Jeep Cherokee problems, complaints & recalls by model year
Across 7 model years (2018–2026), NHTSA has logged 2,906 owner complaints and 25 safety recalls for the Jeep Cherokee. That averages 55.5 complaints per year on the road — more complaints than typical (index 1.38 against all tracked vehicles). Within the Compact SUVs segment it ranks #6 of 12 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest); the segment average is 60.3.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Analysis
The trend is improving. Measured on complaints filed in the first two years on the road and compared with other vehicles of the same model year, the 2021 and 2022 models run 93% below the 2018 and 2019 models (20 early complaints per model year versus 334).
The 2019 model year has the highest rate (213.1 complaints per year) and the 2023 model year the lowest (0.8). The 2019 model year runs at least 50% above this model's average of 55.5 complaints per year on the road across its tracked model years. Model years 2021, 2022 and 2023 run at least 40% below this model's average of 55.5 complaints per year on the road.
Across all tracked model years the most common problem area is Transmission / powertrain (42.7% of complaints), followed by Engine (24.7%) and Electrical (10.8%). Transmission / powertrain complaints are 3.6 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 107 complaints (3.7%) describe a crash or fire; across all model years owners report 67 injuries and 0 deaths.
In the last 12 months owners filed 675 complaints versus 578 in the previous 12 months — up 17%. The 2019 model year generated the most recent reports (350). Across model years, half of all reported incidents occur within 52 months of the model year's start.
Recalls: 25 recall campaigns across the tracked model years, most of them received in 2018 (9), 1 fixable over the air. 1 NHTSA investigation has covered this model, 1 still open; the latest is “Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture” (engineering analysis, opened 2021-09-17, still open).
Within its segment it has more complaints per year than Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage, Volkswagen Tiguan and Jeep Compass, but fewer than Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson and Nissan Rogue.
Model years at a glance
| Year | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Last 12 months | Recalls | Most common issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 687 | 78.2 | 1.94 | 75 | 7 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2019 ▲50%+ | 1,660 | 213.1 | 5.28 | 350 | 11 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2020 | 324 | 47.7 | 1.18 | 141 | 3 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2021 | 173 | 29.9 | 0.74 | 78 | 4 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2022 | 51 | 10.7 | 0.27 | 22 | 3 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2023 Fewest complaints | 3 | 0.8 | 0.02 | 1 | 1 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
| 2026 Too new to rank | 8 | 8.0 | 0.2 | 8 | 4 | Transmission / powertrain | View › |
▲50%+ = 50%+ above this model's average yearly rate. “Too new to rank”: under two years on the road, so the model year cannot be named the one with the fewest complaints yet. 1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road. Complaints in first 2 years on the road: vs. same-year average. How we count
Trend · vs. same-year average
Complaints in first 2 years on the road ÷ All-vehicle average (1.00)
When complaints were filed
Last 12 months: 675 · Previous 12 months: 578 Within ±30% year on year
Problem areas
Transmission / powertrain ›
1,241 · 42.7% · 3.65 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Engine ›
717 · 24.7% · 1.11 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Electrical ›
313 · 10.8% · 0.68 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Unspecified or other ›
265 · 9.1% · 1.01 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Brakes ›
98 · 3.4% · 0.56 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Steering ›
87 · 3.0% · 0.47 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Airbags & seat belts ›
60 · 2.1% · 0.54 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Body & structure
37 · 1.3% · 0.14 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Wheels, tires & suspension
31 · 1.1% · 0.43 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Other
22 · 0.8% · 0.41 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Fuel system
21 · 0.7% · 0.17 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Driver-assist systems
8 · 0.3% · 0.05 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Lighting
6 · 0.2% · 0.13 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Only problem areas with at least 40 complaints get their own page.
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 52 months
What owners report
On September 27, 2026 I drove the vehicle 2020 Jeep Cherokee 10 miles to church at 9:30 AM park the car when I came out of church at 10:30 AM. The car was totally burnt to the ground and the fire department was there and police and put it out.
The contact owns a 2021 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle's wheels locked up. The contact sustained injuries to the neck and whiplash and pain. The service 4WD warning light was illuminated after the failure.
I was coming out of a gas station and the battery light came on/ stayed on and the car just stopped. I couldn’t shut it off, put it in drive, put it in park…….The car still seemed to be running… I had to wait about 10 mins before I could do anything I.e.
I took my car for inspection and would not pass due to the rear shift differential where the seal that connects to the cylinder is away from the cylinder and a crack is now there. Crack is at least three inches long.
So I was driving down the road doing 60 miles an hour and I have lost power total drive power while driving doing 60 miles an hour with a car just goes into a neutral rubs up and I have to pull on side of the road and turn off the car wait like 10 to 15…
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · Compact SUVs
| # | Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Trend | Recent activity | Recalls | Most common issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mazda CX-5 | 862 | 18.6 | 0.46 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 3 | Engine |
| 2 | Kia Sportage | 1,017 | 29.7 | 0.74 | Worsening | Rising | 12 | Engine |
| 3 | Volkswagen Tiguan | 1,267 | 29.7 | 0.74 | Improving | Rising | 28 | Engine |
| 4 | Jeep Compass | 1,853 | 31.4 | 0.78 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 12 | Engine |
| 5 | Subaru Forester | 2,453 | 45.0 | 1.11 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 14 | Body & structure |
| 6 | Jeep Cherokee | 2,906 | 55.5 | 1.38 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 25 | Transmission / powertrain |
| 7 | Chevrolet Equinox | 2,068 | 64.8 | 1.61 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 23 | Engine |
| 8 | Toyota RAV4 | 3,158 | 67.2 | 1.67 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 25 | Engine |
| 9 | Hyundai Tucson | 2,402 | 75.3 | 1.87 | Worsening | Rising | 15 | Engine |
| 10 | Nissan Rogue | 3,149 | 79.1 | 1.96 | Improving | Rising | 26 | Engine |
| 11 | Ford Escape | 5,254 | 87.3 | 2.16 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 50 | Engine |
| 12 | Honda CR-V | 6,037 | 139.4 | 3.46 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 25 | Steering |
Recalls by year received
- Campaigns: 25
- Do-not-drive / park-outside: 0
- Over-the-air fix: 1
Safety recalls: 2018 (7) · 2019 (11) · 2020 (3) · 2021 (4) · 2022 (3) · 2023 (1) · 2026 (4)
Investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture Open
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupt…