The bottom line: When a 2014 to 2016 Grand Cherokee rolls away when parked, shows Service Shifter or drops into Neutral, the shifter, its software or the valve body is often to blame. Those cost owners $300 to about $3,000, so check the recalls and the fault codes first.
If the transmission has failed, a dealer replacement costs $6,297 to $7,283 across New York, Houston and Los Angeles, for a 2014 or a 2016. After a private sale, that leaves you $1,217 to $2,203 from a 2014 Laredo, close to what buyers offered for the broken 2014 we quoted.
So on a 2014, or a 2015 Laredo, a dealer transmission and selling it broken come out near even. A 2015 or 2016 Limited, or a rebuilt unit like the $2,800 one an independent shop quoted, tips it toward fixing.
Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool gets you several instant offers at once, so the decision rests on real numbers for your Jeep.
What would buyers pay for your Grand Cherokee with a transmission fault?Fill in one form, answering whether your Grand Cherokee still drives, and set real offers against a shifter, valve body or transmission quote.
Key Takeaways
- About one power train complaint in six that owners sent NHTSA for these years describes a car that rolled away or wasn’t in Park when they got out: 16% for the 2014, 22% for the 2015 and 8% for the 2016, the first year with a new shifter.
- For eight of these transmissions’ fault codes, Stellantis tells its dealers to replace the valve body before the transmission.
- Eleven owners told NHTSA that a new valve body, or even a whole new transmission, left the fault as it was or made it worse.
Automated assistant: general info, not legal advice
Answers come from our state paperwork data and published guides. Confirm anything binding with your state DMV.
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Is It the Shifter Rather Than the Transmission?
Every 2014 to 2016 Grand Cherokee has an eight-speed automatic. FCA’s bulletins name two, the 845RE and the 8HP70, fitted according to the engine. What changed between these years is the lever that controls it.
The 2014 and 2015 have a monostable shifter, which springs back to the middle after every move, so the lever never shows which gear you’re in. NHTSA’s investigation found that drivers missed Park more often with it, and that more of these cars rolled away with the engine running.
Two things it does by design can feel like a failing transmission:
- Select Park while the car is still moving faster than about 1 mph, and it goes into Neutral instead, to protect the transmission
- Press the stop button when it isn’t in Park, and the engine keeps running
FCA’s recall 16V-240, its campaign S27, added Auto Park software, which shifts the car into Park in the situations behind those rollaways. A dealer does it free, and if a used 2014 or 2015 missed it, NHTSA’s recall lookup shows it as open against the VIN.
A Service Shifter message on a 2014 or 2015 often comes from the shift handle. When the retainer inside it breaks, ALLDATA’s repair note says, the lever changes gear without the thumb button, and the scan shows code P1C87-2A. The fix it gives is a new shift handle.
The 2016 got a polystable shifter, which stays where you put it, like a conventional lever. Its own faults have their own fixes:
- Recall 16V-249, FCA’s S28, replaced the shifter free on 2016s built May 15, 2015 to February 19, 2016, whose shift interlock could lock the transmission in Park or Neutral at a stop
- Bulletin 08-051-17 updates the shift module’s software on 2016s built up to January 30, 2017, for a lever that stays locked in Park for a few minutes after start-up with Service Shifter lit. As a bulletin, not a recall, it’s charged for once the warranty is over
Grand Cherokee owners sent NHTSA 905 power train complaints about the 2014 to 2016 models, more than half of them about the 2014. These are the problems they describe most, by our count.
| What owners described | Share of complaints |
|---|---|
| Rolled away, or wasn’t in Park when the driver got out | 17% |
| Shifted hard, jerked or clunked | 12% |
| Dropped into Neutral on its own | 11% |
| Stalled | 8% |
| Wouldn’t shift, or stuck in one gear | 8% |
| Lost power or wouldn’t accelerate | 6% |
| Showed Service Shifter or another shifter warning | 5% |
Rolling away, a stuck lever and a Service Shifter warning point to the shifter. Hard shifts, slipping, a gear that won’t engage and a Service Transmission light point to the transmission, its valve body or its software. Dropping into Neutral can be either, so the fault codes decide it.
Take these steps in order:
- Ask a Jeep dealer to run the VIN for open recalls. That’s free, and the label in the driver’s door frame gives the build month the 2016 recall goes by.
- With nothing covered, pay for a diagnosis that names the fault codes, and the part each points to, in writing. A dealer charges $184 to $381 across the three cities and an independent shop $192 to $249, Kelley Blue Book estimates.
- If you’ve already decided to sell rather than repair anything, skip the fee. Instant-offer buyers price a car that won’t drive from what you tell them.
If yours has dropped into Neutral at highway speed, have it towed in rather than driving it there.
Why Doesn’t a New Transmission Always Cure It?
A valve body, the block of valves that applies each clutch, can make a sound gearbox shift hard, slip or refuse a gear.
Stellantis’s guidance to its dealers, which covers every eight-speed Grand Cherokee from 2014 to 2022, lists eight codes that bring on the Service Transmission or check engine light: P07E4, P1DB2, P0716, P1B14, P0733, P1D90, P1DB7 and P1B13.
For those codes it makes a new valve body the first repair. A transmission comes after it only if the fault stays, or if the gearbox is plainly damaged before any work starts.
The same guidance tells technicians that the fluid in these eight-speeds normally smells burnt, from its additives, and that a fine metallic film in the pan comes from normal wear.
Neither is a reason on its own to replace the transmission, so ask any shop that quotes one what it found.
Even the right part can miss. Eleven owners told NHTSA that a new valve body, or a whole new transmission, left the fault as it was or made it worse, and some went back several times.
Many of those repairs were done under warranty, costing the owner time, not money. Out of warranty, a repair that misses is one you pay for twice. A shop that names the code and the part it points to can say why it isn’t quoting the cheaper fix.
Is Any of the Repair Still Covered?
The factory powertrain warranty has ended on every 2014 to 2016. None of the bulletins FCA filed with NHTSA for these years extends the transmission’s warranty: the extensions it did issue cover trim, seat belts, head restraints and the diesel engine.
FCA released software for the transmission’s shifting on each model year, such as bulletin 21-039-14, issued for the 2015 models. For the 2016, 21-011-16 treats a bump on the downshift from second to first while braking and a blinking M on the shifter.
Unlike a recall, a bulletin is charged for once the warranty is over, so ask the price before a dealer runs one.
What Do Shops Charge for a Grand Cherokee Transmission?
At a dealer, Kelley Blue Book’s estimate for a new transmission runs from $6,297 to $7,283, depending on the city, and it gives the 2014 and the 2016 the same price:
| City | Dealer estimate | Of which labor |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY 10001 | $6,405 to $6,889 | $1,851 to $2,005 |
| Houston, TX 77002 | $6,297 to $6,773 | $1,819 to $1,971 |
| Los Angeles, CA 90012 | $6,769 to $7,283 | $1,956 to $2,120 |
The transmission is $4,478 to $5,163 of each estimate, and Los Angeles costs about $500 more than Houston. A cheaper unit saves far more than a cheaper city.
For an independent shop, Kelley Blue Book gives no price. On CarComplaints, one 2014 owner was quoted $9,000 by a dealer and $2,800 by a mechanic to fit a rebuilt unit, and another was quoted $5,400 without saying by whom.
A 2016 owner told NHTSA a dealer priced a new transmission at $6,000, with FCA offering $2,000 of it. A quote well under the dealer figures usually means an independent shop or a rebuilt or used unit, so ask which before you compare it.
The typical $4,100 that 2014 owners reported to CarComplaints for a failed transmission isn’t one repair’s price. Of the 19 reports, 7 owners had the transmission replaced, 9 didn’t know what was done, and the other 3 named smaller fixes.
The parts around the transmission cost owners far less, they told NHTSA:
- A shifter repair after a Service Shifter warning: $300 at one dealer, a $1,400 quote at another, and $1,600 for the part alone at a third shop
- An electronic part of the transmission system on a 2015: about $1,000
- A valve body and its connectors at a dealer: nearly $3,000, which in that case didn’t stop the fault
Kelley Blue Book also prices the job for your own ZIP code. Open its page for your year: 2014, 2015, 2016.
An independent transmission shop may quote less than a dealer. A used or rebuilt unit has to match yours, and the sales code on the build sheet says which: DFL for the 845RE, DFD or DFK for the 8HP70. Any Jeep dealer can look it up by VIN.
Some shops refuse to fit a unit you supply, so ask before you buy one. No owner who complained to NHTSA gave a fitted price for a used or rebuilt unit, so the $2,800 quote on CarComplaints is the only one.
Does Fixing a 2014 Grand Cherokee Leave You More?
In good condition at typical mileage, Kelley Blue Book values a 2014 Laredo at $8,500 in a private sale and $4,700 as a dealer trade-in. A Limited sells privately for $8,650 and an Overland for $8,675.
| Route, 2014 Laredo | What you pay | After an $8,500 sale |
|---|---|---|
| Recall S27 at a dealer, for a rollaway | Nothing | $8,500, its full value |
| Shifter repair, at owners’ bills | $300 to $1,600 | $6,900 to $8,200 left |
| Valve body, at one owner’s dealer bill | About $3,000 | About $5,500 left |
| Rebuilt transmission, at one owner’s shop quote | $2,800 | $5,700 left |
| New transmission at a dealer | $6,297 to $7,283 | $1,217 to $2,203 left |
| Sell it as it is | None | Your best offer |
Every repair route short of a dealer transmission leaves a 2014 Laredo at least $5,500 after a private sale. The dealer transmission leaves $1,217 to $2,203, while the best offer for the only broken one we quoted, a 2014 Overland with 168,000 miles, was $1,325.
The sum assumes a private buyer pays full value for a 2014 at typical mileage with a new transmission. A car with high miles or other faults is worth less, so put its own value in the calculator.
Check Your Own Numbers
The example is a 2014 Laredo: $6,800 for a dealer transmission, about midway between the three cities’ estimates, its $8,500 private-sale value, and the best offer for the only broken one we quoted, a 2014 Overland. Change any of them to match your car.
No offer yet? Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool gets you several instant offers at once.
A 2015 Laredo, at $8,475 privately, sits with the 2014. Higher trims of the 2015 and every 2016 are worth more running, so the same repair leaves more. A 2015 Limited sells privately for $9,675 and a 2016 Limited for $10,200.
At the dealer prices, a 2016 Limited keeps $2,917 to $3,903 after a private sale, and a 2015 Limited $2,392 to $3,378, well above what buyers offered for the broken 2014. With the $2,800 rebuilt unit, either keeps over $6,800.
Those values are for typical mileage, so price your own car. Look up your own year’s value, by trim and mileage, on Kelley Blue Book: 2014, 2015, 2016.
Which Owners Come Out Ahead Selling It Broken?
Selling it as it is tends to leave you more when:
- Your quote is for a new transmission at a dealer, on a 2014 or a 2015 Laredo
- The car has high miles, a branded title or other faults that would keep its price down once fixed
- You’d sell the fixed car to an instant buyer, who offers far below a private buyer
In any of those, get offers before you approve the work.
What Do Instant-Offer Buyers Pay for These Grand Cherokees?
My Garage, Sell Car Advisor’s offer comparison form, collected offers on these four Grand Cherokees: a 2014 whose owner marked the transmission as failed, and three Limiteds that drove.
| Grand Cherokee | Miles | Condition | Best offer | Second offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland | 168,000 | Transmission failed, starts but doesn’t drive | $1,325 | $374 |
| 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited | 126,000 | Drives, clean title | $2,920 | $2,729 |
| 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited | 100,000 | Drives, clean title | $3,142 | $2,873 |
| 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited | 95,000 | Drives, clean title | $3,310 | $3,262 |
On the broken 2014, two buyers made offers, and the higher was over three times the lower, so one quote alone would have told its owner little. A third buyer asked to talk by phone rather than make an offer.
For the three Limiteds that drove, the best offers ran from $2,920 to $3,310, about half of Kelley Blue Book’s trade-in value at typical mileage: $5,450 for a 2015 Limited and $6,125 for a 2016.
A fixed Grand Cherokee sold to an instant buyer gets little of the repair back, which is why fixing pays when you keep the car or sell it privately.
Across every 2011 to 2021 Grand Cherokee that was 10 or more years old when quoted, so a 2016 or older, the typical offer in our offer data is $1,765, whatever the car’s condition. One with a failed transmission should expect less than one that drives.
Middle offer on an old Jeep Grand Cherokee, by model year 186 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers · 11,917 for all cars of the same years · Model yearsShow the numbers
Model years Jeep Grand Cherokee Offers All cars of the same years Offers 1993 to 1998 $323 18 $365 765 1999 to 2004 $395 64 $430 3,034 2005 to 2010 $535 59 $575 5,215 2011 to 2021 $1,765 45 $1,120 2,903 
Where Do You Sell a Grand Cherokee That Won’t Shift?
Nothing has to be repaired or diagnosed before you ask for offers. The instant-offer buyers we quoted bid on cars that won’t drive and fold the fault into the offer, working from what you tell them.
How far it moves matters most. In our offer data, buyers offer 29% less for a car of any make that starts but won’t drive than for a comparable one that does.
The form asks whether the car drives, so answer for the day you ask:
- It drives, even with Service Shifter or Service Transmission lit, or the odd drop into Neutral: say it drives, with a warning light on
- It starts but won’t move under its own power: say it starts but doesn’t drive
- It won’t start at all: say so
If the car is worse at pickup than you described, the driver can cut the offer then and there.
Selling privately, put the failed transmission in the listing and price for it. The buyer is paying for the repair, so ask well under the $4,700 a dealer gives for a working 2014 Laredo on trade.
Before pickup, find the title and check it’s in your name, since the instant-offer buyers we quoted pay when they collect. Plate rules vary, so check whether yours come off before the car goes.
Compare what buyers offer for your Grand Cherokee. Sell Car Advisor’s comparison tool collects offers from several buyers through a single form, and you decide whether any of them beats the shop’s quote.
Article Update History
Originally posted and shared with our readers.
Sources
NHTSA: Engineering Analysis EA16-002 closing resume, vehicle rollaway with the engine on
2014 and 2015 Grand Cherokee and 2012 to 2014 Charger and 300: the monostable shifter, higher error rates on shifts to Park and higher rates of powered rollaway; the shift to Neutral above 1.2 mph; the engine that will not shut off out of Park; the change to polystable shifters on the 2016 Grand Cherokee; the Auto Park remedy. Accessed October 15, 2026.
NHTSA recall 16V-240: monostable gear selector rollaway (FCA S27)
2014 and 2015 Grand Cherokee built July 16, 2012 to December 22, 2015 with the eight-speed and monostable selector; dealers update the software free; some cars renotified after incomplete updates. Part 573 report read alongside. Accessed October 15, 2026.
NHTSA recall 16V-249: brake transmission shift interlock, 2016 Grand Cherokee (FCA S28)
2016 Grand Cherokee built May 15, 2015 to February 19, 2016: a loose solenoid connection can lock the transmission in Park or Neutral at a stop; dealers replace the shifter assembly free. Accessed October 15, 2026.
ALLDATA: Grand Cherokee electronic shifter issue
2014 and 2015 Grand Cherokee: a broken switch retainer in the shift handle lets the lever change gear without the thumb switch, often with a Shifter Service message; code P1C87-2A; the repair is a new OE shift handle. Accessed October 15, 2026.
FCA service bulletin 08-051-17: Electronic Shift Module system improvements
2016 and 2017 Grand Cherokee built on or before January 30, 2017: lever locked in Park at start-up for about 2.5 minutes, Service Shifter warning, PRNDM display out; shift module software and, if needed, the PRNDM replaced. Accessed October 15, 2026.
NHTSA: vehicle complaints, 2014 to 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
The 905 complaints filed under power train for the three model years, read from NHTSA's complaints API; the problems they describe, counted by us, the repairs that did not cure the fault, and the bills owners reported. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Stellantis STAR case S2621000003 Rev. A: eight-speed service transmission warning
Every 2014 to 2022 Grand Cherokee (WK) among other models: codes P07E4, P1DB2, P0716, P1B14, P0733, P1D90, P1DB7, P1B13; burnt fluid smell and fine metallic in the pan are not grounds for replacement; valve body replacement first, before a transmission. Accessed October 15, 2026.
FCA service bulletin 21-039-14: Transmission shift enhancements
2015 Grand Cherokee with the 845RE (sales code DFL) or 8HP70 (DFD or DFK) eight-speed: control module software, improvements listed per engine. Accessed October 15, 2026.
FCA service bulletin 21-011-16 Rev. B: Transmission diagnostic and shift enhancements
2016 Grand Cherokee: transmission control module reprogrammed for code U0404, a bump on the 2-1 downshift while braking and a blinking M on the shifter and cluster. Accessed October 15, 2026.
CarComplaints: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee transmission failure
Typical repair cost $4,100 at an average 31,300 miles across 19 reports; 7 replaced the transmission, 9 not sure; one owner quoted $9,000 by a dealer and $2,800 to fit a rebuilt unit, another quoted $5,400. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Kelley Blue Book: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee transmission replacement
Dealer estimates for ZIP 10001, 77002 and 90012: $6,297 to $7,283, of which parts $4,478 to $5,163 and labor $1,819 to $2,120; no independent-shop figure. The 2016 (vehicleid 415721) is priced identically. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Kelley Blue Book: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee diagnostics
For ZIP 10001, 77002 and 90012: dealer $184 to $381, independent $192 to $249. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Kelley Blue Book: 2014 to 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee values
Trade-in, private party and fair purchase values by trim, good condition, national averages at typical mileage; the 2015 and 2016 from their own year pages. Accessed October 15, 2026.
Sell Car Advisor: My Garage instant offers
Instant offers from several buyers on the same car, with the condition the owner gave, quoted March to October 2026. These are the cars in this page's offer tables and the set behind the condition figures (how much less buyers offer for a car that doesn't start or doesn't drive), compared within groups of cars of similar age and mileage. The model-year charts come from a larger set of offers going back to 2021.
Middle offer on an old Jeep Grand Cherokee, by model year, Sell Car Advisor
"186 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers · 11,917 for all cars of the same years" Accessed Oct. 17, 2026
Junk Car Value Statistics, Sell Car Advisor
"On this page: 1 figure from 17,628 instant cash offers, and 1 figure from same-day quotes by several buyers" Accessed Oct. 17, 2026
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