2020 Jeep Cherokee Electrical Problems
20 owner-reported electrical complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Owner Complaints (20)
When I bought the jeep from the first week on air bag light won’t come on I will notice it flickers but if it does come on it’s for a few minutes and that is it. Ok next thing the seat belts up front and back almost cut you so tight you can’t move and you not even be driving and the seatbelt will just take spells that really hurt my girls don’t even like riding in it anymore. It’s been hectic with my kids and I driving somewhere due to safety concerns
Parking break engages when car comes to a stop engine light is on them goes off
Blind spot indicator light comes on and I have no control of the windows. Speeds up to four RPMs or more no matter what speed I am going including while I'm in cruise control. Turns off cruise control while driving. All of these are random incidents but they have become more and more frequent.
AGS system failed at 26,000 miles causing the check engine light to turn on. Cannot use auto start or get car inspection while light is on
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shut off independently. While at a stop light, the vehicle shut off. There were unknown beeping sounds and warning lights illuminated. The driver was unable to exit the vehicle. The contact called 911. The vehicle was pushed off the road by a good Samaritan. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The battery was checked by a neighbor. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was low voltage in the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
ESS (auto stop) stops functioning due to battery charging. Replace battery and system works for Approximately 30k miles before needing another replacement battery. May leave vehicle stranded. There are numerous online forums complaining about this issue.
Vehicle stopped at a red light, auto stop/start activated. Took foot off brake when light turned green, car struggled to restart, all lights/system went off and finally restarted. Kicked the auto emergency break on and the auto stop/start warning light came on. Has happened 5-10x in the last month. Started around July 2023. Sometimes forward collision breaking turns on out of nowhere, when cars are 2 car lengths in front of me.
The start and stop feature in the vehicle keeps malfunctioning and has done so every since I purchased car in 2021. Took it to dealer and they replaced the battery and that still did not stop it from malfunctioning meaning it go completely dead this is a safety hazard and now that my car is out of warranty the dealer is giving me issues when fixing it even though it should have been fixed the first time. This is a know problem to the dodge.dealer I went to bc one of the tech told me alot of people have this problem with Cherokee. The malfunction with the start and stop feature has caused Mt Car to go dead on highways and freeways which is dangerous.
The tire pressure monitoring system light came on. I took it to the dealership and they said there is currently no fix for this problem. The front driver side tire also no longer registers on the warning screen. They said if a tire loses air while I'm driving, it's very possible that I will have no warning that it's happening.
I will try to answer each question: The electronic emergency brake engaged on its own at a stop light, then later while driving on the highway. Could have easily been re-ended and lost control on freeway causing extreme damage. It was a night, and driving alone. Called dealership, they said to bring it in or tow it but wouldn't be able to get to it until Oct. 20th and then if a part needed to be ordered it would be longer. I then took it to our mechanic, who said it was the electronic brake module and most likely was caused by water leak. They showed me complaint article with complaints of same thing. I notified my insurance company of same. The warning lights only came when it happened last night. 10/04/22. They are not currently on, and I only drove it to the mechanic shop where they diagnosed the problem.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stopped. There was a temporary message of no bus, then the instrument panel went blank. The contact waited 10-15 minutes to press the Auto START/STOP button for the vehicle to restart. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with body control module (BCM). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while at a complete stop at a stop light, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle shut off and lost electrical power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. However, the failure reoccurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown repair was completed; however, the failure recurred while driving and the brake warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would follow up with him. The contact was awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
Climate Control system freezes and will not turn on or will stop working while driving. Windows fog up with no way to defrost and cause low to no visibility while driving. No warning lights appear before this situation occurs. Car was in the shop at Spartanburg Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge in SC for a month just a few weeks after purchasing the vehicle. The problem first occurred when the vehicle had about 5,000 miles on it. Within 6-8 months the problem is happening again.
The first time- driving and the ‘D’ button on the shifter started blinking and got stuck in Drive, excellerated, couldn’t stop. Shut car off! Rest after 15 mins and scheduled repair/check. Shifter box-assembly was replaced and found to be the problem. 2nd time- got stuck in reverse and wouldn’t move. Took it to the dealer, scheduled repair/check, told to keep driving it. 3rd time- check engine light came on, stopped at dealer, told to keep prior appointment and not to clear it. Never checked it. 4th time- driving at speed of 65, car shut off, no power but had brakes. Towed to dealer car still not able to start. Currently at the dealer.
JEEP IS ALWAYS IN MOTION WHEN ISSUE HAPPENS RADIO FREEZES UP LOOSE ALL CLIMATE NO HEAT DEFROST THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT NOT HAVING HEAT OR DEFROST IS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN LIVING IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN WITH 30 BELOW WEATHER. THIS IN MOST CASES HAPPENS 2 TO 3 TIMES IN A ROW WHEN IT DOES IT IN TOTAL WITH OUT HEAT OR DEFROST FOR 5 TO 10 MINUTES IT HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIME AND THEY CAN'T FIX IT STARTED IN LATE OCT OF 2020 AND IS STILL A ISSUE
VEHICLE SOS CALL LOCKS THE ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM AND WILL NOT CALL SOS NOR DISCONNECT. NO RADIO AVAILABLE. HAS OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE UCONNECT HAD SERIOUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES.
EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED WITHOUT ANY INVOLVEMENT BY OPERATOR - COULD NOT MOVE VEHICLE. WHEN REPEATED ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO RELEASE WITHOUT ACHIEVING, VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO MOVE HOWEVER INSTRUMENT PANEL STATED ER BRAKE NEEDS SERVICING.*DT*DT*DT CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WAS LEASED.*JB*AS*JB
WHILE DRIVING UNDER NORMAL DRY CONDITIONS SERVICE PARKING BRAKE,ABS,ESC ACTIVE WARNING LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON. FRONT BRAKES PULSATE ALSO
ESC LIGHT COMES ON RANDOMLY, CONDENSATION IN BOTH BODY SIDE TAIL LIGHTS ,SWITCHING FROM DEFROST TO A/C WARM AIR BLOWS TO FLOOR (SET AT 70),THEN I CHANGE TO FRONT VENTS WARM AIR CONTINUES ,THEN TRY TO SET ON AUTO AND NOTHINGS BLOWS OUT, THEN TURN TO A/C AGAIN AND IT GOES TO WARM DEFROST. FRONT DRIVERS SIDE SPEAKER RANDOMLY GOES OUT
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AND WARNING SOUNDS START GOING OFF. WE LOSE OUR SPEEDOMETER, FUEL GUAGE AND ALL OTHER INSTRUMENTS. THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGES AS WE ARE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT SHIFT GEARS. WHEN STOPPED AFTER THIS INCIDENT, THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGES AND WE ARE UNABLE TO GO FORWARD OR BACKWARDS WHILE IN GEAR. AFTER TODAYS INCIDENT, THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T START BACK UP AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. THIS STARTED 2 WEEKS AFTER WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM SINCE THAT TIME. (WE'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE SINCE FEBRUARY 2020.) THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 4 TIMES WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. ONE OF THOSE TIMES IT WAS IN THE SHOP FOR 2 1/2 MONTHS AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WASN'T ABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. WE FINALLY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP 3 HOURS AWAY FROM OUR LOCATION AND THEY FIXED THE BLIND SIDE MODULE WHICH THEY STATED SHORTED OUT THE REMAINING SYSTEMS AND THAT IT IS FIXED. TODAY, 09/20/2020 WE HAD ANOTHER INCIDENT IN WHICH THE MALFUNCTION WAS WORSE AND WOULDN'T START AFTER WE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM IS GETTING DANGEROUS AND SCARY WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE VIDEO RECORDINGS OF EACH INCIDENT. THE VIDEOS ARE TO LONG TO ATTACH, BUT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TEXT THEM.