Jeep Patriot engine failure problems

Filed Feb 24, 2026 · Engine · 126,000 miles · AL

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to the shoulder of the road. While attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed crankshaft position sensor. The contact was informed that the crankshaft position sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure had occurred several times. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the VIN was not under recall. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Engine · 117,500 miles · NM

The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the engine seized. While attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. In addition, the vehicle was repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number 16V907000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); in 2017; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, the battery was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,500.

Filed Oct 2, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · NY

My jeep would suddenly jerk forward almost rear ending people at red lights without any warning. While traveling at approximately 45 mph the engine light came on my jeep. As I went to pull over the engine started bucking/jerking then the engine light flashed. I was barely able to pull over on the side of the road before the car completely stalled. I had to have towed to a dealership as it was no longer drivable. I was almost on the highway. The dealership said I had total engine failure and should buy a new car. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. I ASSOCIATE THE FAILURE WITH the federal safety agency CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V552000 (ENGINE) That has been open since of 11/2013. But my vehicles VIN “wasn’t included”. I was driving with my four small kids in my jeep.

Filed May 29, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · CO

I submitted a form yesterday and forgot to mention that there have been a few other odd things about the jeep which I'm not sure how to explain. 1. There has, since day 1 of my purchase, test drive, etc, always been some weird whistling sound when driving. Very light, like the kind of whistle made with just your tongue at the roof of the mouth. Not a "full" whistle sound. 2. When going uphill, the engine squeals. And honestly has poor acceleration uphill in general. Very poor. But I thought it was how this make and model is. 4 cylinders aren't known for their awesome power and speed, after all. 3. Occasionally, the jeep "tugs"? Seemingly like how manuals switch between gears, but mine is an automatic. It does so unprovoked, not by my using the cvt option, randomly, at any speed. 4. Occasionally there would be a "dropping" kind of sound. Can't remember any particular details about that, but I think it may have happened more in the summer months. Again. All of these things, other than the last, had always been happening. I attributed it to make and model idiosyncrasies. I have noticed other recall issues listed with this jeep that I glanced over, did not read them. Just so you know. But, after my engine went out, it made me reconsider all of these "odd" things that are probably connected. Oh yeah... Also... 5. I had to replace my engine throttle, supposedly brakes plus says it's also "normal" for this model. 6. My engine blew very shortly after an oil pan gasket fix, which I put off for a while. Makes me think there's a pressure problem with the engine in general, when combined with the other "symptoms", on hindsight. Like I said, I was an oil tech for Jiffy Lube, i am not a mechanic. But this experience may have taught me a thing or two about suspicious auto mechanisms.

Filed May 29, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · CO

Along with complaints 11466544 11466577 I want to add that I bought this car in November 2015. The engine blew in May 2021 with 104k miles. Not at all what would expect from a 2010+ model vehicle. And another thing .... I'm used to needing more regular tune ups. So, once a year -ish... I'd take the jeep in for spark plug replacement, etc. Well, when I switched to the other brkes plus closer to my home, the tech told me that's not required for this jeep. We actually kind of got into it. But, we're able to amicably come to agreement. Anyways, the other brakes plus did so without argument, at least twice. After me and dude from brakes plus had our Lil tiff... I reevaluated my owners manual, and confirmed the spark plug thing. He was right. But one thing I always found odd... was that transmission fluid replacement was not recommended untilb130,000. Did I find that odd?? YES! Because I've was an oil tech at one point in my life. BUT! If that's what the manual says... who am i to argue with that? I mention this because that was one of the things I saw when perusing over recalls, etc. A reviewer recommended to not wait until the manual's recommendation. Who was this person? IDK. Is this accurate? The 130k thing? Because when I got into my "argument" at brakes plus, my exact verbiage was I'm here for a tune up, I'm here to get done whatever needs to get done on this car. If manufacturer information is incorrect, that's a problem. I've had 2 cars repossessed. It was extremely important to me to maintain this vehicle and pay it off. I do have a little bit of a fondness for working on engines. No, I have not done anything to this engine myself. I know this isn't some top of a model line car, but it seemed like the perfect kind of engine to tinker on someday. But not at 104,000 miles. Not on a well maintained vehicle. I would also think that if the manual recommends 120000k trannie fluid replacement for the first time that the engine would last at least until then? Lol.

Filed May 29, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · CO

Ah... yes. And the most absolute weirdest thing of all about this jeep- The manual that came with the jeep (which i cant seem to find) stated 85 gas is recommended. Did I think THAT was weird? YES! It's a truck. Kinda heavy... didn't expect 85 gas. But it's a 4cylinder, so ok. That manual was also not very thorough, for lack of a better term, so I purchased one. That manual stated 87. Put 87 in it. The jeep lost acceleration power. Couldn't get above 35mph. Boomerang only takes 85. Weird. Didn't put too much thought into it. If I remember correctly, this issue always resolved on its own somehow. Not sure why. Anyhow. That has happened about 4 or 5 times under my ownership. Every now and again, after regular maintenance, I would kind of check it, to see. On several occasions, when i took it in for regular oil changes, i'd mention that issue, no one had anything to say about it. Other than it was weird. Agreed. Aside from the issues mentioned in complaints 11466583 11466544 11466577 It ran fine. I never considered those issues as disrupting my driving needs. I'm pretty much a city driver. Jobs were close by. Groceries. Occasional mountain and hiking trips- drives out of town, never towed anything. Thinking back to when I fixed my engine throttle and was told that would probably be a recurring theme, bc it's a patriot, that whole gas thing really started nagging at me. Ok, jeep gave me something to tinker on. No biggie. It's almost a 10 year old car. Something's bound to happen. Uh- but not a whole blown engine, that's for sure. This was, however, within the first year of covid, and i was driving considerably less, so that concern subsided. 3-4 months later, fixed oil pan gasket. 2-3 months after that, engine blew. Lastly, unless I remember something else- Over the years I've seen numerous patriots on the side of the highway and wondered what kinds of issues they had. Weird? Yes. My engine literally never stalled out until last year. I must've been something right.

Filed May 29, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · CO

Ah- yes, The absolute most weirdest thing about this jeep. When putting the recommended 87 gas in the tank, it loses acceleration power. The manual that came with it (which i cant seem to find) stated 85. Did I think THAT was weird? Yes! It's a truck, kinda heavy, but it is a 4 cylinder- so ok jeep. That manual, however, was not very thorough, so I purchased one. That one stated 87. Put 87 in it. Nope. Boomerang only takes 85. When 87 is put in, it loses acceleration power and won't go above 35 mph. The issue always seemed to resolve on its own. Not sure why, and I didn't put much thought into it. Every now and then I would try 87, same thing happened. This happened about 4 or 5 times under my ownership. I mentioned this several times at regular maintenance and oil changes. No one had much to say about it other than that was weird. Agreed. Aside from the issues mentioned in complaints 11466577 11466544 11466583 It ran fine. I never considered it as disrupting my driving needs. I'm pretty much a city driver. Jobs close by. Groceries. Some trips out of town and to the mountains. Never towed anything on it. So now, thinking back to when I fixed the engine throttle and was told that would be a recurring theme because it's a patriot- ok, something's bound to happen, it's almost a ten year old car (at the time). The jeep gave me something to tinker on- no biggie. But not a whole blown engine at 104k, that's for sure. And the combined issues started nagging at me. But it was after covid happened, I was driving considerably less, and that concern quickly subsided. 3-4 months later, fixed oil pan gasket. 2-3 months after that, engine blew. Lastly, unless I remember something else- over the years I've seen numerous jeep patriots on the side of the highway (looked like about the same year, make model)- and I always wondered what kind of issues they had. My engine never literally stalled out until last year. Weird? Yes.

Filed May 28, 2022 · Engine, Fuel system · CO

Something is wrong with the engine. I was told the engine is blown. I've maintained my vehicle and completed recommended repairs by Brakes Plus. I'd like to mention that as a former lube tech for Jiffy Lube, I am familiar with oil top offs. Naturally, I periodically checked my dip stick to confirm oil levels. It ALWAYS read at an acceptable level. Did I think it was weird? No, because I'm not a mechanic. I just thought that's how Jeeps are. Go Jeep! I'm a fan... well, my engine blew. Took it to Brakes Plus,l (towed), after a few check ups (towed each time)asked the techs how much oil was in the tank. Was told 2 quarts. I'm thinking that should have been reflected somehow on the dipstick. It wudnt. Since my car's been dead, thought I'd "experiment" with the oil readings. I have NOT driven the jeep. Anyhow, put a quart in- low and behold... it reads WAY above the max fill marker. As far as I know, there's only about 3 quarts in there. Also, my engine always had this 'tick' . Again, did not find it weird, thought that's how Jeeps are. Noticed it on day one, asked the salesman, he stated that's normal for the patriot. After this issue happened, I've found several YouTube videos with explanations of valve cover adjustments being needed, cheap fix, supposedly. I've been quoted 4000-9000 for engine replacement. The valve adjustment thing.. I don't know, maybe they have selective hearing, or 4-9k sounds better, cuz no one has even acknowledged that I mentioned that, or cared to confirm. Regardless, the dipstick is wrong. Seems pretty important. Especially if my engine is, in fact, blown.

Filed Jan 16, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · CA

While slowly accelerating from a stop, my 2016 Jeep Patriot engine stalled in the middle of a busy intersection. I lost power steering and & brakes and was luckily able to muscle the car over to the side of road out of traffic. I waited several minutes and restarted the engine which then operated normally afterward. This engine stalling has occurred repeatedly & more frequently (6+ times in last 10 days) while accelerating from a stop which is very dangerous in cross-traffiic intersections and on freeways. Additionally now, the engine rpm’s intermittently surge notably up and down +/- 2,000 rpm while driving with steady un-changing pressure on gas pedal. I have seen no engine failure indicators. I have had this vehicle serviced at two different independent repair shops that couldn’t re-create the problem & guessed it was the throttle body and then cleaned/serviced it. The problem persists more frequently, and is the exact problem listed in the S89 ChryslerJeep recall. My vin is not referenced in the recall notice-even though it is from the same Jeep manufacture period. This recall should definitely apply to my vehicle. I drive 40 freeway miles daily to work and am concerned for my safety and others. My vehicle is available for inspection if needed and I am bringing it tomorrow to a Jeep dealer in hopes of having it repaired under the recall. As the original new owner, I strongly feel that Chrysler Jeep needs to apply this recall to my vehicle and support their owner’s safety.

Filed Feb 27, 2021 · Suspension · 35,076 miles · OH

Took jeep patriot to firestone service center for full inspection. Upon completion of inspection was told by the tech that my vehicle had severe underbody rust/ rot and that the front and rear crossmembers needed to be replaced among many other components needed repair/replaced such as complete brake job, cv axles, gas tank bracket and two seized lug/studs. Apparently, fca has a warranty extension called x69 bulletin that repairs the crossmembers for rust/rot but it is only for vehicles manufactured before 24 january 2012. My vehicle was manufactured on may 2012. This is unacceptable. It is clear that this issue was not rectified for vehicles manufactured after 24 january 2012 and this issue should be subject to a full recall and not a narrow warranty extension. Broken/compromised crossmembers could result at a minimum of vehicle destruction and serious injury to driver/passengers and a maximum loss of life due to this manufacturing defect. The federal safety agency should act accordingly and force fca to start a recall immediately.