general problems of the 2018 Jeep Cherokee - part 1

1. The power transfer unit (ptu) and transfer case have failed. The vehicle was initially suspected to have a wheel bearing issue due to a howling noise during the test drive. However, after purchase, the noise worsened significantly. An independent repair shop diagnosed the vehicle and confirmed that the transfer case and bearings are defective and unsafe. The vehicle is currently at the dealership and is available for inspection upon request. 2. I was informed by a certified mechanic that the vehicle is unsafe to drive and poses a significant risk of crash due to transfer case failure. Failure of the transfer case and ptu can result in sudden loss of power, drivetrain lockup, or loss of vehicle control while driving. This placed my safety, my child’s safety, and others on the road at serious risk. I was specifically instructed not to drive the vehicle due to the hazard. 3. Yes. The problem was confirmed by both an independent repair shop and the selling dealership. The dealership acknowledged there is an active recall related to the ptu/transfer case and ordered a replacement transfer case. However, they stated the part is on national backorder with no current estimated availability due to the recall. 4. The vehicle has been inspected and diagnosed by an independent repair facility and is currently at the dealership where it was purchased for further inspection and recall-related repair. The dealership has acknowledged the recall and the need for transfer case replacement. 5. Yes. The primary symptom was a loud howling or whining noise coming from the drivetrain area, which began before purchase and was reported to the dealer during the test drive. The dealer initially stated it was a wheel bearing issue. After purchase, the noise progressively worsened over several weeks, leading to the diagnosis of transfer case failure. No warning lights appeared, but the audible noise was severe and consistent.

Due to the unresolved recall I have experienced alot of issues. The most terrifying is the loss of power, my Jeep has just stopped moving sometimes allowing me to het to 30 mph but no more. This has happened to me 3x all of which were on the highway. I no longer have use of my 4wd, which is extremely frustrating since it was the only reason I purchased this vehicle. It has released itself from the parking position. And my "service shifter" light it constantly on. I did put my car in the shop over a year ago they "fixed" it, unfortunately it broke shortly after since it is a recalled part.

Service 4wd came on. Has been on. Jeep dealership said the switch was bad, replaced and still on. Since then it has turned off while driving 6 times. Now all the time in traffic and when I try to park it will say service shifter. I contacted stellantis directly about this and the supposed recall they announced, but has no fix. They said it isn't their problem it is on the dealer. Not acceptable to make a car that I have to force myself daily not to be in an accident with. Most recent was today. Car died and stuttered to a stop in someone's yard. Power assist stearing goes away! and it is 2wd now.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while stopped at a red light and upon taking her foot off of the brake pedal, a message appeared on the instrument panel that stated "shift to park or neutral plus brake plus select a gear". No warning lights were illuminated. The contact was forced to restart the vehicle in order to continue driving. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,899.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The contact stated that while at a traffic light or while slowing down, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The contact stated that after ten minutes, the vehicle was restarted but shut off while approaching a stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the battery. The battery was replaced, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

My 2018 Jeep Cherokee suffered a power transfer unit (ptu) failure in February 2025 while my family was on vacation. The vehicle was delivered to walker Jeep in alexandria, louisiana and has remained there for approximately one year. I reside in texas, approximately five hours away. The failure involves the same ptu defect covered under safety recall 01c (NHTSA 25v-011). Stellantis’ part 573 filing acknowledged the defect and scheduled final remedy notification in February 2026. After holding my vehicle for approximately 12 months awaiting recall remedy availability, I was recently informed that my vehicle does not qualify for recall coverage. Stellantis is now offering either a $4,000 buyback or requiring approximately $6,000 out-of-pocket for repair. The vehicle has been undriveable for one year due to a defect covered under a federal safety recall. I am requesting investigation into recall compliance, unreasonable delay of remedy, and denial of coverage after prolonged deprivation of use.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 80 mph, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 45 mph without shaking violently. The 4-wd and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was stuck in 2-wd. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 25v011000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The local dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,651.

A common issue with Jeeps with plastic oil filter housing is the oil filter housing cracks leading to oil leaks and engine damage.

While driving the vehicle the engine loses total power and says to shift to park. No engine lights come on, no warning lights. Total loss of power is a serious issue - reading on the Jeep forums this is not an uncommon problem. Have to try and safely get to the side of the road, put it in park, turn car off and attempts to restart take 1 to 6 tries. This has happened four times in 1 month.

When I take a turn or slam on my brakes sometimes my vehicle shuts off and flashes battery on the dash. Even though I’ve changed the battery I’m still having the same issue. I also have issues with my fuel level. The numbers jump around constantly and seem to not add up to the miles I drive.

2018 Jeep Cherokee has service shifter appearing multiple times in the last 2 months. It has lasted up to 3 days before resetting. My Jeep has 78k miles and I'm the only owner. My Jeep has randomly shut down completely while driving 65+ mph. When I restart it, the transmission makes a jerking motion and the rpms accelerate rapidly. Upon investigation I'm finding this is a huge problem with this model year, along with 2017 & 2019. This needs to be recalled before someone dies from this Jeep being in an accident with little to zero time to recover power!.

Service shifter message appears on screen over speedometer. All the gears light up red on the shifter. Unable to change gears unless you turn off the car and restart. Happens multiple times per year. When you search the internet this is a common occurrence and nothing is being done about it.

I have had several times where I will be driving and the engine cuts out and you lose all power and power steering. The screen comes up and says shift to park or neutral press brake + gear. I put in park and after few minutes it usually restarts on first try. The most recent I tried about 10 times and call toe truck. I live in northern maine and below zero temps and tow truck couldn't arrive for 4-5 hrs. I live in remote area and only 1 option and they were hours away. I was in the middle of the road and was blocking traffic for bigger vehicles. After about 30 minutes and many attempts it finally restarted. I immediately drove to garage and they scan for codes and there were none. It was starting normally and running fine. Bbthis has happened driving in traffic at stop light or going very slow around sharp corners or after sitting and then taking off. There has been many scenarios all could cause traffic accidents as it is out of your control and you never know when it will happen. It's gone months without doing it and then it happen multiple times. I live in very remote are and drive to the city for appts and travel alot of times after dark and after hours to even get towed . I don't feel safe driving my vehicle anymore fear of accident, bad area, temperatures, being stranded with no cell phone coverage. I live on dirt road and can't always count on help right away. It's happened too many times where I don't feel safe in a vehicle I love. I have tried oil changes, spark plugs, battery and I know there was a few others and nothing works. This has been happening since 50k miles and now 127k. I want to keep this vehicle but not feeling safe. I another garage visit scheduled next week to see if there is anything else to try.

After period of changes in cold and hot weather swinging from 70s to 30s car began to have a small oil leak. Took vehicle in for oil change at 120,xxx miles and no leak was found, over the next weeks the leak got worse and during driving the vehicle would intermittently display low oil pressure warning. After checking the dipstick there was very little oil. Vehicle was taken in for service (123,xxx miles) and it was found that the oil filter housing had cracked. The Jeep service advisor stated that it was a common issue for Jeep vehicles with the 3. 2l v6 over 80k miles. Oil was spilling out and down the engine filling the valley between cylinders and onto the exhaust which could possibly lead to fire or catastrophic engine failure due to oil starvation.

There is an issue with the car pertaining the gear shifter and the way it effects the engine . There are currently 2k parts on back order for this same issue . Center shifter bezel parts number 5yd27ls5aaa.

Cracked oil housing pump failure fuel tube leak the car shifts while in drive it jumps like it gets stuck in a gear.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 mph, the contact smelled a burning odor. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with oil filter housing cooler unit failure. The vehicle was repaired by a mobile independent mechanic with a part that the contact had purchased on amazon. The contact stated that recently the vehicle was taken for maintenance, and the vehicle was diagnosed with oil filter housing cooler unit failure. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

Oil leak found on driveway. 2018 Jeep Cherokee limited taken in for an oil change and diagnosis. Jeep Cherokee has oil leaking into the oil filter housing. Oil filter housing is plastic and needs to be replaced with a metal housing and new gaskets, along with a coolant change and oil change. This appears to be a common failure. Repairs are costly.

While driving my vehicle, the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating. I pulled over and when I put it into park it felt like it was the transmission. However, I had the transmission inspected and there were no issues. Prior to the happening the "service 4wd" light kept coming on. After the incident, the vehicle could not be driven over 45mph, the steering was so stiff I could hardly turn it, and every time I put the vehicle into drive or park it would feel like the transmission was about to drop.

Svc 4wd warning. Diagnosed at Jeep dealership (recommend replace due to code c14a7-97 - ptu motor-component or system operation obstructed or blocked. Part is on a back-order status, the only information provided from the manufacturer is they are working to obtain part status. We have no eta on part at this time. ) part is not available, and car can't be driven.

Fuel flooding engine and ruining catalytic converter.

The vehicle consume too much oil . It completely run out of oil after driving a 1000 mile only . The engine stop suddenly while driving which put my safety in danger . Because it happened when the vehicle engine stop running in the highway in the middle of traffic. I call the manufacturer they said there is a recall (w20 )for this car regarding those issue . And they said once they update the car software those issues should be resolved. But afterwards the same issue still happenings. The car currently only has 32k miles . Those problems started back on March 2024 when. The car has only 24k miles.

This was a Jeep sold to me with active recalls.

2018 Jeep Cherokee limited, 154k miles currently. Purchased vehicle from third party with under 100k miles. Vehicle maintenance was always done per manufacturer suggestions(from third party and myself), at 152k miles I noticed vehicle overheating when driving 25-55mph (with ac off). Also noticed a reduction in the powertrain. Vehicle diagnostic done at local mechanic and cleared(no coolant leak, no oil leak engine was in good condition. ) oil change and other regular maintenance work done as well. Then engine eventually blew a gasket, and a hose resulting in me having to replace entire engine and other damaged components due to the engine being poorly built.

Service shifter notification comes on, all lights on shifter light up. I’ve had it “fixed” 2 times under warranty and it continues to do it. Owned since 2017 and this has happened more times than I can remember. Dealership has little answers. Eventually car will begin sputtering, all service lights come on, you lose control of brakes and steering and have to pull over. Turn off, take key out, open door. Let it sit. Turn back on and typically will drive fine until the next time. All supposedly related to service shifter.

Unknown…the Jeep using oil terribly, with no leaks. I have it serviced every 3000 miles, and it is always low or no oil on the dipstick at that time. I just had the oil changed, and fuel injection cleaned about a month ago…less than 700 miles since. The Jeep is cutting off while driving. It won’t start back for 2-3 minutes, and I’m sitting in traffic. It’s terrifying!!! when checked with oem, it doesn’t show any codes, although an engine light is on. I’ve spoken with 3 different mechanics, that all stated this is common with this model…with no solution, no recall, and no idea what part to repair. I’ve been told throttle body, throttle body clutch, starter, etc…no one really knows where to start. And those parts are not cheap to replace as an experiment. I bought my Jeep new, with only 3 miles on it. This issue is new, within the last 2 weeks. The losing oil has continued since purchase, and it will cut off if the oil is low. This is different. As I stated before, the oil was just changed, and is not low. Please help!!!.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light intermittently flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a diagnostic test was performed, and the mechanic discovered a major oil leak coming from the vehicle. The contact was informed that the oil gasket covers, and oil coolant assembly needed to be replaced. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 100,012.

My Jeep will stall without warning. If I turn, it stalls out, brake it stalls, turn the vehicle on hit the gas to go and step off the gas it stalls. Sometimes it won’t start or it will start then stall out. It’s without warning and has had me left on the side of the road multiple times after pushing it out of the way or trying to get it to start again. I’ve had the computer plugged up to it and even the mechanics said they haven’t seen this before. I’ve had the individual parts to the engine tested, they work just fine such as alternator. I will just randomly lose power while driving. I also have the random gear shifter error that it seems every Jeep owner is going through.

Engine failure 3 out of 4 cylinders not working 122,000 miles on car and regular service for oil changes and maintenance.

Please note we are religious about vehicle care, maintenance and safety. What I describe was not due to lack of maintenance and had zero warning. In early April, we were driving our Jeep on state route 69 in arizona and from one moment to the next went from completely normal to engine heating, smoking and alerts telling us to turn off the vehicle immediately while we were driving 50 mph with no where to pull off. We were fortunate to be close to our local costo in prescott and coasted into the parking lot. We quickly learned we had no engine coolant but didn't understand why since we bring our Jeep in for routine oil changes, fluid, tire and brake checks. The following week our Jeep was towed to our mechanic who discovered the coolant hose had a hole in it caused by the friction created by it laying against the air filter. This was the original design of this vehicle and should have been recalled because there is no way of knowing you have a problem until something is about to explode. We are very fortunate the engine did not blow up and cause an accident as it very well could have. Because we thought Jeep had a good reputation, we reported this to them with photos of the damage, the repair bill, the sequence of events, our mechanics contact information if they wanted to talk to him, etc. . But they did not care and are not willing to assist. Our mechanic also shared that when he called the local Jeep dealer in our area, that they had these coolant hoses well stocked as if they know it's a problem yet they don't bother to recall these vehicles because of it. We speculate any accident involving the same design where the engine exploded or caught fire, is because of this problem, and Jeep needs to do something about it. We for one would like to be reimbursed for this ridiculous repair. We have to other very old vehicles (GMC w 270k miles and a Ford w over 400k miles), never have we had to replace the engine coolant hose.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The place vehicle in to the park position and restart message was displayed. While driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle failed to accelerate. While making a turn, it was hard to steer. The key fob was inoperable. There was a abnormal rattling noise detected. While driving, the vehicle was swaying. All the warning lights were flashing. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the wiring was loose. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Car stalling while driving, under all kinds of conditions, loss of power steering,brakes. Vehicle unsafe to drive.

Since the car hit 20,000 miles, the "service shifter" light will come on randomly. The dealership has had to "replace" the shifter components twice. And now it will come on when you put the car into reverse. This is a faulty part which needs to be replaced.

The service shifter light keeps coming on. Sometimes when stopped in traffic the vehicle’s transmission will shift from drive, to some unknown position, then the engine will stall out when attempting to go forward with traffic. The car will then not start and the shifter will not allow any gear shifting to be done. Can not be put into neutral in order to be push or easily towed. This has happened 4 time within the past 18 months. Each time the dealership acts surprised and responds that they have never heard of a service shifter issue before. They tried a software update, which didn’t help. They also stated that they could replace several parts that added up to over $2000. Stated it wasn’t their problem since it is out of warranty. Yes, it is available for inspection. Always being out in risk at busy intersections due to a potential of being hit in the rear end of the car because people expect your car to be moving. Have had several cars swerve at the last minute barely missing me. And having to exit the vehicle is even more dangerous. Yes, the dealer has seen the issue along with an independent repair shop. Service shifter message is on most of the time but no one really knows how to fix it.

Check engine light stays on. Computerized message states check electrical service throttle. When I get new gas in the car. The car stops in the middle of the highway or at the stop lights/signs and dies. Car has a very hard time starting back up. I had $1110. 00 of repairs and took the car back to the same repair shop 4 times. It has never been able to be repaired. It is very dangerous to be driving on the roads and the car suddenly dies and has a very difficult time restarting the engine. This is only the first 30 miles after it has been filled with new gas. I have a friend living in another state. She has the same model of Jeep as I do and she has the same challenge with her car.