The contact owned a Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph , while raining, when coming down a decline on the roadway, a truck with a trailer was stopped and turning into a driveway, the corner of front driver side near the headlights collided with the pickup truck and the trailer. There was no additional property damage. The contact's vehicle came to a stop in the driveway while the vehicle spun around and became perpendicular to the road which caused additional damage to the rear passenger door. The driver side air bags did not deploy. The passenger side, side air bag did deploy. No airbag warning lights illuminated The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The insurance company deemed the vehicle as a total loss. Medical treatment was received. No injuries were sustained. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 90,000.
Jeep Cherokee headlights problems
139 of the 14,509 owner complaints about the Jeep Cherokee describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2015 model year.
- owner complaints
- 139
- worst model year
- 2015
- typical mileage
- 27,500
By model year
Often reported together
Stalling 8Won't start 7Check engine light 6Harsh shifting 5Jerking 4Transmission failure 3Overheating 3Hesitation 3
What owners say
When the running lights and headlights are set to Auto, moving the lever to High Beam causes the lights to go out. I have been asking the dealer and trying to find a solution since buying the car new, but no recall had been issued for my VIN and the dealer will not correct the problem with a recall specific to my VIN and year/model. There is a known issue with the Smart Lighting Module that prevents the High Beam from activating and shuts off the headlight in the Auto position, and a software update has been issued for the newer models, but not for the 2018 Cherokee with the same software.
Headlights cut out when it says low beam out and both headlights are new and work fine until it decides it doesn’t. Transmission is faulty in these cars.
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the message "Shift to Park(P)” was displayed, and several other warning lights were illuminated on the instrument cluster. The failure had occurred while exiting a parking lot and turning left. The contact stated that after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle stalled and stalled while accelerating and changing lanes. There were no warning lights illuminated immediately, but then several unknown warning lights were illuminated. After the vehicle had stalled, several attempts were needed to restart the vehicle. During several failures, the headlights and the hazard lights were not functioning as needed. The failure was intermittent but became a recurring failure. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who performed a tune-up and cleaned the fuel lines. The vehicle was repaired; however, the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was taken back to the same mechanic who determined that the fuel cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the vehicle stalled. The contact researched and became aware that the engine had been replaced in 2017. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
My Service 4wd light is on again and the electronic controller module is cracked under the hood. There is no 4wd, sensors are not working, the automatic high beams as well as manual high beams will not work, I have random dings going off, and the car does not shift properly. Gas mileage is way down. This is a continuous issue with this vehicle. I have replaced the ptu, and I need help!!!! This has cost me nearly $10,000 out of pocket.
Unknown: Headlights will dim/flicker making it harder to see at night and digital display on dashboard will go completely off causing driver to not be able to see current speed, fuel gauge, etc.
While driving doe the highway the Dashboard lights go out and headlights turn off. Headlights and bulbs go out frequently. Rear license plate lights go out even after bulb replacement. Kicks cruise off while driving and shift gear control warning.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH at night, the headlights turned off momentarily. Additionally, the contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the instrument panel and the infotainment system screen display turned on after 15 seconds. The contact also stated that the instrument panel and the infotainment system screen display were turning off intermittently while driving. The contact stated that the forward collision system chime failed to engage while there was another vehicle in the rear proximity of the vehicle; however, the forward collision avoidance system chime engaged while driving by another vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the vehicle made an abnormal clunking sound while shifting into 2nd gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 350.
Driving at night with headlights on: got warning “license plate light out.” Needed to reverse shortly after and the car immediately applied the brakes because it said the backup camera was unusable without the license plate light. Shut the car off for a while and when I tried to start it again, it three the following codes in sequence. Park Sense Unavailable Service Electronic Stability Control Service Electronic Throttle Control License Plate Light Out Service Park Brake Then the start screen appears. Brake + Push Button to Start Doing that brings up “Service Transmission Restart in Park With Vehicle at Zero Speed. So again I pressed the brake and start Button. It then started, repeated all previous error codes leaving warning icons active for all related systems and rendered them all inop. The last screen says “Service Transmission.” From there all ability to check the status of any other system on the vehicle is inhibited. The transmission slams into gear. And then works in the first two gears normally. Also notable is that 4x4 is inhibited and the AC will not work. Prior to the License Plate Light Out warning, everything worked normally. Now every system on the car has gone haywire. And I am pretty sure the Jeep folks will gladly overbill me for their defective design. I think some logic module or whatever name Jeep uses for it is somehow the culprit, and the car is doing exactly what it was programmed to do under the current conditions.
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while refueling, gasoline was spilling from the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the headlights exploded. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the headlights needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: brake lights
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Jeep Wagoneer S, 2025-2026 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, Ram 4500 Cab Chassis, Ram 5500 Cab Chassis, and 2026 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. Due to an improperly designed trailer tow module, the trailer lights may fail to illuminate and the trailer brakes may fail.
- Risk
- Trailer brake lights and turn signals that do not illuminate reduce visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, trailer brakes that fail increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the trailer tow module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning March 17, 2026. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 03D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on February 10, 2026.
Recall number 26V059000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: turn signal
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2022 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The turn signal self-canceling feature may not function properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Turn signals that do not function properly may fail to indicate the driver's intention to change vehicle direction, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the steering column control module as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 8, 2024. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA's number for this recall is 24B.
Recall number 24V239000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: brake lights
- What is wrong
- U.s. Drive right is recalling certain model year 1994-1996 jeep cherokee vehicles imported from january 2007, through april 2011 for failing to comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment," for the high mount brake lamp assembly. The vehicles are not equipped with the required third brake lamp.
- Risk
- Inadequate lighting could reduce visibility of vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- U.s. Drive right will notify owners and mail kits along with instructions to have the vehicle repaired by a qualified mechanic of their choice, free of charge. The safety recall began on september 12, 2011. Owners may contact u.s. Drive right at 1‑888‑632‑5936.
Recall number 11V279000 · Recall details
Questions about the Jeep Cherokee headlights
Which Jeep Cherokee years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2015 (35 complaints), 2014 (28 complaints) and 2016 (18 complaints).
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