10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
51,076 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2012 Jeep Patriot engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Jeep Patriot Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #28

Nov 012021

Patriot

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 JEEP PATRIOT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK VALVE WOULD CLOSE WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING REFUELED. BEAVER COUNTY DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM (2761 CONSTITUTION BLVD, BEAVER FALLS, PA 15010) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL TANK ROLLOVER VALVE WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED A FUEL TANK REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS ALSO TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V142000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 199073 also another time TL* my 2012 JEEP PATRIOT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLEd THE THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT RELATED THE FAILURE TONHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V120000. CAR STALLS AT EVERY STOP. WHILE DRIVING HIGH WAY SPEEDS FOR A FEW MINUTES IT DROPS DOWN IN SPEED CAUSING YOU CLOSE CALL ACCIDENTS BECAUSE IT IS VERY SUDDEN. IF I DRIVE THE JEEP AND COME TO A COMPLETE STOP REGARDLESS IF AT STOP SIGN RED LIGHT OR BEHIND TRAFFIC THE CAR WILL TURN OFF HAVING ME TO TURN THE KEY IN OFF POSITION AND PUT IT IN PARK TO START IT AGAIN. IF I AM ON THE HIGHWAY DRIVING I CAN BE GOING 45 MPH AND ALL OF SUDDEN THE JEEP STARTS DECLINING IN ITS ACCELERATION AND WILL NOT GO ABOVE 10MPH. ALSO WHEN INITIALLY STARTING UP IF I HAVE TO BACK UP IT TURNS OFF WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF BACKING UP. THIS ISSUE IS BEEN KNOWN TO HAPPEN TO A FEW PEOPLE WHO I KNOW THAT OWN THE SAME EXACT JEEP OR THE 2012 MODEL. ALSO HAVE HAD IT CHECKED OUT AND ONLY THING THAT POPS UP IS A CODE FOR THE GAS CAP WHICH I HAVE REPLACED AND STILL POPS THE CODE FOR

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #27

Oct 102019

Patriot

  • 153,457 miles
While driving or in a parked position while the engine runs, the RPM needle drops to zero 0 and my car doesn't accelerate when pressing the gas pedal. There are times I am on the highway and RPM drops to zero 0 and I have to pull over on the shoulders. I would have to put the car in park, and shut my car off for extra minutes or more before I can fully restart it. If I try turning the car on before the 2 minutes it would take a longer time to restart. This is very dangerous because the car shut off when I'm at the stop light, in the middle of the highway. When making a turn, and the RPM needle drops to zero 0, my steering wheel becomes so stiff/harden and is very very difficult to complete the turn.

- East Orange, NJ, USA

problem #26

Jan 132020

Patriot

  • 77,000 miles
A few months ago my vehicle started to randomly stall and jerk. We thought nothing of it. Then a few weeks ago my engine light came on and a warning that something was wrong with the fuel cap. A few days later all of that stopped coming on. Yesterday as I was pulling out of my neighborhood several lights came on for the stability control and the electrical throttle light came on as well. I was going up a hill and my vehicle barely made it up the hill. I got back to my driveway turned it off and tried again and it was the same issue. I've made an appointment at the dealership to find out the problem, but this came out of no where. I haven't tried to drive the vehicle for safety reasons.

- Jonesboro, GA, USA

problem #25

Aug 012019

Patriot

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Patriot. While driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact pulled over and the vehicle resumed normal operation once it was restarted. The contact's friend used a code detector that determined that the throttle was defective. The manufacturer and dealer were not contacted. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 13V120000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

- Cynthiana, KY, USA

problem #24

Sep 062019

Patriot

  • 80,635 miles
My son is driving on the freeway at 70mph during the summer and all of a sudden, his car literally decelerates. He goes from 70mph to 20mph immediately. This has happened 3 times this summer, 4 times last summer (I have posted before), and multiple times in 2017 (everytime he comes home from college in the summer!). this last time it happened at the beginning of this month (Sept), he was almost rear-ended and then almost sideswiped. The dealerships can't duplicate this problem (he's been to two different dealerships), but Jeep knows there is an issue (there are numerous complaints). The car shows no signs of overheating and gives no notice that there is a problem. Once he has sat along the side of the freeway for 1/2 to 1 hour, he can start his car and drive again. When is Jeep going to recognize there is an issue? we have paid to have transmission fluid changed - didn't help. I see that a dealership elsewhere with someone else who had had the same problem figured it out and said that it was the internal oil pump of the transmission that was malfunctioning and causing the overheats. My car is still under warranty and I need to get this fixed before it isn't in December. Please help. Jeep isn't doing anything.

- Chester, CA, USA

problem #23

Jul 072019

Patriot

  • 96,000 miles
2 incidents same day. Vehicle in motion, lost of control, poor response of steering wheel, brakes not responding, engine and/or electrical system not working properly. Engine cutting off. Tipm problem. ESC and engine lights on. Sounds of car surging. No acceleration in some cases and uphill in particular. We could have got killed if it had happened on the highway for sure.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #22

May 062019

Patriot

  • 146,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought a Jeep thru randy wise durand 3 monthss ago. Since buying it is has been relaired w or 3 times for the enginee randomly stopping while driving. This past time I was on the highway going 70 with a semi behind me when the engine for no reason just stopped running. We were almost killed because the Jeep went from 70 to 0 with a semi behind us that almost slammed us. It just "shuts off" when it feels like it. Randy wise has not offered a replacement and cannot seem to fix it. A witness is available.

- Flint, MI, USA

problem #21

Aug 012018

Patriot

  • 50,000 miles
Around 50000 miles the engine started to stop accelerating during operation. During driving on a highway or city street (at all speeds) the engine would begin to malfunction without warning and the maximum speed that could be met was about 10mph with gas fully engaged. Pullingnover and restarting the vehicle would override this for a short time. It started to occur more frequently to the point I would have to restart my car a approximately 15 times to make a 9 mile trip to work. Happened several times driving on a highway at speeds of up to 65mph and almost caused accidents several times before I could pull off on to the shoulder. Eventually after months of this occurring at random intervals the car shut off while driving resulting in total loss of engine power and steering ability of the vehicle thankfully on a quiet back street where I was able to leave it after pushing it in neutral and have it towed. After several months of being in the shop and thousands of dollars later its running with a new engine. Multiple friends and family members with the same vehicle model make and year have this issue all around 50K miles.

- Johnstown, PA, USA

problem #20

Jul 272018

Patriot

  • 60,000 miles
Interstate 44 St. Roberts Missouri speed limit 70 miles an hour amber transmission warning light indicates overheating karzan reduce the speed to 40 miles an hour on the interstate. Jeep is aware of this due to a defect and the design of the cvt transmission. Will not be repair tell recall ordered by government

- Rolla, MO, USA

problem #19

Jul 012018

Patriot

  • 79,888 miles
I was stopped at a stoplight turning right the light turned green I went to go and my Jeep Patriot started hesitating in the middle of the intersection and it took a few minutes to get up to speed I have had the problem multiple times but the dealership couldn't recreate the problem so they couldn't tell me a salutation brought it in 3 times now when I go to speed up to flow of traffic coming off the on ramp my transmission makes a howling noise and it is slow to get up to speed

- Eldon, MO, USA

problem #18

May 282018

Patriot

  • 45,336 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

It always happens while on the freeway. After a chokehold hours of driving, gas tank is fine, my cause shuts off, unable to accel and no function to increase speed. I have to then pull to the side and wait for it to "cool down." This has happened 3 times. Last time it happened I had only been driving for 1 hr and the transmission temp. Warning light came on.

- Boise, ID, USA

problem #17

Mar 312017

Patriot

  • 65,000 miles
We bought this car for my son in Dec 2016. In the summer of 2017, he was driving down the freeway at about 70 mph. After driving for about an hour, maybe two hours on the freeway, his car literally shut down. It went from 70 mph to 20 mph immediately. This happened 4 times last summer. We took the car to lithia Dodge of santa rosa, ca twice. They couldn't duplicate the problem. I had him come home (chester, ca) and took it to where we bought it at susanville auto center in susanville, ca. They couldn't duplicate the problem either. They did say that they had two other Jeep with the same transmission that the customers said they had the same issues. Again, they couldn't duplicate the problem. Just now, my son called (he is on his way up for easter) and he is stuck in woodland, ca alongside the freeway. It happened again. Susanville motors had us change the transmission fluid which we did (over $400) to hopefully fix the problem. It obviously didn't. it is only 75 degrees right now. The car doesn't show any sign of overheating, all fluids are good, but then all of a sudden, after driving freeway speeds, the overheating light will come on and the car will shut down. The temperature gage says everything is great. I have gone on the internet and found some chat areas where other people are having the same problem. When is Jeep going to put in a recall on this issue" they have to know about it. Is it going to take my son getting into an accident and getting hurt, or even worse, killing himself" I am petrified about this. I turned in a case last summer (case # 32398610) and spoke with a wonderful lady by the name of kaylee. Please help. Jeep won't do anything.

- Chester, CA, USA

problem #16

Mar 192018

Patriot

  • 93,000 miles
When idle, vehicle's engine light, traction control, and electronic throttle light come on to the dash. When putting the vehicle in drive or reverse, acceleration is very low. Vehicle has a difficult time accelerating. Max speed will be at about 30 mph. This has also happened while driving, as well. Battery was replaced and throttle body as well, via mechanic's code readings from the vehicle. Car continues to show week accelerating.

- West Monroe, LA, USA

problem #15

Aug 072017

Patriot

  • 500 miles
Cvt transmission overheats and acceleration computer needs adjusted because its sporatic. It overheats on highway and accelerates funny in town.

- Safety Harbor, FL, USA

problem #14

Aug 032015

Patriot

  • 81,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 75 mph and attempted to change lanes, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to increase in speed. The vehicle was pulled to the side and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken to another dealer where the failure was unable to be replicated as well. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

- Harrah, OK, USA

problem #13

Jul 102016

Patriot

  • 75,000 miles
While on the freeway, speed 65-70 my car suddenly lost all acceleration and a winding noise accompanies the loss. Sometimes the temp gauge or electric throttle light will light up. This has happened a total of 4 times over the past 2 months. All 4 times I have been able to wait an hour, start the car drives normally. After each occasion I've taken the car to a Chrysler Jeep dealer. Either they say it's a misfire, or I need a tune up or an ignition coil. I've since had all these repairs and the issue continues. This is very unsafe. I've had my kids in the car every time, thankfully I avoided getting rear ended and now drive in the slow lane not over 65 mph just to be prepared for my Jeep to do this again. I'm scared to drive this car.

- St Clair Shores, MI, USA

problem #12

Oct 282015

Patriot

  • 50,000 miles
On October 28, 2015 with about 50,000 miles on it, my Jeep went into limp mode while I was driving 55 mph. Luckily I was able to pull over to the shoulder before getting rear-ended. Multiple lights turned on including the electronic throttle control, check engine, and traction control. I unhooked the battery and waited a few minutes. Hooked it back up and it seemed to be fine. Until March 13, 2016 when I was driving my daughter to the mall for her birthday. I was driving on a busy 4 lane road when my car seemed to turn off or loose all power while climbing a hill. Again, I just avoided being rear ended and pulled over to the side. I turned the key off, took it out, waited a few minutes and started it again and it worked. We went shopping and went back home without a problem, until the next day. March 14, 2016 while driving my daughters to school my Jeep went into limp mode. Luckily I was in the village and only going 30 mph, but all of the lights came on again-electronic throttle control, traction control, and check engine. I drove it back home and had it towed to the dealership. The dealership said that they did not know what was wrong with it. That after resetting the battery and performing a diagnostic check, only a vac leak was detected. They performed a check and confirmed (according to my invoice) that there were "no vacuum leaks at this time per code" and that "could be many things." And they "cleared codes and road tested ok at this time." So I drove it home from the dealership and to work today with no problems. When I went to go home, all the lights came on again. I do not feel safe and I feel stuck. No one seems to want to fix it because they do not know what to fix... and this is pathetic when even the dealership that I bought it from can not help. I am afraid someone will be killed if a solution is not found to this common problem with Jeep Patriots.

- Caledonia, NY, USA

problem #11

Jul 172015

Patriot

  • 43,500 miles
I was driving my 2012 Jeep Patriot on the highway when simultaneously, the electronic throttle control light started blinking red, my car started to jerk forward, and lost power. This reoccurred several times on the way to get it looked at. Each time it happened, I had to shut the vehicle off, wait a few minutes, and then restart. I took it to a Jeep dealer and without even looking at it, the guy said it would be about $600 to fix (even though I still have power train warranty). This to me looks like this is a reoccurring problem that Jeep is aware of, but is not doing anything about. Luckily each time this happened, I was able to pull over and avoid an accident, others might not be so lucky. Until this problem is resolved, my Jeep is not safe to drive.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #10

Jun 242015

Patriot

  • Automatic transmission
  • 36,730 miles
A notification came on saying gas cap, a week later check engine light came on. I went for the diagnostic it read trouble code P0456. Which is an evap system leak detected. There isn't a possible cause for this. Reported fixes are replaced evaporative system integrity monitor (esim) assembly or replace the fuel filler cap. I took the car to the dealer and they wouldn't do anything because I was over 36,000 miles ( I was under the three year mark). I've replaced the gas cap, but I still have the same problem, which is a noticeable decrease in gas mileage and acceleration. I have an extended warranty but it doesn't cover anything related to emissions....updated 09/28/15 updated 11/08/2017

- Schaumburg , IL, USA

problem #9

Jun 042014

Patriot

  • 38,000 miles
While driving 75mph for 25miles the transmission overheat light came on and the Patriot started slowing itself down, on the interstate in heavy traffic, I read in the manual to pull over put in neutral till it cools off or just drive slow, I have had this happen 10 times since reaching 38,000 I contacted Chrysler and they advised I have a diagnostic done at dealer, I did and the dealer said it showed nothing. The dealer said there isn't anything I can do because it is doing what it is designed to do. They also added that they have had several similar cvt complaints from Patriot owners. Driving 75 mph should not overheat a transmission. It is very dangerous to be driving on the interstate when the Patriot slows itself down, I have almost got run over several times..I need Chrysler to acknowledge this problem and find a solution before I have an accident from it.

- Burns, TN, USA

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