2018 Jeep Cherokee complaints

Message displayed on dash "service shifter"

4WD not working. A message started appearing in December 2022 that the 4WD was not available and to have it serviced. I was shocked because the vehicle is only 5 years old. The 4WD is very important because we live up a large hill. When it snows it is definitely a safety issue to be able to get up and down the hill as well as driving on snowy roads. Without it working it could cause an accident and we could be hurt. We took it to an automotive service center to have it diagnosed. They said the power transfer unit and actuator case assembly needed to be replaced. They also said the week before they checked this vehicle they had a 2016 and 2017 jeep Cherokee that had the same problem. Both of those vehicles had recalls to fix them. This jeep is a 2018 with 79,500 miles. It was purchased in 2017 so it had to be built in 2016 or 2017. The parts used to build this had to have been defective or something. This kind of thing should not happen so my vehicle should have a recall. It's not that old plus the 4WD isn't used except a few times in the winter. I sure wasn't expecting something like this to happen.It is very much needed in the winter to keep us safe going up and down the hill and driving in the snow. I was also told there is a national back order on parts to fix this. That doesn't help when it's winter time. I could get hurt sliding down the hill or trying to go up and slide backwards! I would like a response as soon as possible if this problem will be recalled so I can get

Was driving and "Service 4wd" came on, no change in the driving, then went off and comes back. Now I'm getting "Service shifter" no change in the driving but all the lights on the shifter (P, R, N, D, +/-) are all red and display won't move from Service shifter.

1) Engine turns off while driving the vehicle and the dash tells me to shift it into park. After the car is stopped and shifted into park it makes a starting noise as if you are trying to start the vehicle as if it is flooded, but it will eventually start after approximately 30 seconds. After approximately 30 seconds the vehicle starts sometimes without even pushing the start button. 2) The vehicle dies often when turning, driving over small amounts of snow, backing up, or exerting the engine at all. It usually does not shut off while driving straight down the road without exerting any energy unless there is snow causing the engine to exert any energy. This has caused safety risks to me and others in the following manner: a) It has caused me to stall while turning onto the highway from side streets which I have narrowly avoided being t-boned and side impacted. This can cause injury or death to myself, my passengers, pedestrians, and traffic. b) It has caused my vehicle to stall while on the roadway when it exerts energy due to snow and causes me to spin the vehicle out of control in traffic which can cause injury or death to myself, my passengers, pedestrians, and traffic. c) It has cause me to stall while backing out, or pulling out of parallel parking with traffic which can cause injury or death to myself, my passengers, pedestrians, and traffic.

I believe TSB 08-054-18 does not take seriously enough the danger of an automatic car shutting off mid drive. Only by luck did I avoid being hit on a small road. This has happened pretty much every year of owning the car but I thought it was a fuel/oil issue related to weather until the shifter messages popped up this year.

As I am driving the service shifter notification comes on and all my shifter lights come one and I can’t see the dash board. I have to pull over and turn the engine off to cut it back on. This is an ongoing issue Jeep says they didn’t find anything or I just need my oil changed.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power with the "Shift to Park(P) message displayed. The contact stated that after shifting into park(P) and turning off the vehicle, she had to press and hold the Push to Start button for 30-seconds for the vehicle to restart. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure recurred daily, and that the engine revved independently while starting the vehicle. The contact made the local dealer aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was awaiting a diagnostic test and the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 9,000.

My car continues to flash service Shifter and won't accelerate when the gas pedal is pushed

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds between 5-60 MPH, the message "Service Shifter" was displayed. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,645.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over and waited to restart the vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormal sounds while restarting. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. There were no error codes retrieved. The dealer replaced the spark plugs and alternator; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

My Jeep has been randomly stalling while driving in the city. The check engine light came on. I had to tow my Jeep to the dealer. They said it was because of low oil. I just had an oil change 3 weeks ago. The oil life was at 100% when I got the oil changed. When the car started to stall, it said 50% oil life. The dealer found no oil leaks. I have read on here that this has happened to several consumers with the 2018 Jeep Cherokee. Further investigation is needed on this issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the message "Service Shifter" was displayed, and the service warning lights illuminated. During the failure, the gear shifter indicator became inoperable, and the driver was no longer able to determine what gear the transmission was in. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were both notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 58,000.

The electronic parking brake module failed due to corrosion and moisture in the rear driver side inner wheel well where it is mounted causing my parking brake to become stuck thus making the car undriveable. I had to have the car towed to my nearest repair shop, where it sat for 4 weeks due to part back order from dealer. I have had the module replaced and the computer reprogrammed which worked temporarily until the parking brake was engaged again by driving with the door slightly open and the problem came back. It is currently parked in my own driveway unusable.

My car keeps stopping in the middle of me driving. I've had the car about a year and a half. Today the electric throttle light is flashing and car did not want to go in the middle of a double intersection and highway. Yesterday it read oil pressure.

Within the last 6 months this vehicle has left me stranded at least 5 times. The first time it overheated because the heating coil is so close to another line that is created a hole that caused the vehicle to overheat. The second time was an ignition coil. The third time was because it was time for an oil change which was not the case because it wasn't even time for an oil change. The other times were (battery) related but yet with the battery being replaced 200 bucks later I am left stranded on the road in the middle of traffic without any indication that it was going to cutoff. I fear taking it on the interstate. Within the last 24 hours I have been left stranded after having the dealership again yesterday tell me I need a new battery which I replaced but yet broke down again this morning. The vehicle will start but it seems like now 2-3 minutes it cuts off while driving and has to be jumped by another vehicle. This has to be an electrical problem...the lights don't dim; everything stays on for a bit once I take the keys out, but yet I am being told my VIN has no recalls. Once again there is no lights or anything that appear on the dash letting me know where is an issue.

On several separate occasions my automatic parking brake engaged without me engaging it. It will engage and will not disengage unless car is restarted. On one occasion I was travelling approximately 20 mph when the brake engage and caused the car to stall. The most recent occasion I was unable to disengage the parking brake and had to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer believes the issue is related to the EPB Module in the rear left side of the vehicle. Water has been leaking into the trunk and corroded the module and connector. I believe this is related to NHTSA investigation number PE 22-009. A technical service bulletin was issued related to this issue and it appears to be a widespread issue with this make/model.

The whole car stopped while on the highway going 70 miles per hr and would not start back up. I had recently had an oil change days before incident. Had the car towed to dealership and was told I had little to no oil. I advised them I recently had an oil change days ago how is that possible at the dealership. I was told that maybe a cap or something wasn’t placed back properly and there was oil leakage. They assured my car was fixed but now it runs rough and I have anxiety that my car will just shut down with no warning and also the low oil light never came on the car just stopped

Brake module system in rear left panel got submerged in water and corroded. Ultimately, leaving us with a locked parking brake that we can't disengage.

"Service Shifter" came up once around 36k miles and went away after engine restart. Shifter turns completely red. "Service Shifter" has now come up every time I begin driving. Vehicle has around 42k miles now.

Service shifter light randomly comes on; vehicle has stalled several times. Sometimes hesitates when pushing gas to accelerate.

While driving down a major highway with speed around 55mph on a busy Friday afternoon, my check engine light came on, which caused my abs light, my traction light, and also my parking brake light to come on. I took the vehicle to the dealer on the 12th, and was told my brakes were fine, I only have 25000 miles on the vehicle at this time. After doing a diagnostic test no code was shown for why the lights are on. I was told to bring the vehicle back so they can perform a full check, which will take perhaps overnight, which is more money for a rental car, because I live over an hour from them, plus a deductible on my warranty. I noticed on reviews for 2018 and 2019 jeep latitudes several owners were having the same problems and I am wondering why there is not a recall on it. Several owners stated their car stopped in traffic, but mine did not. Please let me know if any of my expense will be covered if there is a solution to this issue from other owners' complaints. The vehicle has not been repaired yet. Thank You

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped and idling, the parking brake erroneously activated and the vehicle had to be turned off and restarted to deactivate the parking braking. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on multiple occasions and no warning lights or messages were displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,000.

All LEDs on shifter light up and and "Service Shifter" appears on dashboard screen. This happens every few hundred mile and could result on transmission locking out. Apparently this dangerous and is a very common problem that should be a factory recall.

Service shifter light had intermittently turned on/off since about 33,000 miles but after warranty expired. Mechanic shop says the issue is common with my car's make/model. If this is a common issue, a recall should be placed.

SERVICE SHIFTER WARNING -takes up full screen on vehicle cannot see any other specs of the vehicle -safety, service shifter recalls in past day to not operate vehicle. This warning randomly comes on when no problem is present. -the problem has been recreated on multiple occasions for dealer, mechanics, and friends -has not been inspected. States not sure what causes this -no other warning lamps came on and none can come on since this takes up the entire screen and places the MPH in smaller lettering at the top

This vehicle had a recall for the shifter. It went in for the recall but not long after the shifter lights are back. Every time we drive the shifter lights come on. Went back and the dealer will not fix the problem.

Service shifter light comes on and stuck in whatever gear due to all the lights light up and you don't know what gear it is in , TSB has been issued for jeep cherokee and dealership wants to charge diagnostic fee , this is a manufacturer defect and needs to be a recall !!! ASAP

I had stopped at a stop sign & as I proceeded to pull out, the jeep came to a complete stop without any power. After pushing the jeep out of the road after several attempts to restart were unsuccessful, jumper cables were used & were still unsuccessful. A new battery was installed but the jeep still would not start. It was towed to the local dealership for repair after a local repair shop was unable to successfully diagnosis the problem. It was determined there was a short in the power transfer unit that caused a short that would blow a fuse causing the engine to shut down. I was almost 7 hours from home & just moments from getting on the interstate to drive that 7 hours home. There was no warning that anything was wrong with the jeep as all recalls had been done and no maintenance was due at that time. Thankfully, instead of coming to a complete stop unexpectedly on the interstate at 75-80 mph, it was turning from a stop sign in the middle of a 5-lane road just after any morning rush. Thankfully I was not on the interstate with a semi-truck behind me or I would not be writing this today. This issue caused my husband to miss a couple of days of work, 2 unexpected days at a hotel, food, gas & the repair charge to the dealership.

While driving at about 50 miles per hour the emergency brake alarms along with several other alarms on dash came on. This happened one time before and car was service and a part replaced to correct the problem. This is less than 1000 miles before this incident.

While driving about 50 mph, I suddenly lost steering and many alarm lights came on. the car was very difficult to steer and I had a difficult time to return home

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated he had experienced the failure three times. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.

Shifter failure. All lights on shifter control panel lit (park, reverse, neutral, drive). Service Shifter message on dash cluster and message stating “must be in park to shift gears” or similar. Shifter must be replaced.

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.

My steering system sensor light illuminated while driving and steering became tight when driving. I took it to a local Jeep dealer and it was determined that the electronic rack had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer said this is very unusual for my 2018 Jeep. My Jeep has less than 55K miles and is less than 5 years old. I am surprised it is not covered under the power train warranty. It is my understanding that 2019 and 2020 Jeep Cherokees have a recall for electronic rack failures in these models. If the 2018 electronic rack is the same in the 2018 then I believe my 2018 with less than 60k miles and less than 5 years old should be covered under a recall. Thank you.

With in a month of purchasing and many times after the dealership supposedly did a update to the shift shaft but always returned I turn car off have to wait and it goes away now it is staying more than usual and appearing more also with in a month my air bags had faulty wiring Thomson dodge only fixed one under driver seat bc their dx only showed one default a month after that the passengers air bag wiring went bad they refused to fix it so with in first year my passenger air bag needs to be repaired I am driving w two faulty car issues that I practically bought this is dangerous after review many complaints from other same make and model jeep owners shift shaft message and air bag message to replace

2018 Jeep Cherokee Overland 4x4 ~ Service shifter warning light appears randomly while driving normally; has happened 2-3 times in one year of ownership. All lights for gears on shifter panel light up red simultaneously; all lights constant and service shifter message remains until vehicle is stopped and engine turned off. No lights, nor warning message displayed upon restart. Purchased vehicle at 42,675 miles and currently has 67k miles. FYI, vehicle is driven daily in city/metro area in Texas with extreme outdoor heat temps.

Floor shifter jumper wiring harness. Manufacturer Part Number: 68413957AA. This is a common issue with these vehicles. This happens out of nowhere and is not something that happens due to wear or old age. This should be a recall due to the safety of the driver.

The indicator came on stating the engine was running hot. Turns out there was a leak in the radiator. My car is less than 4 years old and just hit 60,000 miles. Is this the normal life for a radiator? I feel like it might be faulty and should have lasted longer than 3.5 years.

Service Air Bag Light came on three different times when turning left. The third time it came on the vehicle died in the middle of an intersection and dashboard lights lit up. Took vehicle to Dealer, they said there were codes and a star case S1808000180, they tore apart center console. Did not find a problem, they test drove car and said no more codes. I picked up vehicle and after driving approx. 30 miles home, service air bag light came on again while stopped at light and car died. Car was towed to second dealer, codes popped up U0103, U11DE, U0002, U1465, C10CD. Dealer did not know how to fix. Called Jeep customer cares. Car has been out of service since May 13, 2022. Going to a third dealer on June 9, 2022.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while parking her vehicle, the service shifter warning light illuminated. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, the vehicle would not operate as designed until the vehicle was restarted. The contact stated that the failure never occurred while the vehicle was in motion. The dealer was contacted and advised that they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 61,000.

Gear Shifter says servicer gear shift and does not recognize the car is in park.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle and the steering wheel would violently shake and vibrate while depressing the brake pedal. The contact indicated that the check engine warning light was illuminated when the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the passenger’s side and driver side front wheel ball joints were damaged. The passenger’s side ball joint was more severely damaged. The vehicle was then taken to the local dealer who confirmed the diagnoses. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

Engine shuts of while driving

Shifter, bezel, and harness I have been discussing with several people that this is an issue in a lot of jeeps currently and my car is only 4 years old. This $1400 fix is crazy.

When the car detects low oil it shuts off. The engine sputters and the car will shut off- even when driving- causing a safety issue. There is NO LOW OIL indicator light. I had pulled from my street into a busy highway and the engine sputtered and turned itself off. I could not restart it. Happened today and also happened in December 2021.

Vehicle has stalled on multiple occasions. Safety hazards include stalling in middle of intersection and being stranded. Call out for service at this time, therefore problem has not been reproduced or confirmed. Not inspected yet. No police involvement. No warning light-including battery or engine light- upon initial start of vehicle. Battery and engine warning lights visible at time of stall. Battery was turning over but engine not engaging, however, able to restart vehicle after multiple attempts. No jump start required. Warning light disappeared after restart of vehicle and only reappeared upon subsequent stalls. No apparent issues- other than stalling- while vehicle is driven. Problem has been very inconsistent.

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Service Shifter" warning message was displayed. The dealer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to turn off the vehicle to reset the computer system; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,917.

While driving, vehicle shuts off without warning, this has happened 3 times even though the car was supposedly repaired with a new battery and a new alternator.

Rear differential and power transfer unit. Under warranty but part is not available for a min of 3 weeks backorder and was not offered a loaner or rental car. Was told no.loaners available and my car is ok to drive. I drive 300 miles commute 3 days a week on interstate. I think a rental car is covered under the powertrain warranty. I also read now where 2014 thru 2017 have been recalled for this same issues. I am concerned these failing parts could be a risk to my safety. Dealer told me it was safe to drive. However stated there are metal shavings and its binding up. I do not believe it is safe to drive.

My car will randomly shut off going 60mph. I will start it back up and it will make a pop sounds and give a little gas to go and it acts like I I’m giving it more gas than I am. I have almost been hit on freeways because of this. This is the 2nd time in 2 years. I took to a dealership and was told they had to rest my motor but gave me no paper work on that