2018 Jeep Renegade: engine failure

Filed Jun 24, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · 66,000 miles · NE

Car has 66,000 miles. Description of the Safety Defect and Incident:Component Malfunction: The radiator cooling fan motor and the low-speed resistor circuit suffered a complete internal electrical failure. The defective part is being removed and is available for inspection upon request.Safety Risk: While idling stationary in live traffic, the vehicle unexpectedly and severely overheated. This created an immediate, dangerous traffic-stall hazard that put my personal safety and the safety of surrounding drivers at risk of a collision.Professional Confirmation: The problem has been fully reproduced, diagnosed, and confirmed by a certified independent service center. Their diagnostic scan tool commands failed, and electronic connector testing proved an open resistor and a faulty, high-resistance motor.Inspections: The vehicle and component have been inspected and verified by the independent service center. No police or insurance representatives were involved as I successfully safely towed the vehicle before a collision occurred.Warning Lamps & Symptoms: There were no symptoms prior to the failure. The problem appeared suddenly while idling. The dashboard cluster flashed an "Engine Coolant Hot" message only after the temperature had already spiked into the red zone because the low-speed fan completely failed to engage. I immediately turned the engine off to prevent a catastrophic engine failure or a traffic collision.This component failure occurred prematurely at only 66,000 miles on a meticulously maintained 2018 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk. This issue directly mirrors the platform defects previously tracked under the federal safety agency Action PE19014 and the manufacturer's Customer Satisfaction Notification V54.

Filed Jun 8, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · 109,465 miles · GA

I am writing to report a severe safety defect regarding my 2018 Jeep Renegade. The vehicle suffers from an extreme internal oil consumption defect, burning 1 quart of oil every 1,000 miles. According to certified automotive diagnostics, this is five times the normal operating rate. This rapid oil depletion causes the vehicle to abruptly lose power, stall, and completely shut down while driving in active traffic without warning. Sudden engine failure at highway speeds creates an immediate, critical risk of collisions. The vehicle’s history directly matches documented manufacturer issues. The original purchasing dealership notified me that the vehicle was impacted by Customer Satisfaction Notification W80 for abnormal oil consumption. My research also confirmed related under-hood wiring recalls for this model year that cause fuel pressure drops and engine stalling. However, when I presented the vehicle to an authorized Jeep dealership in Newnan, Georgia, due to repeated stalling, the service department refused recall coverage because my specific VIN was not flagged in their database. They replaced a valve cover gasket instead, but the severe oil depletion and dangerous stalling persisted. A subsequent inspection by an independent licensed automotive shop confirmed the excessive oil burning and determined the engine has suffered fatal internal wear, requiring a complete engine replacement. Because the manufacturer excludes my VIN from the official recall population, they refuse to provide any administrative or financial remedies. However, my vehicle is exhibiting the exact mechanical failures, dangerous stalling, and severe oil consumption targeted by the federal safety agency’s investigations into the engine. Excluding a vehicle experiencing identical safety failures based solely on an arbitrary VIN window leaves consumers unprotected. This unaddressed defect ultimately rendered the vehicle un-driveable, forcing me to surrender it, causing financial hardship and negative credit impact.

Filed Feb 26, 2026 · Engine · 82,425 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer advised the contact that if the engine was not repaired, to monitor and check the engine oil levels regularly. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 82,425.

Filed Apr 15, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · NY

The vehicle has stopped running while driving. It turns off and the gas gauge will show E (there is a full tank) and the battery will die- it is brand new and it was tested when this happened. The codes are saying it’s the PCM- it hasn’t ran properly without a jump in months. And it will idol super high, over heat and scare everyone in the car. Had it towed and checked AGAIN. And everything was fine. (Note that the entire engine was replaced the year I got it by my dealership for the recall on the engine going through all oil in less than a month) I know I am not the only person who had had this issue with this specific vehicle. I’m still paying on it!! I have children to Think about. And at 700+$ payment monthly I shouldn’t have this issue. This vehicle has been nothing but trouble and the dealership gives me a hard time when I’ve called for help with it. The warranty ran up that I paid extra for. Isn’t that ironic.

Filed Dec 28, 2023 · Engine · MA

Was on a busy highway and without warning, car started driving rough and engine light noted to be flashing. Just made it to side of road before engine lost power. Notified by dealership the next day that there was an internal failure of the engine and a new engine was needed. 88,000 miles and regular maintenance performed at a service station. Defective fuel pump was also replaced at 66,000 miles. Jeep is stating these are normal breakdowns in the 2018 Jeep Renegade. Even though there is known problems with the make, model and year of car.

Filed Sep 19, 2023 · Engine · 32,000 miles · IN

The contact’s sister owns a 2018 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that on numerous occasions while the vehicle was idling at a stop, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact’s sister was able to restart the vehicle after approximately 5 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an oil change was performed; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that on a separate occasion while her sister was driving at approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle abruptly jerked and stalled. The contact’s sister was able to restart the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact’s sister to bring the vehicle back to the dealer however, the contact’s sister declined to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that the dealer confirmed that an oil consumption test was performed on the vehicle, but the vehicle failed the test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was previously included in and unknown recall where an oil consumption test was performed but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

Filed Sep 23, 2021 · Engine · CA

I bought this car as a 1 year old vehicle with less than 20k miles. Since my first oil change, my mechanics have mentioned that it is losing quite a bit of oil. The jeep has died in intersections 9x due to low oil pressure. The vehicle crossed 60k miles a month ago, and is now misfiring. After a leak down test was performed, they stated that the engine needs to be replaced due to a 40% leak on cylinder 3 and a 30% on all other cylinders. Unfortunately, the engine is now out of warranty.

Filed Mar 7, 2021 · Engine · 20,000 miles · TX

2018 jeep renegade (2.4l) automatic 4cyl 2wd with under 20,000 miles at the time it first started seizing up mid-drive, back in october. The vehicle spontaneously shut off in the middle of the street. I almost died! I took it to the dodge chrysler dealership after that, and I was told that there was a computer software issue that was supposedly reset but here we are months later and it happened again where the engine seized and I was stalled in the middle of a busy road! My passenger and I are lucky to even be alive after that incident! I noticed that the low oil-pressure light comes on for a half-second when turning a hard corner then goes away. After looking up to see that there is a "current campaign for repairs" I have scheduled an emergency appointment with the dealership service department (why not a recall? This situation is dangerous!) from my research based on information from several sources, it looks like updating/reprogramming the PCM software is not enough to fix the oil consumption issue. This is a faulty engine issue and I need my engine to be replaced to ensure my personal safety in a vehicle that I have owned for less than a year. I have gone into debt just to buy the vehicle, the least dodge chrysler jeep can do is ensure the quality of the product I purchased. The lives of many people are at risk, here. I've read the details of the class action lawsuit.

Filed Sep 4, 2020 · Electrical, Engine · 31,274 miles · WA

2.4 engine would cause stall not safety shut down without a warn that the oil is low. There is no warn on oil being low which lead to stall and shut down while driving that can cause wreck. The engine shut down without warn to discover need replace engine due no oil even I had the oil regular faithful change all time at the same dealership.*dt

Filed Feb 7, 2020 · Engine, Fuel system · VA

Car powers off when driving. It has happened 3 times this week. It shuts off so you can't give it any gas and says on the screen 'place vehicle in p and hit the start button' this happened 3 times this morning and the dealer said it might be oil consumption and I'm now doing a test for that which they said they might have to replace the engine.

Filed Oct 5, 2019 · Fuel system · 250 miles · AZ

8 days after purchasing the car, with around 250 miles on it the car stalled in a the middle of the road. I was going about 25 MPH. It stopped accelerating, started shaking, and then the engine died completely. I put it in park and turned it back on, as soon as I put it back in drive it died again. It died 5 times trying to get to the side of the road. I brought it into the dealership and they told me that they couldn't replicate the issue and when I mentioned the open recall they stated my VIN was not part of it and sent me on my way. A few weeks later it stalled again in the middle of the road coming to a stop light, going about 20 MPH. It stopped accelerating, started shaking, and then the engine died completely again. I brought it back in to the dealership, again nothing. The third time it happened I was driving about 40-50 MPH, it stopped accelerating, started shaking, and then the engine died completely. They finally replaced the fuel pump, still said it wasn't the recall though. It hasn't happened in the 1500 miles since they replaced it.

Filed Oct 1, 2019 · Engine · AL

My renegade first gave me 'issues' before the first oil change due date. Just 2 months after purchasing the vehicle brand new, it shut down while driving back from my beach vacation. I was driving 70 MPH on interstate 65 and it just completely shut off. I had to coast from the flow of traffic onto the side of the interstate. My 8 year old son was also with me during this first of several dangerous encounters. It took me about 6 or 7 attempts at restarting my car and getting back in traffic before I finally made it safely home that day. Each of those attempts first resulted in the car shutting off and me coasting to the side of the interstate to avoid an accident. Every time my car is close to an oil change, within about 300-500 miles, it experiences the above scenario. It has taken several months to finally find the pattern and realize the problem. The problem is that the engine is burning an excessive amount of oil, running the car low on oil, and then the safety feature shuts off the car completely. This happens without any type of warning; no lights or any type of signal. This summer, I had to complete an oil consumption test on my vehicle. This consisted of me driving to the dealership every 1,000 miles for them to check my oil, chart how much it used, and fill it back up with oil. The distance from my house to the dealership is 35 miles; quickest route being a 46 minute drive. I had to repeat this process 5 total times. At the end of the 5,000 miles I was told by my service technician (allan) that I missed the cut off for receiving a new engine by about quart of oil. He also expressed that his personal opinion may be different, but that the standard/guidelines was what he had to go by for diagnosing the results.