Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2017 Jeep Cherokee submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 120 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 120, in the owner's own words
Daughter was driving the car when she approached a stop sign the electronic emergency brake engaged while the vehicle was still moving. This caused the vehicle to stop suddenly. She had to manipulate the electronic switch several times to disengage the brake to get the vehicle to move. Luckily this was in a rural town with little traffic.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V011000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. While the contact’s daughter was driving and approaching a stop light, the vehicle continued to drive forward while the brake pedal was depressed. Later, while driving the vehicle experienced reduced power with the check engine warning light and the ETC warning light illuminated. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic who determined that the PTU was faulty and needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 171,000.
My car back in June 2025 left me stranded in the turn lane with traffic backing up after the emergency parking brake turned on without warning. I was not able to drive e my car or to release the brake and move my car. I did a thorough review of all possible reasonable switches that could have caused the malfunction. So I tried to turn off all of the warning systems. Once I did this I couldn't drive faster than 5 to 10 mph. I was able to get to a parking lot about 100 ft away. I called a tow truck, spoke with my mechanic at the local dealership. He suggested what I had already done including removing the battery cables. We did all this to no avail. He got the car then took 3 days to get it to release after opening and closing the door 10 times before starting the car again. He said I need a modulator valve. We have been waiting for over 6 months and my car is still waiting for this part. I can not drive the only car I own when I have a safety issue. Should this had happened while driving with my grandson in the car it is unsafe and it isn't what an autistic child needs to face. This incident has happened 4 times since it happened in June. Every time it takes place, I have to turn off the car open and close the door 10 times before the carvwill release and reset the computer system to make the car drivable again. I did check with the dealership yesterday and still other jeeps of this year has the same issues but my car is not in that listing. What does a person have do when it is clearly a manufacturer defect?
Jeep Cherokee – Unexpected 4WD / PTU Issue Out of nowhere, my Jeep Cherokee displayed a message on the dashboard saying “Service 4 Wheel Drive.” I was driving normally at the time — no impact, no off-road driving, and nothing unusual occurred beforehand. After taking the vehicle to my mechanic, I was informed that the issue might be related to the PTU (Power Transfer Unit). It seems the system failed without any warning signs. Now, every time I start the car, the same “Service 4 Wheel Drive” message reappears. There are no strange noises or performance issues at the moment, but the warning remains, which is concerning and will need further inspection.
Parking brake on the jeep automatically engaged while driving. Had vehicle towed to dealership where a new parking brake switch was installed and programed and told it was ready to go. Picked it up and it did the same thing again and turned on the auto start stop light. Took it back to the dealership and they said water had gotten into the back area and corroded the parking brake module and the connector. They wanted to charge me $2500 to fix. I took the vehicle home and parked it and started doing research. This is a known problem that could affect 1.2 million vehicles. My jeep only has 73,500 miles on it and is regularly serviced. It's driven roughly 4 miles a day. This is a safety issue so why isn't there a recall on it. It is a defect in design not a consumer made issue.
A SERVICE SHIFTER message appeared out of nowhere, and now all the lights turn on regardless of which gear I'm in. After a quick internet search, it appears MANY people have experienced this exact same issue with various Jeep models. It seems this is an issue the company should take responsibility for and fix with a recall. The parts to replace this faulty design are expensive, and a repair shop cost would be exorbitant.
Vehicle has a known safety Bulletin out from Stellantis for the PTU but this model does not fall under it. I am having issues with the PtU and concerns with safety of driving and others. Will need repaired. Frustration that my certain subsection of this model is not covered under the safety bulletin despite known problems and significant safety risk.
Service Shifter light came on dash, all gears on shifter , red lights came on. I was driving at 55 mph and could tell the car wasn’t accelerating and was slowing down . That’s when I noticed the Service Shifter light on dash. I was in a lot of traffic and couldn’t safely pull over , I was almost rear ended by the car behind me. I coasted to the side of the road and turned car off and back on . The light went off . This was yesterday , today I start the car and it starts rough ( which it usually doesn’t ) and the service shifter light is back on. This is a very serious , dangerous and possibly deadly issue . I was so scared when it happened as I had no control of speed of the vehicle . I see many , many reports on this issue for several years and it shows past repairs have not corrected the issue. A recall should be issued ASAP before someone gets hurt or dies from this very common problem . Customers should not have to pay to repair and issue that has been reported thousands of times for many years . Please give direction on how to get this properly and fully fixed . I am afraid to drive the vehicle for fear of a traffic accident .
Lost power on thruway in 2017 jeep Cherokee, light came on reading"service electronic stability control ", followed by check engine light. Car is not drivable, been sitting at dealership for almost 3weeks now, currently no remedy for safety recall, and no timeline. I have no vehicle at moment, work fulltime, and am still making payments. Was told I can't have loaner car, both by dealership, and Mopar, and am left in disbelief. Vehicle was already inspected by jeep dealership, said their certain its related to recall. My life is upside down currently, am hopeless
I SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT ABOUT THE SERVICE SHIFTER THAT I BEEN HAVING SINCE 2020 RIGHT AFTER I FINANCE THE CAR WITH DEALERSHIP. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED AND IT HASNT BEEN RESOLVED EVEN AFTER TAKING IT BACK FOR REPAIRING. RECENTLY ON 6/24/2025 MY CAR STOPPED ON THE EXPRESSWAY, THE SERVICE SHIFTER CAME ON AND ALSO ELECTRICAL THROTTLE SERVICE CONTROL. MY CAR STARTED TREMBLING AND IT WOULD TURN ON BUT I COULDNT DRIVE IT. THE EXPRESSWAY ROAD ASSISTANCE WAS ABLE TO PUSH ME OUT THE EXPRESSWAY AND IN THE PROCESS MY CAR STARTED TO RUN BUT SHAKY STILL AND I WAS ABLE TO GET IT BACK HOME.
Electronic parking brake engaged and wouldn't release. Possibility of occurrence while driving. Problem has been confirmed by independent service center to have been caused by water leakage into the area where the parking control module is located. Water was found pooling in parking control module which corroded connecters. Vehicle has not been inspected by anyone but the service center. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
I believe the PTU is malfunctioning and causing the transmission to slip or jerk. I am experiencing uncontrolled movement while driving. The vehicle is available at any time for inspection upon request. This puts myself and 2 small children at risk while driving, therefore my ability to use this vehicle is extremely limited and high risk. I have taken it to a jeep dealership in porterville ca who stated my transmission needed replacement. they verbally stated my ptu was ok but never confirmed it with documentation. i have taken it to private mechanics who could not find any issues saying that the problem is internal. the mechanics i have taken it to in the past year have not come to a solution other than to suggest i wait for a resolution to the recall. The service all wheel drive light came on/off about a year ago and was consistant for several months but has turned off for awhile now.
Electronic parking brake (EPB) module. Yes confirmed by a independent service center. Warning Park Brake indicator. This is the second time happening. First time was Sept 2024 was fixed. Taking it in tomorrow for confirmation, if same issue mechanic stated the part is on National Backorder!!!! Unable to release out of Park Brake which in turn, unable to drive car. Safety issue when driving, stops abruptly, can't disengage safety brake.
E-brake service light came on and couldn’t release it, so it had to be towed for a second time in 3 days. The first mechanic released it and said I would be able to drive it until I could get it to the dealership for a possible computer issue that he wouldn’t be able to preform. I drove it a total of 9.5 miles after this before it did it again and I had to have it towed. This was very scary to know that the e-brake could just lock up at anytime or anywhere. I could easily get injured or killed if it happened at the wrong time or place. The dealer found that the module was full of water and needed to be replaced. This is my 3rd Jeep in almost 31 years and now I’m not feeling safe with a Jeep anymore. Why hasn’t there been a recall when it’s a big safety issue? I did get warning lights when it happened the 1st time and did have it towed because it wouldn’t disengage no matter what I did. It’s costing me $400+ to replace the module and $400+ to put in a new Multifunctional Switch that the dealers repair shop also states is involved with this issue. Also, it cost me $105 for the 1st tow and $171 for the 2nd and $110 for the 1st mechanic to look at it. Again, I’m a senior citizen and should not feel scared to drive my vehicle nor need to spend $800+ and an additional $386 to resolve an issue that Jeep has known about for years and is just waiting for it to kill someone before they respond!
SERVICE SHIFTER WARNING LIGHT
I was driving my vehicle and it lost power going down the highway about 65 mph maybe 70. The power shut off on my vehicle and then it came back on but it was very dim and it say that way for till I got out of it and it was very scary my My cruise control keeps shutting off okay I'm having major problems with my transmission it slips a lot I need to know what to do about that.
My 2017 has experienced multiple loss of power events( two on the highway!). The vehicle’s transmission will disengage and I will have to coast to the side of the road. My ignition is still on but have been told previously that my PTU needs replacing. I will have the amber service transmission light illuminated but only after having transmission disengage. This power failure is a extremely serious safety issue- now the local Jeep dealers have “no fix” and I am having to rent a car because of this safety issue.
Due to the limit on text characters I have attached the 17-page document explaining the safety issues.
1. Consumer is a Permanent and Total Disabled Vet (Unemployable) and this vehicle is the only vehicle Consumer has. 2. I have a 2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk KL (XXX) I have owned since day one with 56k miles. 3. At all times I did not receive any recall notices for correct known safety issues. 5. I have OBD-II tools of vLinker (use everyday for LiveData), BlueDriver and TogDog. 6. For almost as long as I have had the Jeep I have experienced the following. When I say the following I mean, at all times: a. Any type of road- surface- weather- time of day- city, highway and interstate driving- speed to include deaccelerating, at stop sign/light- 1-3 x’s a day, weekly- it doesn’t matter when or where b. The PTU was replaced in 2018 according to service report, service stating they couldn’t replicate issue although they had videos, etc a total of 4-x’s c. But, I keep experiencing the following: d. Loss of acceleration, push on gas pedal nothing happens, sometimes can let off for a bit and then accelerates, revs to 6-7k up/down using/not cruise, cruise doesn’t turn off, pulling trailer and not- lose brakes when stopped rolls back, parking brake message, traction control message, service engine message, loud engine noises from in front of driver, rear back and under center console- lose of rear wheel traction, loss of park- shifting to park grinding noises, 7. Below is a Google Shared Link for anyone that includes videos as it happens, OBD-II scans in .cvs and .brc files along with screenshots of the codes. [XXX] 8. Upon researching these issues I have found 1000s of complaints online regarding the same issues I experience. Including Jeep Compass- Renegade- Wrangler- Grand Cherokee. 9. Upon further research it seems this Consumer is the only one with video during the event and data of said event. 10. I am still retrieving older vids. 11. Vids and documents to large to attach. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The shifter turns all red lights and service shifter appears in the warnings. There was a recall for this on certain vin #s for the same make and model but Chrysler refuses to acknowledge the wider problem effecting others. They advise you to pay out of pocket and I can’t afford that. This is clearly an issue that is wide spread and the danger is unknown what can happen but I don’t feel safe driving my [XXX] in a vehicle with all these warning lights. The issue started apparently 2 years ago but hadn’t been addressed by my wife because she was out of work and not driving it much. We need both our vehicles safe and Chrysler needs to fix the issues that their manufacturers caused. There are so many articles and complaints about this same issue and Chrysler refusing to fix it. Please help us ensure the safety of our family until we can afford another car. Our mechanic was able to replicate the issue and now it’s just constantly on. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I parked my car and went into the store came back out tried to start my car and the message Service Transmission Restart in Park With Vehicle at Zero Speed appeared on the dashboard and my car wouldn’t start
Service shifter light is turning on the car at 20-60 mph and more. Car warning continues to appear over multiple periods of times and not able to see speed and determine if car is driving properly!
While driving the service shifter warning has come on. The car will drive like it is not in the correct gear, and all the gear shift lights come on. It does not want to accelerate. If the warning comes on when starting up, the Jeep will not allow me to shift from park. It has to be shut off and restarted after waiting a few minutes. The auto stop-start no longer works. (It’s the feature that helps to cut emissions that usually engages when at a signal light.). While researching, I found out that Mopar has recalled some Cherokee models, but not mine.
The Service Shifter light came on and keeps coming on sporadically. I was dismayed to learn that there are numerous complaints regarding the Service Shifter light on the 2017 Jeep Cherokee. Has this ever been formally addressed.
There was no accident but I would like to prevent one. I believe there should be a recall on my vehicle regarding the service shifter. This defect could potentially result in power loss to the front wheels and the transmission being impossible to put into park. My vehicle service shifter light is on and my car jerks while driving. Is this not a problem with many Jeeps?
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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