10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,905 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Jeep Patriot:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #45

Jul 082019

Patriot

  • miles
Transmission is not wanting to shift gears

- Cookeville, TN, USA

problem #44

Apr 192019

Patriot

  • 12,200 miles
You need to recall the transmissions in these vehicles its ridiculous how expensive they are no normal person can afford this fix. Nobody in wayne county even wants to work on it. O cant afford a new transmission. I just bought this car. It's only at 120K. I love my Jeep. But it is nothing but stress and depression. It is not right man.

- Lincoln Park, MI, USA

problem #43

Jul 252018

Patriot

  • 44,000 miles
I have been experiencing the car wanting to stall out. It is as if the gas is not getting to the engine. I begin to lose power and steering. I gun the gas, but it hestitates. This is hugely dangerous. I am the original owner and have serviced it regularly, and to this day only about 44K on it. This is scaring me. My mechanic just put dry gas in to perhaps alleviate any possible water in the tank after a recent fill-up. I have been reading of many others having the same problem. This is time for a recall, folks. Had I not been on back roads, I could be dead, as could others. I will not drive this on the highway and I need actions, as do many others who have complained. We have way too many Jeep with this problem. Step up, please.

- Westport, MA, USA

problem #42

Jul 142018

Patriot

  • 84,141 miles
Going down the road and the engine stalled. Gave no warning just shut off. I had my husband and 8 month old in the car. The engine did start back up.

- Red Level, AL, USA

problem #41

May 102018

Patriot

  • 78,500 miles
While driving on the highway the engine died while I was traveling at 75mph. Prior to the engine dying there weren't any issues. It simply stopped running and I had to coast to the shoulder. Once stopped I turned the ignition off and then restarted without an issue. Then the engine died a second time as I was merging with traffic. After I pulled over again I went through the start up process and I was able to get to work. While out at lunch the engine died again while I was driving in a residential area. This issue just started today and it has me hesitant to drive, but this is my only vehicle. I plan to take it to the dealership tomorrow, but I've been reading other people who have had this issue and the dealership telling them that they cannot recreate the problem. So I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

- Peoria, IL, USA

problem #40

May 062018

Patriot

  • 102,000 miles
We have been having a re-occurring issue where after filling the gas tank, the car will stall shortly after leaving the gas station. The latest incident happened on May 6, 2018 after filling the tank and letting the pump's auto-shutoff stop fueling. Leaving the gas station I pulled out into a high-speed 4 lane road and as I accelerated the engine shut down. As a result of the stall I immediately lost all power steering and power braking ability and was almost struck by cars behind me as we all expected me to be able to accelerate up to cruising speed. I was able to safely pull to the side of the road and re-start the engine. After this initial stall, the car ran normally. This has happened several times, with each engine stall occurring shortly after refueling. The immediate loss of power is a major safety issue and should be investigated immediately.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #39

May 012018

Patriot

  • 115,000 miles
I filled my gas tank up today. As I got about 3 miles from the gas station the car began to sputter and lose its ability to accelerate efficiently through all the gears. The car was running rough for about 15 miles until I pulled into my driveway, and began making a weird sound out of the exhaust, still idling rough when parked. I looked into it online and many Jeep Patriot owners are complaining of similar issues after filling up with gas. They;re saying it's an issue with a "fuel tank rollover valve" or a "vapor liquid separating valve." Either way this issue is dangerous and needs to be addressed with a recall of the vehicles to ensure the safety of their operators in the future.

- Miamisburg, OH, USA

problem #38

Apr 102018

Patriot

  • 60,000 miles
Car engine cuts out while stationary or trying to start moving. Steering wheel and shifter locks up. Then typically restarts right away. Check engine light thens comes on, but nothing shows up when running diagnostics. Very scared this will happen to me while going 70 on a highway. I could easily be hit. This seems to be a very common problem among this type of car.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #37

Aug 102017

Patriot

  • 28,000 miles
I have had my car stall on the highway at a high speed and also at low speed at least 7 times since I have owned it. I have contacted a Jeep dealer and also Jeep customer service. They will not fix under a recall. I have researched this problem a lot and it has happened several times to several people.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #36

Jul 092017

Patriot

  • 103,000 miles
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.

- Colby, KS, USA

problem #35

May 312017

Patriot

  • 84,000 miles
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.

- Lyndhurst, OH, USA

problem #34

Apr 052017

Patriot

  • 96,000 miles
For the past 3 weeks the vehicle will randomly not start. It will eventually start after several attempts. It acts like its not getting fuel ant the "etc" warning light comes on. Recently my wife was driving on the expressway at 60 mph and the car suddenly stalled in the middle lane without any warning lights. She was eventually able to get it restarted and drive home. I have had it at the mechanic several times and cannot duplicate the starting issue or stale issue. Replaced relays after reading that there are known issues with relay box due to corrosion and placement of relays in wheel well but this didn't help. There is obviously a serious computer / electrical problem with this model. I have read dozens of posts about very similar issue and unfortunately found that there is no fix from dealers and no information about possible causes. I'm very concerned with the staling issue since it is extremely unsafe. Please help.

- Brockport, NY, USA

problem #33

Aug 252016

Patriot

  • 75,000 miles
The Jeep stalled on the highway two separate times. We were traveling 65 mph and lost all power from engine. We were fortunately able to pull into break down lane. Jeep was taken to dealership after each episode, but they were unable to locate problem. Very dangerous. Complaint filed with Jeep. Jeep sits in driveway, afraid to use it..not good!!!

- Hadley, MA, USA

problem #32

May 242016

Patriot

  • 62,000 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.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #31

Aug 012016

Patriot

  • miles
Everytime I refuel my vehicle, the engine stalls at least twice until the fuel needle is below the fuel mark. I don't overfill my vehicle, so I wonder why is this happening!

- Mansfield, TX, USA

problem #30

Jul 062016

Patriot

  • 108,000 miles
My Patriot with 108K miles stalled at 75 mph on the highway 3X last night on a 3 hour drive. It also stalled 4X times today on my 10 min way to drop it off at the dealership. Once while idling and 3X while driving at different speeds. Once while I was turning. I've read online that this has been happening quite a bit to 2011 Jeep Patriots and even caused a car to be totalled. Please investigate this.

- Star City, AR, USA

problem #29

Sep 152015

Patriot

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the alternator and the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. In addition, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the failure persisted four days later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer however, they were not able to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #28

Oct 282015

Patriot

  • 105,700 miles
This vehicle has been very dependable up until now, my 3rd year of ownership. The car has been maintained well and has never shown any indication of problems. While driving on the freeway a few weeks ago going about 65mph, the vehicle suddenly died in traffic. All of a sudden I lost the ability to accelerate and the vehicle was coasting. I tried to move over as I was in the fast lane with no shoulder available due to road work. I got over to the far right lane but there was also no shoulder there. Luckily I was able to duck into a work area that had a small opening(I took out a couple cones though). As I attempted to slow the vehicle once in the closed work area off the side of the freeway I lost power steering and the ability to brake. The car would start again but not accelerate and would die again when I tried. We left the car and came back 2 hours later with the same issues. After letting the car sit for 3-4 hours it ran perfectly fine. Two days later I had the same problem while driving on city streets going anywhere from 25-40mph. I had the vehicle looked at and it did not put out any codes thus the mechanic was unable to help me. I took the car home again but now every single time the car runs long enough to reach normal operating temperature it dies while driving. This car is a safety hazard! there were no warning lights coming on beforehand, and after the car has died it sometimes will flash the transmission light or all of the lights will briefly flash and then go off. My car is no longer covered under warranty but I believe this car should be recalled. It has happened to many people across the country and I even saw an investigation opened in 2012. What were the results of that investigation? I haven't been able to find them anywhere probably indicating that nothing ever came of it. I will be contacting Jeep as well as carmax where I bought the car.

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #27

Jul 042015

Patriot

  • 50,000 miles
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.

- Harrison Twp, MI, USA

problem #26

Aug 202015

Patriot

  • miles
On Thursday Aug. 20, 2015 I started the Jeep to head out for errand duties when it wouldn't start. I tried a again about ten minutes later and it started. Later that afternoon I was driving on US1 in levittown, pa when the Jeep stopped while I was driving. Luckily, I was able to partially turn my car towards a drive that led to a shopping center parking lot when no longer it could move. The back end of the Jeep was hindering traffic and cars were honking away but I couldn't move the car any further. It just stopped right there. Fortunately, I flagged down a police officer from falls township and he came right over to help me when he noticed my predicament. Either he called in for help because I discovered another police office directing traffic away from the Jeep. We managed somehow to get the car started and it began to move. I was asked to drive it to a parking space where a maintenance man, along with the officer tightened the bolts on my battery. Then I followed the officer to a service station where another mechanic tightened the bolts, too. The mechanic suggested I get to a service station to solve what happened. I took my Jeep to my mechanic for a scheduled inspection on Aug.24, if I'm correct. The battery passed inspection but the emission failed the test. Now I'm driving without inspection stickers and proper papers for the police if I should get stopped. Meanwhile I contacted reedmantoll in langhorne, pa to see what I can do to get this fixed. I'm waiting to hear back from them. Now, I'm deathly afraid to drive the Jeep for fear I'd be driving and it stops while doing so. I've owned this Jeep for 3 days before all of this happened and rarely go out at all due to my fear of causing a terrible accident injuring, or killing, innocent people.

- Trevose, PA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »