2019 Jeep Cherokee Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The sevice 4wheel drive light is on I had a problem with this 2 years ago and now again the ptu system needs replace this is the second time in 2 years and this time it’s not under warranty
The rear differential housing completely cracked open and all the fluids leaked out. This seems to be a common issue with 2019 Jeep Cherokees. I keep extremely well care of my vehicle and it has mostly highway miles and this issue should of never occurred. Not only could of the entire transmission been destroyed but there is no warning signal. The only reason I noticed anything was because there were oil spots in the garage towards the rear of the vehicle. This issue seems to be a manufacturer error through Mopar.
the rear differential housing started leaking and upon inspection it was found to be cracked along the bottom middle area. the part was replaced by an independent auto repair shop at considerable expense due to the cost of the part. the faulty part was not retained. if it had not been noticed it could have resulted in a catastrophic failure resulting in loss of control of the vehicle and potentially a crash could have occurred involving one or more vehicles. the part was confirmed to be defective by the independent mechanic after a thorough inspection and consequent diagnosis. there were no warnings of the situation other than the gear oil leak which started 10/16/1923. the repair was completed 10/26/23 due to having to order the replacement part. this repair should be covered by Jeep and as a long time Jeep owner i am disappointed in the lack of attention to this matter and am registering this complaint in hopes that it can be addressed. thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On the date of 4/1/ 20 24 While driving the vehicle in normal conditions it lost power and the steering would not work correctly making a loud noise coming from the front end in addition to that an indicator light came on the dash SVC 4WD. I pulled to the side of the road and shut off the engine To look under the Vehicle I did not see any damage I got back in the vehicle and started it and drove fine for a few more Miles The same indicator light SVC4 wheel drive kept coming On and off So I pulled in to the nearest Auto-repair garage they could not look at it that day they said they would check it first and then in the morning. 8 AM the next morning on 4/2/2024 they put it up on the left and diagnosed That the PTU had failed I needed to be replaced This is the code number he gave me for the fault....1.C14A7-97:97PTU MOTOR COMPONENT OR SYSTEM OPERATION OBSTRUCTED OR BLOCKED
I know Chrysler is aware that this is a serious safety concern because you’re in the midst of traffic in a high-speed one way freeway, a traction light came on by itself, transmission and PTU failed then you lost power had to slowly pull over to the left-hand lane as you had no power improper because you’re supposed to be on the right hand shoulder And you had no ability to accelerate and when you stopped the vehicle and tried to put it in the park, it rolled away when you went to reverse it you had a bit of reverse, but you had grinding so clearly something inside the transmission prematurely failed, causing the safety concern lucky Somebody wasn’t killed or an accident caused. Towed to dealer Then the dealership work order say tranny and power transfer unit needed to be replaced at a cost of $20,300. 5 mth past 5 yr warranty
While driving the vehicle, the rpm’s suddenly shot up and the vehicle lost power, I was able to safely pull over to the side of road where I tried to place the vehicle in park. There was a lot of revving and grinding and the vehicle would not go into park and was going to roll away if I had not placed the parking brake. The car had to be towed to a dealer where they discovered the Power Transfer Unit had failed and the loss of motive power I was experiencing was the PTU failing.
Sudden PTU problem at 70,000, gathering repair quotes
During highway speeds upon strong acceleration up an incline, the car’s transmission suddenly shifted into neutral with no warning, the car still in drive and no lights on dash. There was a loss of power and I had to quickly merge over in traffic to safely come to a stop. After coming to a stop, the car resumed driving normally with another incident down the road at cruising speed. This has happed about 6 times, another accelerating from a stop. So far the diagnosis is unknown, with the car scheduled for service in the next week. This is a well documented and persistent problem with these vehicles equipped with this transmission.
Rear differential failing
The Power Transfer Unit (PTU) failed which rendered the AWD system useless for the vehicle. The car has been in the shop for 6 weeks and will likely be in the shop another at least another three because the PTU is on national backorder. This is the same failure that Jeep recently recalled for the previous year model Jeep Cherokee, but Jeep has not issued a recall on this year model.
The SVC4WD light has been turning on. Took it to get a diagnosis and the was told PTU is failing and needs to be replaced. Estimated repair costs are $1320
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound and the vehicle independently shifted into neutral and then lost power. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road to attempt to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact referred to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V739000 (Power Train). The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the transmission erroneously shifted from 4WD to 2WD, and the vehicle would no longer accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. After pulling off the roadway and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle remained in 2WD with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission control module (TCM) message displayed. On another occasion while driving approximately 25 MPH, the transmission message displayed, and the transmission erroneously shifted to reverse, and the vehicle would only operate in reverse. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.
Rear differential failure. This car is my daily driver, and is in circumstances misused. Driving home from work with no warning the differential housing cracked and failed. A failure like this could potentially put myself, other occupants and other drivers on the road a risk by unexpectedly failing with zero warning. There was no sound, nor warning light, the only reason I noticed was when exiting my vehicle I could smell burning fluid. Upon inspection I found that the rear differential housing was cracked, and spewing fluid all over the exhaust.
Failure of the power transfer unit.
PTU not functioning. Safety recall only for 2014-2017. Same issues for later models.
Ptu transfer case failing at only 79k miles may case other issues
Ptu transfer case failed ad leaking 79k miles obviously it’s pre-failure. Girl friends car in shop for same reason and others online stating same issues as the 2014 recalls
Recently a light for Service 4 Wheel Drive came on in my 2019 Jeep Cherokee. Since my Powertrain warranty is out of reach by 3,000 miles (63,000 miles) I am now forced to pay over $3,000.00 out of pocket to replace the PTU on my 2019 vehicle that only has 63,000 miles on it. The recall for earlier models does not cover they year of my vehicle, but I feel that it may not have been fixed with the 2019 model. If the PTU would have gone out while driving, I could have lost complete forward movement of the vehicle and it could have put both me and my young daughter in severe danger. The Service 4 Wheel Drive light is now on constantly and I was given no other choice but to pay to have it fixed for the safety of my daughter.
Power transfer unit bad. Confirmed by independent repair shop. 4wheel drive unavailable and service 4wd lights illuminated on dash. Part on back order with no release date.
PTU failure 4 will drive problem
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal down to the floorboard and the vehicle responded, however, the transmission shifted hard. The contact stated that the transmission was not shifting into the intended gear while driving at various speeds. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V739000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
I was driving and the car would randomly stop in the middle of the road, then I was unable to get it to start again unless i put the car in park turn off car and open door then restart the car. This happened multiple times, I’ve been to so many places to get help and they act like i’m crazy. It’s not consistent either. I had it happen this week but before that it had been 2 months. It has happened at least 20 times within the past year
Transfer Case assembly already needs to be replaced. The part has been on a nationwide back order and our vehicle has been in the shop for over 2 months. I’ve already read that this has been a recalled issue in earlier models.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and approaching a stop sign with her foot off the accelerator pedal and slightly depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power before stalling. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality; however, the failure recurred every day since. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V739000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 65,500.
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Quick Summary
The 2019 Jeep Cherokee has 437 Power Train complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.