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Hi forum. Apologies in advance if my post is in the wrong forum (new member). We picked up a new 2019 Cherokee Limited with the new 4cyl turbo. We got it in late October and have 1145 miles on it. We are on our first road trip—hundreds of miles from home—when the car malfunctioned/broke in the left lane of the highway on a Saturday night (more below). I’m seeking advice on what could be wrong so I can better communicate with the dealer and be confident I can safely drive it again. Thanks for any tips.
It seems the transmission failed. The car basically stopped moving at speed and all sorts of warning lights (including the engine light, stability control, parking brake, forward collision warning etc) went off during normal driving. The display told us to service transmission, place car in park and restart at zero speed. Thankfully it restarted and we safely limped to an exit in a single gear (limp mode?) and parked the car. After parking, I turned the car off and then on again. Attempts to put it into gear while parked resulted in a powerful slamming into Reverse and into Drive, but without any actual driving. The R light was also flashing. The wanings all reappeared.
Jeep roadside assistance eventually towed us to the nearest dealership which is closed until Monday.
The internet is full of info about PCMs and TCUs and it is a bit overwhelming. Do you have any idea what could be wrong and what to expect?
I hope you have at least gotten your immediate needs taken care of. Mostly, I just feel bad that you have to deal with this.
The darker answer is that what you bought is not Jeep. It is a Fiat. This particular Fiat has a rich history of transmission failure and other transmission problems. So there is not much that someone can help with via an internet forum. Unfortunately. I'll link the carcomplaints.com for this vehicle, so you can see just how common the transmission problems are, and how long they have been happening.
I hope you have at least gotten your immediate needs taken care of. Mostly, I just feel bad that you have to deal with this.
The darker answer is that what you bought is not Jeep. It is a Fiat. This particular Fiat has a rich history of transmission failure and other transmission problems. So there is not much that someone can help with via an internet forum. Unfortunately. I'll link the carcomplaints.com for this vehicle, so you can see just how common the transmission problems are, and how long they have been happening.
There is not as much data for the newer years, but it would appear that the trend is continuing.
Still says Jeep on it, but that's the typical anser from XJ guys that don't know anything about the platform, but to answer your questions it was an issue with prior years, but despite the nasty symptoms you experienced it may be a simple reflash.
I have a 2014 Cherokee and a 2016. The 2014 has had zero transmission problems.
My 2016 had 2 incidents where it seemed the transmission just blew up but was fixed with a simple transmission reflash at the dealer.
2019 Cherokee Broke down! Advice sought.
