2014 Jeep Cherokee Brakes Problems

Parking brake engages while driving down the road pulled control module out and has water corrosion looked up causes and seen there was a recall/lawsuit in need of recall

NHTSA ID

11746203

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle from the sunroof, causing the parking brake to become inoperable. The “Service Parking Brake” warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the parking brake failed to function properly and failed to disengage as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the parking brake actuator had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

NHTSA ID

11728495

Incident

Apr 1, 2026

Mileage

66,000 mi

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the gear shift indicator lights were illuminated, and the message "Service Shifter" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to CarMax, where the contact was informed that no failure was found; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. Upon parking the vehicle in the garage and then starting the vehicle later, the parking brake unintendedly engaged and seized. The vehicle was towed to Dependable Car Care, where it was diagnosed with water intrusion in the parking brake module. The mechanic determined that the parking brake module needed to be replaced, and an electrical connector cleaning was needed. The vehicle was repaired; however, while driving 45 MPH, the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to brake hard. The message "BRAKE" was displayed. The vehicle was pulled over into a parking lot and remained in the parking lot. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,072.

NHTSA ID

11720768

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

Mileage

118,072 mi

My car is safely in my driveway. It only has 18,000 miles driven. It became stuck in wheel drive, greatly reducing my ability to drive the vehicle. The 2014 Cherokee is known for PTU failures in which the unit overheats or leaks fluid into the electronics, causing the system to lock in 4WD and display "Service 4WD" or "4WD System Unavailable". Will my dealership fix this problem under a past recall?

NHTSA ID

11717712

Incident

Feb 12, 2026

In November 2025, I recently completed a recall repair to my 2014 Jeep Cherokee (NHSTA #XXX/Jeep #49A). I picked up my Jeep and parked it and did not drive it for several weeks. In December 2025, I rented my 2014 Jeep Cherokee on Turo and within the first 24hrs of driving, the renter contacted me and told me the electronic parking brake malfunctioned when the vehicle was parked, which prevented the car from further operation. I towed the car to a mechanic who confirmed the problem with malfunctioning electronic parking brake (EPB) due to water intrusion in the rear of the vehicle, who then isolated the EPB to enable vehicle operation, and referred me to the Jeep dealership for repair. I retrieved the vehicle and dropped it off at a local Jeep dealership for assessment and repair. The Jeep dealership has confirmed that there is significant water intrusion into the vehicle rear (likely from failing sunroof, as the headliner is also soaked and damaged), where water has collected behind the plastic interior panels; and indicated the EPB module, located in the rear, needs to be replaced. I authorized this replacement/repair which was completed. My research of this issue indicates in addition to the above recall for power tailgate malfunction due to water intrusion, that the defective EPB is also due to water intrusion [XXX] ). I believe this to be highly likely since after owner and operating the vehicle daily for two years and this issue only arising immediately following the power tailgate recall repair INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11712302

Incident

Dec 18, 2025

I was at a stop took my foot off the break to put it on the gas and we started to move and all of a sudden my emergency brake came on and stopped my car and I could not get it to go and I was in traffic no warning lights nothing it just came on by itself

NHTSA ID

11709994

Incident

Dec 22, 2025

Service AWD and Service Parking Brake warnings are present on the dashboard. The problem lies in a bad PTU (Power Transfer Unit) and the DTCM that controls it. Part is not available for purchase and currently back ordered nationwide indefinitely. The cost of the part and labor combined approaches to 80% of the residual value of the vehicle at 118,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11701380

Incident

Nov 15, 2024

Electronic parking brake engages at random. Gauge info shows “P” with a circle warning, as well as “brake” in red. Says “4wd system unavailable”. Parking brake module has water/corrosion at connection terminal. Parking brake switch by gear shifter flashing constantly. Car will drive fine then will not move when attempting to go later, had to leave on side of road until it could be towed recently. Extremely frustrating and upsetting. This needs recalled as dealership says it costs $1000’s and requires reprogramming. Now left with a Jeep I can not drive and can not afford to fix.

NHTSA ID

11687996

Incident

Aug 2, 2025

Rear tires locked up in reverse. While in gear they lock up randomly. Car shut off and broke down while driving on expressway and lost control. No accident but could’ve been bad. 4x4 light on says svc. Mechanic says shows signs of new safety recall 02C? Talked to Jeep dealership and they weren’t aware of such recall on this model. Need help on who to contact and what to do.

NHTSA ID

11683778

Incident

Aug 26, 2025

Parking break is in need of service before it is set and won’t be able to get it off.

NHTSA ID

11674674

Incident

Jul 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the parking brake was engaged and failed to release as needed. The parking brake warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11672451

Incident

Jul 8, 2025

Mileage

140,000 mi

The electronic parking brake locked up at an intersection - only way I could get it going again was disconnect and reconnect the battery. Took to dealer and was diagnosed as the parking brake module. Dealer wanted $1900 to repair but the part was on back order for an unknown time. Removed all fuses linked to parking brake and was told to drive it - only has front wheel drive as computer thinks parking brake is on - jeep has told us that water leaks into to them and shorts them out. Not impressed as times are tough and not getting any help from Jeep. Why is there not a recall as this seems like a infection with this model?

NHTSA ID

11659314

Incident

Mar 12, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that just before attempting to start the vehicle, she became aware that the brake light indicated that the parking brake was engaged was illuminated even though the parking brake was not activated. Upon starting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the parking brake was engaged and failed to release. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the Electronic Parking Brake control module. The contact was informed that there was excessive water in the rear cargo area interior panel where the EPB control module was located. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Technical Service Bulletin: 08-060-16. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.

NHTSA ID

11654481

Incident

Apr 14, 2025

Mileage

77,000 mi

Electronic parking brake module failed and locked up the brakes while in motion in the parking lot, inspected the rear hatch and it is soaked. The epb module was soaked and corroded along with whatever modules are in there.

NHTSA ID

11654357

Incident

Apr 5, 2023

My service park brake lights came on, and I had issues where my parking brake tried to engage when I was driving a couple of times. Then when I tried to drive it to a mechanic it completely locked up and I couldn’t drive it. It turns out that my spare tire well was flooded due to a known leak issue, which there is an open recall for that/a power lift module. But due to this leak, the blood water in my tire well ran down onto my parking, brake, computer, module and connector, which made it corroded and shorted it out. My mechanic advised me to take it to the dealership and talk to Chrysler to get it fixed since the lake is a known issue and this is consequential damage due to this issue, but they said since my car is out of warranty there’s nothing they could do for me but have me pay for it out of pocket. Concerning considering this is a major safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11651263

Incident

Mar 17, 2025

Water intrusion into electronic parking brake module caused a failure which caused the parking brake to set which would not allow the vehicle to move and parking brake could not be released. This vehicle has already been to the dealer for a safety recall for the power lift gate module located in the SAME area as the parking brake module and for the same reason water intrusion which could cause potential fires. Dealer would not warranty the parking brake module as if this is the same problem as the power lift gate module located right next to each other. There are numerous threads on the internet from other Cherokee owners with the same issue.

NHTSA ID

11650000

Incident

Mar 21, 2025

This is a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, this model DOES have a recall for water leaking in through the truck. That causes the electronic parking break module to short out and lock the parking brake in as engaged. My jeeps vin however is not a part of the recall for some reason, this part was replaced on 4/16/22. Today 3/9/2023 the parking brake engaged and was locked on when we put the car in park. The spare tire compartment is FULL of water, everything in the trunk was wet. And the piece from the service advisor that was replace in 2022 has water in it, and it is corroded.

NHTSA ID

11647255

Incident

Mar 9, 2025

Parking brake engaged while reversing out of driveway. "Service Parking Brake" message on dash and Parking brake lights on dash. Parking brake flashing amber LED lights. Parking brake not working. This is for a 2015 Jeep Cherokee, an investigation was opened and closed. Unsure of the outcome. Concerned though as I had a water leakage into the lift gate power module causing a small fire. That was repaired/replaced with recall in 2024. Now the same issue is happening with my power breaks. I feel like this should be covered under recall.

NHTSA ID

11644846

Incident

Feb 25, 2025

Forbthe past gew months my 2014 Jeep Cherokee Latitude had been in and out of the shop. The ebrake will set itself and not disengage. I think they have replaced everything remotely associated with the ebrake. I picked it up AGAIN yesterday afternoon, drive 3 minutes down the road, pulled into a parking space, put in park, and the ebrake came om before I even shut the vehicle off. It will not disengage. I am currently sitting beside the vehicle, waitin for the service tech to call me back yet again. I have quite literally lost count of how many times rhis vehicle has been in the shop since I got it a year and a half ago.

NHTSA ID

11641663

Incident

Feb 9, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact attempted to disengage the parking brake, but the parking brake failed to respond as needed. The message "Parking Brake Electrical Failure" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure). The dealer informed the contact that the recall only covered the power liftgate module; however, the contact stated that the electric parking brake module was located next to the power liftgate module and had been exposed to water intrusion. The dealer diagnosed that the electric parking brake module, electrical connectors, and wiring needed to be replaced, and the dealer charged a repair fee. The contact declined to pay the fee. The vehicle was towed to Pleasant Valley Auto, where the contact was informed that the electric parking brake module had failed and was corroded. The mechanic replaced the electric parking brake switch and module; however, the electric parking brake module needed to be reprogrammed by a dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11640600

Incident

Jan 4, 2025

Mileage

200,000 mi

My parking gage engaged several times while parked I saw that it said the parking breaking was engaged but I had not put it on. Next it engaged when stopped for a traffic light. I was able to restart it several times. Noticed that this was most likely to happen after a rainfall. Last time it happened my son was able to trick it into disengaging and get it home. Next day it had to be flatbed towed to my mechanic. He changed the parking break switch and that burned out again. After careful investigation he found over two gallons of water under the spare tire where the parking break module is housed. It had to be replaced as well as both calipers. The module also had to be reprogrammed. It was at there 22 days. The mechanic bill was nearly $1,800. Now I need extensive body work to perhaps stop the water coming in thru the seams underneath the power-lift door which had opened. In checking previous complaints it seems that This should have been a recall long ago as it has happened to other similar jeeps.

NHTSA ID

11640055

Incident

Jan 2, 2025

Parking brake turned on by itself and would not disengage. I finally got it to work again and then while driving it did it. Prior to this I was getting a warning about my rear lift gate. I have tried everything to fix it and it does not seem to respond. I have researched this and it seems to be a big problem. Please have Jeep issue a recall.

NHTSA ID

11638055

Incident

Jan 22, 2025

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while reversing, the parking brake was unintendedly engaged, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there were cracks in the chassis, and the parking module had short-circuited. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

NHTSA ID

11638043

Incident

Dec 9, 2024

Mileage

47,000 mi

There is a water intrusion on the vehicle that causes water to find its way to the electronic parking/emergency brake Module and causing it to corrode. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership and they have confirmed this. The safety of myself or other motorists on the road may be at risk if the vehicle gets a reading from the corroded module and sets the parking brake while the vehicle is in motion. I had a service parking brake light appear but the code reads as the parking brake switch needs to be replaced replaced the switch at the front and that did not remedy the issue.

NHTSA ID

11638029

Incident

Nov 1, 2023

Bought a 2014 Jeep Cherokee, while driving the vehicle one day it started braking while accelerating causing it to jerk the vehicle and had to pull over causing the car to completely shut off. I took it to a dealership to get two recalls fixed on it that I found out about and after getting the vehicle back from the dealership and driving it there has been poor acceleration, harsh shifting gears. I was getting a lug nut replaced on my tire at a dealership. I was about to leave with my vehicle and it wouldn’t get out of the parking brake. Then the Service parking brake light comes on the far. I have to get them to look at it again and they find water damage to the Parking Brake Module due to a leak from somewhere. Having to wait on estimates on what it will cost to fix it. Looked into this issue and find out that others have dealt with this as well. With water leakage in the back trunk space and into the Parking Brake Module!! Definitely needs to be a recall on this type of major road safety hazard. Luckily I wasn’t driving when this happened or it could’ve caused a wreck. There is a class action lawsuit I was reading about again Jeep for 2014-2020 models due to water damage to parking brake module and I believe there needs to be a recall on this defect from factory.

NHTSA ID

11632828

Incident

Dec 27, 2024