The PTU failed in my 2016 Jeep Cherokee. This was diagnosed when the SVC 4WD light came on in September. The problem code is C14A7-97. From my online research I know this is a persistent problem with Jeeps with model year 2014-2017 resulting in multiple recalls because the problem has resulted in vehicles being disabled and multiple crashes. However, my VIN number was not included in those recalled by Chrysler. I ordered a replacement in early October and was told the part would be ready in 4-6 weeks. It is now two months later and the part is still not available. I’m told that at this point the part won’t be available until January. The vehicle transmission began making noises over the weekend related to the PTU. This is clearly a persistent and extensive safety issue that Chrysler is negligent in addressing. I have also been told by the service department at the dealer that there are 389 other Jeep drivers waiting for this part.
2016 Jeep Cherokee transmission complaints
Page 10 of 22: complaints 251 to 280 of 638, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Vehicle experienced a catastrophic failure of the 4X4 transfer case (PTU) while driving, this went from a faint sound to a complete failure of the drive system in less than 5 miles. Vehicle was rendered completely UN-drivable almost immediately. If I had been on the highway I think this could have been a very serious incident that may have locked up the drive wheels. Fortunately, I was on a side road going only 25 MPH at the time. Dealer has no repair parts available, manufacturer claims no responsibility, although I have read in forums on line about many similar type failures.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transfer case and power train unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
Vehicle frequently has issues with the touch screen for the radio as well as the mechanical controls for the radio stop responding causing me to be unable to control the volume, power, tuning, using touch screen to control whether I am using the am/fm radio, bluetooth or other media options. When this happens the screen turns completely black as if there is no power going to the radio appearing and acting as if I have not started the vehicle at all. The radio also frequently switches itself from both Bluetooth and FM options to the same AM channel by itself. I actually had to take my vehicle in to the dealership and pay out of my own pocket after I was driving on a busy freeway and my vehicle suddenly stopped responding to me pressing the accelerator and the dash began flashing . The vehicle then turned completely off forcing me to shift into neutral and restart the vehicle again while actively slowing down on the freeway without any warning. When I restarted my vehicle and I put it back into drive I could then only accelerate to 25mph . When I took the vehicle in I had to pay for them to reprogram my computer and after researching I discovered that this was already a problem that caused a recall but upon bringing this up to the dealership as well as calling Chrysler directly I was informed that even though the problem was the same as the recall they issued my vin number was not a part of the recall so they couldn’t and would not do anything for me. The date this occurred may be different from what I put below but with the maintenance records from the dealership I took the vehicle to an exact date can be determined.
During driving the SVS 4WD light appeared on the display. About the same time the Larger display flashed 4 wheel drive not available along with an audible bell. The jeep was taken to one dealer and the repair estimate was $6900. Took to another dealer who charged $134. for diagnosis and said the PTU was defective and the cost would be $3600 but the units were on back order and it could be 2 to 6 months to get a PTU unit. I was told I could continue driving the vehicle but would have no 4 wheel drive. I am driving the vehicle and the Bell sounds at interval saying to service 4 wheel drive and that it is not available. FCA has not offered any assistance on parts or labor and has said out of warrantee. Dealer said that it is a common problem that FCA should have addressed.
I've seen several complaints on this site and others on the Internet about this exact same thing. A "Service Shifter" warning has appeared 3-4 times. It lights up every light on the shift lever / gear control assembly and an alert permanently appears in the driver information display - making it impossible to see how fast I am driving (the mph display is usually there). Every single time, once the car was turned off and restarted - the warning disappeared and did not return for a long period of time. That said - anytime this happens - I have to pull over, turn the car off, then turn it on again. There are never any apparent symptoms before nor during the appearance of the warning. I took it to a mechanic, who was unable to determine what the problem could be. Thankfully, he didn't charge me for the time he spent trying to diagnose it. It's bad enough the car generates a frightening warning that takes over the speedometer display and severely distracts - but especially when it's apparently an undiagnosable problem. It's clear from the volume of complaints this is a major problem with 2016 Jeep Cherokees that the manufacturer should address.
When Driving car if you began to go down hill the car will race motor and run away by its self It is very dangerous in curvy and hilly areas. This cay be caused on a daily bases
2016 Jeep Latitude. 3.2 v6 service 4wd light comes on at 63,000 miles. 3,000 past power train warranty. Dealer said PTU is bad. $4,000. For repair. These are defective. A mechanic on you tube shows that the oil in the component leaks into the electronics in the actuator. Gears are fine. It seems that oil in the electronics could start a fire.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving approximately 68-70 MPH, the vehicle was shifting hard and the vehicle lost motive power. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the power transfer unit (PTU) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 92,000.
My daughter had the 4 x 4 transmission would not engage warning light went on. We took the vehicle in for a check. The dealership said she needed a PTO unit/PTU assembly since it has failed. This repair was quoted just under $3,000. This is our first jeep. I had a hard time understanding why a transmission part like this would fail in a 2016 vehicle. I did my own research online and articles stated that this EXACT same part was recalled in jeeps from 2014 to 2017 which included over 68,000 jeeps. Also over 2,700 jeeps already had the part replaced and were being reimbursed for charges. This is a part that if fails could cause injury or death. When mentioning this recall to the dealership and jeep customer service they said that our jeep was not PART of the recall based on our vehicle number. I am so upset by this, as it is a 2016 Jeep and it is the exact same part. I also called the federal safety agency and the request inquiry is 565252.
Shortly after I purchased my vehicle in 2020 I had a service shifter come on the dash with all the lights illuminated on bezel. I took it to the dealership and it was giving codes to suggest the the shifter bezel and wiring needed to be replaced this was done approximately 07/2021. Since then I have had no other issues with it until this morning it came back on. I have looked this up and a lot of Jeep owners experience this issue. It is apparent that there is a manufacture issues or issue that I feel Jeep is responsible for and needs to fix. With this involving the shifter/transmission there is an obvious safety concern. Thank you.
Since I purchased this vehicle it has had issues with the 9-speed transmission. The transmission at times, shifts so hard, it feels like you have been rear-ended. The transmission shifts very hard at times and feels as if it's confused. In addition, there is a dangerous delay from when you hit the gas pedal to when the transmission actually engages. There have been times when I hit the gas to get through an intersection and the car has lost power and the transmission was delayed at least 2-5 seconds engaging; almost resulting in multiple accidents.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that he noticed the ESC 4-WD warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The mechanic stated that the powertrain transfer unit (PTU) assembly had failed with code: (C14A7-97) and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 157,715.
Service shifter warning comes on and locks so you can't see your display possible transmission emergency if car shifts while at high speeds
At highway speed, transmission disengaged and car was forced to be stopped on road with no shoulder in an attempt to restart and continue to nearest off-ramp. Had no warning lights prior to failure and suddenly said “transmission overheating” when unit failed. Has not been driveable since.
My trailhawk service 4 wheel drive light is on and the dealership says that it is going to cost me $3500 dollars. I first took my truck to a transmission shop and they ran a diagnostic test and it came back that it was a recall for a PTU. Power transfer unit. Recall #W47 and 2ov343. But when I took it to the dealership they said I don't have any recalls on my truck. Please help me, I can't afford to pay for the work that needs to be done. And they are saying that they don't have loner cars anymore just rental cars for $40 a day. I don't have any way to get to work.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated the vehicle would not start or drive while in the 4WD mode. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle in 2WD mode, the four-wheel drive message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic and local dealer who both confirmed that the transfer case was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 61,000.
PTU replace with only 63,000 miles? Noticed lite on dash Service 4WD Recently had rear differential asy Drivers rear cv shaft Why all these issues Is my car on recall list if not it certainly should br
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the message 4-WD Service Required was displayed. The contact diagnosed the vehicle and retrieved a trouble code regarding and obstructed power transfer unit (PTU). The contact associated the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000. The consumer stated there is a drive train warranty and the vehicle will be repaired by Cowboy Dodge in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The transmission failed at highway speed, there was no acceleration. when traffic slowed it did not down shift allowing acceleration. Safety is at risk for obvious reasons when you cannot get up to speed on a free way or when you get off the free way and cannot accelerate at a light. The problem has reoccurred again yesterday while on the freeway. The car has not been inspected yet. There was a yellow light that came on and a message that stated Transmission Needs Serviced.
Power transfer unit (PTU) failed on our 2016 Jeep Cherokee at 59,000 miles. Vehicle has never been off-roading or abused. the federal safety agency has previously issued recalls for Cherokee PTUs but they were VIN specific (recalls 20V343 and 20E037 or W47 and W48). the federal safety agency states that "The power transfer unit (PTU), an important element of the optional all-wheel-drive system in affected vehicles may not be able to maintain a connection between the transmission and the front wheels. If the PTU fails to engage with the transmission, the Cherokee could lose all power while being driven. Also, a failure to engage could keep the vehicle from being put into park when stationary, allowing it to roll away. Either situation could result in a crash or injuries." I argue that the PTU defect previously identified is much larger than the small number of VINs repaired, and probably extends to most of the Cherokee line. If you search the internet for the FCA failure diagnostic of "C14A7-97 PTU blocked or obstructed" you will find many, MANY, reports by Cherokee owners who do not have one of the handful of lucky VINs. This is clearly a larger issue than previously suspected and a $3500-$4000 repair for the owner. Driveline components should be expected to last longer than 60k miles without catastrophic failures.
Car has been having issues shifting gears when going uphill/downhill for a few months, only 88k miles never wrecked, during drive a "Service shifter" alert came on and all drive/park/reverse lights lit up, screen could not be removed, car repeatedly had issues getting rpms while pressing gas. Took to a repair shop and they claimed it needed a transmission liquid flush or brake rotors but neither issues coorelate. This seems to be a frequent issue going on with other jeeps. Problem fixed itself after stopping and turning off car and turning back on but still has issues getting stuck in certain gears.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle was stopped however, the odometer remained operational providing incorrect vehicle information. The contact stated that while accelerating the speedometer kept running and would not stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic stated that vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 75,000.
The SVC 4WD (service 4WD drive ) light came on in my 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The Jeep dealership performed diagnosis and the drivetrain control module (DTCM) stored C14A7-97-PUT motor and the component or system operation is obstructed or blocked. They attempted to update the software of the DTCM and it is up to date. The condition persists and their further testing indicates that the internal power transfer unit (PTU) has failed and the vehicle is stuck in 4WD. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone other than the local jeep dealership, which was on 8/12/2022. The warning message began the week of August 1st and I scheduled the first available service appointment. After some initial research, Jeep had a recall of the PTU for my model year back in 2020. For 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokees where the PTU has not been previously replaced, the auto maker’s recall number is W47 and the federal safety agency’s recall campaign number is 20V343. However, when I checked my VIN number, it stated that I had 0 outstanding recalls against it. It is my understanding that if the power transfer unit (PTU) fails to engage with the transmission, the Cherokee could lose all power while being driven which could result in a crash or injuries.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his daughter was starting the vehicle, the gear shifter was shifted to drive(D) however, the intended gear was not recognized and the vehicle was unable to drive forward. Additionally, the vehicle experienced an unintentional rollaway and the contact's daughter applied the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the power transfer unit (PTU) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Service 4-Wheel Drive message displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with powertrain transfer unit (PTU) actuator failure. The dealer informed the contact that the PTU actuator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.
Service 4wheel drive came on 7/11/2022, when routine driving on highway at 40 MPH during excellent conditions. Phoned dealer 7/15/2022 to schedule for recall U90 for the catalyst efficiency and to have the vehicle scanned for the service light. 7/26/22 dealer informed active code C14A7-97 PTU Motor component or system operation obstructed or blocked, they cleared the code, it came back on, they check fluid level in ptu, it was within specs, found star case S1721000016 referring to the splines on the ptu unit to fray and not function. Recommended to replace ptu unit before winter. Found recall #21-017-21 for PTU broken input spline. Recall states malfunction indicator light (our service 4wheel drive came on) grinding noise coming from under vehicle while driving (this is notated on the service invoice from dealer. ) Although, code is different from what is listed for #21-017-21, our vehicle was built during the time frame indicated on the recall (April 2016) and is a 75th anniversary edition Cherokee, also listed on the #21-017-21 recall. Vehicle only has 37,689 miles on it and has never been taken off road nor has any other mode, but Auto been used for driving. Cost of replacement out of our pocket was to be $3100.00, after speaking with dealer and indicating this was our 3rd new Chrysler vehicle bought from them, they assumed responsibility for half the cost, see attached receipt where out of pocket for us was $1500.00, plus the $120.00 cost to scan for the issue. We would like consideration for a refund of the $1620.00 out of pocket we spent on this vehicle that we feel this issue should have been part of a recall. Please see note from invoice that metal shavings were found in the splines of the ptu. Safety of this vehicle in a needed 4x4 situation would have been compromised had the unit not been replaced.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated to 40 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the B1S2 camshaft sensor was replaced however, the failure persisted. The contact stated the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V343000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 97,254.
2016 Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk 80k miles PTO failed in 10/22 had extended Warranty but not through Jeep @ cost $4k. Now with 89k it’s going out again. What can I do
The Power Control Unit of the full time four drive unit is defective and has caused warning lights that made the car unsafe to drive. There is current safety recall by the federal safety agency 20V343 that applies to 2014-2017 jeep Cherokee that applies to my car but does not shows up on the Jeep data base. Please advise. Thank you
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