- Jeep is recalling over 63,000 Cherokees due to an issue with their power transfer units.
- Some don’t have a fully seated input shaft snap ring and this can cause damage over time.
- When things finally go bad, the vehicle can rollaway in park or lose drive power.
The Jeep Cherokee might be dead, but that doesn’t mean the recalls stop. Quite the opposite as 63,082 are being recalled over a potential loss of drive power.
According to the government, 2017-2019 Jeep Cherokees have a power transfer unit that can be damaged. If this occurs, it could “disengage the transmission and differential, resulting in a loss of drive power and/or loss of park function.”
More: Jeep Needs To Fix 26,000 Cherokees Due To PTU Issue
While only 2% are believed to be affected, some Cherokees may have an input shaft snap ring that is not fully seated. This can allow for “uncontrolled movement” of the shaft, which can eventually cause wear, spline damage, and fork damage. If that happens, you’re ‘forked’ as your Jeep could rollaway or lose the ability to accelerate.
This is a recall rodeo as Jeep originally recalled 2014-2017 Cherokees for potential input spline failures in 2020. Roughly three years later, in March of 2023, the company started investigating the 2016 and 2017 Cherokee for potential input spline failures. One month later, they decided to conduct a recall.
It doesn’t end there as the automaker opened an investigation into the 2017-2019 Cherokee in June of last year. This uncovered “14 customer assistance records, 1,064 warranty claims, 43 field reports, and 55 other service records potentially relating to this issue for all markets with dates of receipt ranging from May 10, 2017, to April 17, 2024.” That’s a pretty significant number, but the company isn’t aware of any injuries or accidents.
Unfortunately, owners are in a lurch as a remedy is still under development. Notifications are expected to be mailed next month but, in the meantime, owners might want to pay attention to any odd noises, vibrations or changes in drive quality.
In related news, Mopar is recalling 6,979 power transfer units for the same issue. These were also built by American Axle & Manufacturing, and there’s no fix yet.
