2021 JEEP CHEROKEE Complaints

Our Jeep has had multiple accounts of shifting hard, hesitation while shifting, making a hard sound when putting in reverse and now it is having trouble starting up. When we charged the recently purchased (brand new) battery, the vehicle will start up but when placing in reverse it shifts so hard that it sounds like the bottom is dropping out. Now a lot of lights are shining on my panel; the check engine light, the forward collision light, the parking break light, the regular brake notification, the traction control light.....all shining up like Christmas lights. This is an ongoing issue and I feel a recall needs to be done. My car is over the warranty time frame and for a 2021 model that was purchased brand new I should NOT have to be replacing a transmission already and paying out of pocket expenses.

The padding (foam) underneath the cover of the car seat is cracked/broken. It is available whenever for inspection. By the foam being damaged, it is no longer safe to use according to multiple reliable sources. EvenFlo is claiming for it to be just as safe after reporting the damage. I have sent photos of the damage to EvenFlo and they claim that they will not replace it due to being bought from a 3rd party retailer (brand new) and also claim it’s still perfectly safe to use. It was also inspected by the hospital prior to bringing my daughter home (there was no damage).

The power transfer unit failed and lost power lots of grinding noises and could even roll when in park. What worries me more as I read about this is how many seems to be failing

My vehicle was driving fine and I pulled up to a stop light. When I stepped on gas to drive after the light switched, the car would not move and made a loud noise. The brake automatically kicked in and car would not move. This could have been very dangerous as someone could have slammed into the back of my car which could have caused serious damage to me or my children. There was absolutely no warning of anything wrong with my car. I had to have my vehicle towed to a garage. The PTU in my jeep went with absolutely no warning. This part is on back order apparently because there are so many issues with this part on jeeps. Prior year jeeps have this item as a recall which leads me to believe that this is a Jeep problem that should have been fixed already. So now I am without my vehicle for a month.

When taking off out of my driveway the car hesitated to send power from the engine to the wheels resulting in a delayed start. Unknown which component caused the issue but based on my previous 2014 trailhawks PTU 2 x failure it appears to be the suspect. This placed my me and my family at a risk of a side collision as vehicles drive down our road at high speeds. If we cannot pull out in time, a collision is likely to occur causing serious injury or death. Vehicle I available for inspection upon request but has not been inspected by a dealer, independent shop, of police for this problem and there were no indicator lights that came on.

The PTU (power transfer unit) failed in the middle of the interstate which caused it to stall and not move.

PTU failure Service 4WD Light came on in April 2025 problem confirmed by independent service center has not been inspected by manufacture, police, insurance or others

Driving a 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk on the interstate with cruise control engaged. All of a sudden the vehicle decelerates/downshifts and the display screen flashes "4WD System Unavailable Service Required" and "4WD Neutral Warning". Trying to cross traffic to get to the shoulder of road and almost hit due to deceleration. Press gas pedal and nothing. Traction control light flashes on. Coast cross traffic to shoulder side of the road. Shut off Jeep. Check for loss of fluids and/or parts. Check brakes. Nothing. No smoke. No burning smell. Turn vehicle on. Vehicle automatically engages parking brake. Shift off parking brake and shift vehicle into drive and it makes a grinding noise like its trying to shift into 4WD. Snow mode pops on as well as the FWD Collision light and traction control. Jeep ran just fine until this point and no prior incidents, no bad/hard shifting. NOTHING.

Upon exiting a major interstate highway, I slowed down and attempted to merge onto a divided highway. The vehicle (2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk) did not respond, as their was little or no power. Cars behind me, took actions to avoid me. After coasting to the shoulder of the divided highway, I placed the vehicle in park and then back into drive. I experienced a grinding, oscillating noise and a dashboard warning message stating to service 4WD system. I repeated this procedure and was able to advance the vehicle at a slow/steady pace to a local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep dealership, not far from the malfunction. Dealership has confirmed a major PTU failure, one of the "worst" they have seen. I was also informed that the stated wait on replacement parts is 45 days.

I bought the car in 7/23 at Auto Savvy Sta fe New Mexico, after 3-4 weeks the power steering wheel light on I called the dealer so they checked n then they said nothing is wrong so after that the lights . The car were 3 times at the dealer and the last time was there for 9 weeks. So they said they changed the steering column, the clock spring and the lights came back. So one time I lost the control, on the high way so after that I haven’t used the car.