10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,763 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Jeep Cherokee:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #434

Jul 272023

Cherokee

  • miles
I was sitting at a red light when the light turned green I hit the gas and I heard clunk truck put it on park got out to check andy car rolled backwards into a man's car then wouldn't go forward or reverse and then after awhile mechanic got there and said the right front axle came undone from the ptu some how

- San Leandro , CA, USA

problem #433

Aug 162023

Cherokee

  • miles
The service 4WD light has come on and I have no AWD or 4WD so I took my jeep to Merlins to get diagnosed. They reported back to me that code C14A7-97 PTU Motor came up. They also told me that it is a safety recall and to take it to Jeep to have repaired. I have called 4 Jeep dealers and they have all told me that I do not have any open safety recalls and it will cost between 3 to 6k to repair. I have goggled the code and my Jeep does fall within the years of the recall and they have extended the recall. Merlins gave me the screen shots of the code and the safety recall and my Jeep should be included it it. I only have 61k miles on my jeep. I want to get my Jeep added to the recall or added as an independent recall.

- Glendale Heights, IL, USA

problem #432

Jul 212023

Cherokee

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the "Shift from Park to Drive" message displayed. Additionally, the SVC warning light illuminated. The contact shutoff and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission shifter was replaced. The failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #431

Aug 162023

Cherokee

  • miles
Dealer is refusing to replace a failed/noisy PTU as it does not have the mil code. Stellantis own paper work states it -??may-?? have codes. Not that it must. They have refused to replace the part under the XJ1 warranty extension.

- Windsor, CO, USA

problem #430

Jun 292023

Cherokee

  • miles
My 4X4 service light came on and I was advised by the Dealership that my Power Train Unit needs to be replaced.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #429

Aug 042023

Cherokee

  • miles
Since inception of purchasing the vehicle in January 2019, I have experienced a sudden jolt, banging sound/feeling. In the beginning the issue was subtle. In addition, I have felt a sudden loss of speed. It should be noted I did not seek any service at this time. As a side note, sometime in 2020/2021 i received a letter of a recall for fault PTU however this was for another jeep i owned no longer in my possession. This prompted me to call mopar to see if my current vin was possibly on that first recall of jeeps however i was advised it was not even though i had experienced the same issues described. Fast forward to as of recently august 2023, I received a recall letter with this current vin and proceeded to the nearest dealership for repair. I was advised the repair was a software update. As I was leaving the dealership after the update, I felt the loss of power, jolt and grinding when turning to backup with the service 4wd illuminated. I reparked and walked back inside the dealership when I was advised the repair was only a software update. In addition, I was advised a diagnostic test could be done for $175. I was advised to wait a couple of key cycles to see if the issues corrects itself. The software update has since not corrected itself and I feel as though I am at risk of an accident. This issue is getting worse with my vehicle and is a safety concern. I feel as though I am being penalized for faulty PTU which is on the manufacturer for costs to assure correction/repairs made. Thank you your time in reading this.

- Sterling Heights, MI, USA

problem #428

Mar 292023

Cherokee

  • miles
Ptu fail the second day of purchasing my car on my birthday with my 2 daughters was in the car with me a 1 year old and 2 year old the car made a big boom and stop it put it self in park. I took the car to a shop yes it was confirmed the ptu yes I took it to Jeep no they appeared after that happen

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #427

Jul 282023

Cherokee

  • miles
Vehicle had been running fine.Then coming home from work Friday came up to a yield sign went to press on gas heard a noise then car drifted to a stop wouldn't move in drive or reverse was able to drift to side of the road. Was a lot of traffic driving by wasn't able to inspect the car. Called for a tow truck they got my car on a flatbed and took vehicle to dealership were I bought vehicle. They looked at jeep next day said it needs a new transmission. I've read about a lot of people having issues with the zf 9 speed transmission. If this were to happen on a highway someone could be killed or seriously injured. Chrysler, jeep have been having problems since 2014-15 with the 9 speed transmission they were supposed to have fixed the problems in 2016 but sounds like there fix was unsuccessful. Thank you

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #426

Jul 142023

Cherokee

  • miles
The PTU has failed and needs to be replaced. There were no indicators of it failing, and had it gone out completely while driving it could have caused a serious crash. Dealership has evaluated it, and stated there is no recall and the part needs to be replaced for a cost of over $3,300. There is a national backorder on the part as other vehicle owners are facing the same problem. There were 2 recalls in relation to the PTU in similar models of this vehicle, but they did not address all cars made during that time frame, and the latest safety recall was a software patch and didn't actually replace the faulty part.

- Penfield, NY, USA

problem #425

Jun 092023

Cherokee

  • miles
My 2016 Jeep Cheroke with 75,000 miles started to show a yellow 4WD service light. It would come on and off. I brought it to a Jeep service repair center, where it currently sits, and they confirmed the PTU is NO good. Needs to be replaced at a cost of over $3,000. And to make matters worse, I was advised not to drive the Jeep because it is a safety issue! Also, there is a recall out for "certain" Jeep Cherokees, not mine, with the same exact issue! My Jeep Cherokee was manufactured during the time of the recalled Cherokees but it isn't part of this recall at this point?! I do not have $3,000 to repair a failed PTU which is part of a recall but not my jeep "yet, " but if I am driving the Jeep and the PTU totally fails, the Jeep will lose power to the wheels and it can cause an accident. Jeep knows this PTU is an issue but won't help. This is a safety issue.

- East Stroudsburg, PA, USA

problem #424

Jul 212023

Cherokee

  • miles
Alike several other report I have read on here, my service 4wd dashboard light came on. I took it to the Oxford Dodge dealership where I purchased it and was told the PTU (power transfer unit) needed to be replaced and is currently on backorder. I am concerned that 1000-??s of jeeps 2016&2017-??s had been recalled for a PTU issue, but like mine and several others on here they were not included in the recall yet her the issues arise and fear that there may be a lot of Jeep-??s needing to be recalled and that ppl-??s safety is at risk if not performed.

- Port Huron , MI, USA

problem #423

Jan 272023

Cherokee

  • miles
Transmission light will come on. Then I'll lose power. I've taken it to my local jeep shop who have said it's a bad PTU.

- Alum Bank, PA, USA

problem #422

May 032023

Cherokee

  • miles
4WD Service light came on for 2 mins then would turn on off after driving for 3 weeks. Then light came on and would not turn off. Car was taken to independent auto shop and was diagnosed as a bad PTU (power transfer unit). Currently waiting for service at jeep dealership. Service wait is over 3 weeks. Car is stuck in 2wd and has no traction control even if it is stated as being engaged. Front wheels spin on slightest touch from a stop and on turns at speeds over 35 mph.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #421

Jun 202023

Cherokee

  • miles
PTU motor failure.

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

problem #420

Jun 142023

Cherokee

  • miles
Approx. 4 weeks ago (6/14/23), the service 4WD service light started to come on/off at random times in my 2016 Jeep Cherokee (upon starting car, putting car in reverse, making a turn and just during driving). On 6/22/23, I took my vehicle to an independent auto shop to see if they could pull a code as to the issue of the service 4W drive light and they could not pull a code to find out what the issue was. I then scheduled an appointment with a Chrysler/Jeep dealership on 7/6/23 to have them investigate the service 4WD light. I was advised that the PTU (Power Transfer Unit) needs to be replaced as metal was found inside. A new PTU has been ordered as of 7/11/23 but was advised that this part is on backorder with no ETA. Upon research, Jeep issued a recall in 2020 for 2016 and 2017 Jeep Cherokees over PTU's affecting 93K vehicles. I believe the internal recall # was 45A and the previous recall # was W47. My 2016 Jeep Cherokee (64K miles) was not a part of said recall. I believe Jeep has a larger problem with the PTU's being used in their vehicles but does not want to admit it. Upon reading the NHTSA Part 573 Safety Recall report - 23V-302 regarding the recall of the PTU's, the safety risk is a loss of motive power which can cause a vehicle to crash without prior warning. My Jeep may not have had the component parts numbers listed in said report but did the recall for the PTU's go deep enough than the part numbers listed" Has Jeep really corrected the issue with their PTU's" At this time, I do not know if I have a safe vehicle to drive. I do not know if I am putting myself and other's at risk for an unknown time period. I am concerned about the safety of driving my vehicle based on the Safety recall report.

- Aurora , CO, USA

problem #419

Jul 062023

Cherokee

  • miles
The SRV 4WDR light is still coming on after getting the recall work done on the PTU at the Fox jeep dealership today. A spline was replaced I think. Recall 45A. I believe the whole PTU is bad.

- Allen Park, MI, USA

problem #418

Jul 012023

Cherokee

  • miles
My "service 4wd" light continues to come on and the shop said my PTU needs replaced but my VIN number isn't part of the recalls so it's going to cost me several thousand dollars.

- Oak Ridge, TN, USA

problem #417

May 302023

Cherokee

  • miles
I just bought my vehicle and I looked it-??s been driving funny I took it to the shop they said I need my ptu fixed when I looked it up there is a recall but I don-??t understand why my car not involved in the recall when it-??s majority jeeps problem right now

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #416

Jun 012023

Cherokee

  • miles
For months now I keep having something wrong not sure whats wrong either it-??s engine, powertrain. It keeps doing different stuff. First it-??s acting like it want to dye like stall out for no reason. Sometimes it loses power like hitting the gas peddle but won-??t go engine just fires up. The other day I had issues trying to put into reverse to back up hit the gas and it just accelerated really bad but didn-??t move almost like it was stuck in gear. I-??ll be driving down road and out of nowhere my car accelerated gears to 3/4 wouldn-??t go down when i was going 40 on straight road. Took few minutes to unstick. Whatever is going on seriously needs looked into bc i am worried it-??s gonna cause me get hit. This been going on for couple years and i am about ready to trade my Jeep in for different dealer

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #415

Jun 162023

Cherokee

  • miles
PTU failure, dealer cannot effectively perform recall 45A without a whole PTU replacement, at a cost of upwards of $4000. This is a known issue with the PTUs in these Jeeps, with numerous service bulletins and recalls regarding the part. Failure of the 4x4 system has put my, and others-?? safety at risk because unreliability in inclement snowy weather conditions and forcing the vehicle into 2wd mode unexpectedly could cause loss of traction or control. The problem is well known, simply search -??Jeep Cherokee PTU failure-?? and hundreds if not thousands of other owners have experienced the same issue. The component has been inspected by a Jeep dealership/service center and confirmed to be faulty. At highway speeds, seemingly randomly, the warning message -??4WD System Temporarily Unavailable-?? would sometimes come on briefly, then go away. After failure of the part, -??4WD System Unavailable, Service Required-?? would come on persistently and 4WD was not functional at all.

- Dillon, CO, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »