2011 Jeep Patriot: loss of power steering

Filed Oct 24, 2022 · Body, Suspension · PA

Jeep Patriot 2011 Latitude with severe corrosion to front and rear subframe assemblies. Noted for recent emergence of clunking sound on front end when passing over dips and bumps. Made arrangement for towing of vehicle to personal mechanic to check out and also make state inspection. Noted to have severe fracture of front subframe then resting on axle and wheel assemblage parts. Rear subframe member in same condition with ability to poke holes through structural member. Conditiion resulted in failure to pass inspection. Vehicle deemed unsafe to drive. Further deterioration expected with potential for loss of steering or wheel falling off. Liability for accident or bodily harm in potential failure noted. Vehicle later towed to another mechanic with same determination. Vehicle towed to local body shop where Insurance agent denied accountability for collision or comprehensive coverage. Damage initially assessed at about $900 per part with accessory components to be added at discovery. Issue is well known to manufacturer via many complaint website postings I have since learned. Vehicle towed to another body shop which will assess and complete repair if practical. Second shop said they had repaired similar vehicle for same problem recently. Noted that subframes were manufactured in Mexico. This is inappropriate for regional application in Pennsylvania noted for harsh climate and road treatment. That vehicle was restored with Canada manufactured part of heavier gauge and quality. My vehicle is low mileage at 79000 miles, garage kept, driven locally only;engine fine. I have 2008 Town and Country Chryler and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica with NO OBVIOUS signs of such wear. The corrosive factor accelerated since last inspection in Dec 2021. There were NO WARNING lights or signs upon emergence of the problem. This is serious safety issue where unexpectedly steering loss or wheel displacement could result in accident to self or others or crash.

Filed Sep 2, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 107,000 miles · ME · crash

While driving down the road after picking up my 3 children from daycare. I was going approximately 25mph and the front driver side tire folded outward. The sub frame and cross members apparently are defective.unbeknownst to me there is a warranty 10 year/ unlimited mileage. There was also a class action lawsuit on jeep patriots/ compasses between 2001-2007 because of this issue. Instead of fixing the issue this company/ manufacturer has continued to use these defective parts on newer models such as mine. I might add for some odd reason the class action lawsuit doesn't cover my year although its the same defective sub frame and cross member parts. All they have done was offer this warranty, which I was never made aware of or told about by them or the dealer I made my purchase through. After my children and I nearly got seriously injured or killed did I look into this and found out. Due to these defective parts not only were we almost killed but the car suffered severe damage to the front end and the transmission as well as various other parts and components. I still have payments left on this automobile and it is completely inoperable and really hasn't gotten that much use compared to the amount I've paid already, not even counting what I still owe. I called the dealership and corporate office and they seem completely unconcerned and unhelpful in resolving this issue. I will never purchase a jeep/ fiat/ chrysler product ever again. These people put me and my family knowingly into a very unsafe vehicle and nearly got us killed. If I had been on the interstate doing 65mph and this had happened I would not be here writing this. All I can do is thank god it decided to fail when it did, not later on the interstate. To sum it up tire came off, lost steering control, ground to a halt in the street sideways, car fluids pouring all over road. Also have pictures of scene.

Filed Mar 11, 2019 · Acceleration, Brakes · 117,000 miles · FL

Problem recurring on highway and city streets. At all speeds from idle to 75 MPH. The latest was on highway driving 75 MPH car dropped down to 30 MPH and then stalled causing me to lose power steering and braking and almost an accident. The problem is well known to the jeep manufacturer as stated by dealership. They said the throttle body/ software is the issue and occures in models from 2008 - current then verbally quoted me $650 for repair. I then researched online and found more than 2500 people with the issue and that's just people looking for help.

Filed Aug 27, 2018 · Steering, Suspension · 146,000 miles · MO

Takata recall: I had a repair done to my jeep patriot two weeks ago. The repairs were over 800$. I had to have the two front control arms, ball joints, and tie rods replaced. As I was driving to work, I lost steering and now not able to drive my vehicle.

Filed Sep 23, 2016 · 50,000 miles · CA

Vehicle stalled while driving & engine turned completely off. The vehicle was placed in park, the ignition had to be restarted & put back into drive. After that happened, the air conditioning was on & projecting a smokey smell into the car. Another incident that happened multiple times was the car was shaking & brakes were hard to push on while steering was hard as I was turning onto a street from the freeway exit. While in motion, the car will ding as it is turning or going straight or pulling to a stop. As the car was turning right, the steering locked & I couldn't accelerate. I rolled to a stop at the side of the rode & the brakes were hard to push on. These issues have occurred on multiple occasions. The jeep dealership can't find the issue with the car. This car has approximately 50,000 miles. That's about 10,000 miles per year.

Filed Feb 22, 2016 · Fuel system · 150,000 miles · AL

Vehicle will shut off unexpectedly after running for long periods of time. Loss of power steering. Thise would happen at any speed.

Filed Nov 14, 2015 · Acceleration, Brakes · 105,700 miles · CA

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.

Filed Aug 17, 2015 · Transmission · 45,440 miles · CA

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.

Filed Aug 22, 2011 · Engine · 100 miles · MO

2011 jeep patriot dies randomly. It dies going down the freeway at 70 or it can die going down the drive way. I bought the vehicle new and put approximately 400 miles on it and it died seven times. It has been in the dealership shop for six weeks tomorrow. They have had it die on them numerous times and have not ever told me it would be fixed. They said it was a software issues. It will qualify for the missouri lemon law. I am concerned that there are other patriots out there that will die. It is very dangerous as you lose power steering and brakes.