2016 Jeep Cherokee Steering Problems

While driving or idle at the light the ABS light, traction control light and parking brake light come on and have a loss power steering.

NHTSA ID

11736780

Incident

Apr 12, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the message “4WD/Pull Over” was displayed, and the Low Oil warning light was intermittently illuminated. The contact became aware of the warning lights after receiving an oil change. Additionally, the oil level needed to be topped off after driving approximately 3,000 miles. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and it decelerated and stalled. The contact pulled over, turned off the vehicle, waited for several minutes, then made several attempts to restart the vehicle until the power steering functionality returned and was able to drive as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was confirmed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of oil, and that the oil level sensor was inoperable. The dealer reprogrammed the ECM, but failures persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11728808

Incident

Apr 2, 2016

Mileage

65,000 mi

UNKNOWN: Not had problems since I got it. 66000 miles on it and now it’s losing electrical power at random. I’ll be driving normally, but my dash will go black, all lights go out and the engine will go into neutral. When I let off the throttle and coast, it will come back to life and go back to normal.

NHTSA ID

11710202

Incident

Jan 10, 2026

My vehicle continues to sporadically lose power steering, power and braking. “4wd temporarily disabled” light keeps coming on but then goes off. I have taken to dealer and they say it doesn’t throw a code and there is nothing they can do. It’s a safety issue. Other Jeep Cherokee years and models keep getting recalled but not mine. Mine needs to be recalled. Very dangerous.has been happening increasingly more often in last two months.

NHTSA ID

11637846

Incident

Dec 1, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, causing the steering wheel to become very difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure the check engine warning light, PCM warning light, and traction control warning were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the power steering pump and rack and pinion assembly were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was later taken to the local mechanic and repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 96,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11617830

Incident

Feb 3, 2024

Mileage

96,000 mi

The car is constantly overheating because a failure from the computer to start up the fan causing other issues with the coolant. Like bursting all the hoses and causing coolant leaks. Additionally a service shifter message came up on my screen and all the gears (p,r,n,d,l) light up with a red dot. This happens while I’m driving. I never know when the car is just going to stop or over heat in traffic because sometimes the fan starts and sometimes it doesn’t.

NHTSA ID

11599513

Incident

Jul 6, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the EPS warning light intermittently illuminated, and the odometer was flashing. The vehicle then lost motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be determined, and no error codes were retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V302000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11599243

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

Mileage

120,000 mi

The vehicle cut off on me while the vehicle was in drive and I was driving on the highway going 70mph. It has done this several times now. The car cuts off. The vehicle looses power.

NHTSA ID

11593201

Incident

May 9, 2024

Driving my vehicle back home for a local store 1.5 mi from my house and the off road warning light came on and then the steering wheel turned left while I was driving on a straight away. Managed to get to my driveway but looks like the right front wheel has detached from the truck altogether and won't move. Could not get my truck no further than the edge of my driveway. It should not be coming apart like a puzzle.

NHTSA ID

11543720

Incident

Sep 10, 2023

My 2016 Jeep Cheroke with 75,000 miles started to show a yellow 4WD service light. It would come on and off. I brought it to a Jeep service repair center, where it currently sits, and they confirmed the PTU is NO good. Needs to be replaced at a cost of over $3,000. And to make matters worse, I was advised not to drive the Jeep because it is a safety issue! Also, there is a recall out for "certain" Jeep Cherokees, not mine, with the same exact issue! My Jeep Cherokee was manufactured during the time of the recalled Cherokees but it isn't part of this recall at this point?! I do not have $3,000 to repair a failed PTU which is part of a recall but not my jeep "yet," but if I am driving the Jeep and the PTU totally fails, the Jeep will lose power to the wheels and it can cause an accident. Jeep knows this PTU is an issue but won't help. This is a safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11534369

Incident

Jun 9, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while making a turn, the vehicle experienced the death wobble. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic on two occasions to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the rear knuckles needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired twice; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken back to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the rear knuckles and knuckle bushings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11522442

Incident

Mar 1, 2023

Mileage

170,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11519362

Incident

Apr 20, 2023

The Power Control Unit of the full time four drive unit is defective and has caused warning lights that made the car unsafe to drive. There is current safety recall by NHTSA 20V343 that applies to 2014-2017 jeep Cherokee that applies to my car but does not shows up on the Jeep data base. Please advise. Thank you

NHTSA ID

11475359

Incident

Jul 5, 2022

I WAS DRIVING MY 2016 JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT AND WHEN I GOT TO MY FRIENDS GATED ENTRANCE. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK SO I COULD ENTER THE GATE CODE ON TO THE KEY PAD. WHEN I WENT TO PUT THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE- THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WENT ON BY ITSELF AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE CAR WOULD NOT GO IN TO ANY GEAR SO I COULDN'T PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO PUSH IT OUT OF THE WAY FOR RESIDENTS TRYING TO ENTER. I HAD TO CALL FOR A TOW TRUCK AND WAIT AN HOUR DIRECTING TRAFFIC... HAD IT TOWED TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE DEALERSHIP WAS CLOSED. NEXT MORNING HAD IT TOWED TO CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP IN BUFORD, GA.

NHTSA ID

11399686

Incident

Feb 19, 2021

Mileage

42,600 mi

VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AT ABOUT 25-30 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF COMPLETELY, ENGINE WAS NOT GOING AND POWER STEERING, BRAKES, AND ALL ELECTRONICS WOULD NOT WORK UNTIL THE CAR COASTED INTO A PARKING LOT. THE CAR WAS PUT IN PARK AND THEN TURNED BACK ON AS NORMAL. INCIDENT HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES NOW AT SPEEDS OF 45MPH , 20MPH, 25MPH, AND 10MPH.

NHTSA ID

11394573

Incident

Feb 3, 2021

Mileage

51,890 mi

ENGINE CUTS OUT WITH NO WARNING WHEN VEHICLE IN MOTION. IMMEDIATE LOSS OF STEERING, BREAKING, AND POWER. VEHICLE WAS TRAVELLING AT 10-15 MPH FOLLOWING ROAD TO THE RIGHT ON A RISE. IMMEDIATE RISK OF COLLISION FROM FOLLOWING CARS.

NHTSA ID

11388196

Incident

Jan 14, 2021

Mileage

57,000 mi

ENGINE BURNS TO MUCH OIL. OIL LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON UNTIL ALMOST COMPLETELY OUT OF OIL. CAR STOPS SUDDENLY AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE. AN ERROR MESSAGE WILL POP UP TELLING YOU TO PUT YOUR CAR IN PARK AND YOU'LL HAVE TO TRY TO START IT A COUPLE TIMES AND IT WILL TURN OVER BEFORE START.

NHTSA ID

11375279

Incident

Jul 10, 2020

Mileage

70,000 mi

CAR HAS HAD REPETITIVE ISSUES LOSING POWER DIRECTLY AFTER A SHARP RIGHT HAND TURN. COMPLETELY LOSES POWER FOR A FEW SECONDS BUT LONG ENOUGH TO POTENTIALLY BE REAR ENDED. I HAVE HAD IT IN THE SHOP 3 TIMES AND THEY CANNOT CORRECT THE ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE FOR THE LAST 30,000 MILES AND SEEMS NO HELP IS COMPING FROM THE DEALERSHIP OR MANUFACTURER. I WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD THAT IT WAS A LOW OIL ISSUE ALTHOUGH THE OIL WAS NOT LOW. THIS IS THE V6 VERSION AND DOES NOT CONSUME OIL LIKE THE 4 CYLINDER. VEHICLE HAS BEEN REFLASHED TWICE AND DEALERSHIP IS UNWILLING TO FIND SOURCE AND FIX. I HAVE ONE PARTICULAR TURN ON TO A INTERSTATE HIGHWAY I MAKE EVERY DAY AND THE VEHICLE CONSISTENTLY STALLS ON THAT TURN. IT IS A POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THERE IS HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND YET NO RECALL OR EVEN A SERVICE BULLETIN. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE INTERVENE BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED.

NHTSA ID

11363329

Incident

Oct 7, 2020

Mileage

76,000 mi

I WAS DRIVING HOME IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD. MY POWER STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY CUT OUT AND THE CHECK ENGINE, POWER STEERING AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. BECAUSE I COULD NOT CONTROL THE CAR WITH THE UNEXPECTED LOSS OF POWER STEERING I DROVE OFF THE ROAD UNTIL I COULD BRAKE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION AS THIS OCCURRED AND GOING FORWARD AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED. THE ERROR APPEARS TO BE AROUND THE ELECTRONIC STEERING ASSIST SYSTEM. BROUGHT TO GARAGE NEXT MORNING VIA TOW TRUCK. CAR WAS BEHAVING NORMALLY. ALL WARNING LIGHTS OFF AND STEERING FUNCTIONAL. SHOP CHECKED GROUNDS, POWER AND A WIRING HARNESS AND COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE FOR THE STEERING TO CUT OUT LIKE IT DID AS THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE. THERE WERE MULTIPLE ERROR CODES IN THE SYSTEM REGARDING LOSS OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE ELECTRONIC STEERING ASSIST MODULE. DUE TO THE RANDOM NATURE OF THIS INCIDENT AND THE INCONCLUSIVE DIAGNOSTICS I AM VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS CAN AND WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND COULD CAUSE A MUCH MORE SEVERE ACCIDENT IF I'M GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN THE STEERING CUTS OUT OR DRIVING IN WINTER WEATHER.

NHTSA ID

11331905

Incident

Jun 28, 2020

Mileage

59,000 mi

ON FEB 6, 2020, I WAS GETTING READY FOR WORK WHEN I NOTICED THAT MY JEEP HAD A MESSAGE APPEAR ON THE DASH BOARD REGARDING SHIFT SHIFTER. I WAS PULLING OUT OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX WHEN MY CAR STOPPED OUT OF NO WHERE MY CAR STOPPED AND THE MESSAGE APPEAR WHILE STILL ON DRIVE. WHEN I LOOKED OVER THE SHIFT SHIFTER, THE PRND WERE ALL LIGHTEN UP IN RED. I HAS CAUSING TRAFFIC AND HAD TO GET MY CAR TOWED.

NHTSA ID

11308717

Incident

Feb 6, 2020

Mileage

99,850 mi

WHILE IN DRIVE THE JEEP CHEROKEE SPORT (PREMIUM PKG) CAR CUTS OFF IN STREET 3X AND HWY 4X AND ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON. CAR ALSO LOSES POWER/SPEED WHILE IN DRIVE AND ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON WHEN MAKING A TURN. CAR LOSES SPEED AND DRIVER IS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE WHILE ON BUSY HWY OR STREET.. BOUGHT CAR NEW WITH 16 MILES ON ODOMETER FROM CHRYSLER JEEP DEALER. MANUFACTURE WARRANTY EXPIRED 2 MONTHS PRIOR TO THIS PROBLEM. MILEAGE 63,000 MILES. I HAVE AN EXPENSIVE EXTENDED DEALER WARRANTY. CHRYSLER JEEP DEALER SAYS ENGINE WILL BE REPLACED W/ NO DEDUCTIBLE AND NO ADDL CUSTOMER COST ACCORDING TO DEALER WARRANTY.. OIL GASKETS BLOWN ALSO WITH EXCELLENT SERVICE RECORD AT CHRYSLER JEEP DEALER.. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE AN EXPENSIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON A NEW CAR AND HAVE TO REPLACE AN ENGINE FOR A CAR UNDER 5 YEARS OLD. CAR HAS ONE DRIVER 62 YRS OLD, NO ACCIDENTS NO TICKETS IN 15 YEARS THIS IS AWFUL FOR A 3.25 YEAR OLD JEEP!! CAR HAS BEEN AT JEEP DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT SINCE DEC 31, 2019 FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ID

11297949

Incident

Dec 27, 2019

Mileage

63,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING MY 2016 JEEP CHEROKEE THE VEHICLE HAS DIED OUT COMPLETELY ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. WHILE DRIVING THERE IS A DING NOISE FOLLOWED BY A MESSAGE ON MY DASH BOARD THAT SAYS PUT CAR IN PARK THEN SWITCH INTO GEAR, WHEN I AM ALREADY IN DRIVE AND DRIVING THEN THE CAR STOPS AND THE BRAKES AND STEERING LOCKS UP COMPLETELY THE BATTERY LIGHT FLASHES THEN THE WHOLE DASH GOES BLACK. THEN I HAVE TO TRYING TURNING IT OVER A FEW TIMES AND THEN IT WILL FINALLY START WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS ON OR ANYTHING AFTER IT JUST LOCKED UP AND DIED. THIS VEHICLE HAS DIED SEVERAL TIMES ON ME WHILE TURNING RIGHT, WHILE JUST DRIVING, AND IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERSECTIONS. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THERE IS NO INDICATION OF THIS HAPPENING AS FAR AS CODES THAT CAN BE BROUGHT UP OR ANYTHING BUT WHEN HE TEST DROVE IT THE SAME THING HAPPENED TO HIM HE MADE A RIGHT ON 12-31 AND THE CAR SAID PUT CAR IN PARK THEN SELECT A GEAR THEN WENT BLACK AND THEN IT TOOK A FEW TIMES FOR THE CAR TO TURN OVER AGAIN, BUT YET AGAIN TURNING ON WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS OR ANYTHING AFTER, BUT COME TO FIND ONLINE THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT JEEP HAS NOT ADDRESSED AND THERE SEEMS TO BE NO SOLUTION BESIDES BEING IN CONSTANT FEAR THAT YOU CAR IS GOING TO DIE OUT ON YOU. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THERE ARE LIVES TAKEN. I HAVE A TWO YOUNG TODDLER DAUGHTERS THAT I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING IN OUR 2016 JEEP CHEROKEE IN FEAR FOR THEIR LIVES!

NHTSA ID

11292311

Incident

Dec 9, 2019

Mileage

45,500 mi

DRIVING AT NIGHT IN THE RAIN ON THE HIGHWAY 60 MPH. LOST POWER STEERING, BRAKES, FORWARD WARNING COLLISION AND OTHER CONTROLS. LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE CRASH INTO THE EMBANKMENT. ALMOST ROLLED THE VEHICLE. DEALER STATED STEERING MODULAR FAILED AND REPLACED STEERING RACK AND PINON SYSTEM. DEALER STATED 12 ACTIVE COMPUTER CODES SHUT DOWN ALL OF ABOVE FUNCTIONS. DEALER STATED COMPUTER STEERING COMPUTER MODULE FAILED CAUSING STEERING AND OTHER FUNCTIONS TO FAIL.

NHTSA ID

11291491

Incident

Dec 17, 2019

Mileage

58,500 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE AXLE SHAFT ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS NOT INFORMED OF ANY FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN IT WAS PURCHASED IN MARCH OF 2019. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE WIPER ARMS MALFUNCTIONED. THE FAILURES BEGAN WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,934.

NHTSA ID

11282397

Incident

Mar 26, 2019

Mileage

27,934 mi

ENGINE FAILURE WHILE GOING AROUND A BEND. STEERING COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AND BREAKS WERE NONE FUNCTIONAL. THANK GOD I WAS ONLY TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 15MHP IN TOWN AND WAS ABLE TO SAFELY COST OUT OF THE WAY OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC. MY DASHBOARD SAID SHIFT TO P (PARK) AND THEN DESIRED GEAR AND THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I TRIED TO RESTART IN PARK BUT JEEP WOULD NOT START. AFTER ABOUT 15 MINUTES MY JEEP STARTED BACK UP AND RAN NORMAL. MY CONCERN IS IF I WAS DRIVING 70MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE TRUCK (WHICH I HAVE TO DO EVERYDAY AS I WORK OUT OF TOWN) WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED??? WOULD I EVEN BE WRITING THIS RIGHT NOW? THERE WAS NO WARNINGS, NO LIGHTS ON, NO INDICATION MY ENGINE WOULD FAIL WHILE ENGAGED WHAT SO EVER. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN!

NHTSA ID

11279346

Incident

Nov 10, 2019

Mileage

54,656 mi