2020 JEEP CHEROKEE Complaints

No injury or incident yet. The PTU was diagnosed as failing at 46,500 miles on June 30, 2025. The vehicle is still being driven because the driver has no alternative, but no dealership has been able to confirm whether it is safe to operate in this condition. A failing PTU can result in sudden power loss, drivetrain lockup, or loss of park function—especially in AWD vehicles. These symptoms match those described in NHTSA Recall 25V011000 affecting Jeep Cherokees. The lack of clear safety guidance and the delay in repair have created a potentially hazardous situation. This should be investigated as part of the broader PTU defect pattern.

SVC 4WD light turned on. Dealership said it may be ptu issue and would cost $1400 just to diagnose, not fix. This is a known issue for Jeep Cherokee 2017-2019. Mine is 2020 with less than 50k miles on it.

SVC 4WD light came on. Took it to Jeep dealership to have them look at it. PTU "power transfer unit" is bad. Got a second opinion at an automotive repair shop, they too diagnosed PTU is bad. Repair shop printed a Safety Recall with our vehicles VIN number. Went back to Jeep with the Safety Recall paperwork and Jeep won't honor the safety recall.

Replaced transmission at 20,000 miles. Now at 55,000 miles it is going again. Powertrain warranty expired by 6 months.

Parking brake will automatically engage randomly while car is stopped at lights, stops signs, ect. The only way to reset is to put vehicle in park, turn off ignition and restart vehicle. Has happened several times over the last 3 months.

Hard shift 70-80 mph, lost drive power output. No response to gas pedal while engine remained on. I turned on hazards and moved to the emergency lane as the car was coasting to a stop. I caught a glimpse of 4WD or AWD something and it disappeared before I could read it all. I was about to approach an off ramp from the highway emergency when at a slow speed perhaps 30 mph or so output returned and I was able to complete driving home. This is the first time it was more than just jerky clunky shifting. Vehicle has 69,858 miles.

I bought my vehicle in summer of 2020 brand new. It currently has 66k miles on it. A week ago the 4 WD service light came on. I took it in for diagnostic and it came back with code C14A7-97 PTO motor operation. The motor is functioning obviously, but the trasfer case is not engaging. There is currently a recall on vehicles similar to 2020, on the same issue but none have been issued on mine yet. The PTU should be good for 100k miles but not even close to that & it’s a super pricey fix on a vehicle I still pay on monthly. PTU input spline is the power transfer unit, so basically my 4 wheeled drive vehicle is not gonna function in 4 wheeled drive. I am hopeful as I saw similar complaints to mine here, that this is the next batch of recalls for Jeep, as I doubt I am alone.

The power transfer unit, differential, spark plugs, and air induction failed. The vehicle is still having bad vibration problems at speeds above 50 mph despite $7,000 in repairs.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the message "4-Wheel Drive Unavailable" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the PTU had failed and needed to be replaced. The PTU was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 21,794.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the parking brake engaged unintendedly, causing the vehicle to stop abruptly, almost causing the contact to hit her head against the steering wheel. The contact stated that the failure nearly caused the vehicle to be rear-ended. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could only be repaired free of charge if it was covered under warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.