2015 Jeep Cherokee Brakes Problems

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, the brake pedal became inoperable and felt spongy while attempting to stop the vehicle. The contact also stated that the steering wheel became difficult to operate, and a crunching sound was heard while turning the steering wheel. Additionally, the contact stated that multiple incorrect warning messages illuminated on the instrument panel, including the Start/Stop warning message and a door open warning message. The contact stated that the failures began after the vehicle had been repaired under a tailgate recall. The vehicle was taken to another dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer advised the contact to return to the previous dealer for repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,600.

NHTSA ID

11739326

Incident

May 21, 2026

Mileage

118,600 mi

Parking brake module went out and locked up the back end this has happened multiple times now while driving at different speeds!

NHTSA ID

11738305

Incident

May 13, 2026

My daughter was driving her car in the middle of a busy intersection when the parking brake locked up causing her to come to an abrupt stop and almost cause an accident. A quick google search appears to indicate that this issue has already been under investigation by NHTSA for a period of time.

NHTSA ID

11717039

Incident

Feb 9, 2026

Unknown

NHTSA ID

11706274

Incident

Nov 30, 2025

Electric parking brake light keeps coming on also the shifters light comes on a lot as well

NHTSA ID

11692417

Incident

Sep 20, 2025

2015 Jeep Cherokees is not functioning and I'm getting flashing parking brake light. There is water corrosion, which can cause the brake to activate unexpectedly. I did not have any spills in the cargo area of my vehicle. I believe it is from water coming into the wheel well. I took the car to the dealership and they claimed it would cost me $5000 to replace not only the Parking Brake module, but the whole connection to the body harness. I currently do not have a parking brake. I am aware there is a known Service Report for this issue.

NHTSA ID

11691245

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

This vehicle is not safe to drive because it doesn't brake, it takes several seconds to reduce speed after hitting the brakes, and at high speeds it takes longer, which can put anyone's life at risk. The engine is damaged, it releases smoke and is leaking oil, and it heats up when you're moving on the freeway, which can be dangerous. The car loses power while moving. They told me that it was in perfect condition, which they lied to me, putting the lives of many people at risk. The second day after I took it out of the dealership, I realized that the engine was damaged. It started to smoke and lose power. On the road, I almost had an accident because the car didn't brake well. They sold it to me like that. They didn't want to give me the carfax and it hasn't been inspected. They told me that it was in perfect condition, which they lied to me, putting the lives of many people at risk. The second day after I took it out of the dealership, I realized that the engine was damaged. It started to smoke and lose power. On the road, I almost had an accident because the car didn't brake well. They sold it to me like that. They didn't want to give me the carfax I took it to a workshop that they had and the car continued to have the same problems. I would like provide you the video I have it’s the test the engine of the car it’s in really bad condition releasing smoke Please observe the black part of the engine cover. The upper part, if you look closely, you can see the smoke coming out. It is a less visible photo. It has the problem

NHTSA ID

11665682

Incident

May 29, 2025

Water intrusion, causing damage to my electric parking brake module. Parking brake and engaged while vehicle was in motion.

NHTSA ID

11663338

Incident

Apr 15, 2025

The emergency parking brake failed and became stuck in place, making my vehicle unable to get out of park to drive. I am able to shift gears but the EPB is stuck. There is also instances where the EPB has turned on by itself in the middle of driving. I saw there was research ongoing with this issue in 2014-2021 Jeep Cherokees (PE 22-009) which is related to a previous recall (15v-393). I hope this issue is able to progress to a recall as this is severely dangerous and inconvenient. Thankfully this has only happened while I was driving not near other cars but in the event this should happen on the highway for instance it could be catastrophic.

NHTSA ID

11663085

Incident

May 26, 2025

Ptu went out they replaced it it was still not working and they said oh well now ptu is still out and it rolls in park won’t shift when pulling out and is very scary to have my kids in this death trap

NHTSA ID

11661575

Incident

Mar 6, 2025

My parking brake turned on by itself when I started my 2015 Jeep Cherokee and would not turn off. The parking brake light also came on. It is available for inspection. My safety and others safety was put at risk because my car could have stopped running while I was driving. I will be taking it to my local Jeep dealership to have it looked at. I have had a mechanic look at it but was told he could not fix it.

NHTSA ID

11640166

Incident

Jan 31, 2025

I was driving down the highway and my car just shut off and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. It happened twice. Both times the emergency brake light came on but at no time was the emergency brake engaged by me. I was lucky that I wasn’t on a busy road and the care behind me had time to react or it could have been fatal. After trying to restart the car it took some tinkering with the ebrake and after a slight hesitation of the engine, it started. That happened twice in one day and once on another. This is a huge issue that can cause loss of life.

NHTSA ID

11637179

Incident

Jan 19, 2025

While driving with my children, a message to service the electronic parking break appeared. The parking break engaged and I am no longer able to move my vehicle in order to have it serviced.

NHTSA ID

11634056

Incident

Dec 28, 2024

Driving through [XXX] in Belfair, WA my 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk with the 2.4L started running rough and was jerking. As I entered the turn lane the Service Park Brake light flashed, my Jeep jerked to a stop and the emergency brake was turned on while I was still in Drive. I could not get the Emergency Brake to release even after putting my vehicle into park and pressing the brake pedal. I turned the Jeep off then back on but the Emergency Brake was still stuck on. I had to shut the Jeep off and get out of my vehicle on a very busy Highway to get my tools from the spare tire cargo. Upon retrieving my tools I noticed several inches of standing water in the spare tire area. I then popped my hood, disconnected the battery then reconnected the battery. This allowed the Emergency Brake to release so I could drive to the nearest parking lot. I was along an extremely busy State Highway for almost 10 minutes and nearly got hit by other vehicles including school busses and big rigs! My Jeep was towed to my home in Shelton, WA where further inspection showed water had been leaking from the lift gate. I removed all panels and found almost 4 inches of water where my spare sits, mold, water and moisture on and around the ECU and the Automatic Braking System and rust. The seals are good but when it rains the water finds its way in! These pictures are from after when I used my shop vac to get the water out. I found there is a recall for the exact same thing but only for Power Lift Gates. I do not have a Power Lift Gate but this is a major safety issue and should be recalled whether the 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk has a power lift gate or manual lift gate! A quick internet search shows so many other Jeep Owners without the Power Lift Gate have the same issue and complaints! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11629467

Incident

Dec 5, 2024

Experiencing description included in NHTSA Action Number: PE22009 The electronic parking brake is troublesome and often times has trouble engaging/disengaging.

NHTSA ID

11619655

Incident

Oct 4, 2024

There has been two separate occasions this has occurred. The last occurrence resulted in a car wreck . The first occurrence I was driving out of a public parking lot and had feet on breaks and engine rived up and keep going into traffic but car saw me coming and switched lines. This second occurrence I was parking the car in a parking space with my feet on the breaks and the car rived up even with me hitting the breaks jumped the curb and i and the car ended up through the window of a store. No one was hurt but car damaged and in the shop for repairs. Police came to the seen and deemed it an accident. I did not see any warning lights or messages prior to either of these events. report #WC2400651 / unable to upload as i don't have a copy

NHTSA ID

11606250

Incident

Jul 27, 2024

My 2015 Jeep Cherokee started having strange electrical issues. Sometimes the automatic lift gate would not open or close. Sometimes the parking brake would engage and not release. At times the parking brake would engage and I would not be able to drive the car. It would engage within seconds of starting to drive the car, leaving the car lurching forward or unable to move (in the middle of the street). I noticed there seemed to be water leaking into the car around the back right near the power lift gate. I managed to disengage the emergency brake to drive the car to the mechanic. The mechanic could not get the brake released and had to tow the car to an electrical specialist. I paid around $2000 for a new harness for the park break as well as other issues related to the water damage corroding the electrical equipment at the power lift gate. 16 months later and I am having the same issue again. I brought the Jeep to the dealer and they told me the brakes are corroded in addition to the recall on the power lift gate. I believe this (corroded brakes) may also be from the lift gate water leak issue. The recall repair will take months I am told. In the meantime I cannot open the lift gate and so cannot have a diagnostic done on the water leak at the lift gate that continues to enter into the electrical system at the back of the car (liftgate area), likely doing more damage again to the other electrical components such as brake release and brakes. I called the recall line at Chrysler to ask for an expedited recall service and they declined, saying the vehicle is safe to drive. Please there must be a recall on the water leaks causing all of these electrical safety issues.

NHTSA ID

11604291

Incident

Jul 10, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle failed to move after releasing the brake pedal. The contact noticed that the parking brake had engaged independently. The brake light was illuminated. The contact was unable to release the parking brake. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the parking brake had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 87,416. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11594797

Incident

Jun 11, 2024

Mileage

87,416 mi

Jeep has never been in accident properly and regularly maintained when driving on freeway all of the sudden out of nowhere service airbag system and service park brake pop up I was fearful for my life when getting home not knowing if airbags will work heaven forbid I get in car accident or car may roll over onto street because park brake is not working I went to dealership and asked what's wrong with viechole did manufacturer put in faulty airbags or installed broken brake they refused to tell me what the issue is unless I pay them over $500 just to know what's wrong with car I told them car was never in accident properly maintenanced the problem has to be with manufacturer they said unless I pay $500 they will not tell me what's wrong with the jeep please investigate jeep for failed car parts.

NHTSA ID

11591395

Incident

May 20, 2024

Vehicle alerts to ‘service parking brake’ and engages parking parking brake without warning. Shifter has gotten stuck in N, unable to shift out for some time. Shifting in secondary incident resulted in a clunking when shifted to Drive as well as vehicle deceleration after driving for one minute. Safety is affected for all as the vehicle coasts to a stop in traffic. Towing to repair shop required twice, where no issue was found by service technicians either time.

NHTSA ID

11589460

Incident

May 10, 2024

The Electronic Parking Brake has malfunctioned because water has leaked into the liftgate. Jeep is replacing the power liftgate module because if water leaks into the car, this could cause a fire if the water reaches the module. Water is in my car and has destroyed the e-brake system causing it to go on and off unexpectedly and now I can't drive the car. According to an ODI Resume, "On May 11, 2016, the manufacturer released a Technical Service Bulleting (ODI #10191415, FCA #08-060-16) that instructs dealers on replacing the EPB module and inspecting the electrical connector for corrosion if a customer describes having the EPB not releasing." Jeep is willing to replace the Power Liftgate Module - Recall 49A - but not the EPB for the exact same reason. The dealer agrees with my assessment, but without Chrysler willing to cover the cost, they are not able to replace the EPB system for free and want to charge me $1000. Several lights are going off on the dashboard - Service Park Brake, the Brake light and now the Stop/Start function is disabled.

NHTSA ID

11585265

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the parking brake error message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a crack on the vehicle near the lift gate and water had entered the spare tire compartment. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the wiring harness and module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V338000 (Electrical System, Structure). The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

NHTSA ID

11582311

Incident

Apr 4, 2024

Mileage

128,000 mi

The electronic parking brake (EPB) is an issue. Water has seeped into the module which has rendered it inoperable; it needs to be replaced.

NHTSA ID

11581901

Incident

Mar 22, 2024

Parking brake engaged and had to be manually overridden to disengage. Upon further research on the internet and taking apart the rear I found a water leak from the power liftgate and the electronic power brake module to be corroded.

NHTSA ID

11564292

Incident

Jan 7, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the park release button was inoperable. The vehicle failed to move. The caution service brake message was displayed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11542667

Incident

Sep 5, 2023

Mileage

200,000 mi