CarComplaints.com Notes: How many transmission complaints can a new vehicle really receive? You'd be surprised. Unless you're a 2015 Cherokee owner, then I bet you're not surprised at all.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
13 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,113 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.
The 9 speed transmission is unreliable and dangerous. The transmission does not engage when starting from a stop. The engine revs and then several seconds later the transmission engages and lurches forward. The delay puts you at risk as you enter traffic. Additionally, the transmission will suddenly shift when you are coasting and accelerate 10-15 miles per hour faster. I have had the car into the dealership 5 times to repair this and nothing changes. Flashing the software does nothing. I have filed a lemon law claim with the state of ca and have an arbitration meeting scheduled in September.
The 9 speed zf transmission is downright dangerous! often it will not shift properly when accelerating. This has led to several instances where an accident almost occurred. Also has very hard shifts and once there was no downshift and the vehicle slowed when it should have been accelerating.
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. When the contact turned the ignition key to start the vehicle, it failed to start and the emergency brake stiffened. The vehicle started after several attempts and made a loud noise. An error message displayed on the instrument panel that read, "place the vehicle in park and then select desired gear", "service park brake", "service transmission". while driving approximately 15 to 20 mph, the gear suddenly shifted into neutral by itself and would not accelerate. The contact stated that the noise sounded and felt like the transmission was going to fall out of the vehicle. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that eight modules needed to be updated. The eight modules were updated, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 16V529000 (power train). The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.
The car has transmission issues. While driving the car down a city road it somehow shifted itself into neutral prompting me to place the vehicle in park before selecting drive again.. I have also had major issues while trying to merge on the highway, in which the vehicle would not shift past first gear, causing the car to get up to 6K RPM on the engine before having to completely let off the gas and wait for my speed to get below 15 miles and hour to reaccelerate in order to get the car to shift into second gear. Traffic was going 70mph and I could not get the vehicle to accurate to get up to speed due to the transmission issue.. I have on 3 different occasions taken the vehicle to the dealership with complaints about the transmission and they state they are unable to duplicate the issue, and no codes have been called out showing the issue (per the dealership) however the car itself has told me I needed to shift into park while driving. I have been lied to by the dealership stating they have driven the vehicle and were unable to duplicate the issue however the mileage in and out which are listed on their paperwork are the exact same number.. frustrated that this transmission issue is completely unchanged since I bought the car less than 1 year ago, Jeep refuses to assist with anything more than a software updates, and I am directly placing myself and my children in harms way and risk of an accident everytime I get behind the wheel, as it is unpredictability of if the vehicle will shift correctly or place me in a dangerous situation
While driving on a main blvd the Jeep suddenly locked up much like the E-brake being appled, lots of weird noises. Dash lit up with check transmission, brakes, and engine warnings. Almost caused a major accident. Turned car off, let it reset and was able to continue. Happened again three days later. Had Jeep towed to dealer. This car is a death trap. Working on a resolution with dealer.
- Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
9 speed transmission is unreliable and very rough to drive. Won't shift up when it needs to, on occasions slams into gear especially from 3rd to 4th jerking the vehicle when it does and downshifts roughly. The software has been updated twice but problems remain. Dealerships say that there is nothing more that can be done. This has been ongoing over the life of the vehicle.
At low speeds, typically taking off from a red light, the transmission wobbles (seemingly in second or third gear.) the transmission lags horribly, sometimes causing unsafe situations where acceleration is a necessity. You can't predict the acceleration in this veichle. There is an RPM spike when downshifting causing the car to accelerate up to 15 kmh (even on cruise control) the transmission "clunked" as it was downshifting going uphill accelerating. Experiencing rough idle upon 1st start, and if in drive or reverse, if your foot is not firmly planted on the brake, the car will lunge forward (or backward depending on if in D or R.) respectively with the RPM. With this many complaints, you can't ignore this is an issue which needs to be dealt with.
The transmission is never in the correct gear. When slowing down and then accelerating (like when turning left), the transmission is still in gear 6 or 7. it should be in 2 or 3 so that the vehicle can accelerate. Judging when it is safe to make a turn is impossible.this frustrates me and people behind me. It is a also a safety issue. Also, when I am accelerating from being completely stopped, the vehicle is rarely in gear. After pressing on the gas for a while, it finally decides to shift out of neutral and you either go super slow because you are in a high gear, or squeal tires. Also a safety issue. I have taken it in twice. Jeep acknowledges what it does, but will not fix the problem. They say that it may not be functioning like I want it to, but it is functioning by Jeep design. Nine speed tranny for a 3.2L V6. It doesn't work. It is completely dangerous and ridiculous.
I had to had my transmission replaced at 8000 miles, after a short period of the car shifting hard and slipping (less than 2 days). They tried to replace numerous parts that did not fix the issue. At 52000 miles I began having hard shifting issues again. The next day I got a service stop/start technology warning light. The next day the light came on again and had rough idol, service engine light came on. I took it to the dealer (key Chrysler, xenia, oh) they replace an ignition switch yet still can't figure out the problem. The shifting issues occur mostly during two scenarios, accelerating uphill, the transmission would slip and then shift hard. Second would be if you have to decelerate (slowing down for red light), then have to accelerate without stopping (red light turns green) the car would hard shift. This was the same issues that preceded taking the car to the dealer for service and car not working properly. The first incident caused the car to go into "safe mode" which nearly lead to me be involved in an accident as I was crossing an inetersection and was unable to drive more than 10-15 mph, creating a very unsafe situation. I put the approximate date (as best as I can remember) of the first situation below. The second occurred on 8/7/16 with around 52000 miles on car
We own the 2015 Jeep Cherokee sport that self accelerates with great force and also has horrible lagging issues taking off from a stop. The lack of acceleration which happens randomly is very scary! I have taken my Jeep in several times which in most cases it is rarely driven and given back to me with barely any miles driven on it to have the problems present themselves. Our Jeep has been in for weeks at a time. Started lemon law but because the Jeep dealership hasn't recreated the problem (due to car sitting parked in their parking lot), Jeep will not acknowledge the very frightening problems. These alarming issues have not been resolved even with extended amounts of time at dealership in service department (5 days, 10 days, etc). Very scary!!!
I have a 2015 Cherokee trailhawk 3.6L V6 love it except for the issues. This is my very first and very last fca Jeep product I will own unless this vehicle somehow becomes reliable. At 3,860 miles while driving my power windows failed it will not go up or down and my blind spot monitor which I paid extra for and depend on for added safety failed at the same time. I was heading to work and my windows will not operate and is stuck in the down position in a parking lot for 8 hours hoping no one would try to break in my car. Now my vehicle is at 13,600 mile and I'm starting to experience all the other owners transmission failure issues, but mine haven't happen enough for the dealer to attempt to fix it. While driving, the transmission will get stuck in a low gear and will not change even after heavy acceleration and then after about 6 seconds it will suddenly change and lunge forward. Other times the transmission will get stuck in a high gear and when I try to accelerate it will not drop a gear to accelerate and my wife avoid highways because she is afraid the vehicle will stall on an entrance ramp while merging. Another issue is when reversing from a cold start and then putting the vehicle in drive the vehicle seems to get stuck in either neutral or reverse because it will not go forward until I really punch the accelerator and then it will lung forward. My last complaint about this vehicle is minor but still and issue. The power lift gate will sometimes get stuck and not open until I try it a few times.
First occurring in the fall of 2015, the power lift gate failed to latch. It would no longer respond to attempts to open it electronically, and instead remained unlatched. Any pressure placed against the lift gate from the inside raised the lift gate. We had it serviced, the problem seemed to be fixed, but as of 6 August 2016 we are experiencing the same problem again. This problem is unique and unrelated to the recall issued in December of 2015. With three dogs that ride in our vehicle with us, we absolutely cannot drive with a lift gate that doesn't close. Additionally, the engine lags dangerously behind acceleration sometimes, like when driving through an intersection. It will start to accelerate, then the transmission seems to disengage, and the vehicle loses power completely for a few seconds before the powertrain engages again. We've already almost been in two accidents because of this problem.
My 2015 Jeep Cherokee latitude shutters/shimmys upon take off, hesitates upon take off, sometimes requiring excessive throttle input to get going... at 20,000 miles the shifts from 2nd to 3rd gear have started to be extremely rough at times, especially when releasing pressure on the throttle at around 30-35 miles per hour, lunging and jerking so hard that passengers gasp and ask questions like "what the $#@% was that!?"... and while driving down significant inclines the vehicle will accelerate when you release the throttle, sometimes requiring a manual downshift to regain control of the vehicle
Transmission shifting and reliability. We have the trailhawk version of the Cherokee. We are having issues of a clank/bang occasionally about 40-42mph; it can be felt in the floorboard. Sometimes we will get this in reverse when we start to move. The biggest complaint is when trying to leave a light or intersection and step on the gas nothing happens or it slowing starts to speed up or it takes off like a jackrabbit. It is not consistent. When leaving an intersection we are not confident in what type of reaction we are going to get. Will it move or maybe decide to move eventually. Also, normal acceleration seems spongy or bouncy. It is like pressing gas pedal down (slightly) then letting off; on off, on off, on off. It happens quickly until we reach 20 plus mph. If we select the sport mode, I have not noticed the spongy feeling on acceleration. I think that knowing how your car is going/supposed to respond when applying the brake or pressing the accelerator pedal is important the safety and confidence in driving one's vehicle. My wife has also experienced the parking brake reapplying when she is backing out of a parking spot at her work. The parking lot is on a slope. She backs up and when she tries to go forward it doesn't want to move. Then she looks and the parking brake is back on. She has to turn it off again to move. We also have been having issues with the rear hatch. The dealership has done the recall for the electric lift mechanism. We have issues when it won't open electrically and issues with it not latching. There was nothing in the cargo area to interfere with the hatch operation. We have addressed these issues especially with the transmission several times with the Jeep dealership and have left messages with no response to the messages. We currently have 20600 miles on the 2015 Cherokee.
Jeep shifts rough with a bang when going between 25 and 35 mph. Dealer updated software but it did not fix the problem. It happens randomly, usually about once every 30 miles.
Transmission hesitates sometimes when taking off from stop, transmission does not want to go into gear until you come to a complete stop, when accelerating to 35 mph there is a hard shift into the gear for that speed, the car when accelerating does not want to accelerate and have almost been hit from the side several times, I have had car back to dealership to inspect at least 4 times. 2 times they have updated software for transmission, but only have seen minor improvements. Still having all the same issues as before.
I was attempting to make a left turn on a busy city road when the car suddenly stopped dead without any warning signs. An oncoming tractor trailer had to swerve out of the way to avoid killing me. The aaa tow truck driver commented that it was the transmission that failed and it had set off the emergency brake. He noted that he had responded to the exact same scenario with a Jeep Cherokee the week before. The car has now been at the dealer for 21 days without any good results in sight. They have already replaced the new transmission which they installed admitting that the new transmission is faulty. I am aware of a class action suit for this same problem in their 2014 models and there will undoubtedly be one, if there isn't already, for the 2015 and 2016 models. They are not admitting the problem and will not admit the problem until there are several fatalities. Since I do not plan to be among them, I want a refund, not another piece of junk.
Transmission problems. Transmission was replaced when I had 4,000 miles on the car. I purchased the Jeep new its the trail hawk addition. Now I have 30,000 miles on it and the transmission is just terrible (even after the transmission was replaced it never ran right). It bucks when it shifts, it doesn't downshift fast enough. If I am stopping at a red light and I have not come to a complete stop and the light turns green and I go from the brake to the gas it hesitates and jerks like the car was 30 years old and had 200,000+ miles on the transmission. I am half scared to drive at night alone. I'm currently going thru a divorce and do not know what I would do if the car left me sit in an unfamiliar area. I purchase new cars so I do not have to worry about breaking down and I understand any car new or old can break down but its less likely a new car will then an older car. Jeep needs to fix this problem.
When starting out and pressing lightly on gas pedal engine causes the car to rock side to side. Another and even bigger problem occurs when at a stop and preparing to enter flow of traffic. While lightly pressing gas pedal the car slightly revs but does not move, then accelerates excessively causing the tires to screech. This has caused us to narrowly miss getting hit by on coming traffic. Then because of the excessive acceleration you have very little time to correct your steering. We were not told of this ongoing problem with this model of engine when we purchased the car new. Even though they knew of the problem in 2013. That is deception. So far we have had the software flashed 2 times and will pursue legal help with Ohio lemon law if problem is not resolved. This could cause serious harm or death if neglected. Afraid to drive an unsafe vehicle.
I have had the vehicle in several times for check engine light. I has been on for the entire time I have had it. They have said it was intake manifold bolts loose and several program updates. This last time they said it was the fuel causing the problem. I have used 5 different fuels and the light stays on. There has been several problems with engine surging when I put it in reverse and at a stop light.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mill Valley, CA, USA