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Selling a junk Jeep Cherokee

Any Cherokee sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.

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What owners report about the Jeep Cherokee

NHTSA has 18,580 owner complaints on file for the Jeep Cherokee, model years 1995 to 2022, the 18th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are transmission and drivetrain (5,540, 30%), electrical system (2,286, 12%), engine (2,183, 12%). 787 complaints involved a crash, 350 a fire, and 572 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 40,000 miles. The 2014 model year has the most complaints (3,976). Data as of 2026-10-12.

When the top complaint is transmission and drivetrain, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car with a bad transmission: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.

Jeep Cherokee by model year

YearComplaintsMost reportedCrashFireRecallsMedian miles
1995732Body and structure1101111113,000
1996584Brakes723010140,226
1997496Fuel system60710125,000
1998553Brakes42511117,000
1999516Brakes4934880,360
2000508Brakes3273770,000
2001329Brakes3325860,000
200618Visibility and wipers000—
20143,976Transmission and drivetrain98341340,000
20152,667Transmission and drivetrain80471134,000
20162,054Transmission and drivetrain5524945,000
20171,940Transmission and drivetrain428641,432
20181,000Transmission and drivetrain188734,000
20192,469Transmission and drivetrain66281125,000
2020427Transmission and drivetrain118350,000
2021233Transmission and drivetrain168440,550
202278Transmission and drivetrain303—

Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.

Jeep Cherokee recalls

NHTSA lists 61 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for transmission and drivetrain (12), lights (6), air bags (6). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.

  • 2019 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 26V290000, May 2026): Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2023 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may fail.
  • 2017 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 25V011000, Apr 2025): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The power transfer unit (PTU) may become damaged and disengage the transmission and differential, resulting in a loss of drive power and/or lo…
  • 2021 model year, air bags (campaign 24V516000, Jul 2024): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. An improperly secured connector for the right-side curtain air bag may prevent the air bag from deploying as intended. As such, these vehicles…
  • 2022 model year, lights (campaign 24V239000, Mar 2024): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2022 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The turn signal self-canceling feature may not function properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Veh…
  • 2014 model year, electrical system (campaign 23V338000, May 2023): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Jeep Cherokee vehicles equipped with a power liftgate. An electrical short in the power liftgate module may lead to a vehicle fire with the ignition on or off.

What a Jeep Cherokee is worth as a junk car

Buyers price a junk Cherokee on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.

Guides for selling this car

Other Jeep models

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Questions people ask

What is a junk Jeep Cherokee worth?
What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Cherokee gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
Will a junkyard buy a Jeep Cherokee that doesn't run?
Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
Should I fix an open recall before selling a Jeep Cherokee?
Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
Where do these Jeep Cherokee numbers come from?
From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.