Problems · by component

2014 Jeep Cherokee steering problems

119 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2014 Jeep Cherokee cite steering, 4% of all 2,651 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
119
4% of all complaints
Crashes
6
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
7
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the steering

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“On 05/30/2026 approximately 12:15. My Jeep radio screen prompted "service needed, no phone connected" and a few other words I did not have an opportunity to memorize. The check engine light came on and he oil light appeared. This all happened within a minute. It was very quick and scared both of us. As my mother was driving, she smelled heat, then the radio quit working, the air conditioning shut off and heat turned on without assistance, my mother attempted to open the electronic windows without success, the power steering stopped worked and locked up, then the entire vehicle shut off. She struggled to maintain control of the vehicle in order to guide us to a safe place off the side of the road. We were in imamate danger due to NOT having any control of the vehicle. The hood, driver and passenger doors, front and back were able to be accessed, however we could not open the hatch. And the interior lights would not remain shut off until the battery ceased to have amps. No the vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance representatives. We were on a major highway. She had NO CONTROL of the vehicle. I bought this vehicle used from Blue Knob…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 11, 2026Steering, Electrical system, Vehicle speed controlODI 11743446
“My car is safely in my driveway. It only has 18,000 miles driven. It became stuck in wheel drive, greatly reducing my ability to drive the vehicle. The 2014 Cherokee is known for PTU failures in which the unit overheats or leaks fluid into the electronics, causing the system to lock in 4WD and display "Service 4WD" or "4WD System Unavailable". Will my dealership fix this problem under a past recall?”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 13, 2026Steering, Service brakesODI 11717712
“Rear tires locked up in reverse. While in gear they lock up randomly. Car shut off and broke down while driving on expressway and lost control. No accident but could’ve been bad. 4x4 light on says svc. Mechanic says shows signs of new safety recall 02C? Talked to Jeep dealership and they weren’t aware of such recall on this model. Need help on who to contact and what to do.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 28, 2025Steering, Power train, Service brakesODI 11683778
“The service parking brake warning pops up on start up (P)!, along with the engine light and the traction control light. A warning that says service parking brake appears, around with a service transmission warning, and occasionally another message saying 4wd unavailable at the moment. Another message says restart car in park at zero speed, which the car is already in park & not moving. The car is not drivable when all of these are on. If I attempt to change gears, the gear light flashes & when the car shifts gears it is very loud. It is also hard to turn the wheel. The emergency park has also come on, in it's own, while driving. Almost killed me on the highway. Had also done it in my driveway, when starting to pull out. Also when the engine auto shifts, it makes like a whining noise. The engine sounds to go in overdrive whenever going down hills or up hills. Down is worse though. This has been doing this since I got the car in 2021. I expressed these issues to the place I bought the car from, just days after buying it, and they refused to fix anything even though it was under the 30 day warranty. They claimed no issues. I have proof of mentioning these issues,…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 10, 2024Steering, Vehicle speed control, Service brakesODI 11619046
“The vehicle turns off while running, all lights on dashboard turn OFF and the vehicle dies completely. I lose power steering, brakes everything just turns off. After the vehicle comes to a complete stop I can put in parking again and the vehicle turns back on. This has happened 3 times already, luckily I have been driving it where there is no a lot of traffic, but no longer drive it on the highway it would not be safe. It happened after the light SVC 4WD turned on.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 16, 2023Steering, Power train, Electrical systemODI 11544966
“There is 3 things going on with this Jeep. First thing the service shifter is on. Second the power steering will go out and come back on at different times. Lastly if you shut the car off it may not start again for awhile and you will get a message on the dash that says engine to warm to start. I contacted Jeep they said to take it in. We aren’t in a position to just Let them keep running diagnostics on our car we have a code reader and it is not throwing any codes. Our Jeep started acting up after they did the one recall On it.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 26, 2023Steering, Unknown or other, EngineODI 11540876

Showing 6 of 119 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 4, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.