1,325 complaints and one saving grace: 2017 is the first year Jeep will actually replace the failed Power Transfer Unit under recall rather than patch around it. Everything rides on whether that has been done.

The 2.4L four-cylinder uses oil between changes. Chrysler documents it in warranty extension XB1, published as Warranty Bulletin D-23-01 covering 'Select 2014 - 2019 Jeep Cherokee (KL)' and several sibling Fiat Chrysler models. The bulletin's own symptom list is 'oil pressure low indicator lamp illumination between oil changes' and 'excessive oil consumption,' and the procedure is 'performing an oil consumption verification test and possibly replacing the long block.' A separate bulletin, '2.4L Engine Oil Consumption Test,' appears in six revisions across these years. Owners report engines replaced under warranty after failing the test, and stalling when the level drops. There is a counterweight worth knowing: a mechanic who works on these engines says they 'don't ever really spin bearings or crack blocks even at higher mileage,' the timing chain setup is reliable, and he has seen examples past 300,000 miles. It is an engine that punishes an inattentive owner rather than one that fails on its own. Coverage terms are not stated in the bulletin summary, so verify eligibility by VIN.

The ZF nine-speed automatic (the 948TE, from the German gearbox maker ZF) is the Cherokee's reputational problem. A mechanic who repairs them says 'every second or third will have some kind of transmission issues' and that he has replaced five or six, some beyond fixing. Symptoms start as stuck gears, throttle delay and clumsy downshifts. 2017 has a specific documented fault of its own: customer-satisfaction program T52 reprograms the transmission control module on about 24,000 cars, because stopping, shifting straight from Drive to Park and then turning the key from Run to Accessory 'will cause the transmission to be limited to one gear and a maximum speed of 30 - 45 mph' and set a P0810 code. There is also a 'Service Shifter' bulletin for 2015 to 2018 cars covering communication codes U0103 and U0103-87. Jeep calls the fluid lifetime fluid and the unit is sealed with no dipstick, so assume it has never been changed. Drive it long enough to get the gearbox warm.

The V6 is a 3.2L Pentastar, a short-stroke version of Chrysler's 3.6L that a mechanic notes was fitted only to the Cherokee. Its documented wear item is the oil filter adapter housing, which leaks at the block joint. Chrysler's bulletin spans model years 2014 to 2022 and directs dealers to replace the inlet O-ring and gaskets rather than the whole adapter above 30,000 miles; a mechanic puts the job at three or four hours of labor. A second Pentastar bulletin covering 2014 to 2017 tells dealers to inspect the oil pump for relief valve failure if a P06DD code is present. The other V6 symptom is a top-end tick from a worn rocker arm that can develop into a misfire. On a 2017 3.2L, Chrysler also has a valve body note: a P0810-00 code means the transmission computer needs its latest software.

Three smaller campaigns. Recall 16V-799 (code S84) covers 2017 cars built in a five-day window, 13 to 17 October 2016, where 'improper welds on the driver's knee air bag inflator may prevent the air bag from properly inflating'; dealers replace the module. Recall 17V-543 (code T53) is a compliance recall covering 2017 and 2018 cars whose certification label was printed without the tire and rim size information, which matters because it is what a tire shop reads; the fix is a corrected label. Recall 18V-332 is the large multi-model campaign where a wiring short can stop cruise control disengaging, fixed with a software flash of the engine or powertrain control module (the PCM, the computer that runs the engine). All three are free.