10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
31,330 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.

2016 Jeep Cherokee drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 4 of 27)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #470

Mar 252024

Cherokee

  • miles

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

4 wd service light comes on randomly, started the middle of February. It took a couple of weeks to get an appointment with the dealership. Twice in the past 2 weeks the car has slowed down, lost power in traffic to where I had to pull over and let the car go at a low speed until it would go at normal speed again. There is an active recall for the part needing to be replaced with the same year model however this VIN isn't listed in the recall.

- Black Mountain, NC, USA

problem #469

Mar 272024

Cherokee

  • miles
2016 JEEP cherokee 93k miles PTU fault and dealer wont fix under recall. 3k to fixed same issue as all other 16 cherokees. Unsafe to drive does not shift correctly intermittently. Suppose to be software fix but dealer wont fix. PTU should go out 93k miles. If this stops all power to the wheel we will be in an accident!

- Pekin, IL, USA

problem #468

Feb 142024

Cherokee

  • 118,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the 4WD warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle experienced an unintended rollaway while parked. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V302000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

- Randolph, NJ, USA

problem #467

Feb 192024

Cherokee

  • miles

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

While driving the vehicle engine shuts off or goes neutral and I am unable to keep driving. A message pops up on the dash that says -??Shift to P and then shift to desired gear.-?? Car does not drive after doing this. I have to restart engine twice, both times the engine is delayed to start making a loud running noise. This has happened multiple times while driving all while my young children were in the car on busy roads. I have been lucky not to have been in a major accident yet. I have taken my car into the shop multiple times but they do not know how to fix this. I-??ve reported it to the local dealer, they are no help either. New battery, all fluids full, full tank, no warning before the car shuts off while driving. I-??ve seen hundreds of posts from drivers of the same make and model have the same issue. I-??m appalled there is no recall. This can be very fatal if not addressed.

- Gastonia , NC, USA

problem #466

Feb 212024

Cherokee

  • miles
I had no warnings at all, had driven the vehicle just an hour prior, I go to get in vehicle and start it, I put the gear in drive and the dash board lights up saying service transmission, service brakes, "D" on dashboard blinking, engine light on, when I try and drive forward the vehicle does not move and says to put the car in "P" at "0" mph, when I did that the car starts to roll. The emergency break light is also lit up on dash board and unable to turn it on or off pressing button. I have to turn vehicle completely off to stop it from rolling. When pressing on brake the brake is completely locked up and unable to push it down. The 4WD light is also lit up on dashboard. It also made a loud bang jolt when put in Drive or Reverse. Then put in Park and begins to roll. My safety and others safety is put at risk because of no warning signs of having issues then unable to stop the vehicle from rolling could have caused my vehicle to roll into another car, home or even a person walking by. I am unable to leave my home or drive. I see online this has happened to thousand of other people even when there car was new and they were driving. This could've been so dangerous if I were on the road driving when it happened. Now I am stuck and cannot leave my home. I have had battery disconnected and reconnected and nothing helped. This appears to be an ongoing issue with this vehicle and needs to be recalled and fixed. I had no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to this happening. A/C went out on this vehicle at only 20k miles, had the whole thing replaced. Then started intermittently working on and off. Summer 2023 Had last recall fixed end of 2022 when engine light came on, dealership said it was an engine thermostat that dealership fixed under extended warranty and said they also did a recall fix.

- Shreveport, LA, USA

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problem #465

Apr 222022

Cherokee

  • miles
I had to replace the PTU transfer case 4/22. Now there is a recall for the PTU programing. The safety recall states This recall applies only to the above vehicles equipped with a Power Transfer Unit (PTU) (sales code DK4). This repair was $3,800. Can I be reimbursed.

- Riverview, FL, USA

problem #464

Feb 082024

Cherokee

  • miles

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

Hi I have a JEEP Cherokee Trail Hawk edition 3.2L 6 Cylinder SUV. The Vehicle has 53,657 miles on it. I recently took it to me Mechanic as the rear Differential was making noise. He recommended I take it to the Dealer due to its low mileage and defective rear Differential. Based on this, I brought it to the Jeep dealer ship in Nashua, NH 03053. They diagnosed the problem of a bad Rear Differential and wanted to charge me $4000+ dollars but could not get the parts. Whereas, I searched and learned that this Rear Differential is backordered by over 700 units. At 53,658 Miles to have a bad rear Differential is insane. If I continue to drive this vehicle on the Highway, at Highway speeds then either I am going to have a severe accident and hurt myself or Kill someone else driving due to a Manufactures defect in their rear Differential. These rear Differentials should be recalled as they are a hazard to the public. Jeep does not care of their defective units, as they state "They are out of Warranty". My daughter drives this vehicle and she cant get the parts to repair and Jeep doesn't offer anything other than "GIVE ME YOUR MONEY AND WE WILL GET IT WHEN ITS BUILT! These vehicles are unsafe in this condition. If the rear differential seizes up it will be a multi car fatality. Can you please look at this situation and ask Jeep to execute a recall?

- Londonderry, NH, USA

problem #463

Feb 032024

Cherokee

  • miles
In 2020, Fiat Chrysler America recalled 67,248 units of the 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokee in the United States over a transmission issue that could result in a loss of power or rollaway situation. I'm currently experiencing this problem now. So I have a message stating service transmission and service break system.

- Hephzibah, GA, USA

problem #462

Jun 012023

Cherokee

  • miles
Check 4 wheel drive indicator light came on. Brought to dealership and they confirmed something is wrong with PTU MOTOR. Code C14A7-97. I see there has been recalls for this as it-??s a safety issue(campaigned number 23V302000. Vehicle may lose power) but I don-??t see any recall information when I input my vin number. If this is an issue with other vehicles why isn-??t my vehicle coming up in the recall notice? Please let me know if this can be part of the recall.

- Monmouth Beach, NJ, USA

problem #461

Feb 032024

Cherokee

  • miles
No specific incident, but there has been a few times where when I am stopped at a stop sign and try going it goes and then stops in the middle of the intersection, luckily no oncoming traffic was coming either times. Also, my oil cooler I think it-??s called has been leaking. I know there-??s been a few recalls on the power train: automatic transmission that I was never informed on until now when I logged into my Credit Karma account. Nothing was ever mailed to my house to notify me.

- Crown Point , IN, USA

problem #460

Jan 252024

Cherokee

  • miles

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

Car losses power while driving, it will turn off. Shift to P and select gear comes up. It also has 4 different recalls that doesn't allow me to register but when contacted dealership they informed me that they didn't had parts for it, they didn't know when the were going to get them because it's in back order, to keep checking at the end of each month to see if the get any. This is not acceptable, as it's not the owners fault. I don't have a drivable car, don't know when it's going to get fix but I still have to make my car payment.

- Fallbrook, CA, USA

problem #459

Jan 122024

Cherokee

  • miles
Vehicle losing power, causing transmission to slip. Shifts out of park by itself occasionally. Took to dealership and they said that the PTU would need to be replaced

- Vineland, NJ, USA

problem #458

Jan 032024

Cherokee

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that after his wife shifted the gear selector to park, the vehicle continued to roll forward. The parking brake was activated to stop the vehicle from rolling. After restarting the vehicle, the message "Service Four Wheel Drive" remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced te failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 135,000.

- Blue Ridge, VA, USA

problem #457

Dec 012023

Cherokee

  • miles
Service 4WD light came on. Car has driven with irregularities at times accelerating. Took to dealership and they said the PTU is bad with no way to get the parts till the end of February 2024.

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #456

Dec 312023

Cherokee

  • miles
The service 4w drive indicator came on on the vehicle while I was driving in light snow of about 1 inch. I was unable to stop because the wheels spun and felt like they were not spinning in sync. I spun out and narrowly missed hitting 3 cars. My wheels spun wildly and the jeep picked up speed as I tried to stop. Luckily I did not hit anything. A few days later I was then driving and experienced a loss in power while the rpm surged very high and the whole vehicle shook and lurched forward. I have taken the vehicle to the jeep dealer and was told it will cost $2700 to repair the vehicle because my PTU is not covered under the recall that is on vehicles oof the same year for the PTU and manufactured during the time the PTU is being recalled for. The dealers explanation is that not enough of the vehicles with my power transfer unit have had it fail in order for them to cover it. There is also a 6-8 week wait to have the repair done. I am afraid to drive my own vehicle on snow or wet roads since I don-??t want to lose control.

- Lowell, IN, USA

problem #455

Dec 162023

Cherokee

  • 50,500 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the service 4WD drive warning light illuminated momentarily and then disappeared. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power take-off unit (PTU) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 23V302000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 50,500. The VIN was not available.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #454

Sep 152023

Cherokee

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service 4WD" message was displayed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power transfer unit (PTU). The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V302000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 60,000.

- Cary, IL, USA

problem #453

Aug 012023

Cherokee

  • miles
Service 4x4 light came on and took to Jeep dealership. Diagnostics came back with bad PTU and part is on backorder. The backorder dates continues to be pushed out with no actual ETA. I bought a Jeep with 4x4 capability because I live in the mountains were it snows. This vehicle is now unsafe for me to drive in such conditions, especially with my newborn daughter in the vehicle with me.

- South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA

problem #452

Dec 112023

Cherokee

  • miles
Unfortunately, the PTU (power transfer unit) needs to be replaced in my vehicle. Jeep previously issued a recall for this same part for 25,000 + similar vehicles with the same part due to it being defective. My vehicle was not included in the recall. I have been advised by both a Jeep dealership and an independent licensed technician to not drive the vehicle as if it completely fails the transmission will get stuck in neutral and not even be able to be parked safely. Due to numerous ongoing issues with this part, it is currently on national back-order with over 4500 units on back-order. There is no ETA on when there will be availability of the part. I did contact the Jeep 800 customer service number and was denied any assistance. I am now having to pay $250/week to rent a vehicle and cannot get the Jeep repaired.

- Wake Forest , NC, USA

problem #451

Dec 102023

Cherokee

  • miles
One the oil cooler unit failed leaking oil on to hot engine could possibly start a fire Two the rear differential cracked leaking fluid could possibly lock rear wheels at speed

- Sebewaing, MI, USA

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