2018 JEEP CHEROKEE Complaints

I am writing to escalate a safety and reimbursement concern regarding my 2018 Jeep Cherokee, VIN [Your VIN], which is subject to recall 01C / 25V-011 (Power Transfer Unit Snap Ring Defect). Before the recall remedy was available, my vehicle experienced a sudden loss of drive power, grinding, and jerking, which led to a full transmission replacement. I was stranded on the side of an interstate ramp as a result of this loss of drive power. The PTU was not replaced and remains original. I now intermittently receive a “4WD won’t work” alert 65-80% of vehicle starts. I attempted to schedule my vehicle for the recall repair and spoke in length with the Jeep dealership in [XXX] on 2/23/26. The dealership has informed me that PTU replacement parts are unavailable and could take months to arrive. If the dealership detects a concern during inspection, they will not allow me to keep the vehicle, yet they cannot provide a loaner. This leaves me without transportation for an indefinite period, despite the recall being an active safety concern. It is important to note that the PTU is directly connected to the transmission and transfers power to the rear wheels; a PTU failure can place stress on or impair the transmission, which can cause symptoms identical to sudden transmission failure. I request escalation to a senior case manager or Tier 2 Top Car Specialist, review of my prior repair for reimbursement, and documentation of the ongoing 4WD alerts to support safety and claim review. Attachments: repair receipt. Thank you for your time, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The steering rack failed about one week after I purchased the vehicle. The dealer replaced the steering rack once, but the same problem happened again about six months later. The vehicle has now been at the dealership for about one year waiting for another replacement steering rack. The dealer informed me the part is unavailable and must be specially manufactured. A loaner vehicle was provided while waiting. This repeated steering system failure is a serious safety concern.

I am filing a safety complaint regarding Safety Recall 01C (NHTSA 25V-011) and the handling of my vehicle by both the dealership and Stellantis. My vehicle exhibited fault codes and conditions consistent with the defect described in Recall 01C, including: DTC C1477-4B (Transfer Case Clutch Over Temperature) DTC C1440-64 (Transfer Case Clutch Pressure Sensor) Documented drivetrain control module failure status (“TestFailed: True”) Excessive clutch temperature readings exceeding 400°F These are consistent with PTU-related failure conditions the recall is intended to detect and address. Despite this, the dealership concluded that the PTU was not the cause and instead replaced the rear differential. I repeatedly requested written documentation explaining how the PTU was ruled out and how the rear differential was determined to be the root cause. This was not clearly provided. Additionally, the recall remained marked as “incomplete” for over a month while the vehicle was in the dealership’s possession. Immediately after I escalated the issue to corporate, the recall was suddenly marked “complete,” without clear explanation or supporting documentation. I was also not clearly informed that the Drivetrain Control Module (DTCM) had been replaced. I do not know: When the DTCM was replaced relative to testing Whether recall testing was performed with a faulty DTCM Whether the new DTCM was properly updated under Recall 01C Whether testing was repeated after replacement If recall validation was performed using a faulty DTCM, this raises concerns that the PTU testing procedure may have been invalid. The vehicle remained at the dealership for nearly two months during this process. Throughout this time, I experienced significant difficulty obtaining clear answers, and my concerns were not fully addressed before the recall was marked complete. I am concerned that: The recall may have been improperly executed or validated

while i was driving my vehicle put the parking brake on and then i was unable to get it deactivated at first, after a few seconds i got it and moved forward in traffic. after a few feet the vehicle put the parking brake on and i was unable to move once again. this was in the middle of traffic and i ended up blocking the single lane road. I called a family member who was near by and they came and some how got the parking brake off and drove me and the vehicle home. my safety and everyone one around safety was jeopardized because they had to go into oncoming traffics lane to pass me until i got moving. parking wouldn't engage when we got home and service parking brake light was on.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the 4WD warning light illuminated, rendering the 4WD inoperable. The vehicle automatically switched to the Rear Wheel Drive mode. The vehicle was taken to both an independent mechanic and the dealer, who determined that the PTU had failed and needed to be replaced, but the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to shift properly when the accelerator was applied. The contact was unaware of any warning lights illuminated at the time of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit and drivetrain had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a reimbursement case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 99,477.

While driving, often at highway speeds, all of the lights on the shifter will light up and the dash will display "Service Transmission." I took it to the dealer several times and their response has been that it is a software issue that they do not have a fix for and that I should stop the car, turn the engine off, open and close the door and then restart the car. This does temporarily reset the display but doing this on the highway poses a safety problem in trying to get to the shoulder in traffic.

When the running lights and headlights are set to Auto, moving the lever to High Beam causes the lights to go out. I have been asking the dealer and trying to find a solution since buying the car new, but no recall had been issued for my VIN and the dealer will not correct the problem with a recall specific to my VIN and year/model. There is a known issue with the Smart Lighting Module that prevents the High Beam from activating and shuts off the headlight in the Auto position, and a software update has been issued for the newer models, but not for the 2018 Cherokee with the same software.

Back up camera turns to static when going in reverse. Has been happening for years. No warnings. Just malfunctioning. Reported this in 2019 to Jeep.

The PTU has failed and caused damage to splines. This failure caused the engine light to come on intermittently and failure to shift. The problem has been confirmed by a dealership where the car is and has been sitting for repair for almost a year due to no repair parts available from Jeep.