2017 Jeep Cherokee: harsh or hard shifting

Filed May 3, 2026 · Transmission · OK

My Active-Drive 1 PTU failed at 112k miles. This failure happened going down the highway at 65mph. It occurred via a loud clunk and mechanical grinding noise, followed by a “service 4-WD” light. In my case, the failure was not catastrophic and did not cause safety concerns. However, this part runs the risk of seizing all four wheels or losing power to the wheels when failing, which could have caused a significantly dangerous situation such as a collision with nearby vehicles or even a pile-up, had the wheels seized. I did not have the part serviced or inspected by the dealer, as in order to do so would have required a substantial fee. It can be reproduced and I would be open to doing so should the manufacturer come to their senses. Unfortunately, despite the lack of recall, this part is known for failure by the manufacturer and a similar component on other models, the AD-2 PTU, was recalled by the manufacturer for the same failure and safety concerns that this part has.

Filed Mar 9, 2026 · Transmission · WI

2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk 80,758 miles - I began to accelerate from a stop light and heard a large clunk. Proceeded to pull over after a complete loss of power. Once away from traffic, Jeep would not be put into 'park' without hearing and feeling the grinding of gears through the shifter handle. I had to shut the car off prior to being able to place Jeep into 'park', and even then the car was able to roll. The only way to fully have the vehicle in 'park' is by using the emergency brake. Without a doubt this related to the PTU recall that so many Jeep Cherokees have been having. From what I can find from MOPAR, the vehicle had the necessary recall done to "fix" the software back in 2020, but the problem still arose. Had to tow the vehicle back 200 miles using a Uhaul and trailer in order to get home. I have very little hope that not only will it be unable to get fixed due to the inability to get parts that so many people are having, but also the fact that Jeep themselves have and will deny so many claims without proper investigation. Currently the vehicle is parked at the Jeep, Ram, Chrysler dealer in West Bend, WI waiting on inspection to truly diagnose the issue.

Filed Mar 6, 2026 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · IA

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact placed the vehicle in park(P), and the vehicle rolled backwards. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a local dealer and the PTU (Power Transfer Unit) was replaced under warranty. Approximately a year later, while driving 55 MPH, there was an abnormal clunking and grinding sound coming from the vehicle with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle failed to move while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle was placed in 4WD Low and slowly driven to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a defective PTU, but the part was on backorder. The contact then received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train). The contact was informed that a test would be performed with new software to detect and monitor for excessive wear within the PTU. The test showed that there was no excessive wear within the PTU and that the PTU would not be replaced under recall. The contact stated that the PTU was being reprogrammed and test-driven to ensure that the vehicle was safe to operate. The contact stated that the recall repair was insufficient to repair the vehicle, and the contact feared that the failure would return. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the dealer for over a year due to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was provided a case number. The vehicle was repaired but remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Filed Dec 17, 2025 · Brakes, Engine · PA

on 11/1/25 we were driving our Jeep and it malfunctioned while at a stop light. We heard a loud "clunk" and the car would barely go and if we tried to put in park, it would continue to roll. We were on top of a hill so thankfully we didnt roll back or into traffic. We could not drive the car and had to have it towed since it was not safe to drive. Our Jeep is at an authorized Jeep dealer since 11/3/25 and we were told the issue was a power transfer unit that would be covered on the recall but the part was on backorder until 12/2. Jeep would only cover $50/day for a car rental, so we had to rely on borrowing cars from others. Once 12/2 came, we reached out to the dealership and they said the part ship date was moved to 12/18! This is not a timely manner. We have made at least 3 calls to Jeep over the past week, and they keep telling us since 12/10/25 that they will let us know in 2 days...2 days pass and they transfer our case. Another two days pass and still no call from them so I called them back and they have yet to call me. We had our Jeep in the week of 11/17 or 11/24 for inspection and it passed. We noticed some lagging when we were going up hills in the 1-2 rpm range but mechanic did not notice it. Between the inspection and when it finally broke down, no lights came on and there were no warning messages. Not until the car broke down on 11/1.

Filed Dec 1, 2025 · Transmission · 98,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. The “Service Shifter” warning light was occasionally illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Filed May 18, 2025 · Transmission · MI

In 2021 I received the diagnostic of: —MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP ON PERFORM SCAN DTCM FAULT C14A7-97 PTU MOTOR COMPONENT FAILURE PERFORM DIAG WILL NEED PTU UNIT DRIVETRAIN —VIBRATES/RATTLES AT SLOWER SPEEDS ROAD TEST VERIFY THIS VIBRATION IS CO MING FROM PTU UNIT. — FOUND DTC CODE C144797-97, ERRATIC ENGAGEMENT IN FRONT PTU, SPLINE/COLLAR FAILURE They told me an ungodly amount of money to fix this issue and was unable to complete the fix. I looked up recalls for this and there is one for this exact issue and my VIN is somehow not included?! My jeep slams into gear at low speeds and has always. The ‘Service 4WD’ light started coming on over a year ago and randomly lights up on the dash, then goes away. Today, the ‘Service Shifter’ light came on and I know that it’s going to state that the PTU/transmission is going to be needing replaced. Knowing that Jeep is currently not making the parts, and that my VIN is not associated with this recall for whatever reason, I am unsure of what I am supposed to do with this. I owe money on this vehicle still, and by reading all the complaints, it seems as if even when spending thousands of dollars on these repairs, it continues to happen. How is the manufacturer not being held accountable for this?

Filed Nov 1, 2024 · Engine · WA

Reference service bulletin 20V‑343 / W47 Recall Summary (Differential unit) 2 Speed Power Transfer Unit failed (Transfer Case) PTU My wife was driving down the freeway at 65 MPH when the until failed. This was during heavy rains and while the car was hydroplaning. The four wheel drive system kicked in and then the unit failed. She heard a loud clunk and then unit the unit forced itself into neutral. This could have cause the car to spin out of control, but she was able to recover. Wife did not capture error message that occurred during the incident, but it said something about putting the car in neutral. once she was able to stop in the emergency lane on the freeway she came to a complete stop and put the car in park. She was exiting the vehicle and the car started to roll even though the car was in park. She quickly applied the brakes and was able to engage the ebrake. The car is currently at the mechanic for inspection.

Filed Nov 17, 2022 · Transmission · WI

This past Sunday night, 11/13/22, I experienced a 9-speed transmission failure in my vehicle. The car immediately lost the ability to propel itself, and I was forced to veer onto the shoulder, to narrowly avoid being rear-ended. My car only has 89,440 miles on it. It is currently at a reputable transmission shop, where a diagnosis determined that the transmission experienced a mechanical failure, and would need to be replaced. I was also informed that parts to complete a replacement, are "on national backorder, with no ETA". This leads me to believe that there are a large number of failures, or Chrysler doesn't want to produce new faulty parts, to replace original faulty parts. Additional research unearthed overwhelming evidence of this being an ongoing issue with Chrysler’s 9-speed transmissions, throughout their product line. The car has not been taken to a Chrysler dealership as of yet, as additional towing charges would be incurred. Symptoms of a problem only appeared days prior to the failure, in the form of a few "hard shifts". From that time until the failure was less than 200 miles. The only warning light that appeared was after the transmission failed. I believe Chrysler is knowingly selling a defective product, with no real solution, and should be responsible for all costs associated with replacement, service, and alternate transportation (towing, parts, labor, rental fees, etc.). Chrysler's 9-speed transmissions should all be recalled, to prevent people from being seriously injured or killed.

Filed Oct 7, 2022 · Acceleration, Engine · GA

When accelerating the vehicle has a hard shift every now and then that’s very noticeable. Seems to be slipping or having trouble shifting occasionally when trying to get up to speed.

Filed Nov 17, 2020 · Transmission · 126,000 miles · NC

At slow speed while accelerating from a stop, the transmission shifted abruptly and caused the vehicle to jerk. In addition there is a loud crunch. Bang or clunk noise that made me feel like another car had rear ended me. The dealer updated the computer but it did not fix the issue.

Filed Sep 29, 2020 · Electrical · 48,000 miles · GA

Service shifter light comes on and all gears light up. Car makes loud clunk noise when shifting gears and has a hard time switching gears. Was told by dealership that electronic shifter bezel and pigtail need to be replaced. Known problem of the jeep cherokee.

Filed Mar 10, 2020 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 70,000 miles · MS

This happens every day while driving. I will be driving (no certain speed) but I will hear a "ding" & I look at my screen & it says "service shifter" and all my lights light up on my gear shifter. My jeep tends to have hard shifting once this occurs. I then have to stop, turn my car off and turn it back on. (the pictures I'm attaching are from last week. However, this has been happening for awhile)