Power Train Problems of Jeep Cherokee - part 1

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal became inoperable while depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was shifted into park, however, the vehicle failed to turn off. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The ignition coil was disconnected, the gearbox removed, and then shifted to neutral(n) to tow the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 94,000.

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Sometimes when I am driving and stop, the automatic engine does not turn back on. This has caused my car to stop and need to be restarted in the middle of the road and the amount of times this happens has been increasing.

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4wd service light turning on and off intermittently, one incident where a grinding noise was noted, car was parked and when looked into further the noise was gone. Contined driving, but 4wd service light stayed on. Took to dealer and they informed me the ptu requires replacement due to failure, diagnostic code shared was c14a797. After further research I discovered safety recall 40d / 26v290000 for 2019 - 2023 Jeep Cherokee vehicles, both dealer and stellantis/Jeep customer service have stated the vehicle is not included in the recall.

1. First ptu recall repair (February 27 – March 3, 2026) Jeep to dealership for recall 01c ptu replacement. I reported no drivability concerns, brake noises, vibrations, or drivetrain issues. The repair order contains no documentation of any problems with the driveshaft, cv axle, brakes, or related drivetrain components. 2. Ptu failure and second ptu replacement (may 1 – may 25, 2026) after recall repair, ptu failed, multiple warning lights appeared. Returned vehicle to dealership. I again did not report any squeaking brakes, vibrations, clunking noises, or drivetrain symptoms. Second ptu replacement done. The technician documented on the repair order: “vehicle is now working as design. ” 3. New symptoms immediately following second ptu replacement (June 4 – June 13, 2026). Immediately after picking up the vehicle on may 25, 2026, I noticed several new symptoms that had not existed before the ptu replacement: • clicking noises • clunking noises when applying the brakes • vibrations throughout the vehicle while in reverse with the brake pedal applied • abnormal driveline behavior. Returned vehicle to the dealership on June 4, 2026 for evaluation. I was informed that the vehicle required: • front brake replacement • rear driveshaft replacement. Repair order : “upon inspection, the technician found excessive play in the drive shaft. Also noticed front brakes squeaking. ” no explanation was provided as to how these conditions developed immediately after the ptu replacement or why no such conditions had been documented during either prior repair. 4. Immediately took car to independent mechanic for evaluation. Report: "right front axle inner joint not completely installed into the transmission/ptu assembly • hanger cut and missing • rear driveshaft not fully seated, with splines visibly exposed • ptu replacement unit marked “lkg” • all brake components inspected and found to be operating normally". 5. The vehicle is now mechanically compromised and unsafe to drive.

While coasting/foot off gas transmission will suddenly shift out of gear and a "shift to park" message will appear on dash. I must stop and shift to park then back into gear to re-engage the transmission. Driving will proceed normally at that point. This has occured unexpectedly and sporadically over the last year-3+ times. No error code is noted by the Jeep technician. Tech installed new shifter and bezel-seemed to work but then happened again. This is extremely hazardous while in traffic and on freeway (occurred once when coasting when on freeway off-ramp). When looking on-line it appears that there are many incidents of this same or similar issue happening with the 2022 Jeep Cherokee limited. It is very concerning to note that this is allowed to continue with no issued recall for what appears to be a known safety problem-.

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There has been multiple issues with the ptus on these Jeeps. Mine does not fall under the recall if there was one. I’m battling with the place I bought the Jeep from for warranty and they are not covering it. I’ve talked to hundreds of people about it and they said this Jeep should have been recalled for this ptu issue but it’s not. Not sure what to do or where to go from here.

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The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked abnormally with the message "service 4wd" displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ptu had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 23v302000 (power train). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The contact was informed that the parts to repair the vehicle were currently on backorder. The failure mileage was 86,000.

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My vehicle has 81000 miles and the ptu/transmission went out. After doing some research about this issue I discovered that it is a very common problem with Jeeps from 2014 to 2024. To get it repaired is $3,000. Seems like Jeep was installing bad transmissions. They should recall these and cover the coast for repair.

Power transfer unit failure diagnosed by safford Dodge, Jeep dealership in fredericksburg, va. My VIN is not showing up as part of the recall. My car is still awaiting repair.

My rear differential, transfer case, and ptu all went out. There were no warning signals. This is after I had the rear differential serviced in 2024. My particular VIN does not qualify for a recall, but other similar makes and model of cars have qualified for a recall. I feel like this is unfair and unsafe.

2017 Jeep Cherokee trailhawk suffered a power transfer unit failure leading to sudden motive power. Vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road with a narrow shoulder. Exiting the vehicle put driver at risk of being struck by traffic. Driver had to exit the vehicle via the passenger side leading to neck injury. Note failure of have could have resulted in crash if it had happened earlier. Ptu failure confirmed by dealership. Vehicle was under fca recall o1c NHTSA 25v-011. It should be noted that even though this is a safety issue owners were not told not to drive vehicle, plus the remedy doesn't prevent ptu failure, which can happen without warning in certain conditions.

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Delayed response to gas pedal, stalling, delayed shifting. Stalling when suppose to accelerate. No response from transmission for a few seconds when accelerating.

The car will randomly display that the start/stop function is disabled. It will also just randomly stall out for no reason. Sometimes multiple times in a row. Restarting the car may cause it to stop. Have had it looked at many time and because the start/stop error may not be happening at the time or the engine will not stall all of the shops have stated there is nothing wrong with the car. It seems to do it more when the temperature outside is above 80 degrees. This happened for many months. It will typically stall out while at stop lights, to date it has not stopped while actively moving.

I had pulled the vehicle into my garage. When I tried to shut the car off the car it would not shut off. In fact many components of the car seem to be completely out of sync. The car would not go into any gear. I could not shut the car off. No matter what I did the car just kept running. I finally more or less gave up and just let it keep running for a couple of hours. When I went back into the garage to check what was happening the car had finally stopped running. At that point I had call a towing service and arranged to have the vehicle taken to autonation Jeep Chrysler the next morning where I had purchased the vehicle. This was a newly purchased vehicle and only had a total of 78 miles on it. Surprisingly the next morning I went into the garage to check on what was happening with the vehicle and to my surprise the vehicle had stopped running. I then disconnected the 12 volt battery and left it disconnected for an hour or two. After this time I reconnected the battery. I again attempted to start the vehicle and surprisingly the vehicle started up and all functions in the car seem to be performing normally. At this point I drove the car about a mile to the autonation Jeep Chrysler dealership and had conversation with service technician. Surprisingly he told me that Jeep has had this problem with other vehicles and the solution is to disconnect the 12 volt battery for 20 or 30 minutes and then reconnect the battery. At that point the car seems to reset itself and it will run normally. End this car of mine only had 78 miles on it this is totally unacceptable. Furthermore this seems to be a problem with other Jeep vehicles. It is my opinion that Jeep needs to correct this problem so I will not be stuck with a car that's running in my garage and I can't shut it off. All in all it seems to me this is a software problem that needs to be reworked and corrected.

My 2019 Jeep Cherokee limited has a diagnosed failure of the two speed power transfer unit (ptu), which is the exact subject of active NHTSA campaign 26v290000/Jeep recall 40d. Ed martin Jeep in anderson, indiana provided me with written diagnostics confirming the failure. However, they stated “the part is on back order for 4-6 months” and even explicitly told me “the Jeep is fine to drive, nothing should happen to it”. The official NHTSA safety reports warns this failure causes an unrecoverable loss of motive power at any speed and severe park rollaway risks. Driving this vehicle for half a year presents an extreme, life threatening safety hazard, and the manufacturer/dealer is failing to provide me with alternate safe transportation while the part is on backorder.

I started getting a warning light in my Jeep (svc 4wd). The dealer diagnosed it as an internal failure of the ptu motor, which needs replaced. I learned that the ptu motor is a recall item for Jeeps long before mine was. Manufactured, extending long past my manufacture date. For some reason, my VIN is not included, even though my ptu is failed and presents the symptoms that logically should include it. My discussion with the repair person went so far as to suggest I always use the parking brake, just in case, to prevent spontaneous roll-away. I also learned there are many other Jeep owners facing the same problem, causing at least a month's delay in obtaining a replacement ptu to fix this problem. I believe and respectfully request that this issue should be considered a part of the original recall, to include all Jeeps within the stated time frame. This submission is in reference to 2019–2023 Jeep Cherokee (NHTSA recall 26v-290 / fca recall 40d). Thank you for your attention to this matter.

A few weeks ago, on several separate occasions while I was driving, the engine suddenly lost power; power was restored only after I restarted the engine. Subsequently, the yellow ptu warning light illuminated—a situation that is extremely dangerous. I contacted Jeep’s manufacturer for assistance, but they merely deflected the issue, directing me to visit an authorized dealership. When I went to the dealership, however, they in turn referred me back to the manufacturer. They are simply passing the buck between one another. The sudden loss of power in a Jeep while in motion constitutes an extreme safety hazard, yet the manufacturer is shirking its responsibility.

Manufacturer evading safety recall 40d (NHTSA 26v290) despite official dealer confirmation of identical ptu failure. What happened: I am filing a formal non-compliance complaint against stellantis/fca us llc regarding my 2019 Jeep Cherokee (VIN: [xxx]). On xxxx, my vehicle exhibited severe mechanical grinding/clicking noises from the chassis during acceleration and turning, with a permanent "service 4wd" lamp. On June 8, 2026, an authorized dealership, burlington cdjr (ro [xxx]), officially diagnosed the vehicle with fault code 14a7-97 and explicitly documented: "stuck shifter forks. Needs transfer case/ptu" on the invoice. Safety risk: the official diagnosis—stuck shifter forks requiring full ptu replacement—is the exact catastrophic mechanical failure addressed in Jeep's safety recall 40d (NHTSA 26v290) issued in may 2026. This defect causes an unexpected loss of motive power while driving and disables the 'park' lock, creating an imminent risk of high-speed highway crashes and vehicle rollaway. Manufacturer evaded duty: the dealer submitted this diagnostic report to Jeep corporate under my ref#xxx (case #xxx). However, Jeep corporate flatly denied recall coverage, claiming my specific VIN is "not showing an open recall. " my vehicle carries the identical component failure, identical trouble code, and identical safety risk as recalled units. Jeep is narrowing the VIN scope by arbitrary production dates to evade financial liability for early 2019 models, knowingly forcing a dangerous vehicle back onto public roads. I urgently request NHTSA to investigate stellantis/fca and legally compel them to expand recall 40d to include my VIN. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, a service 4x4 warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed the the ptu was bad and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was associated with a common unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage as approximately 65,000.

The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle experienced a loss of power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where diagnostic code read c14a7-97. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 154,000.

Service four-wheel-drive light came on. Took vehicle to the Jeep dealer for inspection and paid $220. 94 diagnostic fee. Jeep dealer stated that the power transfer unit had an internal failure code c1487–97. Dealership quoted a repair cost of $2836. 75. Dealership stated the part was on backorder and would not be available for weeks or months or longer. Although there are three recalls specifically associated with this issue for this specific model… the VIN number to this vehicle is not included for some reason. It seems evident that if the part failed it obviously suffers the same issue as the others that are included in the recall.

Power train (ptu) failed on the highway huge crash sound and then no power to wheels, transfer case visably broke due to catastrophic failure shockwave cracked housing of my rear difrential too. It is available for inspection. Safety reason is the same as recall 01c / 40d. Sudden loss of automotive power due to sudden blow up of transfer case, causing danger to everybody on the road. Not sure if there is loss of metal but im sure it was violent enough to blow some fragments of metal around. Problem cant be reproduced since its visably broken due to sudden blowing up of the ptu. No official inspection but I'll do a teardown soon. My own diagnoses as I'm good with cars is sudden ptu failure. Reasoning is that my engine still starts and my transmition works since it still audibly shifts between park and neutral. Havnt tested drive or reverse yet since everything is still connected but will do that soon and write another report as an update to this one. No warning lights at all ever and nothing that I or my wife noticed before, just a sudden bang and no power doing 55 miles an hour. Then it automatically put the handbrake on while im trying to pull to the side of the highway. Im requesting my vehicle to be added to the list of recalls under recall 01c / 40d. For sudden catastrophic ptu failure. My car was build during the period on the recall at 10/2018. For more questions I can be called or emailed.

Front transfercase blew on the highway. It just happened randomly with no warning. We were stuck with barely amy signal at 2:30am on the side of the highway in the dark. Rear tires also locked up when we were almost stopped. Were able to push it off the road more with 3 people. Thats why the puddle of oil is behind the car. I know its broken because the housing is split open. Didnt hit anything road was clear not even a pothole was hit, it has no scuff marks either. It just blew on its own. No warning lights or codes showed up. Im consistent with looking at the temps from the board computer and nothing was weird. Oil, coolant and transmition was all looking good. It is available for review or for pictures to be sent. So far only self diagnose from looking under the car (but its pretty clear). Will tow tomorrow to a car lift and take further pictures with the plastic tray off.

Vehicle began shaking and stuttering while driving. "4wd system unavailable service required" message appeared. Local mechanic stated there is an issue with the ptu. Checked the VIN and no recall has been issued for this vehicle but a recall was recently announced for Jeep Cherokees 2019-2023.

Service 4wd light came on. Driver side clinking noise came from tire area. Took my Jeep to the dealership in which they diagnosed the problem as a ptu (power train unit) failure. The part is on 2 months back order.

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The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle lost motive power with the 4-wheel drive warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the transfer case and actuator had failed. The contact was unaware whether the components needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v290000 (power train); however, the parts required for the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the warning message "service four wheel drive" and "four wheel drive unavailable" had displayed. Also, while operating the vehicle the parking brake had malfunctioned. The cause of the fialure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified and informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 26v290000(power train ). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 82,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 25 mph, the service four-wheel drive warning light illuminated and then the day after the four-wheel drive is no longer working warning message illuminated as well. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 26v290000 (power train), however the VIN is not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed uphill with a grandchild in the vehicle, the vehicle lost drive power and rolled backwards. It was unknown whether a warning light was illuminated. The driver panicked, depressed the brake pedal and shifted into park(p), but the vehicle failed to stop. The driver engaged the parking brake, and the vehicle came to a stop crossway on two opposite lanes. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with ptu failure related to an extended warranty coverage. The vehicle was later towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ptu had mechanically failed. However, the contact was informed that the warranty could not be honored because no diagnostic trouble code was retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 150,000.

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a grinding/humming noise would come from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that both the front and rear power transfer units failed, causing additional damage to the bearings. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic informed the contact about NHTSA campaign number 26v290000 (power train), which covers the same failure. The mechanic referred them to the manufacturer. The contact spoke with the dealer, who informed them that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 26v290000 (power train). The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and they too confirmed the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

I was slowing down coming to a stop in a left turn lane. I went to give the car gas to make the turn and for 4 seconds I had no power. My car was stuck in the middle of the intersection. When the vehicle regained power it slammed forward really hard.

Warning came up saying”4wd system unavailable service required”.

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving check engine light had suddenly illuminated and the message "unspecified service unavailable" had displayed along with the 4 wheel drive warning light had illuminated. During the failure the vehicle did not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed the ptu had malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer was not yet contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA campaign number: 25v011000(power train). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 81,000.

The ptu 2 speed is not engaging anymore the low gear range, errore message says the motor actuator is stuck.

The vehicle was making a vibration in the center of the car. I took it to the dealership and they said it was the ptu but that it's not part of the recall.