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

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Jeep Cherokee:

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

2016 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 7 of 27)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #410

Dec 012022

Cherokee

  • 72,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH or less, the vehicle was losing motive power and the vehicle decelerated and came to a stop. The contact waited several minutes before restarting the vehicle. The contact stated that there was a banging sound coming from the transmission. The speedometer was blinking and the Service 4WD warning message was displayed on the instrument panel. The failure occurred approximately 4 times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the Power Transfer Units (PTU) had failed. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V302000 (Power Train) and 20V343000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recalls. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

- Lake Ronkonkoma, NY, USA

problem #409

May 262023

Cherokee

  • 90,400 miles
The contact's daughter owns 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the Service 4WD warning light was intermittently flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken a dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic discovered a failure with the Power Transfer Unit (PTU). The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train) which he linked to the failure. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,400.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

problem #408

Oct 012018

Cherokee

  • miles
I don-??t as on vacation in the Smokey Mountains. I turned a corner, heard a noise and my Jeep wouldn-??t go anymore. Luckily there was a pullout near me and I coasted in. I had to walk about a mile to get a cell signal to call Jeep. A tow truck came 4 hours later and it took over 3 weeks to get repairs. The Power Transfer (a known defect) was the issue. It was replaced by Jeep under warranty. I only had a little over 26k miles on the vehicle at the time. It was dangerous because had a I been higher up in the mountains or on an interstate, it could have cost me my life. Additionally, I was alone and the Knoxville TN dealership where the vehicle was towed was absolutely NO HELP whatsoever & rude to boot!

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #407

May 262023

Cherokee

  • miles

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

We were told at dealership that the vehicle needs a new PTU, however, we are not under recall as of now. This looks like a widespread issue with 2014-2016 jeeps and they need to be replaced.

- Hermann, MO, USA

problem #406

May 242023

Cherokee

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V302000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Oak Lawn, IL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #405

Apr 052023

Cherokee

  • 121,000 miles
The contact's son owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. The contact stated that while his son was parking, the transmission was shifted into park (P), the contact's son lifted his foot off the brake when the vehicle sporadically accelerated, crashing into another parked vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. No injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V302000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

- Dunbar, WV, USA

problem #404

May 152023

Cherokee

  • miles

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

Ever since I bought this vehicle new in 2016 every once in a while it was like the transmission was skipping a gear. Today I was stopped at a red light and then excelerated(not heavily) to go.. and it seemed to keep slipping and would not pick up speed.. i had vehicles behind me so slowly moved over to the shoulder, put vehicle out of gear and then back into gear.. hesitated a bit and then went fine.. This was the scariest incident for me. only has 95000 kms. Checked ViN.. lots of power train issues.. but like the others.. my VIN has not been recalled.. I think this issue needs to be looked into.. with so many of the same complaints.

- Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, WY, USA

problem #403

May 022023

Cherokee

  • miles
PTU failed at 81000 miles and needs to be replaced. This repair is estimated to cost me $3400 and happened after just completing regular maintenance on the vehicle. When the Service AWD light came on the vehicle swerved on its own into another lane and could have caused an accident.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #402

Mar 052023

Cherokee 6-cyl

  • 91,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while the brake pedal was depressed at a stop, she then depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle delayed two to three seconds before responding. The vehicle then stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several seconds. The contact stated that while making a left or right turn, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that she had to wait several seconds to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the spark plugs were replaced, and a tune-up was performed but the failure recurred. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

- Burbank, IL, USA

problem #401

May 032023

Cherokee

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while her daughter was driving approximately 35 MPH, the transmission was slipping. The contact's daughter pulled over and turned off the vehicle and was able to restart the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit (PTU) needed to be replaced; however, the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Cordell, OK, USA

problem #400

Apr 202023

Cherokee

  • miles

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

I took my Jeep to get serviced on March 16, 2023 for a 'service shifter' light. This had already been replaced before and had a 2 year warranty so this was fixed however my issue now lies that last week around April 20, 2023, I got another light indicating "service 4wd". I took my car to the dealership today to be told the diagnosis was "internal PTO failure". I was quoted an insane amount to repair and was told that the part is not available as it is on BACK ORDER. After looking this information up online I see that Jeep had multiple recalls for this same issue for vehicles 2014-2017 however mine is not appearing on the recall. I called Jeep and was told there was nothing they can do and I'm extremely upset because the simple fact that the part is on back order let's me know that this is a common issue that others must be having as well yet Jeep has yet to take any action for their faulty equipment. This poses an immense danger for me because the repricautions are that if I drive my vehicle I am risking my life in that the car might come to a complete stop mid drive. Should I be in an accident I can only hope Jeep will take accountability for their ignorance and delayed responses. If Jeep is aware of PTU/PTO issues with their vehicles ALL jeeps within the 2014-2017 timeline should be eligible for this replacement under the recall and the part should be mass produced to ensure every customer gets from point A to point B safely. When driving my car home from the dealership I felt my car tug when making a sharp left turn and my car swiveled immediately thereafter. I also noticed that it is taking immense amount of effort for my car to accelerate when pressing the gas which terrifies me that it will simply come to a complete stop and jeopardize my life at any given moment. This needs to be addressed ASAP and a new recall needs to be issued to remediate this error.

- Avondale, AZ, USA

problem #399

Apr 052023

Cherokee

  • miles
Power Train is failing; Service 4WD light blinks on and off affecting the driving of the vehicle. Dealer stated is a failing PTU; but my VIN is not in the recall from the 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokees Safety Recall W47 / NHTSA 20V-343. Dealer stated the part is on backorder and there is no expected timeframe for repair/replacement. Obviously, a larger problem for this specific vehicle Make/.Model It appears there is a need to extend this recall to all Jeeps; as the PTU's seem faulty for all Jeeps from 2014-2017. My Jeep is a 2016.

- Cresco, PA, USA

problem #398

Apr 012023

Cherokee

  • miles
For last yr i keep having car want stall did recall on it. Helped for bit, then it-??s always wanting stick between 2/3 when trying change gears. On different recall it fixed for bit the temp on transmission bouncing back forth a lot in temps. I have recorded video to show it. Now my engine light is on for P0441 code with power train possible evap leak. It just keeps being one problem after another like it-??s not wanting to get gas to it what seems like. It-??s all happened over last year and engine light came on Sat

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #397

Oct 152022

Cherokee

  • miles
Bad PTU unit in Jeep part #68307403AG. Have not been able to drive jeep for half a year now due to bad ptu unit. Jeep will swerve and driver will lose control of steering. Warning stating 4wd is currently unavailable this will have approximately every 15-20 mins. PTU has been on back order for over 6 months now.

- Hobbs, NM, USA

problem #396

Aug 132022

Cherokee

  • miles
This car has had reoccurring issues related to the engine, ignition module and starter. It breaks down every few weeks. It has left me broken down and stranded on freeways, city roads and most recently on the side of a hill. When the key is inserted, it will not turn over completely and even after the key is removed the engine continues to make clicking sounds as if it is still trying to turn over and it smokes from underneath the hood. There were no warning indications. It has been taken to the dealer numerous times for the same issue but they do not find a problem and return it back to me just for it to occur again. Or the dealership will say they've fixed it but nothing has actually been done to the car. The dealership continues to be negligent. After the most recent occurence of the car leaving me stuck on the side of a hill and smoking, it was brought to the dealership August 2021 and still remains there as they continue to give me false hop in repairs. I have now not that vehicle in my possession for 6 months.

- Pleasanton, CA, USA

problem #395

Mar 192023

Cherokee

  • miles
Warning system telling me of a problem. Problem with the transfer case. 4 wheel drive issue. Only about 65k miles

- Puyallup, WA, USA

problem #394

Feb 042023

Cherokee

  • miles
PTU unit failed.Took to dealer confirmed PTU failed.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

problem #393

Feb 162023

Cherokee

  • 60,000 miles
The contact's sister-in-law owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the service shifter warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that both the bezel and the column inside the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

- Farmington, MI, USA

problem #392

Jan 262023

Cherokee

  • miles
Car randomly looses all power. I was driving with out any indication of a problem then the car stalls out causing a life or death moment. When I was about to get the car to restart I was overwhelmed with codes noting loss of communication with almost all body controls. 84k

- Beech Grove, IN, USA

problem #391

Aug 132020

Cherokee

  • miles
Vehicle hesitates, vibrates, looses momentum, shutters, almost stalls when ac to touched since the day I bought it at napelton jeep in palm beach fla. I was told it-??s a jeep thing. The engine roars to like like it-??s fighting to start. A fan sound will go on and off non stop effecting the power and rpm-??s. A loss of power happens and then the car goes back to normal after a completely shaking the cab vibrating and shuttering

- Beech Grove, IN, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?