4.7

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,836 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.

2018 Jeep Cherokee drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2018 Jeep Cherokee Owner Comments (Page 2 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #153

Jul 062020

Cherokee

  • miles

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

The Service Shifter message comes on replacing the speedometer display on the dash. All of the LED's on the shifter bezel light up when it occurs, so you can't tell the gear you are in. It has been happening more frequently lately and began around 3 years ago. The only way to reset it is to put it in PARK and shut the car off and restart it. I am on the Jeep Cherokee Club and see this quite often on their forums. It happens now every 2nd or 3rd time I drive it. Thanks.

- Morristown, TN, USA

problem #152

Jul 282023

Cherokee

  • miles
I believe the shifter bezel is faulty. When pulling out of my drive way backwards a service shifter light came on and caused me to get stuck sideways and having multiple cars nearly tbone be because the hazard lights wouldn-??t turn on after. I can-??t even drive because of this incident I don-??t feel safe in this jeep!!! I called jeep in Elk Grove California and they never heard of it, however I-??ve found over 500 issues on Reddit and other forum sites of people having the same issue but more at 16,000 miles! No because I don-??t have the money to fix their faulty product. The light -??service shifter-?? appeared right when I put it into drive then everything went to [XXX].

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #151

Jul 252023

Cherokee

  • miles
It is my understanding that the PTU systems in Jeep Cherokee latitudes is an ongoing issue with them. If this fails I could lose power of my vehicle, which in my opinion is a safety issue. I found out today that mine is going bad and there isn-??t a recall on the 2018 models. This could cost me thousands for an issue that Jeep should-??ve fixed with past models that have had the same problems. I bought this vehicle a few years ago with 78,000 miles and it now has around 124,700 miles. I would think if Jeep cared about the customers that are buying these vehicles then they would want to make sure they-??re safe. So basically the complaint is that there isn-??t a recall on the 2018 models. Please help!!!

- Scottsboro , AL, USA

problem #150

Feb 132023

Cherokee

  • miles

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

My Jeep has started to massively consume oil. I can only go roughly 1500-2000 miles before needing to add oil to my vehicle. I-??ve taken it into my mechanic-??s shop twice and they-??ve been unable to fix it. Once was Nov of 2022 where they just did an oil change. I brought it back on Feb 13, 2023 because it was completely dry/devoid of oil and had to be towed to their shop. The car would not turn on due to no oil. They replaced the crankcase ventilation valve to attempt to fix the oil consumption issue and did another oil change. They also advised I bring it to the dealership for the oil consumption issue because there was an open recall on it, which I did on Feb 23, 2023. Chrysler reprogrammed the Powertrain Control Module. Still consumes oil at an alarming rate. My last oil change I had 77,218 miles on my car and I had to add two quarts of oil before my current oil change at 80,700 It was already extremely low at 78,500. My concern is that there-??s no telling when it runs outs of oil and it just dies in the middle of traffic. On freeways. In turn lanes. There-??s no warning. One second it-??s running and the next it-??s just DOA despite proper maintenance on the vehicle. That-??s dangerous when you-??re on a busy freeway like I-45 in Houston at 5pm. Or at a red light and suddenly you have a dead car. Being a week overdue on an oil change is one thing but for it to be bone dry to the point that the vehicle cannot even operate is alarming.

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #149

May 272023

Cherokee

  • miles
Transmission seemed to go into neutral momentarily while driving at highway speed, causing engine to rev and loss of power to drive wheels. Problem occurred on four separate occasions on approximately 300 mile drive. There were no warning lights except a notice that cruise control was automatically turned off on the one occasion that it was active when the failure occurred. I was towing a trailer weighing approximately 3200-3300 lbs. and in semi-manual shift mode in 5th and 6th gear when problem occurred. Vehicle has not yet been taken to dealer.

- Templeton, CA, USA

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problem #148

Jun 042023

Cherokee

  • miles
The shifter service came one

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #147

May 152023

Cherokee

  • miles

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

Power transfer unit went out. While I was driving lost power to all wheels and luckily I was able to avoid a wreck and have no parking on trans mission.

- Edgemont , SD, USA

problem #146

Feb 252023

Cherokee

  • miles
Since the car hit 20,000 miles, the "Service shifter" light will come on randomly. The dealership has had to "replace" the shifter components twice. And now it will come on when you put the car into reverse. This is a faulty part which needs to be replaced.

- Kaneohe, HI, USA

problem #145

Feb 202023

Cherokee

  • miles
The SERVICE SHIFTER light comes on when the vehicle is put in DRIVE. The first time it happened was about 1 year after purchase (March 2019). I found out there was a recall for a part (the bezel on the shifter) associated with this and the dealer replaced it. Now the SERIVCE SHIFTER light is coming on EVERY time the car is used(at least this week)--when I back out of the driveway and shift to DRIVE. I called the dealership and they told me that most of the time, turning the car off and restarting it will clear the problem. It hasn't and I asked what they can do to fix it. They told me to bring the car in for a $200 computer diagnosis and they will go from there. I have only owned the car for a couple months shy of 5 yrs and it only has 35,000 miles on it. I informed them that since it is part of the POWER TRAIN it should be covered under warranty--they told me it's not. This is also a known problem with this year and model. I would like for JEEP to stand by their product and remedy the problem at no cost. Our household also owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee and has NEVER had any issues with it.

- Porter, IN, USA

problem #144

Feb 232023

Cherokee

  • miles
The service shifter light keeps coming on. Sometimes when stopped in traffic the vehicle-??s transmission will shift from drive, to some unknown position, then the engine will stall out when attempting to go forward with traffic. The car will then not start and the shifter will not allow any gear shifting to be done. Can not be put into neutral in order to be push or easily towed. This has happened 4 time within the past 18 months. Each time the dealership acts surprised and responds that they have never heard of a service shifter issue before. They tried a software update, which didn-??t help. They also stated that they could replace several parts that added up to over $2000. Stated it wasn-??t their problem since it is out of warranty. Yes, it is available for inspection. Always being out in risk at busy intersections due to a potential of being hit in the rear end of the car because people expect your car to be moving. Have had several cars swerve at the last minute barely missing me. And having to exit the vehicle is even more dangerous. Yes, the dealer has seen the issue along with an independent repair shop. Service shifter message is on most of the time but no one really knows how to fix it.

- Covington , GA, USA

problem #143

Dec 132022

Cherokee

  • miles

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

4WD not working. A message started appearing in December 2022 that the 4WD was not available and to have it serviced. I was shocked because the vehicle is only 5 years old. The 4WD is very important because we live up a large hill. When it snows it is definitely a safety issue to be able to get up and down the hill as well as driving on snowy roads. Without it working it could cause an accident and we could be hurt. We took it to an automotive service center to have it diagnosed. They said the power transfer unit and actuator case assembly needed to be replaced. They also said the week before they checked this vehicle they had a 2016 and 2017 jeep Cherokee that had the same problem. Both of those vehicles had recalls to fix them. This jeep is a 2018 with 79,500 miles. It was purchased in 2017 so it had to be built in 2016 or 2017. The parts used to build this had to have been defective or something. This kind of thing should not happen so my vehicle should have a recall. It's not that old plus the 4WD isn't used except a few times in the winter. I sure wasn't expecting something like this to happen.It is very much needed in the winter to keep us safe going up and down the hill and driving in the snow. I was also told there is a national back order on parts to fix this. That doesn't help when it's winter time. I could get hurt sliding down the hill or trying to go up and slide backwards! I would like a response as soon as possible if this problem will be recalled so I can get on a list when the parts are available. I shouldn't have to pay for this problem.

- Martinsville, IN, USA

problem #142

Jan 122023

Cherokee

  • miles
Was driving and "Service 4wd" came on, no change in the driving, then went off and comes back. Now I'm getting "Service shifter" no change in the driving but all the lights on the shifter (P, R, N, D, +/-) are all red and display won't move from Service shifter.

- Del Rey, CA, USA

problem #141

Oct 132022

Cherokee

  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the "Shift to Park(P) message displayed. The contact stated that after shifting into park(P) and turning off the vehicle, she had to press and hold the Push to Start button for 30-seconds for the vehicle to restart. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred daily, and that the engine revved independently while starting the vehicle. The contact made the local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was awaiting a diagnostic test and the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.

- Anchorage, AK, USA

problem #140

Nov 092022

Cherokee

  • 55,645 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds between 5-60 MPH, the message "Service Shifter" was displayed. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,645.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #139

Nov 292022

Cherokee

  • miles
My car continues to flash service Shifter and won't accelerate when the gas pedal is pushed

- Malvern, AR, USA

problem #138

Nov 012022

Cherokee

  • 58,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the message "Service Shifter" was displayed, and the service warning lights illuminated. During the failure, the gear shifter indicator became inoperable, and the driver was no longer able to determine what gear the transmission was in. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were both notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 58,000.

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #137

Sep 152022

Cherokee

  • miles
Service shifter light randomly comes on; vehicle has stalled several times. Sometimes hesitates when pushing gas to accelerate.

- Murrells Inlet, SC, USA

problem #136

Dec 112019

Cherokee

  • miles
SERVICE SHIFTER WARNING -takes up full screen on vehicle cannot see any other specs of the vehicle -safety, service shifter recalls in past day to not operate vehicle. This warning randomly comes on when no problem is present. -the problem has been recreated on multiple occasions for dealer, mechanics, and friends -has not been inspected. States not sure what causes this -no other warning lamps came on and none can come on since this takes up the entire screen and places the MPH in smaller lettering at the top

- Collierville, TN, USA

problem #135

Aug 192019

Cherokee

  • miles
This vehicle had a recall for the shifter. It went in for the recall but not long after the shifter lights are back. Every time we drive the shifter lights come on. Went back and the dealer will not fix the problem.

- Jackson Center, PA, USA

problem #134

Feb 012022

Cherokee

  • 72,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he had experienced the failure three times. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

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