2017 Jeep CHEROKEE problems and owner complaints
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
1,333 owner complaints analyzed
6 distinct recall campaigns
40,947 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2017 model year. Data snapshot: . 834 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Power Train is the most frequently named component, appearing in 642 of 1,333 complaints (48.2%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Transmission and shifting | 216 | 16.2% |
| Braking behavior | 149 | 11.2% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 134 | 10.1% |
| Engine operation | 114 | 8.6% |
| Steering behavior | 46 | 3.5% |
| Fuel system concerns | 2 | 0.2% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Power Train | 642 |
| Unknown Or Other | 343 |
| Electrical System | 340 |
| Engine | 258 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 59 |
| Service Brakes | 55 |
| Steering | 45 |
| Electronic Stability Control (Esc) | 42 |
Power Train: 642; Unknown Or Other: 343; Electrical System: 340; Engine: 258; Vehicle Speed Control: 59; Service Brakes: 55; Steering: 45; Electronic Stability Control (Esc): 42
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 201 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 319 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 179 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 70 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 52 |
| 150,000 and above | 13 |
Under 25,000: 201; 25,000 to 49,999: 319; 50,000 to 74,999: 179; 75,000 to 99,999: 70; 100,000 to 149,999: 52; 150,000 and above: 13
25,000 to 49,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (319). 499 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 32 |
| 2018 | 90 |
| 2019 | 284 |
| 2020 | 311 |
| 2021 | 123 |
| 2022 | 75 |
| 2023 | 95 |
| 2024 | 84 |
| 2025 | 170 |
| 2026 | 67 |
2016: 2; 2017: 32; 2018: 90; 2019: 284; 2020: 311; 2021: 123; 2022: 75; 2023: 95; 2024: 84; 2025: 170; 2026: 67
Pattern summary
Power Train leads the component reports. Transmission and shifting appears in 216 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 149 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 134 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Complaint evidence
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10959692 · 2017-03-08 (March 8, 2017)
THE SO CALLED, 9 SPEED TRANSMISSION ISN'T A 9 SPEED. IT NEVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, HITS 9TH GEAR. THE JEEP SERVICE TECH TOLD ME THAT THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION, BUT HE KNOWS THAT IT WILL NEVER HIT 9TH. ALSO, I HAVE EXPERIENCED A VERY SCARY MOMENT WHEN I SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. I STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR AND THE CAR DIDN'T MOVE FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. I ALMOST GOT HIT IN THE DOOR BY AN ONCOMING CAR! I HAVE BEEN GOING DOWN HILL AT OVER 70MPH, AND IT WON'T SHIFT TO 9TH. WHEN MOVING THE SHIFT LEVER FROM "D" TO THE EL…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10959692 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10994554 · 2017-06-12 (June 12, 2017)
THIS VEHICLE OFTEN HAS A SIGNIFICANT DELAY WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. IT JUST SITS THERE WITHOUT REVVING OR STALLING DESPITE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. AFTER 1-3 SECONDS THE JEEP WILL "ROCKET" FORWARD. IT WILL SOMETIMES DO THIS AGAIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKING OFF. IN ADDITION TO THIS SLOWING DOWN TO TURN A CORNER WILL CAUSE THE SAME RESULTS. THOUGH DANGEROUS, THE REVERSE TO DRIVE IS MUCH MORE DISTURBING AND MY FAMILY FEARS DRIVING IT. THIS IS THE ONLY PROBLEM I HAVE EXPERIENCED LIKE THIS IN MY DRIVING HISTORY. A "FIX" WAS DONE A…
Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10994554 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10936257 · 2016-12-19 (December 19, 2016)
STOP/START FEATURE DANGER: I WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN, PULLING OUT FROM A DRIVEWAY IN HEAVY CROSS TRAFFIC. I WAS PULLING ONTO A FOUR LANE ROAD. JUST AS I STARTED TO LIFT MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE, THE STOP/START FEATURE SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. THERE WAS A FULL TWO SECONDS BEFORE THE ENGINE STARTED. THE CROSS TRAFFIC HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING ME. NORMALLY WHEN THE ENGINE THE RE-START DELAY IS SMALL, BUT BECAUSE THE ENGINE WAS SHUTTING OFF AS I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE, THIS ADDED A SIGNIFICANT DELAY BEFORE THE ENGINE RESTARTED AN…
Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10936257 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10985518 · 2017-05-13 (May 13, 2017)
WE JUST PURCHASED ABOVE VEHICLE WITH 13 MILES ON IT. LIKE THE CAR, BUT WE WERE CRAWLING ALONG AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF US STOPPED. MY HUSBAND TRIED TO STOP AND HIT BOTH THE GAS AND BRAKE PEDAL AT THE SAME TIME. THE BRAKE PEDAL AND GAS WERE SIDE BY SIDE AND HE HIT BOTH AT SAME TIME. NO SPACE BETWEEN THE PEDALS AT ALL. COST US OVER 3,000 JUST FOR OURS. THINKING OF GETTING ANOTHER VEHICLE JUST BECAUSE OF THE ABOVE.
Owner-reported narrative. 85 miles reported. Look up ODI 10985518 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11046109 · 2017-11-14 (November 14, 2017)
MY CAR JUST SHUTS OFF FOR NO REASON FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS AND WHEN IT COME BACK ON THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY SAID THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY DIED. ALSO THE KEY THROB WON'T COME OUT THE IGNITION I ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR 4 MONTHS I AM THE FIRST OWNER SO I DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S HAPPENING.
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11046109 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11080129 · 2018-03-19 (March 19, 2018)
BACKED OUT OF PARKING SPACE INTO TRAFFIC LANE. TRANSMISSION WOULD SHOW SHIFT TO D, BUT WOULD NOT ENGAGE DRIVE TRAIN. HAD TO DISCONNECT BOTH BATTERY CABLES TO CLEAR ELECTRONICS. AFTER RECONNECTING BATTERY CABLES, VEHICLE WOULD ENGAGE DRIVE TRAIN FOR "D", BUST CAR RUNNING/SHIFTING ROUGH, ENGINE DYING AND SVC ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON.
Owner-reported narrative. 8,140 miles reported. Look up ODI 11080129 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11032314 · 2017-10-09 (October 9, 2017)
THE VEHICLE WILL SOMETIMES ILLUMINATE A LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT, OTHER TIMES I HEAR DINGING, LIKE IF A SEAT BELT WAS NOT FASTENED, BUT SEAT BELTS ARE ON. THE CAR WILL STALL WHILE DRIVING, AND SAYS "SHIFT TO PARK OR NEUTRAL. PRESS BRAKE + SELECT GEAR". THIS HAPPENS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, AND CAN OCCUR WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO TURN, WHEN ACCELERATING, OR WHEN BRAKING. I HAVE HAD IT HAPPEN IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, ON SURFACE STREETS, AND WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS.
Owner-reported narrative. 24,946 miles reported. Look up ODI 11032314 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11033265 · 2017-10-13 (October 13, 2017)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2017 JEEP CHEROKEE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH. DURING THE INCIDENT, THE BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL MALFUNCTIONED AND WOULD NOT OPERATE, AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE BACK AND BOTH KNEES. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT RECEIVED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURES WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. TH…
Owner-reported narrative. 1,700 miles reported. Look up ODI 11033265 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11080816 · 2018-03-22 (March 22, 2018)
I HAVE NOT EVEN OWNED MY VEHICLE A YEAR NOW. I HAVE NEVER HAD AN ISSUE WITH STEERING SHAKING OR PULLING. I WENT TO GET MY TIRES ROTATED FOR THE FIRST TIME AT A LOCAL DEALER AND THEY STATED THE ALL 4 OF MY TIRES HAD ALL IRREGULAR WEAR ON THEM ON THE INSIDE OF THE TIRES ONLY. IT WAS BELIEVED TO BE A DEFECT FROM THE BEGINNING WITH THE ALIGNMENT OR ANOTHER STEERING ISSUE THAT HAS CAUSED SUCH IRREGULAR WEAR (INCLUDING THE REARS). PER YOUR WARRANTY THE TIRES ARE TO BE ROTATED EVERY 6,000 MILES. I HAD THEM ROTATED AT 7,292 MILES IN WHICH WHEN BRO…
Owner-reported narrative. 7,292 miles reported. Look up ODI 11080816 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11307194 · 2020-02-05 (February 5, 2020)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, THE GEAR SHIFTER WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND ATTEMPTED TO RESTART VEHICLE. SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BECAME ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE IT SEEMED AS IF THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF FUEL EVEN THOUGH THE FUEL TANK WAS FULL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO GRIFFIN MOTORS COMPANY 11031 PERRY HWY, MEADVILLE, PA 16335 [phone remo…
Owner-reported narrative. 21,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11307194 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11724924 · 2026-03-17 (March 17, 2026)
My Jeep has been cutting off while driving for the past several months. I've taken it to be serviced several times and everything, from the alternator, engine, fuel pump, battery, etc. are all fine. But the vehicle will cut of while driving or while idling at the traffic light. This is a MAJOR safety hazard. Not only for myself and the occupants of the vehicle but other drivers on the road as well. This could cause serious injury of even death. I have found dozens of reports of the same issues online, and none have identified an issue or recall…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11724924 at NHTSA ↗