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ProblemsByVin Index / 2021-JEEP-CHEROKEE / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2021 Jeep Cherokee owner complaints

130 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 2 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

powertrain 9 complaints shown

66 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
12/29/2024 ODI #11632934.0

PTU is going out causing jeep to not have 4wd. 67k miles. Causing the jeep to not be able to get traction on a busy highway causing a traffic jam in snow. Putting people’s safety at jeopardy.

12/28/2021 ODI #11445327.0

While I was trying to get onto the interstate my vehicle would not accelerate. I tried to merge in with traffic but I was only going 35 and I almost hit someone. They stayed the same speed hoping I would speed up in front of them but I couldn’t. This put everyone around me at risk. I took my vh to the dealership. They called me today and told me they sold the rental I was in and that I needed to bring the car back. Also they ran some codes and my car is coming back fine. So they did not find a problem. I honestly feel they didn’t look they just wanted to sell the rental car. I’ve had no warning lamps at all come on but the transmission is slipping.

12/24/2025 ODI #11706912.0

I was driving on the interstate at approximately 70 mph when I attempted to accelerate to pass another vehicle. There was no response. At first, I thought I might have hit a patch of ice, but I quickly confirmed that wasn’t the case. I tried to accelerate again, and once more nothing happened—other than the engine revving. No warning lights appeared to indicate a problem. I coasted to the next exit and was able to safely park the Jeep. I then had the vehicle towed to a local Chrysler dealership. As it turns out, the Jeep had suffered a catastrophic failure of the PTU (Power Transfer Unit), which I understand has been a known issue for Jeep for several years. The dealership received a replacement PTU, but they quickly determined that the replacement unit was also defective.

12/18/2025 ODI #11705902.0

PTU Failure. Known issue. 2017-2019 recalled but the part is still and issue and can lock up transmission. Recall needs to be extended to cover later years

12/12/2023 ODI #11559700.0

Engine oil color is made of plastic and can crack and can cause you to lose your engine to no oil pressure and coolant and can cause an accident if you do not know because it would lock up the engine

12/12/2023 ODI #11559701.0

The rear differential PTU can cause the car to lose all control if it fails and this was a proven issue on previous Cherokee models and this model inherits the same issue

12/11/2025 ODI #11704383.0

I took my vehicle to dealer shortly after purchase due to jerking forward during stops. A software update was performed and did not have any issues until recently. The past few weeks it began to hesitate upon acceleration and jerked forward harshly into first gear. Today there is a very noticeable prolonged hesitation during acceleration and an odd revving noice coming from TPU. This should be a major recall given the frequency and severity of the issue which could lead to a crash.

12/02/2024 ODI #11628245.0

Driving on the road when the power transfer unit failed. Car would was not in gear, was able to get to side of road but could have been very dangerous. Towed to dealer and was told that part is on back order and would be 1-2 months to get it and there are55 on back order. Factory has hold on them. This is warranty under the power train and should be in stock . This type of failure could cause a crash and possible death. Should be a rercall.

11/28/2025 ODI #11701952.0

I have had a service 4wd light on for months. The Power Transfer Case part has been on backorder from jeep for over 4 months and I have been left with out a vehicle this entire time with no updates or information about when the parts will be available.

other 4 complaints shown

12/10/2024 ODI #11629876.0

Unknown. While driving this vehicle, the engine just shuts off when stopping. The first time it happened it flashed to put vehicle in park and restart. It shut off and was unable to restart it. It happened 4 other times when at a stop, just shuts off off. Was able to restart it after a few minutes

12/07/2023 ODI #11558879.0

The vehicle was running in the freeway suddenly transmission alert message pop up at the dashboard and the vehicle slowly stop in the middle of the busy freeway, took it to Chapman Jeep dealership and the vehicle was fixed for PTU malfuntion, got my car back but there was a burning smell everytime I drove and step out of the vehicle. I have been trying to call the dealership but no response yet.

11/30/2023 ODI #11557616.0

PTU and rear end failure, it’s been in the shop 9 weeks and I am told will be another month.

11/28/2025 ODI #11701840.0

My jeep initially shutoff while driving on the interstate at 70 mph last December. I took it the dealership and they kept it for 2 months and replaced several parts. I got it back and it shutoff the next day, but started after l let it sit for an hour. Then it went for weeks with no issues, then it started happening again, so I took it to a different dealership. They also repaired different issues. I got it back and it shutoff again on the interstate at 70 mph in rush hour traffic. Both times were scary and unsafe situations. The jeep has been at the dealership now over a month with no diagnosis. It has been at 2 dealerships for a total of 4 months. I've researched this and found out that there are a lot of people having the same problem with this jeep and similar types. I'm wondering why

electrical 2 complaints shown

14 total in this category · severe · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
12/15/2022 41,100 mi ODI #11497610.0

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the contact felt that the vehicle had lost motive power. The contact stated that there was a message to “Park and Restart the vehicle”. The contact was able to pull over and restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that a software update was needed. The software was updated. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 41,100.

12/03/2025 49,000 mi ODI #11702681.0

The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the hazard lights failed to operate. The contact's wife coasted the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that the battery had failed. The dealer replaced the battery. The contact stated that the battery warning light was not illuminated before the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

suspension 2 complaints shown

5 total in this category · severe · avg repair $900 · see suspension cluster analysis →
11/23/2022 ODI #11494724.0

While breaking in heavy freeway traffic the right rear tire began to wobble heavily causing loss of control and nearly causing an accident. Took the vehicle to a dealership repair facility and they took a photograph and advised me of the “extremely hazardous” nature of their findings. A bracket support bolt was missing and the second bolt had never been connected to the bracket. Since the vehicle is under factory warranty the dealership contacted the factory representative and told me that the have denied the claim because this couldn’t have happened on its own, inferring that I or someone else modified it. This decision was made despite the picture (which the dealership provided them) clearly showing the undercoating (installed 2-3 days after my purchase 05/15/2021) on the factory ins

11/19/2021 Crash ODI #11441009.0

I was driving and felt the wheel jerk and heard a crack noise under the front end of my car immediately after my vehichle was pulled abruptly to left causing me to hit a curb. WHen I got out and inspected the vehichle it looked as if the tire had been tilted inwards towards the car. I had the car towed to my local mechanic they told me that this is part of a recall and I needed to go through the dealership. The dealer is saying my car is not covered under that specific recall which is the exact problem that I had.

brakes 1 complaint shown

7 total in this category · severe · avg repair $450 · see brakes cluster analysis →
12/14/2023 ODI #11560043.0

Parking brake automatically engaged while sitting at traffic light. First time it has done it. Just had an inspection on car a few months back and nothing was wrong with car at that time.

cruise control 1 complaint shown

12/14/2023 ODI #11560125.0

On activating and setting cruise control, vehicle correctly maintains steady speed. When pressing the (+) button to increase speed, vehicle accelerates but upon removing finger the vehicle continue to accelerate until applying brakes or you disengage the cruise control function. I've been to Jeep delear twice and they can't duplicate which is absurb. They said the computer control unit would have to be replaced which I will have done. I believe the technicians didn't understand what the problem was actually and just checked cruise control function. Just wanted to alert you to this malfunction.. Thank you

engine 1 complaint shown

8 total in this category · severe · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
12/10/2025 64,000 mi Fire ODI #11704201.0

The contact owned a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sweet/alcohol smell in the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent while in the process of performing a stress test drive. There was a popping sound from the ignition, and it stopped on the interstate. Upon opening the hood, he noticed smoke and flames, and the vehicle fully ignited and caught fire. The fire department was on the scene to extinguish the fire and determined that the cable installation or hose installation failure of equipment/leak resulted in an electrical fire. There was no reported crash, air bag deployment, or police report filed. The local dealer was contacted, who referred to the manufacturer and the NHTSA hotline. The vehicle was n

Showing 300 of 130 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2021/Jeep/Cherokee#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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