Explainer
Transmission Fluid by Model: ATF+4, ZF 8-Speed and Service Intervals
Which transmission and transfer case fluid each Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler lists for 2015-2027, and where the service schedules call for a change.
By the New England CDJR editorsUpdated November 8, 20268 min read
If you are asking what transmission fluid a Grand Cherokee, a Ram 1500 or a Wrangler takes, the answer depends on the transmission, not the nameplate. In the owner's-manual data behind this site, the eight- and nine-speed automatics in most 2015-2027 vehicles call for a ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF (or equivalent). The older six-speed automatics, many manual transmissions and most transfer cases name ATF+4. A few 2025-2027 transmissions switch to a fluid called ATF 818.
The service schedules are a separate question, and the answer is less tidy. Most of the newest automatics have no automatic-transmission fluid line at all in the schedule data, while the transfer case usually does.
Fluid by model and year
This table comes from the "Automatic transmission" rows in the fluids data. "Or equivalent" appears in most of the wording, so the named fluid is a specification, not a single bottle.
| Model | Years | Automatic transmission fluid listed |
|---|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler JK | 2015–2018 | ATF+4 |
| Jeep Wrangler JL | 2018–2027 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF; the 2026 8HP80PH (4xe) lists ATF 818 and the 2026 850RE lists ZF |
| Jeep Gladiator | 2020–2027 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 2015–2025 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 2026 | ATF 818 for the 880RE, 8HP80 and 8P75PH (4xe hybrid) |
| Jeep Grand Cherokee | 2027 | ATF 818 for the 880RE and 8HP80; ZF fluid for the 850RE |
| Dodge Durango | 2015–2027 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF, every year |
| Ram 1500 | 2015–2018 | ATF+4 with the six-speed (gasoline); ZF fluid with the eight-speed |
| Ram 1500 | 2019–2027 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF |
| Ram 1500 Classic | 2019 | ATF+4 (six-speed) and ZF fluid (eight-speed); 2020–2024 list ZF |
| Ram 2500 and 3500, 6.7L diesel | 2015–2024, where a diesel row exists | ATF+4 for the 68RFE; ASRC fluid for the AS69RC |
| Ram 2500 and 3500, 6.7L diesel | 2025–2027 | ATF 818 for the 8‑speed TorqueFlite |
| Ram 2500 and 3500, 6.4L gas | 2017–2027 (3500 from 2018) | ZF fluid for the eight-speed (8HP75 in 2025–2027) |
| Ram ProMaster | 2015–2021 | ATF+4 |
| Ram ProMaster | 2022–2027 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF |
| Dodge Grand Caravan and Journey | 2015–2020 | ATF+4 |
| Chrysler Pacifica | 2017–2027 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF |
| Dodge Charger | 2015–2023 | ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF |
| Dodge Charger | 2026–2027 | ATF 818 |
Two spots where the data disagrees with itself are worth knowing. The 2018 Wrangler appears with a JK row (ATF+4) and a JL row (ZF fluid) because both generations were built that year, and the 2018 Wrangler page keeps them apart. And the Jeep Compass rows alternate: 2017-2022 list AW-1 fluid for the six-speed front-drive models and ZF fluid for the nine-speed 4WD models, 2023, 2025 and 2026 list ZF fluid, and 2024 and 2027 list ATF SP4-M with no model qualifier. Check the 2024 Compass page against your own vehicle before buying fluid.
Older Wranglers are on the ATF+4 side of the line: see the 2017 Wrangler. The ZF generation starts with the JL, and the 2026 Wrangler is the year where the plug-in 4xe transmission gets its own fluid.
ATF+4 versus ATF+, and what "only" means
The research data names ATF+4. It never lists plain ATF+, so it cannot tell you how the two compare; it does show the manufacturer being strict where it chooses to be. A 2016 Wrangler row says to use only ATF+4. The 68RFE rows for the 2021 and 2024 Ram 2500 say "ATF+4 only," and the 2021 ProMaster, 2020 Journey and 2015 Town & Country rows use the same kind of wording. The 2016 Challenger eight-speed rows go the other way and say ZF 8 and 9 Speed ATF only.
The practical reading: match the fluid family to the transmission, and do not treat ZF fluid and ATF+4 as interchangeable. The Grand Caravan rows for 2018-2020 also carry a standard, MS‑9602, next to ATF+4, which makes them the only automatic-transmission rows in the data with a standard listed.
Electric drive modules are their own category. The 2024-2027 Charger, the 2026 Recon and the 2025-2026 Wagoneer S list ATF+e for the drive module, not for a transmission.
Manual transmissions and transfer cases
Manual gearboxes usually name ATF+4 too. It is listed for the Wrangler JL (2018-2027, every year), for the Gladiator in 2020-2025, and for the Challenger in 2015-2023. The Wrangler JK years (2015-2018) instead say "manual transmission lubricant."
Transfer case fluid is less uniform than transmission fluid:
| Vehicle | Years | Transfer case fluid listed |
|---|---|---|
| Wrangler | 2015–2027 | ATF+4 |
| Gladiator | 2020–2027 | ATF+4 |
| Grand Cherokee | 2015–2027 | ATF+4 for the two-speed units; a Quadra-Trac I single-speed row in 2015–2021 lists "Automatic Transmission Fluid 3353" |
| Durango | 2015–2027 | ATF+4, with a plain "automatic transmission fluid" listed for 3.6L engines in 2015–2021 (Shell ATF is named in 2016–2019) |
| Ram 1500 | 2015–2018 | BW44-44 transfer case fluid (2016 says only "transfer case fluid"); 2019 lists a BorgWarner 44-44 and 44-45 lubricant for the 48-11 and a 44-45 to 44-48 group for the 48-12 |
| Ram 1500 | 2020–2027 | Mobil Fluid LT for the 48-11 (4WD Auto); Shell Spirax S2 ATF A389 for the 48-12 part-time unit (2020 also has a 3.0L diesel row with Mopar BW44-44 fluid) |
| Charger and 300 AWD | 2015–2023 | A BorgWarner 44-40 transfer case lubricant |
| Charger | 2026–2027 | Lubricant equivalent to Shell TF0870-B |
| Grand Wagoneer (2022–2027) and Wagoneer (2022–2025) | 2022–2027 | "Mobile LT" (the data's spelling) |
A Ram 1500 therefore needs the transfer case identified before the fluid is, and the 2024 Ram 1500 page lists both. Durango rows show the 2024 Durango on ATF+4 for its transfer case with ZF fluid in the transmission, which is why a "one bottle covers everything" assumption goes wrong.
When the schedules call for a change
Here is what the maintenance rows actually say about automatic transmissions. The pattern is that older six-speeds, the Ram diesel units and a few recent models have lines, and most ZF-equipped vehicles do not.
| Vehicle | Years | Schedule line |
|---|---|---|
| Wrangler, Ram 1500 (six-speed only), Grand Caravan, Journey | 2015–2018 (Ram Classic 2019; vans through 2020) | Fluid and filter at 120,000 miles; also at 60,000 for police, taxi, fleet or frequent trailer towing |
| Ram ProMaster | 2015–2021 | Fluid and filter at 60,000 and 120,000, no severe-use wording |
| Ram 2500 and 3500, 68RFE | 2019–2024 | Fluid and filters at 120,000; also at 60,000 for police, fleet or frequent trailer towing |
| Ram 2500 and 3500, AS69RC | 2019–2024 | Fluid at 30,000, 60,000, 90,000 and 120,000; sump filter at 60,000 and 120,000 |
| Ram 2500 and 3500, 6.7L diesel TorqueFlite | 2025–2027 | 2025 lists 60,000; 2026 and 2027 list 60,000 and 120,000 |
| Grand Wagoneer | 2026 | Change transmission fluid at 60,000 and 120,000 |
Look at the 2019 Grand Caravan and 2021 ProMaster to see the older pattern, and the 2022 Ram 2500 and 2027 Ram 3500 for the heavy-duty ones. The 2019 Ram 1500 Classic is the last Classic year with the six-speed line.
Now the gap. The schedule data contains no automatic-transmission fluid line for the Wrangler in 2019-2027, the Gladiator (2020-2027), the Grand Cherokee (2015-2027), the Durango (2015-2027), the Pacifica (2017-2027), the Voyager (2020-2026), the Ram 1500 from 2019 on, the Cherokee in 2015-2023 or 2026-2027, or the Charger. That is not the same as a lifetime fill. The data never uses the words "lifetime" or "sealed", so all it supports is that the schedule rows carry no such line, and that the owner's manual should be checked for your exact transmission.
Manual gearboxes do get a line. The Wrangler schedule in every year from 2015 to 2027 lists a manual-transmission change at 30,000‑mile steps through 150,000 if you tow, plow snow, carry heavy loads, run commercial service, go off-road or drive in desert conditions.
Transfer case service
This is where the severe-use split is most visible.
| Vehicle | Years | Schedule line |
|---|---|---|
| Wrangler and Gladiator, gasoline | 2015–2027 | Inspect at 30,000, 90,000 and 150,000; change at 60,000 and 120,000 only for police, taxi, fleet or frequent trailer towing |
| Wrangler and Gladiator, 3.0L diesel | Wrangler 2021–2023, Gladiator 2021 | Change transfer case fluid at 120,000 |
| Grand Cherokee | 2022–2027 (2021 for the Grand Cherokee L only) | Normal usage: 120,000. Severe usage (police, taxi, fleet, off-road, frequent trailer towing): 70,000 and 140,000 |
| Durango | 2022–2023 | Normal usage 120,000; severe usage 70,000 and 140,000 |
| Durango | 2024–2027 | Drain and refill listed at every 30,000‑mile step to 150,000 |
| Ram 1500 | 2015–2027 | Inspect, with a change for police, taxi, fleet or frequent trailer towing at 60,000 and 120,000; a plain change at 120,000 in most years (2019 lists it at 150,000) |
| Charger and Cherokee | 2026–2027 | Normal 120,000; severe 70,000 and 140,000 |
| Grand Wagoneer (2022–2027) and Wagoneer (2022–2025) | 2022–2027 | Inspect at 30,000‑mile steps; change at 150,000 |
Two footnotes. The Wrangler 6.4L schedule in 2024-2027 lists drain and refill at every 30,000 miles, and so do the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX and 2025 Ram 1500 RHO schedules. The 2021 Gladiator is the one year where the diesel gets its own 120,000‑mile line.
Anyone towing a boat or snowmobile trailer in a Jeep or Ram belongs in the severe columns, since those rows name frequent trailer towing directly. Snow plowing is not named in the transfer case rows; it appears only in the Wrangler manual-transmission line above.
Capacities: a gap
The research data lists no automatic-transmission or transfer-case fluid capacity for the Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Ram or Durango. The only transmission capacity rows are the Viper (3.4 qt, 2015-2017) and the Cherokee (4.5 qt in 2026 and 2027, listed as an automatic transaxle). Use the 2026 Cherokee page if that is the one you need, and do not borrow a number from another model.
How to check your own vehicle
Start with the VIN decoder to confirm engine and drivetrain, then open the model-year page for the fluid and maintenance rows. The spec explorer shows any year side by side, and the Pacifica 2025 page is a good example of a year that lists gas and hybrid models separately. If you tow, the towing guide covers the ratings that decide whether the severe-use lines apply. Model hubs for the current lineup: Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Ram 1500.
