general problems of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee - part 1

My car is safely in my driveway. It only has 18,000 miles driven. It became stuck in wheel drive, greatly reducing my ability to drive the vehicle. The 2014 Cherokee is known for ptu failures in which the unit overheats or leaks fluid into the electronics, causing the system to lock in 4wd and display "service 4wd" or "4wd system unavailable". Will my dealership fix this problem under a past recall?.

I was at a stop took my foot off the break to put it on the gas and we started to move and all of a sudden my emergency brake came on and stopped my car and I could not get it to go and I was in traffic no warning lights nothing it just came on by itself.

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).

Rear tires locked up in reverse. While in gear they lock up randomly. Car shut off and broke down while driving on expressway and lost control. No accident but could’ve been bad. 4x4 light on says svc. Mechanic says shows signs of new safety recall 02c? talked to Jeep dealership and they weren’t aware of such recall on this model. Need help on who to contact and what to do.

Electronic parking brake engages at random. Gauge info shows “p” with a circle warning, as well as “brake” in red. Says “4wd system unavailable”. Parking brake module has water/corrosion at connection terminal. Parking brake switch by gear shifter flashing constantly. Car will drive fine then will not move when attempting to go later, had to leave on side of road until it could be towed recently. Extremely frustrating and upsetting. This needs recalled as dealership says it costs $1000’s and requires reprogramming. Now left with a Jeep I can not drive and can not afford to fix.

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.

My service park brake lights came on, and I had issues where my parking brake tried to engage when I was driving a couple of times. Then when I tried to drive it to a mechanic it completely locked up and I couldn’t drive it. It turns out that my spare tire well was flooded due to a known leak issue, which there is an open recall for that/a power lift module. But due to this leak, the blood water in my tire well ran down onto my parking, brake, computer, module and connector, which made it corroded and shorted it out. My mechanic advised me to take it to the dealership and talk to Chrysler to get it fixed since the lake is a known issue and this is consequential damage due to this issue, but they said since my car is out of warranty there’s nothing they could do for me but have me pay for it out of pocket. Concerning considering this is a major safety issue.

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.

Forbthe past gew months my 2014 Jeep Cherokee latitude had been in and out of the shop. The ebrake will set itself and not disengage. I think they have replaced everything remotely associated with the ebrake. I picked it up again yesterday afternoon, drive 3 minutes down the road, pulled into a parking space, put in park, and the ebrake came om before I even shut the vehicle off. It will not disengage. I am currently sitting beside the vehicle, waitin for the service tech to call me back yet again. I have quite literally lost count of how many times rhis vehicle has been in the shop since I got it a year and a half ago.

Parking brake turned on by itself and would not disengage. I finally got it to work again and then while driving it did it. Prior to this I was getting a warning about my rear lift gate. I have tried everything to fix it and it does not seem to respond. I have researched this and it seems to be a big problem. Please have Jeep issue a recall.

My parking gage engaged several times while parked I saw that it said the parking breaking was engaged but I had not put it on. Next it engaged when stopped for a traffic light. I was able to restart it several times. Noticed that this was most likely to happen after a rainfall. Last time it happened my son was able to trick it into disengaging and get it home. Next day it had to be flatbed towed to my mechanic. He changed the parking break switch and that burned out again. After careful investigation he found over two gallons of water under the spare tire where the parking break module is housed. It had to be replaced as well as both calipers. The module also had to be reprogrammed. It was at there 22 days. The mechanic bill was nearly $1,800. Now I need extensive body work to perhaps stop the water coming in thru the seams underneath the power-lift door which had opened. In checking previous complaints it seems that this should have been a recall long ago as it has happened to other similar Jeeps.

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.

3 times now my car has engaged it's own parking brake and I haven't been able to disengage it. The first and last time it engaged itself in a parking lot after I started my car. The first time I had it towed and the issue had resolved itself before the dealer had a chance to look and since they could not duplicate the issue they let it go. The second time I had it towed to my local mechanic who had to physically disconnect it and reconnect it to get it to disengage. The second time it happened while I was stopped at a stop sign. This third time it engaged at my sons parking school after I started the car. I had it towed to my local mechanic, he disconnected and reconnected and it keeps instantly re-engaging. This is an on-going issue and clearly if it engages itself while running (happened once) is a major safety concern.

Service awd and service parking brake warnings are present on the dashboard. The problem lies in a bad ptu (power transfer unit) and the dtcm that controls it. Part is not available for purchase and currently back ordered nationwide indefinitely. The cost of the part and labor combined approaches to 80% of the residual value of the vehicle at 118,000 miles.

Electronic parking brake came on when I started the vehicle and will not disengage, so the vehicle is stuck in a parking lot.

The service parking brake warning pops up on start up (p)!, along with the engine light and the traction control light. A warning that says service parking brake appears, around with a service transmission warning, and occasionally another message saying 4wd unavailable at the moment. Another message says restart car in park at zero speed, which the car is already in park & not moving. The car is not drivable when all of these are on. If I attempt to change gears, the gear light flashes & when the car shifts gears it is very loud. It is also hard to turn the wheel. The emergency park has also come on, in it's own, while driving. Almost killed me on the highway. Had also done it in my driveway, when starting to pull out. Also when the engine auto shifts, it makes like a whining noise. The engine sounds to go in overdrive whenever going down hills or up hills. Down is worse though. This has been doing this since I got the car in 2021. I expressed these issues to the place I bought the car from, just days after buying it, and they refused to fix anything even though it was under the 30 day warranty. They claimed no issues. I have proof of mentioning these issues, to the person who sold me the car through the dealership.

I was in reverse backing out of my parking spot and the emergency parking brake activated by itself. My car immediately stopped and I was not able to move it forward or backwards. The brake warning lamp illuminated and a "service parking brake" showed up on my screen where the speedometer is. I was just grateful it didn't happen in the middle of the interstate or turning onto a major roadway. I was still freaked out this could happen. My car is still stuck where it went out. I've tried everything I can think of to deactivate the parking brake but nothing is working. This is so unsafe!!!.

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.

Electronic e brake engaged while driving. Will not disengage. Requires towing. E brake will not disengage.

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.

When I parked, it was fine, no brake problem. The next morning, I pulled out, got 10 feet & realized there was a problem. I saw the parking brake was mysteriously on and hasn't been off since. I've tried the release and resetting the parking brake for service, but the (p) parking brake light is orange, the regular brake light is flashing red, and there's a message that my 4wd is non-functional. I was lucky to get off the street.

1* the electric emergency brake. 2* the e brake engages while I am driving and causes the car to abruptly stop almost causing the car behind me to rear end my car. 3* no, it just started, it happened 2 times yesterday 5/1/24. 4* no 5* not that I am aware of.

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.

2nd time, I did not put auto brake on but it engaged itself and than was stuck and would not disengage. Luckily I was not in traffic, because that could have been a serious safety issue. The e brake engages on its own and than won’t dislodge. Multiple times this has happened now. Took it in once and paid almost $1500 to get it repaired, 3 days later same thing happened again!.

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...

While driving on a low-speed, local road, the electronic parking brake came on which forced me to quickly pull over. The car then displayed a "service parking brake" warning. I brought the car to my local garage and they found that the parking control module and connector were damaged by corrosion. They needed to replace the module and connector. This could have been a serious safety issue.

I honestly have no idea what system failed but I was doing 80 on the interstate and my car shifted into nuetral . All of the lights came on parking brake , brake and then my car would not drive any longer , luckily I was able to coast onto the shoulder but I literally could have been killed. I had just passed road construction that went from 4 lanes to 2 barracaded lanes. I waited 30 minutes and my car restarted like nothing . So I thought maybe it was a glitch until I was driving again and it did it again. I had to keep putting my car in park and then shifting it back to drive . It has not been inspected yet as I'm trying to get it to the dealership without it cutting off .

There is a water intrusion on the vehicle that causes water to find its way to the electronic parking/emergency brake module and causing it to corrode. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership and they have confirmed this. The safety of myself or other motorists on the road may be at risk if the vehicle gets a reading from the corroded module and sets the parking brake while the vehicle is in motion. I had a service parking brake light appear but the code reads as the parking brake switch needs to be replaced replaced the switch at the front and that did not remedy the issue.

An unwanted activation of the emergency brake. When the car is parked or turned off and after turning on the vehicle - the service park brake turns on. After some time, the vehicle stalled and had to be towed to the dealership. Issues appear to be linked to a water leak within the vehicle’s engine block short-circuiting the electronic brake module. The leak damages the electronic brake module, and when the driver attempts to start the vehicle or shift into drive, it permanently shorts out. The vehicle is unable to move.

At td bank leaving atm parking brake engaged and would not disengage until I started and restarted the Jeep and keep going drive to reverse. Took about 20xs! that evening leaving yard after about 20 feet keep locked up, parking brake engaged, again. Took about 15mins to get it to disengage by starting and restarting, drive, n, reverse. Next morning it locked as soon as I hit the gas, and was left at house as it sat. I live off a highway, I'm going to die driving it.

Replaced the oil filter housing unit and filter cap because of oil leak, for the last couple of months, it’s been feeling very rough switching gears, especially when turning from a stop, and now it won’t start, at all. We tried jumping it and let it sit for a little bit and nothing changed. It’s not ticking or trying to start or anything, just the dash lights up with all the lights and the brake pedal is locked, it won’t move at all.

1st repair attempt: on April 2, 2021, 14 days after I purchased the vehicle (purchase date: 3/18/2021), I received multiple error messages stating "service electronic parking break" "service anti lock breaking system" "service park brake" "mil" light was blinking "cel" light was on as well and my vehicle would not accelerate. I was on a high traffic interstate and could not move the vehicle to exit to the shoulder. The dealer stated that my pcm/tcm needed to be "flashed" and my abs module needed to be replaced due to a csn w20, w84 and w80 code. The part to replace the abs module was not in stock and my vehicle remained with the dealership until April 16, 2021 (a total of 15 days) 2nd repair attempt: on may 21, 2021, 35 days after the repair attempt, for the 2nd time I received multiple error messages stating "service electronic parking break" "service anti lock breaking system" "service park brake" "mil" light was blinking "cel" light was on as well and my vehicle would not accelerate. My children were in the car when this happened. The dealer once again, for the 2nd time, had to order an abs module as well as reprogrammed according to all manufacturer recommendations (pcm/tcm/dtcm, etc) and my vehicle remained at the dealership until June 1, 2021 (a total of 12 days) 3rd repair attempt: on October 6, 2022, for the 3rd time I received multiple error messages stating "service electronic parking break" "service anti lock breaking system" "service park brake" "mil" light was blinking "cel" light was on as well and my vehicle would not accelerate. I was in the middle of a busy interstate when this happened. My vehicle remained at the manufacturer approved dealership in repair until October 27, 2022 ( a total of 21 days) all receipts, invoices and services completed to attempt repair are documented and can be provided upon request. Most recently, August 10, 2023, all of the same error messages and issues above are occurring and I am unable to move my vehicle.

The emergency park brake function is stuck on and can not be released. The car will not move and the emergency brake will not release.