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2016 Jeep Patriot: jerking or lurching

27 of the 460 complaints about the 2016 Jeep Patriot describe jerking or lurching.

owner complaints
27
of this car's complaints
6%
typical mileage
50,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 10 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Jerking or lurching by model year

What owners say

Filed Apr 9, 2026 · Engine · 96,121 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle violently jerked while the transmission was changing gear. Additionally, while starting the vehicle, the RPM revved to 1,500 RPM before the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the camshaft and crankshaft sensors were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,121.

Filed Nov 1, 2024 · Engine · IN

While driving my vehicle I was about to get on a highway ramp I’m am unsure of the speed but I was turning into the lane that gets you to the ramp well my car suddenly stalled and jerked very weirdly I came to a complete stop in the middle of the road while cars were coming. There were no warning signs nor anything that could’ve warned me. I had this happen to me twice. IThe second time I was driving at unknown speed about to get on the high way and my car suddenly stopped and I was almost rear ended. When I originally got the car it was turning on and off also. I feel very unsafe in this car I have spent so much money in repairs and I think this concern is bigger than just a repair. I have not been able to drive my car. I have codes on my car to reflect the issues I am experiencing with this vehicle.

Filed Sep 25, 2024 · Engine · 30,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and jerked abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the catalytic convertor had failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Filed Aug 17, 2023 · Acceleration, Engine · KY

My 2016 Jeep Patriot 4X4 engine light is staying on. When I took it to a mechanic to have it read it stats faulty cramshaft and camshaft position sensors. My engine has stalled, loss of acceleration and power, shuddering, and jerking that is continuously happens. Jeep manufactures said its not there problem. I need help with my vehicle, not just for my safety but for the safety of my kids. Also the problem is only getting worse.

Filed Jun 14, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · TX

I've had my car since January 2022. Since last year, there's been a clicking noise once I begin driving & it'll click for awhile. For these past 3 months my check engine light has came on. The message from O'Reilly's read "Evaporative Emissions System Small Leak Detected." The 1st time I was told to get the Emissions System Cleaner. The light went off. Second month, light came back on with the same message. This time I was told to buy a new gas cap. I did, light never went off. I bought the advance emissions cleaner & the light went off. This being month 3, light came on again June 2nd. Again told to get gas cap, I did & light never went off. Last week Tuesday, getting on the freeway, I accelerated as I got over 5 lanes. When I got to Lane 3, my car jerked & by the time I got to the 5th lane, my vehicle started decelerating, with my traction control light coming on. I pulled over, being on the left side of the freeway. Turned my car off then restarted it and it wouldn't drive though my foot was on the gas pedal. Turned off then back on after a bit and it started driving slow then stopped, turning it off. Sat for a bit longer then started her again. Drove on the shoulder to get a clearance to get to the other side, by the time I got to Lane 3 the car started decelerating again & the traction light came back on. While trying to be safe, I managed to get over the last 2 lanes and had to stop now on the right shoulder of the freeway. Turned it off. Sat for awhile and started it back up so I can get to the next exit. I drove the shoulder & even at a slower speed the car shut off again. Traction light came on each time it decelerate. Sat again for another while. And this time when I turned it back on, it started shaking which I immediately turned it off! I had to get towed. I researched, there's a recall for the time frame my vehicle was manufactured, which was May 2016 for the crankshaft senor causing the engine to stall, which never got fixed on its Carfax I have.

Filed Jan 9, 2023 · Engine · MD

While operating the Vehicle up to 45 MPH the engine will stall, but the car remains on. The wheel locks and pushing on the pedal does not work. I usually turn on my hazard lights on turn the car off and back on. By doing so, someone may not be paying attention and slam into the back of my vehicle and I have held up traffic because of this issue. After restarting the car drives and operates normally. I would also like to report shuddering, and jerking while driving at any speeds.

Filed Jun 8, 2022 · Engine · 41,580 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would jerk with unknown warning lights illuminated and the vehicle would stall. The contact stated he was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact stated that he turned the vehicle off and on when the failure first occurred however, on the second failure occurrence the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the diagnosis was crankshaft position sensor failure. The crankshaft position sensor was replaced. The contact stated researched the failure online and found the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 41,580.

Filed Apr 4, 2022 · Engine, Transmission · DE

The contact’s daughter owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the RPM fell to zero and the vehicle hesitated and jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle would intermittently shut off while at a red light without warning. The vehicle would restart immediately after failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Feb 22, 2022 · Acceleration, Electrical · CA

Vehicle unable to reach speed above 30mph. Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) symbol shows up in error on dashboard. Unable to accelerate beyond 30mph. Vehicle drives with unstable and jerky motions. Have had this issue before and dealership mechanic reset computer, downloaded a system update to solve issue. This occurred about 2019. Issue has represented itself.

Filed Dec 16, 2021 · Engine · PA

While driving the car, the motor just stops running unexpectedly, with no warning at all. While driving on the highway it stopped running and had to try to control the car without the power steering because the car had stopped and muscled the car as it coasted to the side of the road, while getting the car to the berm. A semi truck was behind us and came very close to hitting us. I had to put the car in park, turn the key to off position and then restart it to resume driving. This a road hazard and accident waiting to happen. This has happened about a dozen of times within the past month and seems to be doing it more often. Also, when driving, with my foot on the gas pedal, it seems as if someone hits the brake for a second and jerks the car and resumes as if nothing has happened. After we got it the car start I called the dealership and told them what had happened, we took it in the same day, and picked it up the next day. We were told that they could not replicate what we had reported. They could not find anything wrong with the vehicle.

Filed Jun 28, 2021 · Acceleration, Fuel system · MD

My jeep sputters like it's going to shut off. It does occasionally and I loose steering and speed control and The brakes dont work. Not sure if it's a fuel issue a transmission issue or what the deal is but it has done it forever. It jerks around like it is in the wrong gear and often is trying to operate in 6th gear when going 30 mph. It's not changing gears...it isn't accelerating correctly when pulling out in traffic. It is a disaster waiting to happen and has been. The local dealer just says wait for recall info. It's a jeep. It will be coming eventually....hello I drive my kids around daily

Filed May 26, 2021 · Transmission · 78,000 miles · OR

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while entering a parking lot, the vehicle lost motive power, shuddered and jerked without warning. The vehicle was restarted however, the failure recurred several times. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power train failed and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000. The VIN was not available.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2016 Jeep Patriot jerking

Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2016 Jeep Patriot?

27 of 460 owner complaints about the 2016 Jeep Patriot (6%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2014.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2016 Jeep Patriot?

There are 0 recalls and 10 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2016 Jeep Patriot

Stalling 153Check engine light 84Loss of power 21ABS 20Won't start 16Hesitation 12Engine failure 11Fire or smoke 10Airbag light 9No deployment 9Power steering loss 9Won't shift 9Warning lights 9Adaptive cruise 8Headlights 8Slipping 7Shudder 6Steering lock-up 6Misfire 5

All model years of the Jeep Patriot

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