2019 Jeep Cherokee Complaints

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/10/2026

Hi, I own a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. Requesting that my vehicle VIN number be included in the active recalls associated with the 2019 Jeep Cherokee, specifically related to the Power Transfer Unit failure. The two active recalls that apply to my vehicle are: 40D and 01C. Recently, my vehicle displayed a "SVC 4WD" warning message. I took the vehicle to an authorized Jeep dealership for diagnosis and paid a diagnostic fee of approximately $200. The dealership determined that the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) needs to be replaced and provided a repair estimate of approximately $3,200. After receiving the vehicle diagnosis from the dealership and reading the possible life-threatening ramifications listed in the active recalls, which are very similar, if not the same as what the dealer diagnosed in my vehicle, I decided not to drive it. That has been very distressing for me because I don't have another vehicle, I don't have the money to repair the vehicle, and the dealer refused to repair it under the recall because my VIN is not listed on the ordered recall. My understanding is that your office has the authority to issue recalls for vehicle with defects that threaten public safety, and my situation described above is certainly dangerous to myself and others. At the time the warning message was displayed on the dashboard, (early June), my vehicle odometer displayed 71,876 miles. Based on publicly available information, PTU-related failures and others have been identified in Jeep Cherokee vehicles, and the symptoms affecting my vehicle are similar to those associated with known PTU issues. The vehicle has been consistently maintained through the Jeep dealership service department at 120 W McKinley Ave, Mishawaka, Indiana, 46545, United States. Please add my VIN number to the Jeep Cherokee PTU-related active recall so that the dealer can repair my vehicle under the recall and I can drive my car again. Sincerely, A very concerned and affected Jeep Cherokee driver.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/05/2026

The service 4 wheel drive warning light came on when backing into a parking space. The light came and went intermittently throughout the following day. I called for a service appointment for my vehicle where it was determined via electrical diagnostics that the PTU actuator had failed, rendering the car undrivable without repair.

ENGINE — Filed 07/15/2026

Automatic transmission shifts hard at approximately 30 mph causing a sudden lurch.It has happened several times. It is such a sudden movement that it feels unsafe as if someone has hit my car from behind. I took my car to the dealer of purchase for the first time for this issue on 7/18/26. This has happened at least 4x and there were no warnings prior to it happening. Also, when I hit a small speed bump the lights went off on the dashboard and car was still running. No findings were reported.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 06/18/2026

My 2019 jeep Cherokee limited suffered a complete loss of power while driving down the highway and now has a service 4wd light on as well.

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 03/01/2026

Has been in shop since I have owed it replaced axles (rear) rear differential(1 time), and transfer case(3 times) still slipping and dragging at take off and speed over 55 grinding and bumping sounds , mechanics can’t figure it out no lights on dash and diagonist still shows rear differential and transfer case

POWER TRAIN — Filed 03/03/2026

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Service 4WD" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the power take-off unit(PTU) had experienced internal damage and the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer and the dealer were made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

ENGINE — Filed 07/05/2026

Engine failure at 90,000 miles need a whole new engine

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/01/2026

We noticed a recall will be issued for certain Jeep Cherokee regarding the failed PTU system. Our vehicle is not showing it will be included however we are having the identical issue. The 4WD service light comes on and when you excellerate, the vehicle chokes down and hesitates acting as if it will turn off. The vehicle has 73,000 miles and has never been driven in 4WD or off road.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/01/2026

I took my vehicle to a jeep dealership and they inspected my car. They said the PTU is failing and had to get a new part. They said my car was unsafe to drive due to causing further issues with the transmission. There is a recall for this in other years of the jeep Cherokee but not for mine. This has cost me $2,500. I first noticed the issue when my 4 wheel drive light came on. Then it was making a grinding noise.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 07/14/2026

I was leaving the parking lot of a grocery store - I was probably 100 yards from where I parked to the exit to the road. My [XXX] and [XXX] were in car seats in the back. I went to merge into traffic going left out of the parking lot. As I accelerated to merge into traffic and get up to speed, the emergency brake on my car engaged with roughly half of my vehicle in the lane of oncoming traffic. As quickly as I could, I realized what had happened and turned off the emergency brake so that my car would move. By this time the car coming at us had to swerve around us and another car behind them was honking at us for being in the way and in the lane. The emergency brake was engaged because the driver side door was not 100% entirely closed. It was closed enough that when I would have realized on my own that it wasn't fully closed, I could have safely and easily done it. Instead, it put mine in my daughter's lives at risk. To my understanding, this is the way this "safety" feature is supposed to operate. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)