What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Jeep Cherokee problems by year
Owners have filed 7,626 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Jeep Cherokee across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2014 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2015 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 1995 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 2006, 1992 and 2017.
- Years to check closely: 2014, 2015, 1995
- Fewest complaints: 2006, 1992, 2017
- Complaints on file
- 76261990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20141482 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 568212 fires · 406 injuries · 23 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 25kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 161Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 268 | 15 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (142) | |
| 232 | 13 | 9 | Brakes (hydraulic) (144) | |
| 112 | 19 | 5 | Brakes (hydraulic) (35) | |
| 418 | 51 | 7 | Brakes (hydraulic) (123) | |
| 519 | 54 | 9 | Body and structure (205) | |
| 608 | 91 | 11 | Body and structure (149) | |
| 445 | 57 | 10 | Brakes (hydraulic) (86) | |
| 389 | 44 | 10 | Fuel system (85) | |
| 396 | 34 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (80) | |
| 362 | 41 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (95) | |
| 368 | 26 | 7 | Brakes (hydraulic) (104) | |
| 227 | 25 | 8 | Brakes (hydraulic) (53) | |
| 17 | 0 | 0 | Visibility (6) | |
| 1482 | 38 | 13 | Powertrain and transmission (869) | |
| 959 | 33 | 11 | Powertrain and transmission (587) | |
| 374 | 16 | 9 | Powertrain and transmission (131) | |
| 191 | 4 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (74) | |
| 71 | 1 | 7 | Unknown or other (25) | |
| 189 | 6 | 11 | Engine (89) |
What fails on the 2014 Jeep Cherokee
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 59% |
869 | 12 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 20% |
294 | 6 | Shop engine parts for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
202 | 5 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 8% |
122 | 2 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee |
| Unknown or other | 8% |
122 | 2 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
88 | 5 | Shop steering parts for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 6% |
85 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
71 | 9 | Shop brakes parts for the 2014 Jeep Cherokee |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
We purchased this from a dealer and a few daya agyer taking it. It started shifting very very hard. Also when you pit into gear sometimes it throws itself into park.
-
I get a " service shifter" pop upon the dash and the gear changers turns red. Contacted two dealerships and both stated that they did not know what that means. The service shifter does not pop up all the times. It is not consistent sometimes it pops up but not all the time.
-
Driving over a speed bump at about 5 mph. Passenger side engine mount bolts sheer off the block. I was able to pull out one bolt, but the two outside bolts are still stuck in the block. I will try to extract these tomorrow. All that is required to repair the problem is 3 bolts. *nm
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Jeep Cherokee years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2014, 2015, 1995 carry the most filings on the Jeep Cherokee. The 2014 alone has 1482 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Jeep Cherokee problem?
On the 2014 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 869 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Jeep Cherokee problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Jeep Cherokee complaints that include mileage is about 25,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.