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Jeep · NHTSA safety record

2020 Jeep Cherokee

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 306 safety complaints about the 2020 Jeep Cherokee with the US government. Of those, 9 describe a crash, 6 mention a fire, 9 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 177 complaints, 58% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 49,000 miles, the median across the 88 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2019 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

306 complaints on file

306

Complaints

9

Describe a crash

6

Mention fire

9

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints rose by half year on year: 106 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 60 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 177 · 58%
ENGINE 43 · 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 36 · 12%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 34 · 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 24 · 8%
STEERING 22 · 7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 10 · 3%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 8 · 3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 · 3%
AIR BAGS 7 · 2%
SUSPENSION 7 · 2%
WHEELS 5 · 2%
0 73 146

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 306.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2025 at 101.

108 81 54 27
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2020 Jeep CHEROKEE, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV 4WD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 16.9% 17.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

POWER TRAIN

26V290000 · May 7, 2026

The defect
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may fail.
The risk
A failed PTU may result in a loss of drive power or vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
The remedy is currently under development. Interim owner notification letters explaining the safety risk are expected to be mailed June 25, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy becomes available. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 40D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 14, 2026.

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) · up to 61,711 vehicles across all model years covered

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

20V191000 · September 10, 2020

The defect
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2020 Jeep Gladiator and Jeep Cherokee, 2019-2020 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler, and Jeep Renegade and 2019 Dodge Challenger vehicles equipped with 8.4" or 12" radio displays. A software error can cause the rearview camera image to remain displayed after the vehicle has been shifted out of reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
The risk
The lingering rearview image can distract the driver, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will update the radio display software, free of charge. Optionally, owners can choose to remotely update their software via an Over-The-Air (OTA) update available as of May 1, 2020. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W30-W37.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) · up to 319,610 vehicles across all model years covered · fixed by software update

STEERING:RACK AND PINION:RACK

19V637000 · August 29, 2019

The defect
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The steering rack gear may break, possibly causing a loss of steering control.
The risk
A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gear, free of charge. The recall began October 24, 2019. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is V99.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) · up to 5,294 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 8,000 miles

The contact owned a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact stated while his wife was driving at 35 MPH, when approaching an intersection a vehicle coming from the opposite lane came thru and caused the driver to hit that vehicle head-on. The air bags did not deploy. There front end of the vehicle was crashed in. The driver sustained a crack sternum, bruised lungs, and hurt their foot while depressing on the brake, the contact sustained an injured right shoulder due to the seat belt, internal bruises to their sternum, ribs, and stomach, as well fluids in their lungs. There was medical treatment at the scene and took both the contact and the driver to the hospital for treatment. A police report was

NHTSA complaint 11433198, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

On June 24 ,2025 I was in a front end collision resulting in personal injury to with parties. From airbags not deploying on my vehicle. My car was deemed total loss from insurance company. Vehicle didn't have any prior electrical or and warning lamps on at time prior collision

NHTSA complaint 11671832. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed

I was involved in a head-on accident with another car. The airbags did not deploy in my 2020 Jeep Cherokee. This resulted didn’t some injuries to me in a driver of the other car. The other car driver airbags did deploy but my 2020 Jeep Cherokee airbags did not deploy vehicle damage was rated such that the car was totaled with heavy front damage on the driver side front.

NHTSA complaint 11714516. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

Vehicle was in a front end collision resulting in $16k in damages, driver transported to the hospital with leg and head injuries. The airbags did not deploy. NONE.

NHTSA complaint 11423105. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
PTU has failed after 47,500 miles.

NHTSA complaint 11768105. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
On 9/6, The Cherokee lost power and had a grinding noise when in gear. It was towed to the Jeep dealer, they said it needed a new rear differential.. I told the dealer that my research showed that this catastrophic failure was likely caused by the 40D-recalled PTU and not the rear diff, but they claimed the rear diff was the problem and they could fix it. So, I reluctantly agreed and they proceeded to order the parts - which took a few weeks - to replace the rear differential. On 9/28, I paid $1237 for the repair (Jeep kicked in 80% of the total $5000+ repair cost as “goodwill” - which to me, is an admission that the 40D recall was to blame and the manufacturer knew it) and we drove it home

NHTSA complaint 11767862, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Vehicle stopped working, gears started grinding and a warning to service the 4WD system turned on. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealership under the direction of Stellantis, so that the dealer could confirm the diagnosis of the failed power transfer unit covered under recall 40D. Dealership confirmed, however I was not offered an appropriate replacement vehicle, and was told that my only option was to rent a vehicle myself, and Stellantis would reimburse me up to $50/day. This is a ridiculous offer, and one that does not satisfy a like for like substitute of my vehicle without their being great personal cost to me. The Jeep under recall is currently not driveable, and there is no

NHTSA complaint 11767420, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire

Engine caught fire while parked

NHTSA complaint 11766586. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Power transfer unit failed similar to recall on other 2020 Jeep Cherokees, though our Jeep was not covered under the existing recall.

NHTSA complaint 11766781. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V290000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and a case was filed.

NHTSA complaint 11766446. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Jeep Cherokee

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 5 4 —
2022 51 3 —
2021 166 4 —
2019 1,649 11 —
2018 686 7 —
2017 1,334 6 —
2016 1,406 9 —
2015 1,787 11 —
2014 2,647 13 —

Other 2020 Jeep models

Wrangler 610 Gladiator 483 Grand Cherokee 239 Compass 141 Renegade 62

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Jeep on this site — 108 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst