2014 JEEP CHEROKEE Complaints

Started getting noise from behind engine when in drove. Took to mechanic. Diagnosed as bad PTU. No error messages or warning lights. Car has about 168k miles.

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while the vehicle was stopped at a STOP sign, the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle hesitated and jerked forward. The contact heard a noticeable grinding noise. The contact reported that the vehicle engine's hesitation, grinding, and jerking into motion became longer and very noticeable. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed. The contact stated that while the mechanic was performing a test drive, the vehicle stalled and could not be moved. The mechanic reported that the power transfer unit had failed. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The independent mechanic notified the contact of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train). The contact called the manufacturer and was informed that the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 113,145.

Parking brake randomly engaged, while parked and will drive. I was driving in parking lot so no injury. Had towed for service. Found water in harness and parking brake module.

Vehicle gets stuck in a gear when accelerating and will then slam into the next gear with substantial force! Force so great the driver would liken it to a broken driveshaft that was also just run over. A very loud bang is heard and the vehicle shakes abruptly from the shock. My wife who was riding with me assumed we had just been hit by another vehicle. This is an intermittent problem that can not always be replicated under the same driving conditions.

PTU failed at 20,000 miles (vehicle is driven only a few thousand miles per year). Had PTU replaced by dealer (at full dealer charges), but the problem persists and dealer now wants to replace the differential. This appears to be the exact problem meant to be covered by the 2018 (not certain of date ?) warranty extension to 8yrs/150,000, which assessment was confirmed by an independent repair shop. However the vehicle was manufactured a few months prior to the 2014 starting date of such extension and Jeep/Chrysler refuses to cover it. Because the vehicle is outside the covered period, I never received the warranty extension notice and have only just learned about the extension.

The oil filter adapter has cracked due to it being a plastic housing. Cold weather speeds up the process. The oil filter adapter also has a small torque tolerance for the cap that will also break the housing. This is available for inspection upon request. The safety concern is that the oil leaks out on top of the motor then down the sides and onto the exhaust below causing emission tests to fail. My dealer mentioned this is common but nothing official. The component has not been inspected by police or insurance. The dash indicators don’t come on till enough oil leaks out to display low oil level.

When trying to fuel the vehicle, the pump continually shuts off. Jeep repaired this once while under warranty, but it has happened a second time and an internet search confirms this is a known issue. It could be an issue with the evap hose design. The safety concern is the rate at which fuel is added to the tank. With this issue, the flow rate has to be reduced enough to allow the fumes to escape through the down flow spout which is a fire hazard if there are any sparks. At the lower flow rate, it's easy to overflow the tank as it's the only way to bypass the automatic shutoff.

Power Transfer Unit failed similar to other 2014 and later Jeep Cherokees but this VIN is not included in recall for those years.

PTU made loud grinding noice, wasn able to move vehicle from red light up the hill. Loss of engagement between the transmission and the differential inside the PTU. Was able to move away from the road, felt like whole engine will jump out from the frame. It occured before I knew about W47 recall which is not an actual fix for this issue. Some torque still present, I can drive 3 mp/h on flat roads, not up on the minor hills. Now I simply don't know what to do because W47 recall not going to fix it and not going to prevent same issue after mechanical repair in the future.

The power transfer unit commonly referred to as the PTU on the jeep Cherokee is a faulty piece of equipment. Mine has been confirmed failing by the dealer and needs to be replaced. If not replaced the vehicle could lose propulsion and cause an accident. If it fails why the vehicle is parked it could release the wheels to spin and go down any incline it's parked on causing injury or death to anybody near it.