CarComplaints.com Notes: There's no way around it, the Cherokee's transmission is junk. There's no other explanation for why a vehicle, usually with under 40,000 miles, would have so many complaints
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
15 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,382 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I had it in to fix a recall on the transmission, a few months later I started it and put it into reverse, I pressed the accelerator and had zero engine power, I put it back into park and the engine started running extremely ruff shaking the entire car, I turned the car off immediately, waited a few moments and restarted again only to have the same issue plus the transmission went into what I would call self destruct mode, it clunked and growled it was the worst sound ever. I took the Jeep to my local Jeep dealer and they reflashed the transmission, they told me if it happens again they'll drop in a new transmission, it still doesn't shift right and I'm worried I'll end up needing a new transmission after my power train warranty expires, there was clearly damage done to the transmission when it went into self destruct mode and I think the trans should have been replaced at that time, also the Jeep goes into neutral by itself while driving down the road so this is also a safety issue, I don't feel safe driving this car and or having passengers in it.
Issues jerking and hard shifting while driving. Car lurches forward and moves in jerky movements. Almost caused an accident because vehicle stalled then lurches forward hard.
The car while going down the road at 50mph shut off losing all power steering and power brake and there was a "service transmission" message on the dash. When the car restarted and put in drive there was a clunking sound and all indicators were blinking. Then the message said " shift to park then drive"
Issue 1. engine: At any time the vehicle's engine will shut off while driving. This issue has happened going 70mph on the highway, and it has happened backing out of a parking spot. I have had my engine shut off on me 5 times, I've only had the vehicle for 3 months. The engine will shut off but all other power will stay on. It seems to happen completely at random, I haven't noticed any relation to speed, type of road, or what the vehicle is doing. Issue 2. transmission: The vehicles transmission will randomly shift into neutral while driving. When the vehicle shifts into neutral while I'm accelerating I lose complete control of vehicle acceleration. The problem seems to always happen while accelerating. This issue has also happened to me at a wide range of speeds. This issue has affected me over 10 times, last time being yesterday in a school zone. Both issues happen independantly of each other, I haven't found any relation between the two. Both issues cause me to lose control of my vehicle in dangerous situations. The way that fca and my dealership treat this issue as if it isn't dangerous is incredibly concerning. My vehicle has been in the shop for a month now and the only solution service has presented is to put a data recorder on board, with the hopes of my vehicle failing on me. My research has lead to one potential link. Based on a 2016 fca recall #16V529000, insufficient crimps in the transaxle wiring harness can cause the transmission to randomly shift to neutral, and can cause the engine to stall while driving. This recall has been performed on my vehicle and the issues still persist.
- Mckinney, TX, USA
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Sometimes car won't start completely out of oil no warning not fit for change bucking from transmission cooling 2 codes set off one said vacuum leak other unknown complete electrical panel went pickles across dash radio phone sinking have to shift down car for to rebut motor sounds like jet engines now tapping all four brakes rotors and calipers needed to be replaced bucks forward no warning lights have to manually go threw computer to find out what is wrong transmission worked on twice told at first nothing wrong also ac failed now other fans not working cooling not holding shaking in dash gone up as high as 300 smell antifreeze all before 2000 miles.
2014 Jeep Cherokee. Consumer writes in regards to issues with car stalling. The consumer stated that the vehicle shifted hard between first and second gear. A "thud" could be heard when the vehicle jerked. The vehicle would "chug" and stall at intersections. The stalling also occurred when reversing and upon breaking in order to shift. The vehicle propelled forward when downshifting nearly hitting the vehicle in front of it. The vehicle became stuck at 3000 plus RPM when going down hill. The brake would have to be applied in order to have the car shift. The vehicle had a "howling" sound at the front end that worsens in cold weather. It was only heard while in motion. The radio randomly switched stations. Also, it would switch from the radio to the phone. Phone calls would not go through, but the timer for the call would connect. The radio and phone would be inoperable until the vehicle was restarted and they key removed from the ignition for at least 3 minutes. The dealer could not duplicate the failures. The consumer was concerned the warranty would run out before the vehicle could be repaired. Updated 08/28/2017
Since the very beginning driving 2014 Jeep the transmission slips. Taking it back to the dealer service dept for all maintenance asking them to check the trans have complained of the slipping and told every time it is way the trans works. I have 60K miles on this vehicle I am concerned that the trans will fail while I am on the road and cause a deadly accident. 8/10 I had an app't for an oil change. I requested a vehicle check and check brakes as they did not seem to be working as they should. Was informed the vehicle needed front/back brakes and that rotors needed replaced. I only traveled about 15 miles when I heard a clinking sound in left rear it sounded as if a lug nut loose when I stopped the rear of my vehicle lowered and when moving it sounded like a bucket of metal in my rear wheel. I turned into a parking. When backing up the vehicle froze I stopped, called service department of freedom. I had my vehicle towed back to the service dept. Was told issue was brakes were not installed/secured properly. I asked that all the brakes be inspected, if the tech did not know how to install one there was a concern for the other 3 wheels I did not want to take a chance of having a fatal crash. I also asked that all work be reinspected. When explaining what had happened it was obvious rep was speaking beyond scope of her knowledge ' this was very frustrating I was placed in a very dangerous situation due to the poor workmanship of the tech. The story did not make sense the more she tried to explain it was more convoluted. I was transferred to the service mger who explained what happened, admitted that brake failure was tech's fault. In light of all the times I have had the Jeep into service dept complaining about trans does not give me a level of confidence that there is not something significant with the trans I would like an investigation into this matter
Purchased new 2014 Cherokee V6 latitude active drive II - 10 times into the shop for weeks at a time for severe bucking, incorrect gear shift of transmission. Fully replaced transmission in 4/2017. 1,000 miles later, we are back to square one. Noticeable delayed acceleration which is extremely unsafe at busy intersections. Car should not be on the road. Bucking forward when shifting from stop to first, second, third and same with stopping at faster speeds. Hard, unnecessary shifts into the wrong gear at various times. Car can be hard to control if shift happens when slowing down at a stop light. The bucking will actually push the car forward instead of helping it stop.
Vehicle has been in the shop 2X in past year for same issues. I had put my vehicle in the shop back in October 2016 because it would stop on me in the middle of driving whether it be I'm coming down the hill at a stop sign or driving down a residential street and it would just lose all motive power. Would also lose power on freeway where I would have to immediately try and find a way to get over. Recently this time it lost power anf when I restarted it it wouldn't go in reverse and only go in drive I was only able to go up to 25 miles per hour on my way to the dealership. The last time it broke down I put it in the shop and they said they had replaced my transmission since they did not have the part for my transaxle recall and that was to fix the problem. However the problem is still happening and I fear for my safety. It is currently in the shop right now again hopefully they can fix it this time and not just push me off like they did last time
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. While driving 15 mph, the vehicle jerked and independently shifted into a lower gear. The vehicle was taken to lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge of billings (2229 king ave w, billings, mt 59102), but the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer asked the contact to bring the vehicle back. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken back to lithia Dodge a third time, but the cause of the failure still could not be diagnosed. During the fourth visit to the dealer, it was diagnosed that the throttle position sensor failed and needed to be replaced. However, the diagnosis was later revised to state that the vehicle needed a software update. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and contacted the dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Several incidents where vehicle suddenly looses ability to move forward. Engine still runs, display says shift to park, then back to desired gear. Check transmission light, check parking brake light. Loss of power occurs suddenly - has occured while crossing intersection. Requires stopping car. Putting in park. Usually I also have to shut down ignition and restart, then shift back into drive. Problem resets the transmission, causing any learning data to be absent - first shifts into gear extremely rough. Vehicle has had transmission recall preformed - but this is not the issue. Chrysler has informed me that certain errors can occur that send a shut down code to the transmission. Obd2 code when this happened for me was P1ddd-00. They say that fuel valve issues in the fuel system cause the code, which in turn shuts down transmission. Note attached service bulletin that hints at issue. The crazy thing is a fault in the fuels system allows the engine to continue (great since engine continues - now my car engine could catch on fire and I have no motive power) - but resets the transmission, leaving one stranded for several moments where ever this occurs. Chrysler tells me other issues can can cause transmission shut down in lieu of going to limp mode. I have had several issues of this in the 3 years of ownership - many people think there is a transmission issue - maybe there are on some cars - but now I learn that other failures can cause random resets of the transmission. Chrysler says - see service bulletin - even overfilling gas tank can cause this issue. Vehicle is unsafe to drive and unfit to be on the streets.
Purchased used with 36,000 mi. On 20th day of ownership, experienced the feeling of being hit from behind while approaching driveway at low speed. That evening felt same "rear-ended" feeling while sitting still in drive-thru. The car lurched forward so suddenly that had I not had my foot firmly on the brake, we would have hit vehicle in front of us. Simultaneous to "lurch" forward, the car died like the feeling of "popping clutch on manual transmission". drove home and engine died again at about 5 mph after right turn. Restarted & continued onto street and into driveway. Next morning on my way to work, it felt like it wanted to die and was struggling with gears. I pulled into my parking place and my boss happened to be standing there next to his car. As he stood next to the car while I was in it, it lurched forward again and died. Needless to say he was startled, and again, had I not had my foot firmly on the brake, I could have hit him as well as the brick wall in front of the car. So I started the car again and it died again while in "P". not cool, headed to service department. I started it again, and as I started to pull out of the driveway onto a very busy street, the car hesitated (what seemed like a couple of seconds) before it would cross the 2 lanes of oncoming traffic going 40-50 mph. Um, yeah. Scary. A mile or so down the road, it decided to shut down again, this time in the middle of a 3-lane road going about 30 mph and I was almost rear-ended! I restarted and proceeded to service department - no diagnosis there after them keeping the car for 4 days. They sent to Jeep dealer, where it still sits today, waiting for it to act-up and get a diagnosis so it can be "fixed". Jeep has had it 15 days and still no answers. I had the car 20 days, and the dealer(s) have had it a total of 18. This car is a tragedy waiting to happen....
When my vehicle is in motion on city streets and on the freeways, it jerks and lunges and has shifting problems due to a 9 speed faulty transmission system.
Since I bought this vehicle, I have had to take to multiple dealers, that could never remedy the "hard jerking, missed gear shifting and repetitive engine light warning and complete engine shutdowns". I now have a vehicle, that I'm told the only fix is to completely repair the transmission, but when the vehicle was under warranty, I was told a computer reprogram would fix the issue. I performed a VIN audit, and some of the visits to the multiple dealers don't reflect the actual service, but I have my documents. Now I have a negative equity vehicle that I fear to drive, at the moment I just took the car to the dealer, they looked at it and now the engine light is off. I have oral fear the inconsistencies of this vehicle, so I have purchased a new vehicle, until I get a resolve. I took the car to the dealer after multiple complete loss of power on I-80 while coming back from a family trip from nyc. Going 65 mph to have the vehicle loss complete power is insane. The only resolve was to pull over, wait, and try again.
Was driving the car and transmission started to disengage. Rpms were going high but the car was not moving. Later that day, the car lunged and the service transmission light came on the car dashboard. The car would go in reverse but not forward. We turned it off, then back on. Same issue but the car let us drive it home. Had to have the car towed to the dealership. This is a 2014 Jeep Cherokee trailhawk with only 22,000 miles. The transmission has been acting up since the day we purchased it. It's an automatic shift, but it is very rough, the car hestiates when you press on the gas. Not surpised that the transmission has gone out on a 3-year old car with only 22,000 miles - pityful.
Ongoing transmission issue - even after software updates the transmission on this 2014 trailhawk fails without warning. This has always happened while driving on city streets. The vehicle just shuts down, the transmission loses power and forward momentum. The vehicle is still running, but you can press down on the accelerator and go nowhere, steering is also affected. First, we were told by san antonio Chrysler Dodge Jeep that this was an issue with the fuel tank - that filling up the vehicle causes fuel to spill over into some area causing it to stall... really ?... okay. Then we were told it was a software issue and an update would fix the problem - nope. This has happened to us while trying to make left-hand turns, while traveling in heavy traffic, and while trying to accelerate into intersections or while accelerating out into traffic from parking lots... and it happens without warning - the vehicle just quits. It's dangerous and you take your life into your own hands every time you drive it. The latest software updates were done in January 2017 (which cdj wanted to charge us for). The updates still didn't fix the problem so we left the trailhawk sitting in the driveway - that killed our battery. The trailhawk is at the dealership now and they want $300 (250. Plus labor) for a new battery and charge us to do another "transmission software update" because it's "not under warranty" even though we bought the extended 75,000 mile warranty (which was supposed to be a Chrysler warranty, but we have recently learned is a 3rd party warranty" -_-. I'm tired of Chrysler's inability to fix this ongoing and dangerous situation - and we are still making our payments on a vehicle we can't drive.
Car was randomly shutting off while driving and shifting was very harsh. Brought it to dealer who did software update and told me I should have known that this car's oil has to be checked every 1,000 miles. Not currently having shutting off problems anymore, but shifting and lurching remains. Trying another dealer to see if they can fix it. Opened a complaint with Chrysler, who gave me a case # and said bring it to a dealer. This is a known issue and should have full transmission replacement!
Really bad/rough gear shifting, jumping, banging, lurching. Violently shaking and sometimes doesn't even go into gear when accelerating from a stop. On city streets when having to stop for a stop sign or traffic light
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Ionia, MI, USA