2023 Jeep Cherokee Reliability Report

These reports are mixed, with a few clear threads. Cabin heat and defrost fail in cold weather, mostly on hybrids. Sudden power loss at highway speed and false emergency braking during left turns show up here too. Glass breaks with nothing hitting it, including a sunroof panel and a side window. A power liftgate that kept closing caused one injury. Several hybrid owners describe cars sitting at the dealer for weeks waiting on a high-voltage battery repair because parts are not available. One complaint reports a parked, empty vehicle exploding.

Harsh or stuck shifting and loss of power lead this category. Transmissions slam down several gears at speed, stay stuck in first with the engine revving high, or drop from reverse into neutral. Hybrids stall, go into limp mode, or shut off at highway speed after a "Service Hybrid System" warning. A few owners say the car moved the wrong way or surged while parking. Grinding under load and shaking also appear. Dealers often cannot reproduce the faults and fall back on software updates. One complaint describes the airbags going off in a garage, followed by a crash that caused an injury.

The brakes either stop working or apply themselves. Some owners say the pedal went to the floor while ABS, stability control and parking brake warnings lit up together, sometimes at highway speed. Others describe automatic emergency braking or the parking brake engaging with nothing ahead, which risks a rear-end collision. Dealers have replaced ABS and booster modules and updated software, but the failures came back. One report describes flames coming from a front brake caliper. Two complaints involve crashes, including a slide on snow after brake assist locked the wheels.

Stalling and power loss at highway speed are the most common engine reports, often paired with a brief hybrid system warning. Rough running and weak acceleration also come up repeatedly, sometimes right after refueling, and dealers often cannot reproduce them. Engine mounts wear out early: one owner replaced them twice within 7,000 miles, and another needed them before 50k miles. An AC compressor failed at 37k miles and damaged the drive belt. Hybrid owners report waiting on a replacement battery. One complaint describes a parked vehicle catching fire and destroying a home.

The system fails in both directions. Some owners say it never warns or brakes, including a low-speed crash into a pole and a crash that hit a pedestrian, where the front radar sensor was found not tracking. Others report hard, unprompted stops during left turns or on the highway with nothing ahead. One owner counts about 10 such stops. Dealers often find no error codes. Some cars report a collision at startup and will not release the parking brake. Two complaints involve crashes with two injuries.

Unintended acceleration and a throttle that does not respond are the pattern. Owners describe the engine surging in stop-and-go traffic, cruise control climbing past its set speed and ignoring the brake, and revs spiking with a light touch of the pedal. The opposite also happens: no response to the gas while merging, then a sudden surge. Some drivers had to shift out of drive or turn the engine off to regain control. Two complaints involve crashes, one at 11,000 miles.

There are few complaints here, but they are serious. Owners report airbags not deploying in a head-on crash and in another crash, and both vehicles were declared total losses. One rollover report describes a broken fuel fill line pouring gasoline into the cabin. Other complaints involve airbag warning lights early in ownership, including one at 100 miles. One of those was traced to a faulty front passenger seat sensor, and the repair took a month because of parts delays. Three complaints are crash-related, with nine injuries.