2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee — Known Issues & Recalls

While accelerating slowly from a stop, you heard a loud banging and grinding noise from underneath the vehicle near your feet, and the transmission shifted into neutral, leaving your car unable to move. A mechanic determined that the shear pins and power transfer unit (PTU) connection had failed. The repair will likely involve replacing the failed shear pins and repairing or replacing the power transfer unit.

Your 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee experienced two separate shifting problems. In one incident, when you tried to shift into park on a sloped driveway, the vehicle rolled backward until you applied the brakes. In another incident, the transmission hesitated and jerked while shifting between gears while driving. Neither problem has been diagnosed or repaired by a dealer.

While driving at about 15 mph, your transmission made an abnormal sound and got stuck in first gear, with the transmission warning light coming on. A mechanic found that an internal transmission part needed to be replaced, but the specific part wasn't identified. The issue occurred at approximately 74,000 miles.

Your engine's head gasket failed, and your mechanic indicated this is a widespread issue with this model year. Shortly after repair, the left rear rocker arm broke and damaged the overhead cam—also described as a common problem due to oiling issues. After this second repair, the engine completely failed after less than 500 miles of driving. According to the mechanic and online reports, Jeep stopped issuing recalls for these problems due to how widespread they became and only covers repairs under factory warranty.

After using cruise control on the highway and turning it off, your Jeep began vibrating heavily and continues to vibrate whenever you accelerate. You've had over $2,200 in repairs done, but the shop couldn't identify the exact cause and suspects it's related to the transfer case. You also discovered that your oil cooler housing unit cracked and had to be replaced because it's made of plastic. This issue may be related to a known Stellantis transmission problem, but your vehicle may not be listed under the official recall.

You discovered a major discrepancy in your vehicle's mileage records after purchase. The odometer showed about 64,000 miles when you bought the car from a dealership, but the title your bank received listed 101,985 miles — a difference of nearly 40,000 miles. This suggests the odometer may have been rolled back before the sale, which could mean critical maintenance was skipped since the actual mileage is higher than you were told. You should contact your state's attorney general or motor vehicle fraud agency and consider having a certified mechanic inspect the engine, transmission, and other components to assess what maintenance may have been missed.

Your center console cupholders have chrome trim that is peeling away at the edges, creating sharp points that can cut your hands. You may experience cuts and bleeding when using the cupholders. The fix would likely involve replacing the cupholders or refinishing the chrome trim to remove the sharp edges.

While driving in cold weather with the heated seats turned on, your sister smelled smoke and felt excessive heat from the seat. She discovered flames coming through the seat back and pulled over. The fire burned through the seat material, causing visible damage, and she was burned trying to extinguish it. This issue likely involves a malfunction in the heated seat heating element or wiring that caused it to overheat and ignite.

Your 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee has experienced multiple electrical and mechanical problems that worsen in cold temperatures below 30°F, including 4WD service warnings, non-functioning air conditioning and heating, an ABS light, an airbag service light, inability to add gas to the tank, a malfunctioning tire pressure sensor, blurry rear camera, reversed power window controls, battery drain, headlights that won't turn on, and a scanner that can't clear diagnostic codes. These issues have made your vehicle undrivable for approximately 6-8 months per year. Diagnosis and repair will likely require a complete electrical system inspection, battery and charging system testing, and clearing of all fault codes with specialized diagnostic equipment.

During a test drive of a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the vehicle was inspected and found to have a missing retaining bolt on the front driver-side lower ball joint, which had separated from the lower control arm. This condition creates an immediate risk of suspension failure and loss of control while driving. The bolt and ball joint assembly will need to be inspected and replaced.

Your 2017 Jeep Cherokee rolled away three times in one day while parked with the electronic parking brake engaged, even though no warning lights appeared. The dealer checked the brake system and software but found no mechanical or electronic faults and couldn't recreate the problem. The dealership may need to perform a more thorough diagnostic of the parking brake system and electronic brake components to identify why the vehicle is rolling away despite the parking brake being engaged.

Your car's electrical control systems (BCM, TIPM, and CAN bus network) may have failed, causing multiple systems to malfunction simultaneously without warning. All warning lights illuminated at once, the windshield wipers activated on their own and wouldn't turn off, and the transmission became difficult to shift, severely limiting your ability to drive safely. The repair may involve diagnostic testing and replacement of the body control module, transmission control module, or related electrical components.

Your car lost power while driving, and you believe it's related to a recall notice about the power transfer unit (PTU) that you received in February 2025. The recall remains unresolved despite available parts from Chrysler, and you consider this a major safety concern. Getting the PTU inspected and replaced by a dealer may be necessary to restore normal power delivery.

Your check engine light came on while driving, and your vehicle was running rough with a shaky idle beforehand. A diagnostic scan revealed a misfire in cylinder #2 (error code P0302). The dealer identified the problem but you chose not to have it repaired at that time. Fixing this will likely involve inspecting or replacing spark plugs, ignition coils, or fuel injectors to restore proper combustion in that cylinder.

Your 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee won't start, and the check engine light is on. A dealer found that your fuel pump module and valve have failed. You'll need to have the fuel pump module and valve replaced to get your vehicle running again.

Your active head restraint suddenly deployed while you were driving at a very low speed, hitting the back of your head and neck hard and causing neck pain. This unexpected deployment created an immediate shock and may indicate a malfunction in the head restraint system. The issue will likely require inspection and repair or replacement of the active head restraint mechanism.

While driving at 45 MPH, your vehicle suddenly went into limp mode and stalled due to the radiator not functioning properly and the engine overheating. Your check engine and brake warning lights came on, and the vehicle was difficult to restart. Even after repairs at both an independent mechanic and a dealer, the stalling problem returned multiple times. The fix will likely involve diagnosing and replacing failed cooling system components and addressing any related electrical or brake system issues causing the warning lights.

Your engine developed a knocking noise that took multiple diagnostic attempts to identify—the lifters and camshaft had failed at 82,000 miles. Before the repair, your car stalled once on the highway. Additionally, your fuel system keeps triggering an EVAP emissions code every few thousand miles even after inspection and service, though no leaks have been found. Fixing these issues will likely involve replacing the failed lifters and camshaft, addressing the water pump, and diagnosing the persistent EVAP sensor or canister issue.

Your car's dashboard shows a "Hood Ajar" warning message even though your hood is actually closed. This triggers a second warning that the auto start/stop feature is unavailable, and you have to stop the car and restart it to clear the messages. The hood latch was replaced once, but the problem returned, requiring additional repairs at the dealership.

Your check engine warning light came on while driving at 25 MPH. You took your vehicle to a mechanic and then to Firestone, where they confirmed there's no active recall for your vehicle's VIN, even though you suspected it might be related to NHTSA recall 23V411000 for engine and cooling issues. The problem occurred at 81,767 miles and hasn't been reported to the manufacturer. You'll likely need diagnostic scanning to identify what triggered the warning light, followed by repair of the underlying issue.