Engine failure at 90,000 miles need a whole new engine
2019 Jeep Cherokee
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cherokee years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Jeep Cherokee are substantially higher than the model-year median of 113.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cherokee years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
750 reports with mileage · 888 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 800 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 457 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 340 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
1,638 reportsI was leaving the parking lot of a grocery store - I was probably 100 yards from where I parked to the exit to the road. My [XXX] and [XXX] were in car seats in the back. I went to merge into traffic going left out of the parking lot. As I accelerated to merge into traffic and get up to speed, the emergency brake on my car engag…
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I was leaving the parking lot of a grocery store - I was probably 100 yards from where I parked to the exit to the road. My [XXX] and [XXX] were in car seats in the back. I went to merge into traffic going left out of the parking lot. As I accelerated to merge into traffic and get up to speed, the emergency brake on my car engaged with roughly half of my vehicle in the lane of oncoming traffic. As quickly as I could, I realized what had happened and turned off the emergency brake so that my car would move. By this time the car coming at us had to swerve around us and another car behind them was honking at us for being in the way and in the lane. The emergency brake was engaged because the driver side door was not 100% entirely closed. It was closed enough that when I would have realized on my own that it wasn't fully closed, I could have safely and easily done it. Instead, it put mine in my daughter's lives at risk. To my understanding, this is the way this "safety" feature is supposed to operate. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I took my vehicle to a jeep dealership and they inspected my car. They said the PTU is failing and had to get a new part. They said my car was unsafe to drive due to causing further issues with the transmission. There is a recall for this in other years of the jeep Cherokee but not for mine. This has cost me $2,500. I first noti…
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I took my vehicle to a jeep dealership and they inspected my car. They said the PTU is failing and had to get a new part. They said my car was unsafe to drive due to causing further issues with the transmission. There is a recall for this in other years of the jeep Cherokee but not for mine. This has cost me $2,500. I first noticed the issue when my 4 wheel drive light came on. Then it was making a grinding noise.
Ptu going out. Service 4 wheel drive light on. Car wasn’t in an accident. Four-wheel-drive will not activate any longer. Very costly Repair for a part that just went out with not even being used.
Had cruise control on set on 64 up and down hills and around curves it just started going faster & faster I had to stomp the brakes 3 times to get it to quit afterwards the power train is now not shifting right it still was at times going to shop staying at 27 to 35 rpm’s, made it to shop
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Service 4WD" displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the power take-off unit experienced internal damage and the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact relat…
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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Service 4WD" displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the power take-off unit experienced internal damage and the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Took to dealer they informed us the put motor needs to be replaced. There have been recalls for this however ours has not been recalled.
The “service four-wheel drive” warning light started coming on. I took it in to an independent, very reputable mechanic and he did a diagnostic on it. The diagnosis that came up says “Has C14A7-97 indicates issue with transfer case. Transfer case would have to be removed and inspected.” The mechanic told me that Jeeps are bein…
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The “service four-wheel drive” warning light started coming on. I took it in to an independent, very reputable mechanic and he did a diagnostic on it. The diagnosis that came up says “Has C14A7-97 indicates issue with transfer case. Transfer case would have to be removed and inspected.” The mechanic told me that Jeeps are being recalled because of this and that I should take it into a Jeep dealership. I took it in and although other 2019 Jeep Cherokees with the same issue are being recalled for this issue, my VIN number is not on the recall list for some reason. They told me to contact Jeep customer care which I did and they said they couldn’t help me at all so I am filing a complaint and would like an investigation into this. When this issue is googled there are a lot of people that I have had this problem and it’s a very expensive repair. What’s going on with Jeep and why aren’t they all recalled a lot of their products are having the issue. I also called to voice this complaint and an investigation was started at that time, but when I just looked on the website today it says there are zero investigations for my car/VIN, WHY???
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service 4WD" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign: 25V011000 (Power Train). The vehi…
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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service 4WD" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign: 25V011000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to another local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the PTU needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his wife driving 25 MPH, the 4-WD warning light illuminated, with an abnormal sound coming from the front of the vehicle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken a dealer where it diagnosed and determined that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle wa…
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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his wife driving 25 MPH, the 4-WD warning light illuminated, with an abnormal sound coming from the front of the vehicle. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken a dealer where it diagnosed and determined that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V302000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000.
Official recalls
1126V290000 · Power Train
May 7, 2026
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may fail.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A failed PTU may result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will update the Drivetrain Control Drivetrain Control Module, PTU, and Electronic Park Brake software, and replace the PTU, as necessary, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters explaining the safety risk were mailed June 25, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy becomes available. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 40D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 14, 2026.
25V011000 · Power Train
Apr 29, 2025
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may become damaged and disengage the transmission and differential, resulting in a loss of drive power and/or loss of park function.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash. A loss of park function can cause an unintended vehicle rollaway, which can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: Dealers will update the drivetrain control module and PTU software and replace the PTU, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning February 19, 2026. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 01C.
19V637000 · Steering:rack And Pinion:pinion Shaft; Steering:rack And Pinion:rack
Aug 29, 2019
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The steering rack gear may break, possibly causing a loss of steering control.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V99.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Steering:rack And Pinion:rack
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The steering rack gear may break, possibly causing a loss of steering control.
Consequence: A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V99.
Steering:rack And Pinion:pinion Shaft
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The steering rack gear may break, possibly causing a loss of steering control.
Consequence: A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V99.
19V449000 · Air Bags
Jun 13, 2019
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The impact and acceleration sensors may fail and reduce the air bag system's ability to properly detect certain crash events.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, the inability to properly detect a crash may result in improper air bag deployment, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected sensors, free of charge. The recall began August 8, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V63.
19V248000 · Seats
Mar 28, 2019
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The front passenger seat mounting bolts may be loose.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, the seat may move, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will tighten the mounting bolts, free of charge. The recall began April 11, 2019. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V31.
18V917000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel
Dec 20, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The instrument cluster may fail resulting in a lack of activation of warning chimes, messages, and gauges.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Without the activation of warning chimes, messages, and gauges to provide vehicle information to the driver, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the instrument cluster, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UC4.
18V739000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Oct 19, 2018
Chrysler(FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with 2.4L engines. Improper transmission calibration may result in a stall.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will re-flash the transmission controller with a new calibration, free of charge. The recall began November 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is UA9.
18V523000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper
Aug 9, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and Jeep Compass, 2018 Dodge Journey, and 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began September 29, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U86.
18V524000 · Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood
Aug 9, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
18V492000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Jul 26, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica non-hybrid vehicles. A component in the transmission may not have been welded properly, possibly causing the transmission to not transmit engine power to the wheels.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the transmission weld fails, the vehicle will stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U85.
18V344000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine
May 25, 2018
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with 2.0L engines. The engines in these vehicles may be missing valve stem keepers, which can allow the valve to drop into the engine cylinder causing engine damage. These engines may also have a reversed camshaft cap that can damage the camshaft bearing causing camshaft failure.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Cylinder damage or camshaft failure can cause the engine to stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair or replace the affected engine components, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began August 9, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U52.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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