NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls and 684 owner complaints for the 2018 Jeep Cherokee.
7Safety recalls
684Owner complaints
11Complaints citing a crash
5Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: powertrain, electrical system, fuel system, engine and cooling, and 1 more. Most-reported area: powertrain (293 complaints, 43%; median mileage when it happened: 40,000). Excludes the larger Grand Cherokee.
7 safety recalls for the 2018 Jeep Cherokee
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The power transfer unit (PTU) may become damaged and disengage the transmission and differential, resulting in a loss of drive power and/or loss of park function.
Risk: A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash. A loss of park function can cause an unintended vehicle rollaway, which can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will update the drivetrain control module and PTU software and replace the PTU, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning February 19, 2026. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 01C.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles.
The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.
Risk: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles.
The bearing cage for the right front halfshaft assembly may not have been properly heat treated, possibly resulting in the bearing cage breaking and a potential halfshaft assembly failure.
Risk: If the halfshaft bearing cage breaks, the halfshaft may not be able to transmit engine power, causing a loss of drive or it can allow the vehicle to move while in the "Park" position. Either condition may increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front right halfshaft assemblies, free of charge. The recall began September 20, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U78.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Cherokee all-wheel-drive vehicles.
These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
Risk: If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles.
4L engine. These vehicles may have been manufactured with a fuel tube that may leak fuel into the engine compartment.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of the ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel tube, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U39.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a 2.
4L engines. The engines may have a cracked oil pump housing that can result in oil pump failure.
Risk: If the oil pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the oil pump, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 5, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T65.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Cherokee and Compass vehicles equipped with 2.
NHTSA listing: CHEROKEE. Jeep campaign T65.
Equipment
Aug 31, 2017
labels
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
The tire and rim size information required to be on the Certification label was omitted during manufacturing, which may result in an incorrect tire and rim combination being installed on the vehicle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: The missing tire and rim designation information may lead to an incorrect combination being installed on the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners and will provide a corrected certification label, free of charge. The recall began October 13, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T53.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Jeep Cherokee vehicles.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 684 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Cherokee. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Powertrain293 · 43%
Median 40,000 miles at failure (143 reports)
Electrical system190 · 28%
Median 35,000 miles at failure (105 reports)
Engine155 · 23%
Median 27,500 miles at failure (84 reports)
Brakes36 · 5%
Median 37,900 miles at failure (16 reports)
Steering30 · 4%
Median 23,300 miles at failure (16 reports)
Fuel and propulsion system26 · 4%
Speed control20 · 3%
Unknown or other173 · 25%
Median 30,000 miles at failure (93 reports)
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Jeep Cherokee recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2018 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Cherokee drew the most (614) and the 2018 drew 309.
Owner complaints
2018: 684 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Jeep Cherokee
Model year
Complaints
2016
1,406
2017
1,334
2018
684
2019
1,641
2020
303
2021
162
2022
51
2023
3
2026
5
Safety recalls
2018: 7 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Jeep Cherokee
Model year
Recalls
2016
9
2017
6
2018
7
2019
11
2020
3
2021
4
2022
3
2023
1
2026
4
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Jeep Cherokee SUV 2WD
Rollover risk 17.4%
Jeep Cherokee SUV 4WD
Rollover risk 16.9%
Questions
What are the most common 2018 Cherokee problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: powertrain (293), electrical system (190), engine (155). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2018 Jeep Cherokee safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 Jeep Cherokee earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Cherokee has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Jeep dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: CHEROKEE.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.