Summary
The 2014 Jeep Cherokee has 17 recalls, with the most serious being a fire risk on vehicles equipped with a power liftgate, where water or corrosion in the liftgate control module can cause an electrical short and ignite a fire even while the vehicle is parked.
Several recalls affect the transmission and drivetrain. On vehicles with a 3.2L engine, a transmission fault can cause an unexpected shift to neutral, cutting drive power without warning. Separately, a wiring harness crimp issue on automatic transmission models can trigger the same sudden loss of drive. Vehicles with a two-speed power transfer unit face an additional concern: worn front differential splines can cause a loss of drive power and allow the vehicle to roll away when parked, since the park position may not hold.
On the safety equipment side, the airbag control module can mistakenly deploy side curtain and seat airbags during normal driving, which can startle the driver and raise the risk of a crash. The rear suspension also has a concern: mounting rings on rear shock absorbers can fail, letting the shock detach and contact brake lines or tires, which can affect braking and stability. First and second row seat fasteners may not have been tightened properly at the factory, allowing seats to shift in a crash. Finally, running the front windshield wipers on a dry windshield can damage the body control module, eventually causing the wipers to stop working.
