of the vehicle, who then isolated the epb to enable vehicle operation, and referred me to the Jeep dealership for repair. I retrieved the vehicle and dropped it off at a local Jeep dealership for assessment and repair. The Jeep dealership has confirmed that there is significant water intrusion into the vehicle rear (likely from failing sunroof, as the headliner is also soaked and damaged), where water has collected behind the plastic interior panels; and indicated the epb module, located in the rear, needs to be replaced. I authorized this replacement/repair which was completed. My research of this issue indicates in addition to the above recall for power tailgate malfunction due to water intrusion, that the defective epb is also due to water intrusion [xxx] ). I believe this to be highly likely since after owner and operating the vehicle daily for two years and this issue only arising immediately following the power tailgate recall repair information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Car keeps shutting off and the acceleration is bad and transmission doesn’t work as well when I shift gears.

While driving through a local street the car stopped and the message on dash board would inform the driver to put the car in park, turn off the car, and start again. This happened approximately 15 times when approaching stop lights, stop signs or going lowered that 20 miles per hour. This also suggested that battery was low. However, the battery level read normal every time.

Battery drains when vehicle is off and not running. If not fully charged the alternator will overwork and not be able to charge the battery for the length of the drive causing the battery to go dead while driving.

Vehicle experienced a sudden no-start condition in July 2025 after being parked for ~2 weeks. Engine cranked briefly, then shut off and displayed a red immobilizer warning. Obd-ii scans showed bcm memory faults (b22a9), immobilizer lockout (p0513), can-c bus communication errors, and repeated low-voltage codes. Dealer replaced pcm (~$1,550) but vehicle still inoperative. Dealer then determined bcm (body control module, part #68141881aj) failed, but part has been discontinued by mopar and is unavailable nationwide. Used bcms are VIN-locked, leaving no authorized repair path. Vehicle is also subject to NHTSA recall 23v338000 (power liftgate module electrical short / parasitic drain). My vehicle showed repeated low-voltage events consistent with this defect, which likely corrupted the bcm and immobilizer system. Dealer confirmed recall parts are still backordered. As a result, a 2014 Jeep Cherokee with only ~32,000 miles has been rendered permanently inoperable due to discontinued safety-critical electronics. The defect creates a substantial safety risk because electrical shorts can occur while parked or driving, and owners are left without remedy.

Last year in 2024 our vehicle started having significant issues with the transmission. We took it to a dealership and through our warranty that we purchased, we were told that the transmission control module had lost its programming but no one understood why. It wasn't covered under our warranty and we paid full price out of pocket for that. Less than a year later we are back with the same issues again where it's not holding on to its programming. It locks itself into neutral when we are driving, it will have surges of power with the battery, and no longer has any emergency braking system. We cannot put the emergency brake on in fact. We lost all of our 4x4 variations such as snow sport and four wheel drive low. Full drive is no longer able to be engaged at all with the transmission. It will not shift in or out of 5th gear which means every time we push on the gas that means it's going to be starting out in 5th gear which is obviously a strain on the transmission. Due to that it has no towing power whatsoever right now. It has shut off completely in the middle of us driving bfore. These issues are causing it to slowly lose it's communication with all of the other modules in the vehicle and the engine itself is no longer communicating with the transmission which makes driving the vehicle almost impossible.

Failed power transfer unit. Unable to shift to 4wd because system is not recognizing. Service engine light has come on. This is a widely known issue with the Jeep vehicles and so far there is no warranty extension covering my 2014 vehicle.

Vehicle would shut completely off when stopped at a red light. Shifter would not move. I was put a risk on a busy street, stuck at a red light and could not move to a safer location. The second time there were three children in the car when the car shuts off at a red light. The problem has been confirmed by dealer and has been inspected. Check engine light was on, however nothing was showed for about the shifter. Dealer mentioned prndl and harness. I see that there were previous recalls with the Jeep Cherokee but the car is still showing symptoms of them. It’s is not safe for me to drive and I have been without a car for almost 3 months.

Service shifter light was not on when I bought the car, shifter was replaced due to a recall, light came on with the new part, dealership won’t replace.

Body control module had a recall I had to get it fixed for the 2nd time and it’s giving us issues again,Jeep has 46k miles and steering column control module is faulty and unconnect dash/radio/ac temp is also faulty,replaced blower motor and still having ac issues only mechanic has been jim browne dealer since we have had this Jeep for a year . Jeep jerks when braking and does not brake it goes faster. When pressing gas to drive Jeep goes slower. Jeep dash of connect is blue screen and when reversing rear camera appears and does not disappear not even when in drive or park must turn off Jeep for camera to turnoff.

Water intrusion into electronic parking brake module caused a failure which caused the parking brake to set which would not allow the vehicle to move and parking brake could not be released. This vehicle has already been to the dealer for a safety recall for the power lift gate module located in the same area as the parking brake module and for the same reason water intrusion which could cause potential fires. Dealer would not warranty the parking brake module as if this is the same problem as the power lift gate module located right next to each other. There are numerous threads on the internet from other Cherokee owners with the same issue.

I was on my way home from alpharetta from a business meeting and my car started to shake really bad on the front. I thought it might have been something my tire caught. But I just put 4 brand new tires and not one light was on on my dash board there have never been any lights come on my dash board since I've had the vehicle. I drove about 10 more mins and it got worse so I pulled over and parked. I couldn't see anything. I was an hour away from home. The next day after getting my vehicle home. I was told that the ignition coil was catching fire as I was driving it. I also have the video in my phone. The car was literally trying to catch on fire and I was told if I would have kept driving it and not pulled over my car would have went up in flames more than likely. I keep all the maintenance done on it and change the tires and if stuff needs fixing I fix it. But I have never had a car start to catch fire as I'm driving it. I have video proof that's what it was doing while the car was running and noone messed with it . This car year make and model shouldn't even be on the market. I already had a recall for the pcm/tcm and that didn't fix anything on the vehicle from that recall. But this problem that happened with me definitely needs to be recalled bc I wasn't near home and was by myself and I could have been hurt if my vehicle would have went up in flames.

The electronic parking brake locked up at an intersection - only way I could get it going again was disconnect and reconnect the battery. Took to dealer and was diagnosed as the parking brake module. Dealer wanted $1900 to repair but the part was on back order for an unknown time. Removed all fuses linked to parking brake and was told to drive it - only has front wheel drive as computer thinks parking brake is on - Jeep has told us that water leaks into to them and shorts them out. Not impressed as times are tough and not getting any help from Jeep. Why is there not a recall as this seems like a infection with this model?.

This is a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, this model does have a recall for water leaking in through the truck. That causes the electronic parking break module to short out and lock the parking brake in as engaged. My Jeeps VIN however is not a part of the recall for some reason, this part was replaced on 4/16/22. Today 3/9/2023 the parking brake engaged and was locked on when we put the car in park. The spare tire compartment is full of water, everything in the trunk was wet. And the piece from the service advisor that was replace in 2022 has water in it, and it is corroded.

Parking brake engaged while reversing out of driveway. "service parking brake" message on dash and parking brake lights on dash. Parking brake flashing amber led lights. Parking brake not working. This is for a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, an investigation was opened and closed. Unsure of the outcome. Concerned though as I had a water leakage into the lift gate power module causing a small fire. That was repaired/replaced with recall in 2024. Now the same issue is happening with my power breaks. I feel like this should be covered under recall.

When I bought has brake problem have extended warranty and all protections on place bucking after starting at 1 to 5 then when stooping. Lights panel seems not correct not illimious one lighting panels to see going on and off 2 times mileage is broken I recorded mileage to fro. Work only 20 miles incorrect values sense I bought .

Bought a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, while driving the vehicle one day it started braking while accelerating causing it to jerk the vehicle and had to pull over causing the car to completely shut off. I took it to a dealership to get two recalls fixed on it that I found out about and after getting the vehicle back from the dealership and driving it there has been poor acceleration, harsh shifting gears. I was getting a lug nut replaced on my tire at a dealership. I was about to leave with my vehicle and it wouldn’t get out of the parking brake. Then the service parking brake light comes on the far. I have to get them to look at it again and they find water damage to the parking brake module due to a leak from somewhere. Having to wait on estimates on what it will cost to fix it. Looked into this issue and find out that others have dealt with this as well. With water leakage in the back trunk space and into the parking brake module!! definitely needs to be a recall on this type of major road safety hazard. Luckily I wasn’t driving when this happened or it could’ve caused a wreck. There is a class action lawsuit I was reading about again Jeep for 2014-2020 models due to water damage to parking brake module and I believe there needs to be a recall on this defect from factory.

Water in electronic parking brake module by spare tire corroded wiring causing parking brake to engage needing to replace the entire module and wiring. The issue appears to be that water may be leaking into the electronic parking brake module, causing damage and corrosion.

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, the emergency brake would engage on it's own. The vehicle emitted an unknown smell inside the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the frame was cracked. Water was seeping inside the vehicle. Water accumulated underneath the vehicle by the spare tire and burnt out the module that controls the emergency brake. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while coming to a stop, the vehicle stalled with no warning light illuminated. The contact also noticed that the electronic brake pedal became inoperable and would not engage. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the ptu (power transfer unit) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

This morning, on the way to work, the electric parking brake module of my 2014 Jeep Cherokee trailhawk activated when the vehicle was in motion, making it impossible to accelerate or reverse. If I had been driving on the highway or interstate, this could have been fatal. The tech who towed my car said this is a known issue, and his sister even traded in her Cherokee because of this issue. There has recently been rain in the area, and it is a known issue among 2014-2020 Jeep Cherokee owners that the emergency parking brake module corrodes due to rainfall. The tech confirmed that my electric parking module is corroded. This issue has been confirmed by the repair center, which is charging $1,300 for a repair. I have reached out to mopar, the manufacturer, to complain. This is a widespread, known-issue among Jeep owners, and there's currently a class action lawsuit against Jeep regarding this issue. There were no warning signs before the parking break activated. This needs to be a Jeep Cherokee recall.

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power and decelerated. While attempting to accelerate, the rpm increased; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact coasted to the side of the roadway and restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who failed to diagnose the vehicle; however, the transmission was flushed but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a certified transmission shop. The mechanic informed the contact of customer satisfaction program: w84; NHTSA id number: 10221656 (power train, electrical system) and u90 (emissions, power train); and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and repaired; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer informed the contact of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 45,815.

The contact owned a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while her grand-son was driving 50-55 mph, the driver noticed that there was smoke inside the cabin and outside the vehicle. The driver pulled to the side of the road. The driver opened the hood and noticed that the underhood had caught on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The fire department informed the driver that the fire originated behind the engine. The contact was unsure whether a fire department report was filed. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle was significantly burned. No police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v338000 (electrical system, structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the infotainment system screen display and the instrument cluster had turned black. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Vehicle parking brake automatically engages when vehicle placed in park and will not disengage. Brake lights are displayed as well as service parking brake message. Cruise control is also affected. Took vehicle to dealer and was told it was the brake switch. Ordered new brake switch and installed with no change. After reading service bulletin number: 08-060-16 titled “electronic parking brake module connector water intrusion” I inspected the epb module and found it to be corroded and partially full of water. Vehicle is not under warranty and this appears to be a very common and expensive problem that owners should not be responsible for. There is also potential of fire and of emergency brake engaging while driving that makes it extremely dangerous.

I was driving down the road when all of a sudden my car was in neutral and I was unable to get the car moving. Called aaa they towed me to in a state transmission because the transmission light came on. Interstate transmission said there was nothing wrong with the transmission. It’s a computer problem. Soooo we going to fix this anytime soon?.

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while leaving the grocery store and attempting to close the liftgate, the liftgate failed to lock as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 23v338000 (electrical system, structure) however, the failure persisted. The local dealer was contacted; however, no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

The emergency control module and wire harness got corroded from water. The brakes engaged and had to be towed to the dealership. Was informed at that time about the parts being corroded and needed to be replaced.

Unknown: headlights will dim/flicker making it harder to see at night and digital display on dashboard will go completely off causing driver to not be able to see current speed, fuel gauge, etc.

My vehicle dashboard gave me a "service park brake" message. The emergency brake would automatically engage if attempting to shift the car into park. The emergency brake could not be disengaged. The vehicle was towed to a Jeep dealership. The dealership has determined that the "park brake module connector" and surrounding wires have corroded due to water intrusion. They told me the car is considered unsafe as if it were to be driven the e-brake could engage at any moment. They also determined there is water leaking into that area of the car I. E. The rear left cargo area where the brake module sits. My online research has determined this is a common issue, and Jeep has not had a recall or notices about it. The water leaking could come from the sun/moon roof or the wheel well. Please visit this link and others like it to see that many people are having this issue with no long-term solution per the manufacturer. Some people have reported multiple failures of the park brake module on the same vehicle with the repair costing $1k+ each time. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v338000 (electrical system, structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted and was unable to confirm when the parts would be available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v338000 (electrical system, structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. An unknown local dealer was contacted. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.