2018 Jeep Cherokee Other Problems

The vehicle is experiencing a malfunction involving the Power Transfer Unit (PTU), which is currently subject to an open safety recall. The vehicle has developed severe drivability issues consistent with PTU failure. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

My Jeep Cherokee is under NHTSA Recall 25V-011 / Manufacturer Recall 01C for a defect in the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) that can cause sudden loss of power while driving or loss of PARK while stationary, both posing crash risks. The recall was issued in January 2025 and as of September 2025 the remedy is still not available.

We received the warning light "Service 4WD" on May 21, 2025. Our mechanic scanned it on May 27, 2025 and got code C14A7-97 which is for the PTU. This problem has been recalled on certain 2017-2019 Jeep Cherokee's but our 2018 vehicle is not included in the recall, even though we are experiencing the exact same issue as the recalled vehicles.

Vehicle keeps having the service shifter light come on with all of the "PRDN" lights turning red. I have to quickly try and get off of the road and see if I can get my car into "Park" and then turn the car off, let it sit for a few minutes and then turn the car back on.

Driving down the highway the sunroof on our 2018 Jeep Cherokee exploded.

Sunroof exploded driving down interstate 54 East out of Jefferson City MO. No objects struck the sunroof. Sunroof was closed at the time of the incident fortunately, if it had been open passengers in the vehicle were likely to be harmed by this failure.

All the engine oil leaked out of the car and started to smoke while I was in motion and the engine light came on but was perfectly fine at first. I do not know what had happened but my engine is now messing up and I almost got in a car accident.

Car caught fire. Manufacturer did not investigate. Dealership where it was towed tampered with evidence

Panoramic sunroof exploded outward - at 5:15 am, I was just starting to get on the on ramp to the freeway. I was not up to freeway speed yet. Weather conditions were good and approx.

A few minutes after parking my car, neighbors reported an "explosion" and looked outside to see the front of the car engulfed in flames *bf updated 11/26/18*jb

I started noticing a knocking, vibrating sound as I accelerated. I took it to several places, and they couldn’t figure it out. Then, last Saturday, I was driving on the interstate, and completely lost power.

Vehicle stalls when driving, will start moving again when put into park and then back into drive

I took my jeep in august 2024 to repair a recall (W20) pcm a month later I started experiencing stalling. engine will start fine but after while driving car will stall. almost got hit from behind one of the times.

The PTU (Power Transfer Unit) is bad... I took it to the dealership prior to my extended warranty expired. The whole shifter would light up (D,N,R, L,2) it displayed service shifter but it was intermittent so when I would take it in to Chrystler, Jeep dealership the warning sign on the dash nor all the shifter lights wouldn't display.

The whole car stopped while on the highway going 70 miles per hr and would not start back up. I had recently had an oil change days before incident. Had the car towed to dealership and was told I had little to no oil.

I had stopped at a stop sign & as I proceeded to pull out, the jeep came to a complete stop without any power. After pushing the jeep out of the road after several attempts to restart were unsuccessful, jumper cables were used & were still unsuccessful. A new battery was installed but the jeep still would not start.

Vehicle has stalled on multiple occasions. Safety hazards include stalling in middle of intersection and being stranded. Call out for service at this time, therefore problem has not been reproduced or confirmed.

While driving on a city street or highway when my vehicle comes to a stop it stalls or while driving at low speed. Upon checking the oil it was discovered that there was not even a quart left no indicator light no oil change notification; I hadn't yet reached the months or mileage on the sticker recommend by the mechanic shop where I get my oil changed,

Stalls while driving down road! I pull over restart!

While driving on the highway, a "service shifter" notice comes up on my sh. All the lights next to each gear light up on my shifter. The notice won't go away unless I turn the car off for at least 5 minutes.

Low pressure oil light comes on when turning. Once the car did not start, I had to get it towed, to find out the car was out of oil, though the display read low oil pressure is at 53%. I got an oil change and a little over a month, the light started to come back on.

I was driving down the road when my 2018 jeep cherokee suddenly stalled without warning shutting all systems down. I was stuck in the middle of my lane with know means of moving my vehicle to a safe area. I called triple a and waited 1.5 hours in the middle of the road for a wrecker.

Vehicle stopping and shutting off completely while driving (in motion) each and every time on four different occasions. First time it shut off, dealership said it was due to oil change.second time dealership said a recall on the shift gear in which I wasn't notified about the recall. Third time it shut off, dealership says its an oil leakage.

Have 1 safety recall, have taken to jeep dealer and they have confirmed PTU not working light on dash is valid and 4x4 is not working, but they will not order new PTU. Jeep has not offered loaner vehicle or to buy back vehicle that is a lemon! It has been over a year since recall was issued without any results!

Service Shifter warning light comes on

My 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk (VIN: [XXX] ) is affected by safety recall NHTSA #25V-011 (Recall #01C – 2017-2019 KL Two Speed PTU Failure). The recall was issued on 01/23/2025, but Jeep/Stellantis has not provided a remedy or timeline for repair. This issue poses a serious safety risk, and the manufacturer’s failure to supply a remedy in a timely manner is unacceptable.

4WD service message pops up and the car shuts on and off while driving I thought it was the battery so I replaced and the problems stop but the problems came back

I keep getting an warning that my shifter needs to serviced. After much research, I've discovered that this is a known and common problem with Jeep Cherokees. It should absolutely be a safety recall and fixed at no cost to the customers.

I went in to my dealership Nov. 24,2023 for a water leak to the driver side floor and to the back seat behind the driver side. It was starting to smell so I used some carpet cleaner to get rid of the smell.

Every now & then the menu will pop up & say service shifter & won't allow you to exit that notification & all the lights on the shifter turn red at the same time. The only way to reset it is to turn the jeep off & back on again. I've gone a couple months now without it happening but for awhile it was doing it almost every day.

The car was showing a service 4WD alert which the dealer said the PTU needs to be replaced.

The "service shifter" message came on while driving. This issue was repaired at the dealership before when I still had the warranty. They said it was faulty and repaired it.

Service Shifter warning comes on intermittently. All lights on shifter column light up so thankfully I know where to put shifter based on habit. Was repaired less than a year ago, and repaired almost 2 years prior to that as well.

Service shifter light had intermittently turned on/off since about 33,000 miles but after warranty expired. Mechanic shop says the issue is common with my car's make/model. If this is a common issue, a recall should be placed.

Vehicle was purchased brand new 04/06/2018. Within the first month (after putting on 500 miles), the battery had to be replaced. On 06/17/2021, the alternator, battery and sensor had to be replaced at a total cost of $1234.

The "Service Shifter" message appeared in the display on 27 July 2021. I contacted the dealership to schedule an appointment. My appointment was 2 August 2021.

Vehicle has approximately 40,000 miles and the "service shifter" light has come on about 6 times. Each time, if the vehicle is turned off & restarted, the light doesn't come back on for a few weeks. It has never come on while driving.

After getting my jeep worked on at crown jeep of chattanooga for my dash board saying 'shifter service' they replaced my shifter bezel claiming that was all that was wrong with it. This is after my jeep three the ebrake in while going 65 down a highway. Tonight 9/28/2020 while backing out my driveway my jeep threw the ebrake on itself again.

Service shifter warning light comes on at the dash when driving.all indicator lights on shifter light up. Pulled over and turned car off and back on and it was gone.

My jeep kept giving the service shifter but when I called the dodge house in odessa texas they told me there was no recall for it. So I had to pay for the repair but still took almost 3weeks just for them to get the part because they where in back order

Every now and then when I start the vehicle or while I am driving it a message will pop up on my dashboard that says 'service shifter.' the shifter lights flash red and I generally have to pull over and restart the vehicle. Sometimes more than once. The shifter appears to function perfectly fine, so it is puzzling that I get this reoccurring notification every few thousand miles.

I've have my 2018 jeep cherokee since november 1,2017 and in early 2019 a 'service shifter' message showed up on the dashboard. I turned the engine off and waited 30 seconds and turned it back on and it showed up again so I took it to the dealership closed to my house they fixed it.

Shifter service warning stating needs services appears while driving on the highway. When service light comes on all the lights on the shifter are lite up red. Dealer is not aware of any recall when I turned the engine off the shifter service light goes away however comes back in a few days to a week or so later.

All of a sudden "service shifter" with the shifter lights all illuminated red. I've had nothing but problems with this thing since I bought it. The transmission is spanked.

I have a 2018 jeep cherokee latitude with 36,000 miles on it. I cranked it up and noticed the service shifter light on and all the lights beside my shifter actually lit up! The service shifter light had my dash locked at that and wouldn't go off til I turned my jeep off and cranked it back up.

I have a little over 13300 miles on my jeep as I went to park my car I noticed the service shifter light was on as well as park, reverse, neutral, and drive were all lit up on the shifter when I looked this up on google there where a number of complains my jeep is still brand new I should not be having this problem!

7/12/19 - while driving on the interstate, my jeep signaled a warning noise - with no digitized warning and the d lights were illuminated on my gear shift - this disabled my vehicle. I had to pull to the side of the road - turned off the vehicle - turned it back on and continued driving.

I was driving about 40 MPH on a county road and the error noise went off. On the dash I got a 'service shifter' notice and all lights on the shifter stayed lit red ' p, r, n , d, and the - and +'. I pulled over, shut off the car, waited a minute and turned the car back on and it went away.

Service shifter warning comes on but can't be fixed

The "service shifter" light will turn on. It has happened twice, the first time at less than ten miles per hour in a parking lot and the second time on the interstate going 70 MPH. When the service shifter light turns on, it illuminates the prnd lights on the shifter to all red.

This vehicle consistently is 1 quart low on oil during each oil change, and there is no oil on the dipstick, despite the fact I get my oil changed prior to the recommended mileage, and less than every 3 months. I am using synthetic oil in the car. I have taken it to the original dealership, then an oil change shop twice, and then another dealership to look at the issue.

My jeep keeps illuminating all drive trains and telling me to service shifter. I've had the whole wiring harness replaced a month ago with 10,000 miles and now it is doing it again! I have to kill the engine and turn it back on.

The car vibrates excessively when the sunroof is open. Once you also open the windows, the vibration subsides but never goes completely away

Transmission lurches when taking off from a stop also when coming to a stop and sometimes going into reverse. It's a hard lurch so stopping for pedestrians has to happen early as I'm concerned the car could hit someone. This happens frequently.

My PTU actuator has failed on my Jeep. I know there is a recall for the two-speed actuator and mine is a single speed, but I have the fact same failure and think my vehicle should also be recalled. I have had many issues that I have paid out of pocket for parts failing in my Jeep that are common problems with jeeps and always recalled except mine.

PTU/Power transfer unit issues

Received notification of a recall for my jeep called and they stated that there is no fix but if something happens while I’m driving that jeep would have to consume the cost this is unacceptable! This was 3/15/25 still no fix

At this time, the manufacture is unable to remedy the recall issues for the 2018 Jeep Cherokee that could affect the safety of the vehicle.

The vehicle consume too much oil .it completely run out of oil after driving a 1000 mile only .the engine stop suddenly while driving which put my safety in danger .because it happened when the vehicle engine stop running in the highway in the middle of traffic. I call the manufacturer they said there is a recall (W20 )for this car regarding those issue .

"Service Shifter" comes on, all lights next to shifter turn red. Have to turn vehicle completely off and on repeated number of times to correct.

While driving I receive warnings I need to service my shifter. Warning stays on instrument panel and disables all other settings and screen. Also all lights light up on shifter unable to see which gear the car is in.

Message displayed on dash "service shifter"

"Service Shifter" came up once around 36k miles and went away after engine restart. Shifter turns completely red. "Service Shifter" has now come up every time I begin driving.

Shifter, bezel, and harness I have been discussing with several people that this is an issue in a lot of jeeps currently and my car is only 4 years old. This $1400 fix is crazy.

Myself along with several other that I have researched have been having problems with SHIFT SERVICE on our jeep Cherokee cars

Unknown, my vehicle keeps cutting off in the middle of driving. It's a safety Hazzard to me and everyone else.

A warning came on to service the shifter.This has happened several times. I just learned how to report it.

Keeps throwing code service shifter

I was in drive and sitting at a light, I heard a ding and saw the service shifter warning had come on. When I looked down at the shifter all the gears were lit up red instead of just the gear I was in.

At 33050 service shifter warning came up all lighs on the shifter were on. Turned car off sat a moment and the service shifter warning was gone. We were on a city street put the jeep in reverse when this happened vehicle was stationary being put int reverse

At 26,000 miles on my 2018 jeep cherokee trailhawk, the service shifter light came on.

While driving the service shifter light came on. I pulled over and shut the vehicle off. When I started my vehicle the notice was gone but returned several days later.

Service shifter message appeared while driving today and gear shift lights are all red p, r, n, d. The service shifter message would not disappear blocking the speedometer reading.

Service shifter notification came across dash and all lights on shifter were lite up red. Thankfully the vehicle was in park, and not in drive. As the 2017s jeep cherokee have the same issue and now recall for service shifter.

The shifter has come on twice now and all lights pop up on gear shift. This is about the 4th tome in 1 -1/2 yrs in motion.

I had a problem with service shifter

10 sep 2020 at 0745 my jeep cherokee with 34,000 miles had a dash message saying "service shifter" and all the lights on the shifter emitted red. After turning car off and back on there was no message or anything.

I am consistently getting a service shifter light on my 2018 jeep cherokee. It has 30000 miles on it. I shut the car off and it goes off.

My car only has 41,000 miles and recently just purchased it 2 months ago and it started saying 'service shifter' and the shifts all light up red. After doing some research online, a lot of jeep owners experience this issue with jeeps. An issue that never seems to go away regardless of taking it to a shop

I have a 2018 jeep cherokee and a couple of times the shift service light comes on and prnd all light up...looked it up on long and a lot of jeeps have this problem...that's why I bought a new car so I would be safe and now I'm scared that I will wreck if it goes out...when this happened you have to put it in gear and cut your car off...but what if it does it while I'm driving

Car was sitting still, had not been running (in over 36 hours)l under the carport. We went to get into the car and then noticed, the back glass had busted in the same place (the heater connector) on both sides. The glass busted out wards.

When driving a shifter service light comes on. All on the red light indicators come on by shifter.

Vehicle shuts down for no apparent reason, gas pedal does not work, brake does ... Definitely a safety issue

Service shifter light came on and all the lights on shifter came on and won't go off. P r n d, etc. Was driving down interstate, took exit and when I was coming to stop at stop sign a warning beep sounded and lights came on shifter and dash saying service shifter.

2018 cherokee 24,834 miles. Put in reverse while backing out of drive. Service shifter light appeared and all gear light indicators illuminated red.

Under 30,000 miles the vehicle would notify to "service shifter" but would still accelerate/break/stop. This has continued to occur several times after the initial time. The vehicle would have to be turned off and then started back up again in order to get rid of the code.

Service shifter calls out fault

I have had it happen multiple times, with no solution. My screen on the dashboard would have a message come across it saying "service shifter" with all the prnd-+ lights come on. It happens when I'm either driving or parked.

Service shifter message coming up, all lights on shifter turning red and car not driving properly. Have to turn the car off and back on several times to make it go away.

Service shifter warning came on dashboard and all gear shift lights were lit red. This is second time this has happened in 5 months. 2018 jeep cherokee under 14,000 miles!!!

The service shifter light keeps coming on.

"service shifter" light pops up on screen and the p,r,n,d all light up at once while driving.

I was driving around 35 MPH when got was slowing down for stop light and it just shut completely off and would not restart. I sat for a minute with hazards on and then tried to start it, it was turning over but not starting so I had to give it gas while trying to start it. Got home and went back out later to test it and started up.

Service shifter light came on. Which is very unsafe because the car can go into gear now without having to hit the breaks..

Multiple times while driving 'service shifter' displays on dash. All light of the shifter are lit red. This has happened at low speeds, high speeds and whole idling.

Service shifter lite up as well as all gears. I was currently in park when it happened. Read several jeep owner inquires upon googling the issue.

While driving the words "service shifter" appear on the car's console and the letters on the gear shifter (d, n, r) all light up simultaneously and stay lit.

The automobile shuts off (while in motion) when it's time for an oil change (around 3000 miles). It mostly shuts off during turns but it has shut off on the highway before. The oil light never comes on, the battery light does although there isn't an issue with the battery.

Stationary battery not starting after sitting up a day or two

While vehicle was in motion a 'service shifter' light eliminated and all of the gear lights were on while the car was in drive. Once I stopped the car, parked, and turned the engine off, I waited a few minutes and restarted the car, the lights were gone. This is the second time in one week this has happened.

I backed out of my garage into the driveway and stopped the car to bring in the recycling bin. I shifted into what I thought was park, released the break, and exited the car. After I had exited, the car began to move forward toward the open garage.

The service shifter light just came on

My jeep does not stay locked. I can lock the car, but if someone tries to open it, they are able to without a problem, even when the fob is nowhere near the car. All that happens is the theft alarm triggers.

This complaint is not specific to my current vehicle. The head rests in all newer vehicles are making those of us who are not overweight and have good posture sit in an awkward position with our heads pushed forward. This is very uncomfortable and we can't turn the head rests around because then the safety measures don't work.