2018 Jeep Cherokee: jerking or lurching

Filed Sep 3, 2026 · Transmission · CO

My 2018 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk is subject to FCA Recall 01C/the federal safety agency 25V‑011 for two-speed PTU failure. I have experienced 3 serious drivetrain events requiring towing. In April 2024, before the recall was announced, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration while entering an interstate/on-ramp, with loud grinding/revving and jerking. An independent repair facility replaced the transmission. On May 18, 2026, another drivetrain failure occurred. An authorized Jeep dealer confirmed PTU failure and performed Recall 01C. Dealer records state the PTU had “MAJOR INTERNAL DAMAGE” and document damage at the PTU/transmission interface, including a transmission-side stub shaft and damage/scored gears attributed to the old PTU gear. The vehicle remained at the dealer until approximately August 7. About 2 weeks later, the Service 4WD warning appeared, followed by loud drivetrain noise, jerking and severe loss of propulsion. The vehicle also rolled backward while in PARK unless the parking brake was applied and required another tow. The dealer diagnosed a failed left-front CV axle/halfshaft and attributes it to progressive wear, unrelated to the PTU repair. I am not claiming the PTU caused the axle failure; I am asking the federal safety agency to evaluate the timing and repeated loss-of-propulsion/PARK events. Additionally, the dealer performed a multipoint inspection about one week before the axle failure that marked the CV drive axle category as passing. As of Sept. 2, 2026, BOTH the federal safety agency and FCA/Mopar systems still listed Recall 01C as incomplete/unrepaired despite the dealer having performed the recall repair. I request review of these repeated safety failures, the recall remedy, and the continued incomplete recall status.

Filed May 14, 2026 · CO

I am writing to escalate a safety and reimbursement concern regarding my 2018 Jeep Cherokee, VIN [Your VIN], which is subject to recall 01C / 25V‑011 (Power Transfer Unit Snap Ring Defect). Before the recall remedy was available, my vehicle experienced a sudden loss of drive power, grinding, and jerking, which led to a full transmission replacement. I was stranded on the side of an interstate ramp as a result of this loss of drive power. The PTU was not replaced and remains original. I now intermittently receive a “4WD won’t work” alert 65-80% of vehicle starts. I attempted to schedule my vehicle for the recall repair and spoke in length with the Jeep dealership in [XXX] on 2/23/26. The dealership has informed me that PTU replacement parts are unavailable and could take months to arrive. If the dealership detects a concern during inspection, they will not allow me to keep the vehicle, yet they cannot provide a loaner. This leaves me without transportation for an indefinite period, despite the recall being an active safety concern. It is important to note that the PTU is directly connected to the transmission and transfers power to the rear wheels; a PTU failure can place stress on or impair the transmission, which can cause symptoms identical to sudden transmission failure. I request escalation to a senior case manager or Tier 2 Top Car Specialist, review of my prior repair for reimbursement, and documentation of the ongoing 4WD alerts to support safety and claim review. Attachments: repair receipt. Thank you for your time, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 23, 2026 · Transmission · 130,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (POWER TRAIN); and the vehicle jerked while driving before the vehicle lost automotive power. The vehicle was coasted to the shoulder of the roadway, where only reverse(R) functioned as designed. The vehicle was restarted but failed to operate as intended. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the failure was associated with the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Jan 28, 2026 · Transmission · IL

The vehicle experienced a powertrain failure involving the Power Transfer Unit (PTU). On June 19, 2025, the vehicle was inspected at Dobbs Tire & Auto at approximately 154,548 miles after a grinding noise and drivetrain noise were observed. The shop found metal shavings in the rear differential fluid and advised the vehicle be taken to a Jeep dealership. Because the vehicle was originally purchased from Cassens Jeep, it was taken there for further diagnosis. On August 28, 2025, the vehicle was inspected at Cassens Jeep at approximately 158,011 miles. The dealership confirmed internal drivetrain noise, metal contamination, and a PTU-related fault code. The vehicle experiences knocking noises at low speeds, lurching while driving, and intermittent drivetrain and 4WD warning indicators. The dealer advised replacement of the PTU and rear drivetrain components. This condition is associated with the active PTU powertrain recall originally issued on January 23, 2025. On January 22, 2026, a representative from Cassens Jeep confirmed that there is currently no available repair remedy, no estimated timeline for completion, and that required parts remain on backorder. This creates an ongoing safety risk due to potential loss of drive power and possible unintended vehicle movement related to park function failure. Service work orders and inspection reports from both repair facilities have been attached to support this complaint.

Filed Jun 13, 2025 · Transmission · 127,000 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 25-35 MPH, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. The contact stated that while accelerating from a stop sign, the rear end of the vehicle was jerking hard. The vehicle shifted to high gear, and the driver's side rear swayed. The failure progressed over time. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 25V011000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the PTU was the cause of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

Filed Feb 15, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · FL

2018 Jeep Cherokee has service shifter appearing multiple times in the last 2 months. It has lasted up to 3 days before resetting. My jeep has 78K miles and I'm the only owner. My jeep has randomly shut down completely while driving 65+ mph. When I restart it, the transmission makes a jerking motion and the rpms accelerate rapidly. Upon investigation I'm finding this is a HUGE problem with this model year, along with 2017 & 2019. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED before someone dies from this jeep being in an accident with little to zero time to recover power!

Filed Apr 4, 2024 · MO

Every now & then the menu will pop up & say service shifter & won't allow you to exit that notification & all the lights on the shifter turn red at the same time. The only way to reset it is to turn the jeep off & back on again. I've gone a couple months now without it happening but for awhile it was doing it almost every day. It doesn't seem to affect the driving at all though which is odd. However there has been a pretty consistent jerking when accelerating into higher gears. Not sure if it's related or not. My dealership said there was nothing wrong with my vehicle so i just keep dealing with it.

Filed Feb 28, 2024 · Transmission · OR

My 2018 Jeep Cherokee with 88K miles on it. I heard a loud popping sound, and my car was jerking. Took it into the dealership for maintenance and I need to replace the rear diff and axle shaft. This could have locked up worse and caused an accident. I see that there are more complaints about this same problem.

Filed Jul 15, 2022 · Transmission · IL

As I accelerate the vehicle shudders as if the engine is misfiring, even accelerating at low rpm’s, the vehicle acts as if the trans is slipping or engine is misfiring causing the my Jeep to jerk or shudder. I also had the engine replaced in the past due to excessive oil consumption so I would assume there shouldn’t be further issues. Not only does my Jeep not perform up to expectation , the service shifter light continues to come on and all lights on the shifter turn a solid red color. I have to turn the car off and back on for it to turn on. When taking it to the dealer, they continue to tell me that they cannot find the service shifter error when when hooking it up to the computer. The combination of issues reported with this vehicle type are only going to lead to a serious accident or death if they don’t fix these issues.

Filed May 13, 2021 · Electrical · 34,000 miles · FL

"service shifter" warning comes up on the dash at different times. It may be at start up or while driving. It's a serious problem. You have a minimum of 400 comjlaints already. Just bought this 2018 jeep cherokee on 5/8/2021 and we are having problems already. I called the dealer and they said they never heard of this problem, or is it that they don't know what the fix is? Many of the owners of these car are stuck in a circle jerk...dealer says it doesnt exsist and yet it keeps happening. Please investagate this problem and force the manufacture to find the fix. I know my dealer knew of the problem but elects not to admit it. The problem is that it does not throw a code so nothing shows up. I checked mine twice with my obd reader and I even drove around with it connected to see if it was a drivablity problem but that produced nothing. Very sorry that I purchased this car! Never own a chrys. Product again.....and I will never purchase another car from this dealer.

Filed Dec 18, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 40,000 miles · NC

I have taken my vehicle to the dealership two times for the check engine light that have replaced the blower the filters and so on. Every time the AC or heat comes on the car starts shaking and jerking while in traffic. The yesterday while driving back in to post the vehicle started jerking while in motion and the check engine light came on. I have spent a tile of about 700-800$ on this problem and it seems to be something that the dealership can not fix.

Filed Jun 29, 2020 · Transmission · 346,500 miles · NY

The service shifter notification came up on the dashboard screen while the vehicle was in motion on the highway, unable to be cleared, and all red lights on shifter were lit up. (prnd) after stopping, turning off vehicle and restarting cleared the message, however, vehicle also continues to jerk in between gears.