2018 Jeep Cherokee Top 3 Complaints and Problems – Is Your Car A Lemon?

Updated on April 25th, 2023 Author: Brian Jones

The SUV craze has hit in full swing, and it’s caused a lot of shoppers to consider the 2018 Jeep Cherokee. The automaker claims this is a “Compact SUV Ready for Adventure,” but many owners would disagree. In fact, the numerous complaints cause drivers not to take it on an adventure out of worry it will break down. There are various problems with the engine, electrical system, powertrain and steering you want to know about.

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NHTSA Complaints for the 2018 Jeep Cherokee

Engine

As is a common complaint with many Jeep models, there seems to be something wrong with the engines in these modern vehicles. Not only do they burn through oil like crazy, but they seem to be riddled with engine failure.

One person wrote this on Edmunds, “To begin it burns oil like crazy, 1 quart every 2,500 – 3,000 miles. When factoring that a typical engine using full synthetic oil should get 10,000 miles/change (Conservative), jeep recommends every 6,000 miles. I called the dealership about the excessive oil consumption and they told me with the 2.4L that 2,500 to 3,000 is actually NORMAL! In my opinion a car with less than 10,000 miles, it should not be burning oil like a 20 yr old car with 200K+ miles on it.”

It shouldn’t surprise you that there’s a recall on this SUV due to an oil issue. NHTSA Campaign Number 17V670000 discusses cracked oil pump housing in the 2.4L motors. This malfunction leads to oil pump failure and requires replacement. Whether your pump fails or not, plan on changing your oil more often. Some dealerships even told drivers to change their oil every 1,000 miles, which is completely absurd.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2018 Jeep Cherokee Engine Problems:

MY 2018 JEEP CHEROKEE LATITUDE STALLS WHILE IN MOTION. SO FAR IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED ON NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS. I HAVE 36,500 MILES ON IT

VEHICLE WHILE DRIVEN MADE AN ALERT PING WHEN MAKING LEFT AND RIGHT HAND TURNS WITH NO OTHER INDICATOR. FOLLOWING DAY VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 55 MPH WITH OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AS WELL AS MULTIPLE ERRORS ABOUT PLACING VEHICLE IN DRIVE AND SHIFTING (ALTHOUGH VEHICLE IS AN AUTOMATIC). DEALERSHIP CONTACTED AND VEHICLE BROUGHT IN FOR INSPECTION. DEALER CONCLUDED THAT ENGINE HAD NO OIL, ALTHOUGH INTERNAL INDICATORS FAILED TO ADVISE AND SHOWED VEHICLE HAD 17% OIL LIFE REMAINING AND 300 MILES UNTIL SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE. DEALER ADVISED THAT VEHICLE IS KNOWN TO BURN OIL AT A RATE OF 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 1000 MILES, HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT CONSISTENT WITH WHEN THE PREVIOUS OIL CHANGE HAD OCCURRED, WHEN ASKED WHY VEHICLE BURNS OIL AT SUCH A RATE, WAS ADVISED IT IS NORMAL AND NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED AND REACTION FROM DEALERSHIP VARIED FROM IT WAS NORMAL TO MAY BE AN ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE.

VEHICLE STARTED STALLING RANDOMLY. IT START WITH A CHIME ON TURNS AND PROGRESSED TO THIS. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS LOW IN OIL JUST HAD OIL CHANGED 3 MONTHS PRIOR. THEY FOUND OFF VALVE WAS BAD REPLACED. VEHICLE THEN STARTED BURNING GAS 20 MILES AND HALF TANK. TOOK BACK TO SEWER FOR OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. PROBLEM WITH STALLING STARTED AGAIN. DEALER COULDN?T REPLICATE ISSUE.

WHILE IN MOTION, MY CAR CONTINUED TO STALL, 3 TIMES. ONCE ALSO THE WEEK BEFORE. THE CAR INDICATED THAT MY VEHICLE NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE. AFTER A VERY SCARY RIDE TO THE DEALERSHIP ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY, IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE CAR NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE. THERE WAS BARELY NO OIL .. ACCORDING TO OIL DIPSTICK. THE MESSAGE DID NOT INDICATE OIL WAS LOW. WRONG MESSAGE TO THE OWNER. I COULD HAVE SEIZED MY ENGINE. NEEDING AN OIL CHANGE IS NOT THE SAME ALERTING THE DRIVER THERE IS NO OIL LEFT. THIS SHOULD BE CORRECTED TO INDICATE LOW OIL LEVEL !!! THIS IS DANGEROUS WHEN CAR IN MOTION AND IT STALLS OUT. DEALERSHIP TAKING NO RESPONSIBILITY. SHOULD THIS BE A RECALL ISSUE. DANGEROUS SITUATION!!!

Electrical

A few electrical problems are simply nuisances, while others cause major malfunctions. If your navigation equipment or stereo is acting up, it can be distracting, which could lead to an accident. That’s why even the smallest annoyances should be addressed.

One writer stated this on Edmunds, “The system is designed to seize your phone when you plug it into the charging port, whether you want it to or not. I could not make or receive a call, or navigate without interference by the Jeep programs. It attempted to use any information on my phone that Jeep felt was potentially in play. I could not have a private conversation on my phone without interference. It searched my phone for music! The interface was complex to the point of being opaque. System controls require a class to operate. We never knew what to expect. At one point we were getting conflicting statements on navigation from Jeep and our own phone NAV program!”

While this doesn’t sound like a safety concern, there are two recalls that are. NHTSA Campaign Number 18V524000 discusses a faulty voltage regulator that leads to a stalling vehicle. Replacement is needed to correct the problem. The other recall is NHTSA Campaign Number 18V332000. This talks about a short circuit, which makes it impossible to cancel the cruise control. Technicians can perform a software flash to repair the problem. Clearly, this is one of the more dangerous implications of a faulty electrical system; most people would rather deal with a glitchy radio.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2018 Jeep Cherokee Electrical Problems:

ALL SERVICE LIGHTS ARE FLASHING WHEN CAR IS STARTED.

RADIO CUTS IN AND OUT SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT THE CAR. DEALERS SAY THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG.

Powertrain

Your powertrain is vital to the operation of your SUV. That’s why every aspect needs to operate properly for you to enjoy a smooth, comfortable ride. Sadly, that’s not what Cherokee owners are experiencing.

One driver wrote this on Edmunds, “Just started having transmission issues when shifting into reverse, it shifts hard and vibrates loudly.”

While not directly related to this problem, is it any surprise that there’s a recall concerning the powertrain? NHTSA Campaign Number 18V494000 discusses how the bearing cage on all-wheel-drive vehicles might not have received the right heat treatment. This causes breakage and halfshaft assembly failure. In order to remedy the problem, dealerships must replace the front right halfshaft assembly. If not repaired, it’s possible for the SUV to become inoperable, or move even while in Park. By this time, many owners probably wish the vehicle would just roll away on its own.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2018 Jeep Cherokee Transmission Problems:

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 JEEP CHEROKEE. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH OR MORE, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE “VEHICLE NOT IN PARK” WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP CITY WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 19,000

SERVICE SHIFTER WARNING APPEARS IN INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AREA AND ALL THE LIGHTS ON SHIFTER LIGHT UP SOLID RED AND STAY ILLUMANATED.

A WARNING LIGHT “SERVICE SHIFTER” COMES ON WITHOUT WARNING. ALL THE LIGHTS AT THE SHIFTER ILLUMINATE AND WON’T SHUT OFF UNLESS THE CAR IS RE-STARTED

Steering

Anyone driving a modern car expects the steering to be comfortable and responsive. Unfortunately, as with most things Cherokee-related, this simply isn’t the case.

One reviewer wrote this on the NHTSA website. “After starting the car and leaving my driveway for the last two days, I get about ½ mile down the road and an indicator comes on telling me that shifting while driving can’t be done. The car shuts completely down and I have to make a sudden stop to turn the key off. The steering wheel locks up making it impossible to get out of the road. When I try to restart, it acts like starter is fighting to turn on. I have to give it fuel to get it to start. Then, I don’t have problems the rest of the day.”

While there are recalls on just about everything on this SUV, nothing has been reported for the steering yet. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but the automaker has been quiet so far. Maybe they are hoping that one part of their car isn’t a dud.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2018 Jeep Cherokee Steering Problems:

FRONT END WOBBLE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM LOW SPEEDS

WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS THERE IS A VIBRATION BETWEEN 60 AND 80 MILES PER HOUR. I HAVE HAD THE TIRES REPLACED, RIMS REPLACED AND NO CHANGE IN VIBRATION. IT HAS STARTED SINCE I OWNED THE VEHICLE WITH 7 MILES ON THE ODOMETER TILL TODAY WITH 9000 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THIS IS NORMAL THROUGHOUT THE LINE OF CHEROKEES AND IS JUST “ROAD VIBRATION” BUT TALKING WITH OTHER OWNERS THIS IS NOT THE CASE AND THEY DO NOT EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING. IT DOES TEND TO FADE AWAY DURING LONG LEFT TURNS ON THE FREEWAY BUT APPEARS AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE STRAIGHTENS. NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO GET THE DEALERSHIP TO FIX THIS HAS RESULTED IN NO HEADWAY AS THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT THIS IS NORMAL.

Your Lemon Law Legal Rights

Think you have a lemon? Sit back and let the experts work out your lemon case at no cost to you. The law makes Jeep pay legal fees. You may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

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