2014 Jeep Cherokee: steering wheel locks up

Filed Feb 3, 2025 · Transmission · OR

1) The Power Transfer Unit and possibly driveline/driveshaft. 2) The car turns off while driving and all systems lock up, no matter how fast you are going. Power steering fails, steering wheel locks, and the car cannot be turned back on until it is put back in park, which means you come to a full stop and attempt to turn back on. Sometimes the car has no power to turn back on to put in park leaving you stranded in the middle of the road with cars behind you. This has mainly happened while we are slowing down to a stop, but still going 20-25 MPH. Thankfully not faster yet. 3) The dealer and another mechanic have identified a PTU issue, but could not reproduce. On 9/2021 the check engine light came on. Took it to a mechanic and they noted: "POWER TRANSFER UNIT SYSTEM OPERATION OBSTRUCTED, WHILE IN THE AIR WE SAW THAT THE OUTPUT DRIVELINE HAS EXCESSIVE PLAY AND AN OBLONGED BEARING CAP." No further issues until on 11/28/2022 Check engine light came on. took it to Dealership and they noted: "Found code C14A7= PTU motor component or system operation obstructed or blocked. Checked condition of PTU fluid and found it is contaminated and burnt. Also found that the driveshaft connection to the PTU is very loose on the PTU output splines. Recommend PTU and driveshaft. 1/2025: Over two weeks, the car has shut off 6-8 times while driving. 4) No 5) Check engine light came on 9/2021 took to a mechanic and they noted: "POWER TRANSFER UNIT SYSTEM OPERATION OBSTRUCTED, WHILE IN THE AIR WE SAW THAT THE OUTPUT DRIVELINE HAS EXCESSIVE PLAY AND AN OBLONGED BEARING CAP. RECOMMEND GOING TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSIS." No further issues until: On 11/28/ 2022 Service 4WD light came on and took it to dealership Recommended PTU and driveshaft No problems after until 1/2025 when drive power started randomly turning off while driving. This has happened 6-8 times in a 1.5-2 week timeframe.

Filed Aug 26, 2022 · Steering · 63,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that after shifting to park(P) with the engine running, the contact exited the vehicle and offloaded groceries. After returning to the vehicle and shifting into drive(D), the steering wheel seized and became difficult to operate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the battery was charged; however, after diagnosing the vehicle, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle then performed without failure for four days however, the failure then recurred. The vehicle was taken to another dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake pads needed to be replaced and the power steering module also needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

Filed Feb 5, 2021 · Engine, Fuel system · 114,000 miles · VA

Car stalls after refueling to full capacity. Shuttered and stalled 3 times after refueling tank. The car gives off multiple warning lights ranging from transmission to battery, despite the transmission and battery being perfectly fine. Once the car begins to stall, the steering locks up and all power is lost. The car must be put in park and restarted, sometimes it struggles to restart

Filed Nov 18, 2020 · Engine, Fuel system · 77,000 miles · TX

In october of 2020 while driving on the highway my jeep shut off and lost all motive and electric power. The steering wheel locked up and the brakes applied themselves. My wife was driving, doing about 40-45mph. A message came up that said put vehicle in park and turn off. After doing so my wife was able to turn the vehicle back on and get home safely. We took our jeep into to be looked at by the dealership. They said they found a code for low voltage but the battery was good, just loose connections. . No other codes were present. They also stated that they found loose grohnd cables to the chassis and PCM, both were tightened. On 11/18/2020 after filling my gas tank, I turned on to the frontage road and my jee again lost all power. Gave me a message that vehicle must be stopped before shifting gears.

Filed Sep 9, 2020 · Engine, Steering · 97,700 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 jeep cherokee. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle stalled with the instrument panel indicating shift to park and shift to desire gears. The failure recurred numerous times. The contact also stated that while entering a driveway or while in reverse and also while driving the vehicle would start to shake and jerk violently. The contact also mentioned that the steering wheel locked up and pulled to the left while her daughter was driving. The instrument panel indicated shift to park and shift to desire gears and also indicated service transmission and also service brakes. The contact powered off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle, shifted out of neutral then into park before selecting drive. The vehicle drove normal to half a block before the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to spirit automotive chrysler dodge jeep ram (4611 avenue q, lubbock, tx 79412), but was not diagnosed. The mechanic updated the transmission control software under the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v447000 (power train). After leaving the dealer, the vehicle started to shake and before reaching her residence the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted, coasted into her driveway and stalled. The contact called an independent mechanic and was advised to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer for them to update the software again. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The technician called the contact and informed her the vehicle was ready for pick up however, the failure recurred. The contact schedule an appointment for a diagnostic test which was still pending. The failure mileage was approximately 97,700.

Filed Aug 20, 2020 · Fuel system · 36,000 miles · GA

Car stalls out while driving after filling gas tank (not topping it off). Transmission light comes on, all warnings come on, and car locks up. Sometimes you cannot put it in gear, and the steering wheel locks up. It will say "shift to park," but you cannot always do that. Sometimes when it stalls it will still be running, but will just go out of gear. This is a known problem, and chrysler will not do anything about it. Yesterday, I was nearly rear-ended three times on an interstate in atlanta when my car suddenly stalled while I was in motion. Here is what one mechanic said: your vehicle has an issue with ventilation from the fuel pump, the gas has nowhere else to go but get sucked up towards the engine. The pump is failing, the charcoal canister is full of fuel, the evap system integrity module is full of fuel and the purge is pushing fuel into the intake which is drowning the motor and shutting it off. He said it is extremely dangerous to drive, and that he has seen this with the exact make and model of the car. I am terrified to drive my car, and it only has 36,000 miles on it. I, or someone else, will be killed because of this issue. This started while the car was still under warranty, and it took over a year to figure out what was going on. We have since called chrysler every day to speak to a supervisor, and no one will return our calls. They refuse to acknowledge the situation, the severity of the situation, and our concerns. They said to contact you.

Filed Dec 22, 2019 · Engine, Steering · 63,252 miles · NJ

My vehicle between 50,000 to 62500 miles have been shutting down with no warning while driving. It has stopped entering highway and on city streets. When the vehicle stops and suddenly its steering wheel locks up and I cannot steer vehicle. I have already paid for myself to get alternator replaced, cabin filter, new spark plugs, and several batteries and problem still exists. I have had this vehicle 17 months.

Filed Oct 1, 2019 · Transmission · 25,000 miles · SC

The past four years I have experienced multiple issues and safety concerns with this vehicle. The vehicle unexpectedly shifts into neutral, lurches forward and even stalls out. Multiple times I have been unable to restart the car.this has happened on highways, back roads residential streets. It is vey unpredictable. The steering wheel locks up. I have had it towed to the dealership and have brought it in multiple times. I always get the same response. "we can not duplicate your concerns.'now all of a sudden there is an actual recall for the complaints I have been reporting for years. I have had two cases with chrysler jeep, however they do not seem to understand that four years of dealing with an unsafe car is a complete joke. The car is in the shop again. I do not have any confidence that this issue will be resolved.

Filed Jun 19, 2019 · 44,800 miles · FL

This vehicle will make its 3rd visit to dealership for shutting down while moving. Previous 2 visits I was told vehicle needed updates. Was updated 2 weeks ago and the issue happened again today... First steering wheel locks up,,,tachometer goes to zero..engine shuts down..light comes on and says put vehicle in park and restart. Vehicle is unsafe to operate. Dealership is guessing at this point but I cannot pit my son's life in jeopardy. What can we do?

Filed Nov 26, 2018 · Fuel system · 106,341 miles · GA

I filled my gas tank up, drove it about a mile down the road, pulled into my parking spot, and the brakes and steering wheel locked. On the screen is said 'press brake and put into gear'. The breaks were locked and it was already in drive to I put it in park and turned the vehicle off and back on. I was able to finish pulling into my parking spot and it seemed to be fine. My husband got into the car and everything seemed to be okay with it and he decided to drive it right down the road and see what was going on with it. About 3 miles down the road, he was going the speed limit, 45 MPH, and the entire vehicle comes to a stop in the middle of an intersection, the brakes lock, the steering wheel locks and the engine cut off and the screen said service transmission and the check engine light came on. We had it towed to the jeep dealership and they said the code was for a fuel pump. We were told this was currently under investigation and was a big issue with these models. They said it needs a new fuel pump and evac system.

Filed Sep 5, 2018 · Brakes, Electrical · 37,000 miles · MN · crash

Tl* the contact owns a 2014 jeep cherokee. While driving 65 MPH in the rain, the windshield wiper motor failed and the exterior and interior lighting shut off. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road. Once the vehicle was restarted, the lights turned back on and the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to bemidji chrysler center (located at 755 paul bunyan dr nw, bemidji, mn 56601, (218) 751-8006) where it was diagnosed, but a failure could not be found. In addition, while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized and the brake pedal failed to stop the vehicle when it was depressed. As a result, the contact crashed into a fence. There were no injuries. A police report was not filed. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The vehicle was able to be driven from the scene and was not diagnosed for the brake and steering failures. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.

Filed Sep 25, 2017 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 40,000 miles · MD

Car cuts off going about 40mph. Steering locked up. While I was on highway. Problem occurred multiple times. Unsafe vehicle purchased top warranty and I'm still being charged for repair. Purchased the car used has 40,000 miles. And I have had the car for 3 months yet! Car stared back up and wouldn't let me go over 20mph.