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Your vehicleHome›Jeep›2020 Jeep Cherokee› engine problems
Owner complaints · Engine

2020 Jeep Cherokee engine problems

50 of the 333 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Jeep Cherokee name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 57 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.

50 complaints 15% of this model year’s 6 a fire typically at 49k miles

What owners filed about the engine

Source: NHTSA complaint database
50complaints name the engine

0 of the 50 reports a crash · 6 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.

Filed per year: 2020: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2022: 3 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 14 · 2026: 16

49kmiles, typically

Half of the 16 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 3,000 and 84,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.

15%of this model year’s complaints

333 complaints in all about the 2020 Jeep Cherokee, 16 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →

Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.

Across model years: Jeep Cherokee engine problems, every year on file →

In owners’ own words

Source: NHTSA complaint database

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.

When coasting at low speeds the vehicle makes multiple click sounds and now there has been a clunking sound seems like when. Trying to downshift or upshift almost as it can't find a gear. When in a stoped position I put it in drive ease the gas and it will jump into gear.
Engine Aug 2, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11536161
The start and stop feature in the vehicle keeps malfunctioning and has done so every since I purchased car in 2021. Took it to dealer and they replaced the battery and that still did not stop it from malfunctioning meaning it go completely dead this is a safety hazard and now that my car is out of warranty the dealer is giving me issues…
Engine Jun 6, 2023 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11525629
This 2020 jeep cherokee altitude burns close to 3 quarts of oil. I have 26000 miles on it. I havent received any recalls or notice from dodge/crysler dealer. This is ridiculous
Engine Dec 29, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11499465
About a week ago, a faint smell of gasoline was noticed at the front of the vehicle after it was shut off. The smell became stronger and more noticeable with each passing day. Today, gasoline can be smelled coming out of the air vents as well as outside of the vehicle.
Engine Jun 6, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11467888
The contact owns a 2020 Jeep Cherokee. The contact noticed that the vehicle was on fire while parked in a parking lot. The contact mentioned the fire caused 2 other vehicles to catch on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and determined the fire was caused by the engine. A police report was filed. The vehicle was damaged.
Engine at 16,800 miles Dec 1, 2021 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11442222

What is on file about the engine

Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications

57 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading

The 8 newest are listed (the model year’s page has its newest of every kind). Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.

Trouble codes named on this system

P2100 P0513 P1279 P0139 P1CEA P1D83

Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2020 Jeep Cherokee names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.

Other systems with a record on the 2020 Jeep Cherokee

Source: the same files
From here
Every 2027 model on file, by price Compare two vehicles, trim vs trim See what a VIN was priced at See what owners reported

Common questions

Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communications

Are engine problems common on the 2020 Jeep Cherokee?

They are documented: NHTSA holds 50 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (15% of everything owners filed about it), and 57 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.

Is there a recall for the engine on the 2020 Jeep Cherokee?

No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 3 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.

When do engine problems show up on the 2020 Jeep Cherokee?

Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 49,413 miles; half of them between 3,000 and 84,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.

What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?

The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.