The Service 4WD light comes on intermittently and the vehicle goes from 4WD to no wheel drive. Local dealership and independent shops indicate this is an internal error in the PTU and it must be replaced. Research indicates there were ~26,000 recalled vehicles for my year, make and model due to this very issue. However, all have confirmed my VIN was not part of the recall.
2017 Jeep Cherokee transmission complaints
Page 4 of 23: complaints 71 to 100 of 653, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Nov 2023 while driving, car began grinding. Service engine light along with Service Shifter warning appeared. Took to my Independent Mechanic who diagnosed problem as the PTU. There were several complaints, but no official Recall for my VIN. Had PTU replaced. Nov 2024 similar problem except car rolled forward after being placed in Park, and warning lights appeared again. Returned to Independent mechanic who replaced the defective PTU. Still no active Recall for my VIN. Repair completed under warranty. Since repair, Intermittent "Service Shifter" light, but no codes or faults showing. Nov 2025 grinding noise when turning. Independent mechanic diagnosed the Rear Differential and hydraulic pumps to be the problem.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to coast to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the Power Transfer Unit (PTU), resulting in damage to the transmission and rear differential. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); the VIN was included, but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was 160,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle stalled. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the PTU was the cause of the failure. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were on backorder. The contact called another local dealer, Colonial South Chrysler Ram Jeep and Dodge (42 State Rd, Dartmouth, MA 02747), but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
Car stopped working in an intersection then started rolling. Only way to stop was to put emergency brake on. Took to a mechanic and was told it was the ptu. There is a recall with no remedy as of right now since January. I need a vehicle to live. Want company to pay for a rental. Not me paying for it then being reimbursed
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with PTU failure. The contact was informed that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the same failure. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, parts for the recall repair were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
The PTU failed and needs a new transfer case, per the dealership in Blue Ridge, GA. According to them, there is no repair; however, I have inquired about acquiring a refund / replacement vehicle. I am in touch with my lender regarding this matter.
While driving, the transmission failed to operate safely. We had the car towed to a Jeep dealership for repairs. They diagnosed the problem and told us that the transmission had to be replaced. After about a month, they then notified us that they had to re-install the software in order to complete the repair. Then, a couple of weeks later, notified us that now, they had to replace the PTU in order to complete the repair. During that timeframe, I did some research and found that a recall had been issued on that PTU, for that particular Jeep model. However, I was not notified of the recall. (Number O1C). After talking with a representative of the parent company's "claims" department, they stated that my specific vin number was not found on their file, in connection with the recall. I communicated the sequence of repairs needed to complete the "fix" for my car, and told the employee that it was my contention that the failed PTU, logically and reasonably was the cause of the transmission failure. I was told to "wait and see" if they could find out why my vin # was not listed. Subsequently, I've filed requests for reimbursement to multiple entities connected to Jeep, and have been told that my claim had been denied. In my opinion, a major transmission failure IS, in fact a serious SATETY concern, especially when you have no power to control your speed while driving. I am still researching other options to appeal my case.
PTU has failed. Recal needs to include 2017 limited models. Driving while came on. Didn't know exactly if I was going to get home, out me at rush for an accident. Light it on dash, SVC 4x4.
I've owned this vehicle for about four years now. The car has been good up until JUST after my warranty expired and now I have a "Service 4WD" light on now. This light will come on most times when I'm driving. Sometimes not right away. But when it does light up it will say lit for the remainder of the drive. I belong to an online jeep group and I'm seeing a lot of the same issue. This light will come on most of the time. Any way I really hope you can help. Thank you.
It has been 10 months since the recall was sent out. There is still not a solution. My vehicle seems to be increasingly getting worse.
rear diff. tries to lock up while driving in auto mode and should not on dry pavement. grinding noise until you slow down enough to engage with a bang. this is a known problem with jeep, the internet has several complaints about this problem, our jeep only has 75k miles on it and others reported with only 40k. I've been told rear diff. needs to be replaced at 4k$
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the message “Service Shifter” was displayed. Additionally, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle hesitated to start, but the vehicle started after the third attempt. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,849.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to make a turn, there was a loud grinding sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the drivetrain control module and power transfer unit had failed and needed to be replaced. The mechanic also informed the contact that the VIN was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that three dealers were contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive, and the vehicle had been parked since the recall notification was received in February 2025. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his son was reversing out of a driveway, the vehicle shuddered and lost power with the check engine warning light illuminated, and the "Service 4WD" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle entered LIMP Mode and failed to accelerate above 20 MPH. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who showed a defect with the PTU. The contact was notified of the failure, and upon investigation, it was discovered that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000(Power Train). The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, where the contact was informed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact was then informed by the dealer that the vehicle could be repaired out of pocket; however, the contact denied the offer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
I have received numerous "Service 4WD" and "Shifter Service" messages, since 2020 and replaced the shifter module twice. I frequently have difficulty shifting in and out of 4WD mode and other 4WD modes - The vehicle will not shift or shifts at an unusual time. January 2025. Transmission (or transfer case unexpectedly completely disengaged and rolled several feet before I could apply brake. Mcpeek’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of Anaheim has done prior service. When will a remedy be available? My wife and I don't feel safe driving this vehicle but our ability to sell it is held up by the unresolved recall. Thank you.
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the 4-Wheel Drive Service light illuminated. The failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) had failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer opened a case for the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. .
Orlando Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Dealership states there is no remedy for this issue, therefore they wanted to charge me $5,749.28 for parts and labor to fix the issue. My jeep is running hot even though there are no leaks. I cannot lock or unlock the four-wheel drive system. Alerts continually being shown on the dash to check shifter and 4x4 not available. This has been going on for almost a year.
Our 2017 Jeep Cherokee with 59,976 miles was diagnosed to need a new "PTU" unit in the transmission. This repair is required to avoid a potential dangerous situation where the four wheel drive unit may "lock up" as a result of a sudden loss of power. The repair is over $7,000 and is on a national back order. We have been waiting without the car for over three months due to delays in obtaining the part through the Chrysler dealer. It is an unreasonable repair charge for so few miles and completely unacceptable to be without the car for over three months. This suggests that many other car owners are having an issue. Our VIN is not part of a national recall for some reason, but there is reference that a PTU recall has occurred for other Jeep Cherokees. We request that our VIN be included in the recall.
An alert came up on our Jeep Cherokee that 4WD needed to be serviced. Approximately three days later, we took the car to our local Jeep dealership and they let us know that we needed to replace the PTU for the vehicle. If this isn't replaced, the car loses AWD and could potentially become inoperable. While there has been a recall for very similar models of Jeeps in the same year as ours specifically regarding the PTU, ours does not qualify for the current recall. We don't understand why there is a recall for some Jeeps but not others within the same year and model for the exact same issue.
Service Shifter warning light comes on when driving. When put in park and key is turned off will reset but periodically will reoccur. First occurred around 20,000 miles but is becoming more frequent now.
The "Service 4WD" light came on in my 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The nearest dealership is 56 miles away. I took the vehicle to my mechanic, who is only 7 miles away. On the way to the mechanic, the "Service Shifter" warning light came on and all the lights on my shifter lit up. Once at the mechanic, my vehicle became stuck in 4wd low and cannot be shifted out of 4wd low. My mechanic was able to confirm that the power transfer unit had failed. When my mechanic contacted the dealership to order a replacement part, he was laughed at and told that the part was on nationwide backorder with no date available as to when the part would be in stock. This is unacceptable because now I am without a vehicle. I cannot afford to rent a vehicle until this part is available. When is the manufacturer going to be held accountable for the faulty PTU unit?
Our vehicle started displaying a service 4x4 error and we no longer had the ability to shift into all wheel/four wheel drive. Looking up the VIN, it is not part of the federal safety agency campaign 25vo11 (I think that's correct). In trying to understand the problem, I found many outside of the current recall are having issues with the PTU. This is what a local Jeep dealership told me the problem was. I also have seen several state the actuator was the issue and not the PTU itself. I would like to file this as a complaint and hope that the recall is expanded to cover other Cherokee models outside of the current recall. Thank you for your time.
I was driving and my service 4wd light came on. Took vehicle to dealership i bought it from and they done a test on it. It came back saying PTU , power transfer unit went out on it. This is what engages the 4 WD in it. I told them I seen Jeep had recalls on 2017 Jeep Cherokee like mine and they told me my vin number wasn't on list. I called Chrysler Jeep and was told the same story that my vin wasn't on list . I did receive a case number of [XXX]. I then contacted the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in Columbus Ohio and they contacted Chrysler Jeep and got no where with them as well and was told my vehicle vin number isnt on recall list. I was given a case number there [XXX] and then was told to contact you. The dealership ordered the part for my Jeep but they said its not available right now and they dont know when it will come in. Its gonna cost me $3989.24 + tax to repair it if or when the part comes in. IF THERES PROBLEMS GETTING THE PART TO FIX MY VEHICLE, WOULDNT IT APPEAR THAT CHRYSLER KNOWS THE PARTS ARE GOING BAD IN THE VEHICLES INCLUDING ALL VIN NUMBERS INSTEAD OF JUST A CERTAIN VIN NUMBER ??? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the message "Service 4WD" was displayed, and the 4WD and AWD systems became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power transfer unit had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The contact was placed on a waiting list. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 112,475.
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine and an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle then decelerated to 64 MPH, and the transmission sputtered. The vehicle was taken to O’Reilly’s Auto Parts and was diagnosed and DTC: P0303 (Misfire in cylinder #3); was retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,941.
Constantly Randomly Getting (Service Shifter) Notification and all the lights on the shifter light up on the shifter ... It Resets when i put it in Park and Stop Engine - When i ask the Jeep Dealer about it they say it must be doing it when i bring it in before the can trouble shoot the problem.... they say they cant check the computer code list and see when its happened and why ..... I believe this is a safety problem that should be a Recall and Fixed - Before it Ends up causing an Accident and Death ! And may have already cause Accidents and Deaths !
The contact owns a 2017 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the loss of power was most frequent while ascending a hill. The RPM level was low while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train); and related the failure to the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
The svc 4wd light came on, it coded to the ptu. There is a recall on 2017 jeeps but being told mine is not affected which I don't believe is correct.
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