This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The engine shuts off while driving on the highway/interstate. This has happened 5X now with no warning. Today I was traveling approx. 70 mph - the engine turns off by itself. Had to wait 90 minutes for a tow in 94 degree weather.
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Patriot. While driving approximately 35-40 mph, the contact noticed boiling hot water coming from a clogged air conditioning drain tube, which overflowed between the engine compartment and the firewall. In addition, water dripped down onto the leg of the driver and caused a burn. Medical attention was not required. The contact also stated that the clogged air conditioning drain tube caused water to immerse to the driver's and passenger's side floorboard, which caused the transmission module to become water logged and fail. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.
On a road trip the transmission overheating light came on. It was not hot outside and the engine temperate gauge did not indicate overheating. As soon as the transmission light came on the vehicle began to lose power and stall. It was very scary as we were on the highway with vehicles traveling 70 mph or more. We could of been hit because the vehicle would not accelerate. I feel Jeep/ Chrysler should look into this since my passenger and I could have been seriously hurt. The vehicle only has 72,000 miles and this is already the second times it does this and also the actuators are in need of replacement. I am at the point of just considering a trade in and dodging all these issues with a vehicle that does not even have 75K on it. I can only imagine what it would do at 100,000 miles.
Transmission overheats without warning until it already has happened. Transmission slips and makes noise. Because there are no codes dealers cannot properly diagnose this issue.. while on the freeway car will overheat and completely shut down leaving ypu at risk of possible collisions. Always told it needs a transmission flush. These flushes are already expensive but do not fix the problem on hot days (I live in Arizona) its more susceptible to overheating and shutting
This vehicle has had the transmission control module (tcm) replaced three times by a certified Jeep dealer. The faulty tcm causes the Jeep to barely start or to suddenly cause the Jeep to lose power if driving and only go about 5 mph in reverse or first gear. Also, the traction control, transmission temperature and check engine lights were on. The tcm has failed once when the vehicle was stationary and twice when moving. It takes at least a week for the dealer to order and install a replacement tcm, leaving me without my Jeep and causing me to lose any confidence in my vehicle. I complained to both carmax, where I bought the Jeep; and to Chrysler Jeep, which holds the drivetrain warranty. Both complaints were rebuffed as not being valid. I tried to upload my documentation but couldn't. I can send it to you via email or fax. The "when did this happen date was the 4th time I had tcm probelms
- Odenton, MD, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Vehicle has 79K miles. I started my car and the check engine light came on. I pulled out of the parking lot with no issues and suddenly the car slows down as if there's no power. Almost got hit because I could not speed up. Pulled over and checked the internet for issues. Googled Jeep Patriot transmission issues and it appears as though this is a common issue. Numerous complaints of driving on the highway and then a sudden loss of power and vehicle slowing to 20-30 mph. I believe this is a major safety concern because of sudden loss of power -- especially at highway speeds! thank you.
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that the transmission independently shifted out of fourth gear into neutral. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shift assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and repaired again, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
I own a 2011 Jeep Patriot and the transmission has already gone out! it happened immediately. No warning, nothing. I was driving on the freeway and heard a loud winding noise. I could not accelerate at all. I pulled off the freeway and turned the car off. When I turned the car back on I was able to accelerate, but for only a mile or so. Then no acceleration and I could not reverse. The car has 160K miles.
While traveling on a freeway my instrument panel lit up and my car lost all power. I was able to coast to the shoulder. When I looked up the panel light meanings in the manual, I determined it was safe to attempt to restart the car. The car would not start. After waiting for a few minutes, I was able to start the car and take it in to the dealer. The service department acknowledged the car problem but was unable to duplicate it. At the time. I had the same problem a few other times, my car stalled in the middle of an intersection and would not restart. Again, service department is unable to duplicate this issue. It usually happens while driving for 40-60 minutes approx. 70-75 mph. After coasting the vehicle to the side of the road... the dealer advised me that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance.
Driving down the interstate on a cool fall day my transmission overheat light came on. After sitting for 20 minutes I restarted the engine and the light went off. The same incident has happened several other times. I took it in to have it looked at and the dealership said that is common and the Jeep Patriot wasn't made to go on long trips. This is not normal for any vehicle and I still haven't gotten it fixed and now my warranty is up.
While driving on the highway the engine will start to whine and then lose power. Sometimes the transmission light will come on and sometimes it does not. Had to pull over 10 times during a trip that was 141 miles. Only 2 occupants in the car with no baggage or towing. Definitely was not overloaded and speeds were around 65 mph the entire trip. We do not feel safe in this car anymore and this is our family travel car!
The transmission frequently overheats on trips over 1 hours or where highway speed limits are higher than 70 mph. There is a field for the date of when this happened below; however, it has happened several times. I have to pull off of the road and let it set for about 15 to 20 minutes before I can continue the trip.
Rear sub frame that attaches to the uni body rusted completely through at a cross member. This sub frame is what mounts the entire rear suspension and drive line to the vehicle. Vehicle was purchased Aug. 2011 and has 98.000miles on it. Also have had problems with wheel bearings. Not including the factory set, we had to replace the wheel bearings (all 4) 3 times. No accidents/injuries were caused by these because they were repaired prior to them getting to bad. Vehicle is currently parked due to safety concerns with the rear suspension. Substandard steel for cross members and wheel bearing issues with these vehicles are known at Chrysler/Jeep, when I ordered the wheel bearings staff working parts counter joked about another one sold. When I called the salesmen about the cross member issue I was told that it is known and they replaced several recently at owners expense. I was also told that the recall/warranty extension will probably happen, so keep my receipt for reimbursement purposes. There are also numerous factory recalls or warranty extensions on Chrysler/Jeep products do to these issues.
While driving up a long highway hill on a very hot day, the transmission started making a high pitched whining sound. I pulled over to the shoulder to see if I could see anything leaking etc. After finding nothing obvious I reentered traffic and it was fine until we hit the next hill, and the whining started again. On the downside of the hill the sound went away. Once I got to my destination I looked online and saw complaints of transmission fluid overheating causing the same issue. The ride home was at night and after I dropped off my passengers and there were no problems. Since that time I've noticed occasional "bucking" when driving on flat smooth highway. I made an appointment at my local dealer to check this out. I explained both the bucking and the whining, but they didn't seem too concerned. They updated the software and sent me on my way. I'm very concerned that there is a design or manufacturing problem with this transmission and Jeep is not admitting to it. There are many indications online and on this site... I am very concerned about driving this vehicle, especially on warm days.
The car was purchased for our daughter who turned (16) Nov 2014. Most of the driving took place on local roads with short-term highway miles..(10-15 mins). The first instance occurred on July 4th, driving to relatives for a bbq & fireworks, our family took (2) cars, my daughter had been driving about 40 mins @ 75mph, when the car started making a whining noise and the temp lite appeared on her dashboard. She said the car was bogging down so she pulled over and called us. She waited 10 mins then continued the additional 15min drive without issue. We took the car into our auto repair shop, where the right front wheel bearing was replaced, as they could not find anything wrong with the engine/powertrain, fluids were fine. Total cost with labor and materials $260.14. The 2nd instance occurred on Sept 18 (today), driving to visit a friend, mainly highway miles, 75-80 mph. She called after (1.5) hours, stating that the temp light appeared and the car was making whining noises. She said the car was not reacting right and felt it was going to stall. When she pressed the gas pedal it would not react. She pulled off the expressway and pulled into a gas station turning off the engine for about (10) minutes. She started the car and finished the last 1/2 hr of expressway miles, staying well under 70 mph, with no issues. The concern is that the problem occurs during highway traveling over 70 mph consistantly over (1) hour. Posing a safety risk of stalling or not bogging down on the highway. This car will be taken to college in the spring 2016, 2-3 hours away where she will be doing regular highway driving and getting to the destination safetly is all that matters.
Good morning, I was traveling on my 2011 Jeep Patriot for the first time on our way from san diego, California to peoria, Arizona when about 100 miles my car had transmission oil hot warning light on my dash.(was not pulling anything) I pulled over cause that is what the owners manual says to do, I did exactly what it instructed to do. The light turned off, and I continued with my trip. This happened twice, but 45 min later my engine turned off when I was on the freeway. I did not get any warning on my dash, I just could not speed up. All electrical was still working as if the car engine was still running. I had to stir the car from the third outside lane to the emergency right emergency lane with no power steering. Once I managed to do that. My car engine would not turn on. I had to call for road side assistance and stay on the 116 degree weather for two hours for a tow tuck. Once all that happened, they dropped the car to a Jeep dealer. But the dealer was closed. The next day, the looked at the car, and they said nothing was wrong with the car. They could not figure out what happened. This happened for two days. I got my car back from the dealer with nothing done to it. I looked the problem up in many Jeep blogs and it seems this car cant be used on long trips cause the transmission overheats. Im in the military and my wife drives this car. I wish I knew this when I bought the car from the dealer. I'm going to trade this car in for a different make today cause I don't feel safe driving this car. Hope you can look at this issue and help all Jeep Patriots drivers. Thanks for your help in them matter.
On approximately 9/4/2014 we were traveling on ca hwy 15 in the baker ca area, temp was approx. 95 deg. And we were going up hill. About half way up, the transmission temp. Light came on and the vehicle started to loose power and slow down. As we pulled to the shoulder of the road we continued to the top and started down the grade, about half way down the light went out and the vehicle ran normal. We took the vehicle to the dealer and was told this was a problem with this vehicle and that the only thing they could try was to replace the cooler bypass valve which they did. On approximately 6/5/15 and approximately the same area the same problem happened. On 6/15/15 we took the vehicle to the dealer again and was told that this a condition of the vehicle a that nothing can be done to fix the problem. I also called the main service hotline for Jeep and was told the same thing.
While traveling at both highway and residential speeds my Jeep Patriot will suddenly, without warning, lose power. The first occurrence was at ~85,000 and now occurs every 50 miles or so. Engine shut down is random without warning and has resulted in near collisions, as I struggle to get out of the moving traffic lane. Engine light will come on after occurrence and remain on until car has set for the night. Engine diagnostics do not appear to explain problem per repair center report.
Car stalled while traveling on highway at 60 mph. No warning. Problem continues, dealer will not fix. Says he can't find cause of stalling. However, NHTSA and us gov. Regulatory Agency has been investigating multiple similar complaints from other Jeep Patriot owners including one who had his Jeep totaled by another car rear ending his vehicle when the Jeep stalled. I am not safe in this car. I need help having Jeep step up to fix this transmission which is clearly failing. Jeep is well aware of this problem with the Jeep Patriot but unless there is a recall, those of us who bought this car in good faith have been hung out to dry.
While going about 75 mph, coming back from California, the engine seemed to start making a different whining type sound and then the light telling me the transmission was overheating came on. I immediately pulled over and let it sit for 10 minutes while idling, which the owner manual suggested, . the light then went off and we proceeded home with no further incident. It was really strange though when you are in a large group of vehicle's and you suddenly lose all ability to accelerate; definitely a potential safety issue out on the road..
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Colby, KS, USA