What 325 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Jeep Patriot

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 JEEP PATRIOT. WHILE DRIVING 45-50 MPH, SMOKE WAS DETECTED AND THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT FIRE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT LOT. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY DECLINED TO ASSIST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

NHTSA ODI 11267759

TL* 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.

NHTSA ODI 11001648

I WAS ON A SHORT TRIP WHEN A CAR BEHIND ME FRANTICALLY WAVED ME TO STOP AND INFORMED ME THAT MY JEEP WAS ON FIRE. THE EXHAUST BURNT A WHOLE THROUGH THE REAR BUMPER AND MELTED THE BUMPER. I HAD NO INDICATION THAT THIS WAS HAPPENING. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10694309

I WAS DRIVING IN WAUSAU, MY JEEP STOPPED, I ACCELERATED-NOTHING. I HAD CARS BEHIND ME HONKING AND THE ONE DIRECTLY BEHIND ME WAS COMING UP FAST, I STEERED TO THE RIGHT AND MANAGED TO MAKE IT INTO A SNOWBANK. I TURNED MY CAR OFF, RESTARTED IT. SAT FOR ABOUT 10 MINS WITH HAZARDS ON AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE BACK HOME TO EAU CLAIRE. IN FEBRUARY I REPLACED MY TRANSMISSION. MY TRANSMISSION NEVER WENT OUT. MY VEHICLE WOULD JUST GET STUCK IN REVERSE, I'D HAVE TO PUT IN DRIVE, BACK TO REVERSE, THEN TO DRIVE AGAIN TO GO. IN ADDITION I HAD TWO MORE EPISODES, ONE WITH MY TWELVE YEAR OLD IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME WHERE IT JUST STOPPED ACCELERATING. SO I HAVE A NEW TRANSMISSION IN. I HAVE ALSO FILED A SEPARATE COMPLAINT REGARDING TREAD WEAR ON NOW TIRES, BUT IT'S A FEW WEEKS LATER AND SOMETHING STILL ISN'T RIGHT. I'M NOT GETTING STUCK IN REVERSE ANYMORE, IT'S ONLY BEEN A MONTH, BUT I HAVEN'T HAD THE JEEP STOP, BUT IT FEEL LIKE THE (EXCUSE MY LACK OF MECHANICAL [XXX]) FUEL ISN'T GETTING TO WEAR IT NEEDS TO GO FAST ENOUGH BECAUSE SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T ACCELERATE (IT'S BEEN OVER 30 DEGREES ALL WEEK, IT'S NOT DUE TO NOT HAVING THE CAR WARM UP). THEN WHEN IT DOES CHOOSE TO ACCELERATE IT "JUMPS" TO IT. OVERALL IT'S JUST NOISY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10568785

I WAS DRIVING ON NB I-5 IN A 2005 SUBARU. THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WAS THIS 2011 JEEP PATRIOT THAT I AM COMPLAINING ABOUT. WE WERE DRIVING APPROX. 65MPH. I WAS NOT TAILGATTING! THE JEEP PATRIOT'S POWER DIED. THE DRIVER THOUGHT SHE WAS NOT GETTING GAS AND KEPT HITTING THE GAS PEDAL. SHE NEVER HIT THE BRAKE. I DID NOT SEE A BRAKE LIGHT AND IT TOOK ME A COUPLE SECONDS TO REALIZE SHE HAD SLOWED, THEN STOPPED (THAT IS WHY I PUT SHE WAS GOING APPROX. 30MPH). RESEARCH SHOWS IT TAKES 2-1/2 TIME LONGER TO BRAKE IF YOU DO NOT SEE BRAKE LIGHTS. SHE DID NOT PULL OVER TO THE MEDIAN. NEEDLESS TO SAY, BY THE TIME I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES, I HIT HER. I WAS STILL GOING ABOUT 55MPH. MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. MY 85 YEAR OLD MOTHER WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME AND WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. I WAS ALSO INJURED BUT WAS ABLE TO RECOVER IN A MATTER OF 6-8 WEEKS. AS I RESEARCH THIS VEHICLE, I FIND THAT NOT ONLY THE 2011 PATRIOT HAS THIS PROBLEM, BUT SO DOES THE 2012 PATRIOT. WHEN IS JEEP GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. APPARENTLY JEEP MECHANICS KNOW THIS PROBLEM OCCURS BUT DO NOT KNOW WHY. BTW, THIS WAS A RENTAL VEHICLE FOR THE DRIVER OF THE PATRIOT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10468517