2018 Jeep Cherokee Electrical Problems

while i was driving my vehicle put the parking brake on and then i was unable to get it deactivated at first, after a few seconds i got it and moved forward in traffic. after a few feet the vehicle put the parking brake on and i was unable to move once again. this was in the middle of traffic and i ended up blocking the single lane road. I called a family member who was near by and they came and some how got the parking brake off and drove me and the vehicle home. my safety and everyone one around safety was jeopardized because they had to go into oncoming traffics lane to pass me until i got moving. parking wouldn't engage when we got home and service parking brake light was on.

NHTSA ID

11737078

Incident

May 10, 2026

While driving, often at highway speeds, all of the lights on the shifter will light up and the dash will display "Service Transmission." I took it to the dealer several times and their response has been that it is a software issue that they do not have a fix for and that I should stop the car, turn the engine off, open and close the door and then restart the car. This does temporarily reset the display but doing this on the highway poses a safety problem in trying to get to the shoulder in traffic.

NHTSA ID

11734310

Incident

Mar 2, 2026

When the running lights and headlights are set to Auto, moving the lever to High Beam causes the lights to go out. I have been asking the dealer and trying to find a solution since buying the car new, but no recall had been issued for my VIN and the dealer will not correct the problem with a recall specific to my VIN and year/model. There is a known issue with the Smart Lighting Module that prevents the High Beam from activating and shuts off the headlight in the Auto position, and a software update has been issued for the newer models, but not for the 2018 Cherokee with the same software.

NHTSA ID

11734305

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

Back up camera turns to static when going in reverse. Has been happening for years. No warnings. Just malfunctioning. Reported this in 2019 to Jeep.

NHTSA ID

11731091

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

The rear defroster or related electrical wiring in the rear glass/liftgate area appears to have malfunctioned and shorted, causing a fire while the vehicle was parked, turned off, and unattended. The fire resulted in the rear glass shattering/blowing out. The incident was recorded on a residential security camera. This posed a significant safety risk because the fire started while the vehicle was off, creating danger to occupants, bystanders, nearby vehicles, and surrounding property. There were no prior warning indicators, messages, or symptoms known before the failure. A dealership has inspected the vehicle and provided a repair estimate consistent with failure in the rear defroster/rear glass area. The vehicle and damaged components should be available for inspection. Based on the observed damage and location of the fire, this appears to be an electrical short involving the rear defroster system or related wiring.

NHTSA ID

11727244

Incident

Mar 9, 2026

Service shifter message and all gear indicator lights on PRND. Seeing common problem and a Technical Bulletin on 2014-2018 Jeep Cherokees

NHTSA ID

11718732

Incident

Jun 10, 2025

PTU/transfer case issues under 50,000 miles, jeep randomly shuts off 4wd in dangerous areas without any warning

NHTSA ID

11709496

Incident

Jan 1, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the instrument panel light, dome light, and center console continuously flickered off and on with the battery voltage charge erroneously fluctuating up and down from 10 to 14 Volts. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the alternator, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer who determined that the PCM was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 133,000.

NHTSA ID

11687857

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

Mileage

133,000 mi

Service shifter light is on been on for a long time. When driving it takes a min to pick up speed . My dash said that there is something wrong with my air bag.

NHTSA ID

11686173

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

All lights on the gear shift light up and a message on the display says service shifter. Happens randomly. Have to turn car off and back on to get to clear. Yesterday I had to turn car off and back on 3 times before error would reset. Found online this is happening to a lot of Jeep cherokees and most common fix is to replace the shifter bezel and wiring. So I replaced the shift bezel and wiring harness yesterday.

NHTSA ID

11672144

Incident

Jul 8, 2025

I have had the service shifter warning light come on after I start the vehicle. The most recent incident is today. Sometimes it comes on and I cannot start the vehicle. I have also had it come on and then my vehicle dies. The I have taken it in and been told no code comes up so nothing is wrong. But clearly something is wrong.

NHTSA ID

11648457

Incident

Mar 15, 2025

Constant overheating , I have replace the cooling system 3 times

NHTSA ID

11645742

Incident

Feb 6, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The contact stated that while at a traffic light or while slowing down, the vehicle shut off unintendedly. The contact stated that after ten minutes, the vehicle was restarted but shut off while approaching a stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the battery. The battery was replaced, but the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

NHTSA ID

11645489

Incident

Feb 27, 2025

Mileage

117,000 mi

Service shifter message appears on screen over speedometer. All the gears light up red on the shifter. Unable to change gears unless you turn off the car and restart. Happens multiple times per year. When you search the internet this is a common occurrence and nothing is being done about it.

NHTSA ID

11640249

Incident

Feb 2, 2025

There is an issue with the car pertaining the gear shifter and the way it effects the engine . There are currently 2k parts on back order for this same issue . Center shifter bezel Parts number 5YD27LS5AAA

NHTSA ID

11634943

Incident

Jan 8, 2025

My jeep will stall without warning. If i turn, it stalls out, brake it stalls, turn the vehicle on hit the gas to go and step off the gas it stalls. Sometimes it won’t start or it will start then stall out. It’s without warning and has had me left on the side of the road multiple times after pushing it out of the way or trying to get it to start again. I’ve had the computer plugged up to it and even the mechanics said they haven’t seen this before. I’ve had the individual parts to the engine tested, they work just fine such as alternator. I will just randomly lose power while driving. I also have the random Gear Shifter Error that it seems every Jeep owner is going through.

NHTSA ID

11622300

Incident

Oct 20, 2023

Service shifter light came on and gear shift lights are all red,P,R,N,D. Took it in and they said it was the shifter harness and they changed it. Didn’t have the issue for a while and it started again January & February 2021, September 2022, June 2023, August 2023, and now ever day in 2024. Have to turn off vehicle and restart. Took to dealer and they said that it’s the shifter harness after they already had changed it. Please help, cause when driving, you can’t figure out in what gear it in and you can’t see your speedometer’s speed. Thanks!

NHTSA ID

11620927

Incident

Jan 7, 2021

Error popped up on the dash saying Service Shifter, all the lights on the gears lit up. First occurrence, I was able to turn the car off and the error went away. 1 week later, it came back and has not gone away. Was unable to put car into drive.

NHTSA ID

11619601

Incident

Oct 14, 2024

Randomly and more often occurring, I turn on my vehicle and it tells me "service shifter" and all of the lights on the shifter turn red. I can restart the vehicle and it may or may not come back. This happened to me when I first bought the vehicle and they told me that they could not get the message to come up. Oddly enough, the message did not come up for years until just recently it has been happening again. My center console screen between my speedometer and my odometer just says "service shifter".

NHTSA ID

11615830

Incident

Sep 18, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the service shifter warning light illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off. The vehicle was restarted, and the service shifter warning light disappeared. In addition, the contact stated that the dealer could not diagnose the failure; however, the navigation system was not working correctly, and requested that the driver drive through a body of water. The contact also confirmed that the navigation system was providing incorrect information. The failure reoccurred. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

NHTSA ID

11612255

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

Mileage

12,000 mi

I keep getting a “service shifter” message and all gears light up red. This has now happened about 15 times. I asked a dealership about it, but they said they would have to correct all of the wiring. I saw that many other jeep cherokee owners also experience this same issue and it does not go away.

NHTSA ID

11582406

Incident

Mar 1, 2024

The shift lever lights are all illuminated red, the shift Service message appears on the dashboard, the error appears and disappears.

NHTSA ID

11581466

Incident

Apr 4, 2024

All lights on shifter light up red (P, R, N, D) and an error message of "SERVICE SHIFTER." Come to find a lot of people are having this same issue.

NHTSA ID

11576731

Incident

Mar 11, 2024

At exactly 37000 miles my service “shifter light” comes on every 4-5 days. I’ve noticed in the warmer months it comes on more frequently. During the cold winter it came on twice. It’s becoming warmer again and it’s popping up often. My husband has a 2017 jeep Cherokee with the same exact issue. Our dealership gave us no answer to this problem. Not sure why, i just hope this doesn’t cause a major issue or hopefully a recall soon to fix this!

NHTSA ID

11573507

Incident

Feb 28, 2023

2018 Jeep Cherokee The power transfer unit malfunctioned and had to be replaced. A warning light indicated that there was an issue. It cost more than $5000 and the part was on back-order for 2 months. The dealer explained that they had so many power transfer unit replacements they could not repair my car unit the back-ordered part arrived. I also paid $2000 or more in rental car fees during that time. This all occurred only a few months after the manufacturer's warranty had expired. The repair was completed at the dealer. I am filing this complaint because Jeep Cherokees from 2017 had a recall for power transfer units. My car was built in 2017. I believe the power transfer units in some of the 2018 Jeep Cherokees are also faulty. There are many, many posts online regarding this issue. I appreciate that you are able to look into this. Best Regards

NHTSA ID

11572798

Incident

Feb 15, 2023