2020 Jeep Cherokee

The power transfer unit failed, requiring a replacement of the power transfer case. It is still on the vehicle and has not been replaced yet. The 4WD on the car is unavailable, which puts my family and I at risk when driving in snowy conditions as are common in the area I live in. Additionally, the dealership stated that there are no replacement parts available since the part is “under development”, likely due to a flaw. I have taken the vehicle to two Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram dealerships who have both reported the same issue. The component has not been inspected besides the inspections done at the car dealerships. There were no symptoms of failure besides the “Service 4WD” warning light coming on, as well as warnings every time the car is turns on, indicating that 4WD is unavailable.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the transmission failed without warning and the RPM became extremely elevated; however, the vehicle failed to respond while depressing the accelerator pedal. Despite the failure, the contact was able to coast the vehicle off to the shoulder of the highway. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the residence where it remained. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be towed to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Service Four Wheel Drive" message remained displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the PTU was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 79,000.

My wife was driving the Cherokee on a level street at approximately 40 miles per hour and the power transfer unit malfunctioned causing the wheels to lock up. The 4-wheel drive was disabled and the emergency brake began engaging randomly. She was able to drive to the local Jeep dealer who informed her that the Power Transfer Unit had broken and needed to be replaced. This car is approximately 5,000 miles out of their 60,000 mile drivetrain warranty and has never been driven off road. When looking at the frequency of this part failure on the internet, it appears to be a chronic problem and in fact previous model years have been recalled for this issue. This year should be recalled too. On top of the part failure, Jeep can't even get the part to repair it due to the extreme demand. We cannot be given an estimate of when the part will be available.

SVC 4WD light comes on dash screen. Power to wheels is no longer equal and is interrupted. Drive power can go directly to either front wheel. This causes an abrupt change in direction requiring immediate correction of steering to avoid hitting vehicles in next lane or driving into a parked car along the road. Only quick reaction kept me from hitting the vehicle in the lane next to me! Vehicle has been taken to dealer and inspected. They confirmed the PTU is defective. This was on Aug. 9, 2023. Today is Dec. 14, 2023. I have now been told the new ETA is the second week of Jan. 2024. I was originally told the part was to arrive Sept. 21, 2023. The vehicle is not safe to drive. I'm sure not many people know to report this issue. I understand that Jeep was replacing PTUs at the rate of approx. 700 a month back in may of 2023. I also understand this part has been superseded 7 times. So a total "fix" has not yet been found.

Had trans and transfer case PTO unit replaced, cause was transfer case and trans slines stripped. there is a recall for for this issue but not for my model year. 2020 jeep Cherokee trail hawk. recalls are for 2016-17 however because of the year of my jeep it isn't part of the recall but had the same issue regarding the same part # need reimbursement still 4 work. (In 2020, Fiat Chrysler America recalled 67,248 units of the 2014-2017 Jeep Cherokee in the United States over a transmission issue that could result in a loss of power or rollaway situation. At the time, paperwork filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration explained that certain "vehicles were built with a two speed Power Transfer Unit ("PTU") that allows relative movement between the differential input splines and the transmission output shaft." The movement could wear down the input splines, causing a loss of engagement between transmission and differential, thereby cutting power to the front wheels. Worn splines could also prevent the transmission from engaging Park when stationary, leading to a possible rollaway situation. That recall applied only to all-wheel-drive models with the two-speed Power Transfer Unit, which simulates the two-speed transfer case found in many part-time four-wheel-drive trucks and SUVs. Jeep brands the affected systems as "Active Drive II" or "Active Drive Lock." Vehicles among the recall population that featured the PTU model in question benefited from "more robust differential splines." The fix for the recalled vehicles wasn't replacing the worn PTU splines with the upgraded versions. The fix was a software update that worked around the fault to either alert the driver, to shift power to the rear wheels when the malfunction occurred, or to automatically apply the parking brake if the fault happened while the driver was attempting to shift into park. What's stranger is that Jeep has issued a new recall for a subset of the original recall population,)

PTU Issue: A recall was already done on this problem with a Jeep Model years 2016/2017. I now have the same problem on my 2020 Jeep. The transmission slips and the 4 wheel drive is not reliable. I was told by the dealer I needed the PTU replaced. The dealership diagnosed the issue as the PTU and wants 4k to fix. It is the same issue described in your recall. Jeep USA and the dealer acknowledge the issue but where its not a recall on this model told me " I have to pay." and I need fixed asap! I could not even get an appt for 2 + months. They avoided it.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift out of gear. The vehicle failed to remain in automatic and instead shifted into 4WD and snow mode. The vehicle failed to engage or disengage. While in park, the vehicle shifted into neutral. While in the park, the parking brake engaged without driver interaction. The START/STOP warning light was illuminated. The 4WD not available message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fork in the transfer case might be fractured or stuck. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transfer case needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.