2020 Jeep Cherokee Power Train

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the 4WD warning light was flashing on the instrument panel, and the vehicle lost 4WD functionality. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the 4WD was inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,500.

Failed Power Train Unit, and this is available for inspection. I was driving on the highway with my grandson and husband going 70 mph when the unit failed it basically felt like the car was thrown into neutral. Thankfully no one was hurt. Dealership has confirmed the issue. No issues driving the vehicle before the issue after the issue the light did come on and the vehicle is undriveable.

The "4WD Needs Service" light appeared on the dashboard of our 2020 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. We took vehicle to the Enumclaw Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealer located in Enumclaw, WA. Their service technician determined that the PTU (Power Transfer Unit) was failing and found active code c14a7-97 "ptu motor-component or system operation obstructed or blocked". Had the PTU completely failed we could have been left without any power to the drive wheels. This would have been very dangerous if the vehicle had lost power while driving on a freeway or major highway and the vehicle could not have been driven to a safe location. The dealer replaced the PTU and confirmed that the problem had been repaired. We don't know if the defective part is still available for inspection.

No accident or incident cause issues with the power train. Seems like a recurring problem that this specific model of Jeep has been facing.

Transfer case failure, I had started to notice as if the transmission were shifted to neutral, high engine rpm and no output to the wheels. This happened a few times but not consistently. After the 3rd time this occurred, I decided to bring the vehicle in to a well-known local shop transmission shop. It was diagnosed as the transfer case a known issue with previous years. Still such a popular failure that local dealerships were told by Mopar they could only order one replacement per month. I was without my vehicle for nearly 3 months while it was inoperable. The vehicle is now repaired with a Mopar remanufactured transfer case. $3000 and 10 weeks later.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while changing lines and attempting to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond with a grinding sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact pulled over into a parking lot and attempted to shift to park, and the vehicle started to reverse unintendedly. The contact stated that after returning to the residence, the vehicle was parked and the parking brake was activated to keep the vehicle from moving unintendedly. The “Service 4WD” warning light was illuminated. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure had occurred twice. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number:25V011000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to another dealer to seek assistance with repairing the vehicle. The failure mileage was 68,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The message "Service 4WD System" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with PTU failure. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure persisted. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V343000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Bad PTU on 2020 Jeep Cherokee. It is out of any warranties and a know issue among this vehicle line. Current recall is for vehicles through Feb 2019, and this would be right outside that window (my specific VIN is outside of the recall).

Received "SVC FWD" light on the dash. Four wheel drive stopped working. I was able to continue driving with front wheel drive only. Jeep had 13,000 when it happened. Took it to the dealership for inspection in September 2025. They diagnosed it as a bad PTU and needed replaced. They were going to call me when the new part came in. It's been over 5 months and I never heard from them.

Warning light came on that said "Service 4WD System" at approximately 86,969 miles on a 2020 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. Took to dealer and was advised that PTU (power transfer unit) must be replaced at a cost of $3,945.19. Was also advised that DTCM "transfer case control module must be replaced at a cost of $776.95. Total cost to resolve "Service 4WD System" problem as quoted is $4,722.14. It has been noted that older versions of this same vehicle model have been recalled by the manufacturer for this same problem. I would like to know why this particular model year has not been included that recall as it appears that the earlier noted manufacturing defect was not corrected for the 2020 model year.

While driving in northwestern Pennsylvania during a snowstorm, the driver engaged the vehicle’s factory “Snow Mode.” Immediately thereafter, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power and loss of steering control. The driver was forced to pull off the I79 interstate in severe winter conditions and exit the vehicle to avoid being struck by a snowplow. This created a dangerous roadside exposure and a significant risk of collision or injury. The vehicle was towed to a Jeep dealership and diagnosed with a failed rear differential requiring replacement. The dealership stated the part has been on national backorder since 2024, with no estimated availability. The failure occurred without warning and rendered the vehicle completely inoperable. The dealership further advised that this rear differential failure is a known issue, and recommended against installing a used replacement due to reliability and safety concerns. Safety Concern: This failure resulted in: •Sudden loss of vehicle control in hazardous weather •Loss of motive power •Forced roadside exposure in active traffic conditions The inability to obtain replacement parts compounds the safety risk by leaving the vehicle unusable and preventing timely repair. Request: I am submitting this complaint so NHTSA can evaluate whether this represents a systemic safety defect related to the rear differential in this vehicle platform, including failure mode, warning adequacy, and parts availability affecting safe remediation.

My PTU failed while driving 70mph on a 4 lane interstate during a heavy rush hour, I'm 7 months pregnant and this was mortifying for me. I lost all power moving forward and could not accelerate. My RPMS would near red-line. When I pulled on to the shoulder, while trying to not get hit or cause an accident from 3 lanes over, I put my car in park and shut it off, it sounded like a dying weedwhacker. It started rolling backwards without me noticing and I almost rolled back into the outside lane. I put on the e-brake, had it towed to Firestone where they said it was likely the PTU that failed as I have every gear, except moving forward. When they had my vehicle on the lift they moved the tires in reverse motion and there was no noise, when they moved the tires in forward motion there was a loud knocking coming out of the PTU and the tires wouldn't budge. If in park on a decline, park works. If in park on an incline or flat, it rolls backwards. It can drive in reverse, but no forward movement at all. I got it towed to another shop where they took out&opened the PTU and checked the gears on the shaft inside, one of the gears was COMPLETELY MISSING. Just completely disintegrated. There was NO warning that anything was failing on my car. No check engine lights, no noises. Just loss of acceleration. PTUs are on back order 3-5 months right now because they're a known issue on the 2017-2019 models of Jeeps. My Jeep is a 2020 Trailhawk with the v6 3.2l.

The Power Transfer Unit on my 2020 vehicle is not working. I bought this car specifically to have four wheel drive. In the Buffalo NY brutal winter I count on 4 wheel drive to get me through the snow. Now, I have a serious safety issue. I wanted to fix the car but not only is it expensive, but the parts are on back order with 2700 in the backlog waiting for parts. This is a known issue and there was a recall for a number of years including 2018 and 2019. They haven't issued it for 2020. I am being forced to sell the car at a loss! I can't drive something that is unsafe. Jeep should make us whole! I shouldn't lose money because of known safety fault. Plus, I can't keep it because i do a lot of driving and can't risk my life with no 4 wheel drive.

4wd service light came on. The code was c14a7-97. A well known PTU problem. There was a previous recall for the same problem. It can be a dangerous situation if it completely fails while driving. Also a very expensive repair bill. My 2020 Jeep Cherokee only has 72k miles and a has a major known failure already.

Power train problems at 17,000 miles, 5 years 3 weeks from purchase, with a 5-year / 60,0000 mile warranty. First diagnosis required replacement of the transmission valve body. This did not work. The second repair required replacement of the transmission. This failed after a 3 mile drive. The third repair was the power transfer unit. I have only driven about 5 miles since then and am hesitant to drive more. The repairs above took 102 days to complete and cost $4907. Other than the transmission failure and need to pull off the road and await a tow, there was no safety risk apparent. The vehicle was serviced by a dealer. The manufacturer is aware of the problem(s). No warning lamps or messages were noted.

2020 Jeep Cherokee Power Transfer Unit (PTU) Per a discussion the dealer service manager, I realized the vehicle is undrivable because the PTU could fail at anytime. The danger is losing propulsion to the wheels on an interstate or other high speed or high capacity road. The problem was discovered by the dealer when I took my Cherokee in on 11/24/25 to have them fix the "SVC 4WD" warning light. Once they explained the issue I decided to leave the vehicle at the dealer to replace the PTU. There is no timeframe for them to receive a new PTU. Jeep had recalled 2017-2019 Cherokees due to issues with the PTU. The 2020 Cherokees should also be recalled so owners don't have to pay for an issue Jeep is aware of with the power train.

The 4WD service light indicated an issue. After a week of the light staying on, the vehicle was brought to a local dealer for diagnosis. After diagnosis from a dealer, the PTU failed which can result in complete propulsion of vehicle.

"Service 4WD" warning light appeared unexpectedly. Code scan revealed that the PTU unit had failed, leading to a loss of 4WD capabilities. Jeep is much less safe to drive in winter here in Minnesota. Took to a dealer, where it was replaced. Through research, I have come to find that this is an all-too-common failure in Jeep Cherokees and had been recalled in previous years' models.

Vehicle has been having a grinding noice since I bought it, had it checked and nothing came up. Now service 4x4 light comes on intermittently. Took back to the dealer and diagnostic says that the ptu has low voltage. Needs to be replaced. I have to pay for the part first ($2000), but it's been on back order for over 6 months.

PTU unit on my Jeep Cherokee failed at 70 miles per hour on the highway. The car is located on a Jeep dealer lot and is available for inspection. Traveling at high speeds I suddenly lost and transfer of power from the motor to the wheels and was unable to keep speed in traffic. The problem has been noted on Jeep models of prior production with this exact problem per consumer reports. The car went through a full Jeep inspections and found that the PTU was the culprit of the issue. When the PTU failed it displayed a message stating “Service 4WD”. This did not occur until after the incident occurred. Additionally when the issue occurred the car turned itself into snow/ice mode. I was driving in the standard drive mode as there was no snow or ice. I had driven for over an hour prior to this failure in the car. It was mid morning when the failure happened.

srvc4WD. This IS a reoccurring issue. Not only for the 2020 jeep TH but for other years as well. I follow many forms on Jeep Cherokee, everyone states this to be an issue. This issue can cause the vehicle to shutdown or malfunction causing a horrible accident. Jeep needs to get this situated as this is a life risk.

I dropped my car for a service appointment on October 25, 2025 because the car was running loud at highway speeds and felt as though something was grinding. I was told that the recommendation is to replace the PTU. I was unfamiliar with the term and guessed, "Power Takeoff Unit" and the service technician agreed with me. He then informed me that there was an issue with the part and it would be 45-days before the part would be available. He told me that other shops were contacted and there was no shop in the area that was willing to part with the PTU, and I would need to wait 45-days for the repair. I asked if it was safe to drive the vehicle until the repair and he informed me it was. He appeared to be a new team member, so I clarified again, "I just want to be clear it is safe to drive the car". He responded it was, and then said he would check with his manager. After checking with the manager, he came back and said it was okay to drive the car but it may lead to further damage. Following the call I Googled PTU and learned that there was a recall on Jeep Cherokee's, due to defective PTUs which could cause a loss of power when the vehicle is in motion - leading to a crash, prevent the driver from putting the vehicle in park, or causing the vehicle to come out of park. Given the large number of vehicles involved in the recall, 660K + it is not surprising that the part is on back-order. It is frustrating that this is a voluntary recall, and that the scope of the recall has grown from 2016/2017 to now include 2017/2019 but not yet 2020. Please consider including the cars manufactured in 2020, and changing this from a voluntary recall.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the transmission was failing and was slipping between 3rd and 4th gear. Additionally, the contact stated that the torque converter was also failing. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was an abnormally sharp chirping metal-on-metal and a rumbling sound coming from the vehicle while accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact speculated that the manufacturer was attempting to allow the warranty to expire. The contact was concerned that the warning lights were not activating as expected during the failure. The local dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed, and determined that the transmission and the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Premier Cape Cod Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, A Premier Company at (556 Yarmouth Rd, Hyannis, MA 02601), but no additional assistance was provided. The manufacturer was contacted and declined the repairs and referred the contact to another dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

While driving, the car began making a rattling noise and felt unstable. Shortly after, the “Service 4WD” warning light came on. I took the vehicle to the dealership, and they diagnosed a Power Transfer Unit (PTU) failure that requires replacement. This is a serious safety concern, as the vehicle could lose the ability to drive, especially in certain road or weather conditions. After researching the issue, I discovered that PTU failures appear to be a widespread problem in Jeep Cherokees, yet there has been no effective recall or permanent fix. Owners are being put at risk due to potential loss of power while driving.

The power Train Unit failed. My wife is a nurse that drives from PA to MD on the back roads everyday, The part will not be avaliable until 5-22-25 if I order it today. Are people expected to rent a car for 3 months while the part might come in? We are very frustrated. Thank you , [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)