Jeep Cherokee Complaints (2021)

152 consumer complaints on file.

#11686716September 11, 2025
POWER TRAIN
On May 13th 2025 the 4WD service light came on. We took it to the Dodge Jeep Ram dealership that owns the used car dealership we bought it from. After the mechanic checked everything, they said it was drivable but they needed to order a car part (PTU). Once that car part arrived at the dealership they would have us bring the car back in and they would fix it. On July 8th of 2025, stil no news on when the part would be delivered to the dealership, the car started making weird noises and was not drivable on the road. AAA towed it back to the dealership where they confirmed the Power Transfer Unit stopped altogether (PTU). From there they said they will keep the car until the part comes in, the car part was estimated August 8th. It is now September 11th and they still have not received the part to fix the car. I have contacted Jeep Customer Service, a Law Firm, etc as there is no recall open on this vehicle and it seems to be an issue as our dealership said there were 10 other Jeeps waiting for this part.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11685994September 9, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The car is reporting service 4WD, they are saying the PTU is bad. Took it into the dealership today.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683744August 28, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The service 4wd light is on. The dealership said it is a PTU problem. They want $2500 for a new PTU and of course add more money for labor. This seems to be a manufacturer problem not a car owner problem. It should be a recall item as it has been for 2017-2019 Jeep Cherokees. The dealer should fix this at no cost to the auto owners.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683236August 26, 2025
ENGINE
July 3 purchased used Jeep 2021 18,500 miles from a Lincoln Dealer July 5-7 notified dealer something wrong with engine July 10 drop off at Lincoln dealer was told Jeep would be taken to there Jeep Dealer in Titusville for service July 16 we find out Jeep has been delivered, July 21 was told the Jeep needs new engine, ordered was placed, as of today Aug 26 no ETA I filed a case with Jeep Care, they state no ETA maybe October. No warnings when I did the test drive, within an hour of driving and got home engine made terrible sounds etc reported it right away
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11683087August 26, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Our Jeep has had multiple accounts of shifting hard, hesitation while shifting, making a hard sound when putting in reverse and now it is having trouble starting up. When we charged the recently purchased (brand new) battery, the vehicle will start up but when placing in reverse it shifts so hard that it sounds like the bottom is dropping out. Now a lot of lights are shining on my panel; the check engine light, the forward collision light, the parking break light, the regular brake notification, the traction control light.....all shining up like Christmas lights. This is an ongoing issue and I feel a recall needs to be done. My car is over the warranty time frame and for a 2021 model that was purchased brand new I should NOT have to be replacing a transmission already and paying out of pocket expenses.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11682148August 21, 2025
Insert, Padding
The padding (foam) underneath the cover of the car seat is cracked/broken. It is available whenever for inspection. By the foam being damaged, it is no longer safe to use according to multiple reliable sources. EvenFlo is claiming for it to be just as safe after reporting the damage. I have sent photos of the damage to EvenFlo and they claim that they will not replace it due to being bought from a 3rd party retailer (brand new) and also claim it’s still perfectly safe to use. It was also inspected by the hospital prior to bringing my daughter home (there was no damage).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11681228August 18, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The power transfer unit failed and lost power lots of grinding noises and could even roll when in park. What worries me more as I read about this is how many seems to be failing
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11680996August 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN
My vehicle was driving fine and I pulled up to a stop light. When I stepped on gas to drive after the light switched, the car would not move and made a loud noise. The brake automatically kicked in and car would not move. This could have been very dangerous as someone could have slammed into the back of my car which could have caused serious damage to me or my children. There was absolutely no warning of anything wrong with my car. I had to have my vehicle towed to a garage. The PTU in my jeep went with absolutely no warning. This part is on back order apparently because there are so many issues with this part on jeeps. Prior year jeeps have this item as a recall which leads me to believe that this is a Jeep problem that should have been fixed already. So now I am without my vehicle for a month.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11679713August 10, 2025
POWER TRAIN
When taking off out of my driveway the car hesitated to send power from the engine to the wheels resulting in a delayed start. Unknown which component caused the issue but based on my previous 2014 trailhawks PTU 2 x failure it appears to be the suspect. This placed my me and my family at a risk of a side collision as vehicles drive down our road at high speeds. If we cannot pull out in time, a collision is likely to occur causing serious injury or death. Vehicle I available for inspection upon request but has not been inspected by a dealer, independent shop, of police for this problem and there were no indicator lights that came on.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670379June 30, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The PTU (power transfer unit) failed in the middle of the interstate which caused it to stall and not move.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667957June 19, 2025
POWER TRAIN
PTU failure Service 4WD Light came on in April 2025 problem confirmed by independent service center has not been inspected by manufacture, police, insurance or others
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667225June 16, 2025
POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, SERVICE BRAKES
Driving a 2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk on the interstate with cruise control engaged. All of a sudden the vehicle decelerates/downshifts and the display screen flashes "4WD System Unavailable Service Required" and "4WD Neutral Warning". Trying to cross traffic to get to the shoulder of road and almost hit due to deceleration. Press gas pedal and nothing. Traction control light flashes on. Coast cross traffic to shoulder side of the road. Shut off Jeep. Check for loss of fluids and/or parts. Check brakes. Nothing. No smoke. No burning smell. Turn vehicle on. Vehicle automatically engages parking brake. Shift off parking brake and shift vehicle into drive and it makes a grinding noise like its trying to shift into 4WD. Snow mode pops on as well as the FWD Collision light and traction control. Jeep ran just fine until this point and no prior incidents, no bad/hard shifting. NOTHING.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666251June 11, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Upon exiting a major interstate highway, I slowed down and attempted to merge onto a divided highway. The vehicle (2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk) did not respond, as their was little or no power. Cars behind me, took actions to avoid me. After coasting to the shoulder of the divided highway, I placed the vehicle in park and then back into drive. I experienced a grinding, oscillating noise and a dashboard warning message stating to service 4WD system. I repeated this procedure and was able to advance the vehicle at a slow/steady pace to a local Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep dealership, not far from the malfunction. Dealership has confirmed a major PTU failure, one of the "worst" they have seen. I was also informed that the stated wait on replacement parts is 45 days.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11657641April 29, 2025
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I bought the car in 7/23 at Auto Savvy Sta fe New Mexico, after 3-4 weeks the power steering wheel light on I called the dealer so they checked n then they said nothing is wrong so after that the lights . The car were 3 times at the dealer and the last time was there for 9 weeks. So they said they changed the steering column, the clock spring and the lights came back. So one time I lost the control, on the high way so after that I haven’t used the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11656349April 23, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, POWER TRAIN
Car completely died while operating. No Power. Dead in middle of the road. Unable to signal other cars. Jeep dealership ran code and replaced battery. Did not check PTU as requested. Car is now acting up similar to PTU issues. Exact same experiences as outlined in the recall for 2017 to 2020. 2021 should be included for this recall and reviewed or repaired as this is a known issue in jeep cheerokes. This is a serious issue due to the fact that they shut down immediately leaving you in the middle of the road with zero ability to notify anyone you are stopped. No warning signs were present.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11653148April 7, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while attempting to drive from a complete stop, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was able to restart after several attempts. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and making a turn on the same day, the failure recurred, nearly causing the contact to crash into a vehicle and to be rear-ended by another vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had recurred on another occasion. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to their location for a diagnostic test. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11651466March 29, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was driving on the highway with no overpass, no foreign objects flying, not behind anyone, and my sunroof shattered and exploded all over me with no explanation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11650812March 26, 2025
POWER TRAIN
PTU went out at 42,900 miles 2 weeks ago traveling on I81, was very foggy and all of a sudden my rpm went crazy and check engine and service 4 wd light came on pulled to side of highway and car was reving itself on and off and when shifting to drive or reverse car would not move and emergency brake was engaging on it’s own. Called Triple A and had to have towed on truck to dealer . Just bought vehicle 3 months prior . Dealer tested and told me PTU went out in vehicle not sure when part will be available could be months . We were sitting on berm of highway for an hour in foggy conditions and semi trucks flying by was very scary.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11649343March 19, 2025
POWER TRAIN
"Service 4wd" message came on after startup one day.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648014March 12, 2025
POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Failed rear driveline failed rear differential and failed DTCM. Jeep is still sluggish upon shifting to acceleration. Clunk from park to drive and cold start to warm up normal to drop to normal rpm then rev up to 2.0 while sitting still. I have suspicions that the PTU could be having issues after all the above was replaced
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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