Jeep
Jeep Cherokee years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2019. Best years: 2020, 2021 and 2022.
The 2019 Jeep Cherokee draws the most owner complaints for its age: 1,646, or 206 for each year on the road, against a median of 128 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is stalling (471 reports).
- 9,794complaints
- 39recall campaigns
- 9model years with a page
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2019
Most reported: stalling (471 reports, median 22,000 miles) and service 4WD light (437 reports, median 74,000 miles).
Best years
2020
Most reported: service 4WD light (136 reports, median 65,000 miles) and stalling (42 reports, median 50,000 miles).
2021
Most reported: service 4WD light (73 reports, median 62,000 miles) and stalling (27 reports, median 22,980 miles).
2022
Most reported: service 4WD light (16 reports) and stalling (10 reports).
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- The 2014 has the most complaints of any Jeep Cherokee year here: 2,428 of 9,794 (25%).
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Stalling leads in 2 of the 9 model years and has the most reports overall, 1,988. Pooled across the years, half of the 1,371 owners who gave a mileage for stalling were under about 36,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 4% of Jeep Cherokee complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2021, 14 of its 166 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 3 of the 9 model years where owners report stalling have a recall on the same system: 2015, 2018 and 2019. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2019 at 1,444 (full calendar years only). In 2025 there were 1,121. So far in 2026, 673 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: OSX, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2,428 | 187 | 13 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (562) | 45,000 |
| 2015 | 1,772 | 148 | 11 | Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (335) | 32,500 |
| 2016 | 1,406 | 128 | 9 | "Shift to Park" or "Service Shifter" warning comes on (269) | 46,000 |
| 2017 | 1,334 | 133 | 6 | "Shift to Park" or "Service Shifter" warning comes on (592) | 42,000 |
| 2018 | 686 | 76 | 7 | "Shift to Park" or "Service Shifter" warning comes on (243) | 36,000 |
| 2019 avoid | 1,646 | 206 | 11 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (471) | 31,000 |
| 2020 best | 305 | 44 | 3 | Service 4WD light or power transfer unit (PTU) failure (136) | 50,000 |
| 2021 best | 166 | 28 | 4 | Service 4WD light or power transfer unit (PTU) failure (73) | 45,000 |
| 2022 best | 51 | 10 | 3 | Service 4WD light or power transfer unit (PTU) failure (16) | 60,000 |
Year by year
2022 Jeep Cherokee best
51 owner complaints, 10 for each year on the road (0.1 times the model median). Most reported: service 4WD light (16 reports) and stalling (10 reports). 3 reports involved a crash and 5 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 26V-290 on the transmission and drivetrain and 24V-516 on the airbags.
2021 Jeep Cherokee best
166 owner complaints, 28 for each year on the road (0.2 times the model median). Most reported: service 4WD light (73 reports, median 62,000 miles), stalling (27 reports, median 22,980 miles) and transmission shudder (21 reports, median 64,000 miles). 10 reports involved a crash and 8 people were hurt. 4 recalls, including 26V-290 on the transmission and drivetrain and 24V-516 on the airbags.
2020 Jeep Cherokee best
305 owner complaints, 44 for each year on the road (0.3 times the model median). Most reported: service 4WD light (136 reports, median 65,000 miles), stalling (42 reports, median 50,000 miles) and transmission shudder (25 reports, median 62,562 miles). 9 reports involved a crash and 9 people were hurt. 3 recalls, including 26V-290 on the transmission and drivetrain and 20V-191 on the backup camera.
2019 Jeep Cherokee avoid
1,646 owner complaints, 206 for each year on the road (1.6 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (471 reports, median 22,000 miles), service 4WD light (437 reports, median 74,000 miles) and infotainment (142 reports, median 11,000 miles). 40 reports involved a crash and 37 people were hurt. 11 recalls, including 26V-290 on the transmission and drivetrain and 25V-011 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2018 Jeep Cherokee
686 owner complaints, 76 for each year on the road (0.6 times the model median). Most reported: shift to park warning (243 reports, median 33,050 miles), stalling (134 reports, median 26,000 miles) and warning lights (102 reports, median 37,000 miles). 11 reports involved a crash and 7 people were hurt. 7 recalls, including 25V-011 on the transmission and drivetrain and 18V-524 on the electrical system.
2017 Jeep Cherokee
1,334 owner complaints, 133 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: shift to park warning (592 reports, median 40,000 miles), stalling (227 reports, median 39,000 miles) and warning lights (196 reports, median 40,000 miles). 24 reports involved a crash and 27 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 25V-011 on the transmission and drivetrain and 23V-302 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2016 Jeep Cherokee
1,406 owner complaints, 128 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: shift to park warning (269 reports, median 47,000 miles), stalling (258 reports, median 42,000 miles) and service 4WD light (224 reports, median 80,000 miles). 37 reports involved a crash and 27 people were hurt. 9 recalls, including 23V-338 on the electrical system and 23V-302 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2015 Jeep Cherokee
1,772 owner complaints, 148 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: transmission shudder (335 reports, median 24,100 miles), stalling (257 reports, median 31,300 miles) and shift to park warning (140 reports, median 55,897 miles). 45 reports involved a crash and 32 people were hurt. 11 recalls, including 20V-343 on the transmission and drivetrain and 16V-529 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2014 Jeep Cherokee
2,428 owner complaints, 187 for each year on the road (1.5 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (562 reports, median 43,000 miles), transmission shudder (436 reports, median 32,000 miles) and transmission warning light (273 reports, median 42,000 miles). 49 reports involved a crash and 37 people were hurt. 13 recalls, including 23V-338 on the electrical system and 20V-343 on the transmission and drivetrain.
Recalls that cover several model years
These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging.
The power transfer unit (PTU) may fail.
Relative movement in the Power Transfer Unit (PTU) between the differential input splines and the transmission output shaft may cause some input spline teeth to wear off, which may eventually cause a loss of engagement between the…
The power transfer unit (PTU) may become damaged and disengage the transmission and differential, resulting in a loss of drive power and/or loss of park function.
An electrical short in the power liftgate module may lead to a vehicle fire with the ignition on or off.
A list of the affected trailer models is available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17V824-0103.pdf.
Compare the Cherokee with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- Cherokee vs Jeep Compass2014 to 2022
Questions
What Jeep Cherokee years should you avoid?
The 2019 Jeep Cherokee draws the most owner complaints for its age: 1,646, or 206 for each year on the road, against a median of 128 a year across the 9 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is stalling (471 reports).
What are the best years for the Jeep Cherokee?
The 2020, 2021 and 2022 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2020 has 305 (44 a year), 2021 has 166 (28 a year) and 2022 has 51 (10 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Jeep Cherokee?
Stalling, with 1,988 reports across the 9 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014 and 2019.
How many recalls does the Jeep Cherokee have?
39 recall campaigns cover the Jeep Cherokee model years 2014 to 2022 on this site. The widest, 18V-332 on the electrical system, covers 5 model years.
How many Jeep Cherokee complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
4% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2021 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for stalling on the Jeep Cherokee?
On 3 of the 9 model years where owners report it: 2015, 2018 and 2019.