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.

2014 Jeep Cherokee drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2014 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 1 of 68)

problem #1356

Jun 142024

Cherokee

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2014 Jeep Cherokee with 84,000 miles. I took it to a dealership because it had a clicking noise. They said the PTU, Power Train Unit was going bad and the splines were causing the noise. Apparently this can cause the vehicle to stop moving and will damage the transmission if not replaced. I was told the part is on backorder and may take a few months to get in. Received a quote for over $4,000 to replace the PTU.

- Thornton, CO, USA

problem #1355

May 202024

Cherokee

  • 172,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the transmission while changing gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. An appointment with a local independent mechanic was scheduled to inspect the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,000.

- Caledonia, MS, USA

problem #1354

Apr 122023

Cherokee

  • miles
Bought 2014 Latitude Apr 5, 2023 Trouble starts with acceleration moving 40 mph suddenly I'm not going anywhere, car is in nuetral but gear shift is still in drive but engine is. Car message says put vehicle in park restart and choose desired action. I'm in the middle of traffic that's moving 40 to 60 mph. This has been ongoing for over a year. I have not had my Jeep for over 340 days since 2023 as it remains in shop.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #1353

May 042024

Cherokee

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car is a 2014 My PUT failed in 2020 for the first time, and now In 2024 for the 2nd time. This is supposed to be a heavy duty vehicle and I dont ever take it off road. It shouldn't fail like this.

- Lakewood, NJ, USA

problem #1352

May 022024

Cherokee

  • miles
The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) needs to be replaced. A warning light came on, "Svc 4wd". I have 130,000 miles on the vehicle. My mechanic said it will take months to get the part because so many other Cherokees are having the same issue. It would seem to me that if this issue is so widespread, a recall should be made on it. Instead, I am being asked to pay $3,500 to have it repaired once the part comes in. Now I have a car that I am afraid to drive before it is fixed as I don't know if driving it will create further, more extensive, issues.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

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problem #1351

Apr 052024

Cherokee

  • miles
The Power Transfer Unit PTU is failing on my 2014 Jeep Cherokee and Jeep knows this is an issue. They have already recalled over 67,000 vehicles for this issue but somehow my vehicle isn-??t affected when there-??s no way I could have damaged the part myself. The problem has been diagnosed by a Jeep dealership as failing but I don-??t want to drive it and have fail in the middle of a trip where I would ultimately lose all power to the vehicle and be stranded in the middle of the road. No warning lamps came on but vehicle has been making a loud scraping metal on metal sound below 35 and when decelerating.

- Grand Haven , MI, USA

problem #1350

Apr 032024

Cherokee

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle had no service light or warnings prior to shutting down in a parking lot. Now it won-??t start and says 4WD is unavailable, service transmission. I had to pay for it to be towed to my home. I-??m a disabled veteran living on a fixed income and cannot afford to take it to a dealer. Seems to me that the recall W47 20V343000 directly addresses the reason my vehicle is inoperable and so SHOULD include my VIN!

- Morrisville, PA, USA

problem #1349

Dec 172023

Cherokee

  • 153,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the message "Service 4-Wheel Drive" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently and was preventing the vehicle from switching from one driving mode to another as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 153,000.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #1348

Apr 102024

Cherokee

  • miles
PTU issue keep appearing, believe our call should also be included into below recall. Can someone advise please? Recall #: [XXX] Report Receipt Date: [XXX} Component(s): POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Summary: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a two-speed Power Transfer Unit (PTU). Relative movement in the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) between the differential input splines and the transmission output shaft may cause some input spline teeth to wear off, which may eventually cause a loss of engagement between the transmission and the differential inside the PTU. If this occurs, power cannot be transferred between the front wheels and the transmission which results in a loss of drive while the vehicle is in motion and a loss of the Park function while stationary. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- N/A, AL, USA

problem #1347

Apr 062024

Cherokee

  • miles
Service 4WD light is constantly on while driving. The Jeep is at over 112,000 miles. My mechanic did a diagnostic check and the code that was provided was C14A7-97 PTU Motor-Component or System Operation Obstructed or Blocked. I checked with the Jeep dealership for a possible recall and gave my VIN number. There are no current recalls. For 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokees where the PTU has not been previously replaced, the auto maker-??s recall number is W47 and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)-??s recall campaign number is 20V343. At the current moment I-??m scared to drive this car. I drive my elderly mother and kids in this car. If these problems are due to a recall I need my car fixed by Jeep. They are the only ones that know how to handle this situation.

- Oakland, CA, USA

problem #1346

Apr 022024

Cherokee

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When tank is filled up, my car stall or jumps and losses power when in drive and come to a stop, it tells me to put in park. But has done it while driving and just died, but it happens every time I fill up my tank, but it-??s bad when I get to a red light and it jumps or when I come to crossing and just jumps in traffic or stops

- Tupelo , MS, USA

problem #1345

Mar 012024

Cherokee

  • miles
SVC Warning light on- Notice of 4wd not accessible/power issues/surges/constant burning smell of fluid. Started about 3/1/2024. Took for service at Firestone then referred to Transmission shop. Transfer box for 4wheel drive defective, fluid leaking. Advised I could loose power without notice if not repaired. Local dealers are backlogged for the part, by several hundred requests, as this is a issue for this vehicle. Repair is costing me over $3,000. My mileage is 68000.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #1344

Jun 012014

Cherokee

  • 4,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the message "Shift to Park" displayed and the vehicle shut off. The contact indicated that the failure had also occurred while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure or diagnosed the failure and no corrective service was performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 4,000.

- Dothan, AL, USA

problem #1343

Mar 162024

Cherokee

  • miles
The 2014 - 2016 jeep Cherokee introduced a new design to increase off-road capability, by creating a PTU "Power Transfer Unit" for their 4WD models, many of the v6 models had problems with this unit and two recalls have been created by the NHTSA to deal with this problem, My car is the 4 cylinder model which also has a PTU and has suffered the exact same issues the V6 owners had but we have not been given access to the recall. This is a widely known issue that thousands of 2014 4 cylinder jeep Cherokee owners have been suffering with. It is a risk and danger on the road way, causing irregular and unexpecting driving issues, complete loss of power to the rear wheels "which could be life threatening in some situations", in my situation I had reduced and intermittent power when trying to take a left hand turn across traffic nearly causing me to get impacted on the driver side. I had my [XXX] father in the car as I was taking him to his chemo appointment. Upon taking the car to the dealership they told me that the PTU would likely need to be replaced at a cost of over 4000 dollars. I feel as thought there is sufficient correlation to the other issues this manufacture has with the part(s) in question, to warrant further investigation and recourse given the severity of the failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Broken Arrow, OK, USA

problem #1342

Feb 192024

Cherokee

  • 134,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly shifted into neutral, after which the vehicle lost motive power. The driver was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the failure persisted. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V447000 (Power Train) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 134,000.

- Millsboro, DE, USA

problem #1341

Jan 082024

Cherokee

  • miles
transmission- vehicle started jerking and bucking with less than 101,000 miles.

- Thomasville, GA, USA

problem #1340

Feb 172024

Cherokee

  • miles
When trying to turn through an intersection, transmission slipped into neutral and would not shift back into drive for several minutes, while I was stuck in the middle of the intersection. After finally shifting into drive, I returned the vehicle home, only 1/2 mile, and it did the same thing 4 more times.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #1339

Feb 142024

Cherokee

  • miles
Jeep wont shift or move after stopping at a stop sign leaving me stranded

- Twin Lake, MI, USA

problem #1338

Nov 212022

Cherokee

  • miles
Power Transfer Case failure. There is a recall for both the PTU and the transfer case for other Jeep Cherokee models 2014-2016, but my vin # is not included. I experience frequent issues with a sudden loss of power when trying to proceed from a stopped position, often in the middle of an intersection. I found many complaints online about this with 2014 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawks, and have asked FCA and the Jeep dealership several times over the past 2 years why my VIN isn't included, if I am experiencing the same problem. FCA wouldn't even open a case for me about it. The repair is approximately $8000 through Jeep, and $1500 through 3rd party, however it requires programming, which only Jeep can do. Re: the liftgate recall, I've been waiting 7 months for parts to come in for that, as well. My liftgate failed at least 3 years ago.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #1337

Jan 012024

Cherokee

  • 167,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that after fully refueling the tank, the transmission failed to operate as designed with the messages "Shift to Park" and "Shift to Desired Gear" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 167,000.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

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