At 9000 miles the service shifter message came on while driving from carthage to galveston texas contacted a local dealer and was told dont place in park to take it to the dealership drove it back to marshall texas to dealership and they said they were having problems with the shifter so replaced the entire shifter.. At 40,000 miles shifter light again took to dealership in carthage and said they…
2017 Jeep Cherokee powertrain problems
moderate 616 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
616
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$2,500
5crashes
3injuries
When does it fail?
Of the 616 powertrain complaints filed for the 2017 Jeep Cherokee, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 0-25,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
Powertrain accounts for 47% of every owner complaint on file for this vehicle — the dominant problem area across 12 categories tracked.
Owners have filed 616 powertrain complaints with NHTSA against this vehicle, but no formal recall covers the issue — the federal record reflects what manufacturers have admitted, not everything owners are reporting.
What owners are reporting 8 most recent
Transmission will not upshift and engine check light on. Vehicle has 13,000 miles. Second time this has happened. First time no resolution at 6500 miles. Problems related to wiring harness this time according to dealer, apparent common problem but no recalls..
Vehicle had PTU and Transmission replaced in May 2020 for both components failing. Was repaired at dealership under warranty. On [XXX] the car front wheels locked up and would not move. Luckily, this failure occurred during a lower speed turn. At highway speed this incident would have certainly caused an accident with catastrophic results. The car was towed to the dealership and the PTU and…
A service shifter message appeared on the dashboard. The gears (pdnr) light up all red. This occurred while driving on the highway. This also occurred on christmas day while traveling on the highway.
I am writing regarding a defective transfer case on my 2017 Jeep Cherokee. I took my car in to Firestone as I was having issues with my Heater not blowing hot air and my check engine coming on and off. I have attached a copy of Firestone's estimate of repair. Firestone informed me that my VIN was not part of the recall. Although my vehicle's VIN is not currently included in the existing…
Message "service shifter" pops up on the instrument panel, and a series of red alert lights appear next to every gear on the automatic transmission shifter lever. This problem is rampant among 2017-2018 Jeep cherokees!! The dealers are unable to fix the problem! They replace the wiring harness, they replace the shifters themselves, they reset the computers ' and the problem always returns! The…
The vehicle is experiencing a malfunction of the Power Transfer Unit (PTU), which is part of the drivetrain / power train system. The vehicle is currently available for inspection upon request. The vehicle loses power during driving and produces grinding noises when making hard turns, which creates a risk of loss of propulsion while in motion, increasing the risk of a crash. The vehicle has…
This is clarification and additional information to a previous complaint filed: 11706675. The vehicle was experiencing grinding during hard turns shortly after i purchased it off the dealership lot in 2017. I didn’t know why, I thought I should practiced not making hard turns and thats what I did. Years later, around 2021 or 2022, I needed the first service on my vehicle, outside of regular…
Had powertrain trouble with your 2017 Jeep Cherokee?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the powertrain problem on the 2017 Jeep Cherokee?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 616 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $2,500 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the powertrain typically fail?
Across the 381 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most powertrain failures cluster between 26,500 and 71,076 miles, with the median around 46,638. A quarter of owners report trouble before 26,500; a quarter make it past 71,076. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $2,500 for powertrain repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to powertrain?
No active recalls currently cover powertrain issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2017/Jeep/Cherokee.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.