2020 Jeep Cherokee Engine Problems

Your oil filter housing is leaking and smells like oil while driving. The plastic housing may be cracked or damaged, which could create a fire hazard if hot oil contacts engine components. The leaking oil filter housing will need to be replaced or resealed.

My 2020 Jeep Cherokee was in for a multi-point inspection and oil change on 9/10/2025. On 10/15/2025, the Service 4wd, AWD System Service Required light turned on as I was driving. I called the same dealership immediately and was able to get it in for diagnosis on 10/21/2025 (the soonest appointment available). They called me on 10/27/2025 to inform me that they diagnosed a faulty PTU part #68333254AI. They sent me a quote of $3,129.81 for the part, labor, and fluid. My Jeep has remained at the dealership since it was diagnosed. I was told that there could be a loss of power to the wheels that could result in loss of control and a potential crash. I was also told that it may be an extended period of time before they can get the part. The dealership has stated that this would not be covered under my warranty because the warranty ended on 10/17/2025. The warning light actually came on before this date. I understand that there was safety recall/class action lawsuit for this issue on the 2017-2019 years but not the 2020. I feel that this is a known safety issue and believe that it should be covered by my warranty or the manufacturer. My vehicle's mileage is 43,230 miles.

The vehicle piston failed which led to complete engine failure. This has been diagnosed by a service center.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on several occasions, after driving for several miles, the temperature gauge remained at HOT(H). The vehicle was steered to the side of the road each time and turned off for 10 minutes before restarting. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a malfunction in the active grill system that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that there was oil underneath the front end of the vehicle. The oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact noticed oil leaking from the top of the oil canister. The contact looked online and found a recall related to the failure experienced; however, the contact could not recall the NHTSA Campaign Number. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer and was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

Vehicle popped an engine as the vehicle was in motion. After taking it to a mechanic, they ran diagnostics and said that the Active Grill Shudder (AGS) had stopped responding to the cars computer. The problematic part was ~$600 and happened 11 months after purchasing the car. The dealer refused a reimbursement stating that they couldn’t help as I brought it to a local mechanic. The fact the engine light popped up while the car was in motion could be a safety issue. No warning happened before the issue presented itself. The car started fine with no engine light.

Upon driving at approx 20mph in traffic on the highway, there was a sudden loss of power in acceleration. Smoke was seen around the vehicle. Multiple lights flashed on the dashboard and then quickly went blank. As I was pulling to the side of the road I noticed flames coming from the front right side of the vehicle. The brakes no longer worked. I got out of the vehicle as smoke was seeping into the cabin. I was able to retrieve my phone and bag. Approx. 30 seconds after exiting the vehicle and moving away there was a small explosion. Over the course of the next few minutes there were multiple other explosions. Emergency services were called immediately. The vehicle burnt to the ground completely.

The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the four-wheel drive overheated warning light illuminated. The contact reduced the speed, and the vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that a nearby driver pulled over and informed the contact that the vehicle was on fire. The nearby driver also assisted the contact out of the vehicle. The contact stated that there were several explosions. The contact stated that the vehicle was burned to the ground. The fire department and the local police arrived on the scene. There were no injuries sustained. A Fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned to total loss. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. In addition, the case is currently under investigation. The failure mileage was approximately 26, 900.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact became aware that the vehicle was making abnormal sounds and had started jerking. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the residence. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,413.

This 2020 jeep cherokee altitude burns close to 3 quarts of oil. I have 26000 miles on it. I havent received any recalls or notice from dodge/crysler dealer. This is ridiculous

About a week ago, a faint smell of gasoline was noticed at the front of the vehicle after it was shut off. The smell became stronger and more noticeable with each passing day. Today, gasoline can be smelled coming out of the air vents as well as outside of the vehicle. Wife seems to think the smell started when she started using the Air Conditioning. No signs of fuel leaking. No Check Engine Light. The vehicle has 20450 miles on it. We are trying to get it into the dealership as soon as possible, but at this point we are not driving it out of an abundance of caution.

The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact noticed that the vehicle was on fire while parked in a parking lot. The contact mentioned the fire caused 2 other vehicles to catch on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and determined the fire was caused by the engine. A police report was filed. The vehicle was damaged. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 16,800.

The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated that while his nephew was driving approximately 70 mph, a burning odor was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. The driver then noticed flames coming from the engine compartment. The driver stopped the vehicle and exited. No further information was available. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away from the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and an unknown dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 13,000.

TL* THE CONTACT LEASES A 2020 JEEP CHEROKEE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, AN UNKNOWN BURNING ODOR OCCURRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ANOTHER VEHICLE ALERTED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE UNDERNEATH. THE CONTACT QUICKLY COASTED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND AS SHE EXIT THE VEHICLE THE HOOD EXPLODED ENGULFED INTO FLAMES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE BURNED DOWN TO A CRIST. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE OF WHAT HAD LEFT OF THE VEHICLE. A FIRE AND POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW LOT AND WAS LATER TAKEN BY THE VEHICLE INSURANCE TO AN INSURANCE AUTO AUCTION LOT WHERE IT STILL REMAINED. THE CONTACT CALLED KELLY JEEP CHRYSLER, 353 BROADWAY, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940, AND INFORMED THEM OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING, ENGINE RPM STARTED FLUCTUATING AND ALMOST STALLED. VEHICLE HAS 1400 MILES IT, WAS ADVISED BY DEALERSHIP THAT I WILL HAVE TO ADD A QUART OF OIL EVERY 1500 MILES TO THE VEHICLE, AND THAT THEY ARE AWARE THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE SEEN THE LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING BUT IN FACT THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE STALLED. THAT THEY HAVE HEARD OTHERS IN A RIGHT OR LEFT HAND TURN THEIR CARS STALLING OUT AS THEY CALLED A SAFETY FEATURE. THAT TO ME SOUNDS UNSAFE

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE 29TH DAY OF OWNERSHIP, WITH ODB CODE P0139. THE ONE O2 SENSOR WAS REPLACED, DRIVING BACK HOME AFTER THE REPAIR THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON. TOOK IT BACK THE NEXT DAY SAME CODE P0139, THIS TIME THEY REPLACED THE ECM/PCM COMPUTER. AFTER ALMOST TWO WEEKS THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON WITH THE SAME CODE. I PURCHASED THIS CAR WITH ON 7 MILES ON IT AND IT'S BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP 3 WITH LESS THAN 2K ON IT. *TR

DRIVING MY VEHICLE DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND A THROTTLE ISSUE MESSAGE FLASHED, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A DRASTIC LOSS OF POWER CAUSING AN UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITION FOR MYSELF AND OTHER MOTORISTS. THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW WITH ONLY 8 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, CURRENTLY HAS 500 MILES, VEHICLE HAS THE 2.4 LITER ENGINE AND AUTOMATIC 4X4 TRANSMISSION. CONTACTED THE JEEP DEALER WHEE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AND THEY DID NOT MENTION THAT THERE COULD BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THIS JEEP, HOWEVER AFTER SOME RESEARCH I FOUND AN ARTICLE ON THE SAME IDENTICAL ISSUE BEING REPORTED BY MULTIPLE JEEP OWNERS OF THE 2019 YEAR MODEL WITH THE SAME 2.4 LITER ENGINE, SEE: HTTPS://WWW.CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG/CAR-RECALLS-DEFECTS/2019-JEEP-CHEROKEE-RECALLED-OVER-STALLING-RISK/ BASED ON THE ARTICLE THAT I FOUND IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT NEEDS TO BE PERFORMED IN ORDER TO CORRECT THE ISSUE, HOWEVER SOME DRIVERS STILL HAD PROBLEMS AFTER THE UPDATE WAS DONE. I WAS ASKED TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON MONDAY, SOME JEEP OWNERS ALSO REPORTED THAT AFTER 4 HOURS OF THE VEHICLE SITTING WITH THE ENGINE OFF, THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY, MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR THE DEALER TO REPLICATE THE ISSUE DURING DIAGNOSTIC AND THERE MAY NOT BE A CODE STORED THAT CAN BE PULLED BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. I HOPE THAT NHTSA KEEPS AN EYE FOR THIS, IF THE PROBLEM IS A KNOWN ISSUE BY NOW TO CHRYSLER-FIAT AND NO FIX HAS BEEN APPLIED TO CURRENT YEAR MODEL JEEPS, THEN CHRYSLER -FIAT MAY BE ACTING IN "BAD-FAITH" AND KNOWINGLY SELLING VEHICLES THAT SHOULD PROBABLY BE PART OF A NATIONWIDE RECALL CAMPAIGN, ALSO THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN ABOUT A VEHICLE THAT IS RENDERED POWERLESS WHILE OPERATING ON A HIGHWAY OR IN OUR CASE, HAVING TO DRIVE ON THE STEEP HILLS OF THE PACIFIC NW AS PART OF OUR DAILY COMMUTE.