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What 120 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Jeep Patriot

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (120)Crash / fire / injury (7)Airbags (33)Engine (25)Seat belts (23)Transmission & drivetrain (19)Electrical system (11)Fuel system (9)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (8)Speed control (7)Brakes (5)Seats (5)

1 of 120 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Feb 3, 2018Electrical systemFire

STARTING IN THE SUMMER OF 2014 THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW WOULD WORK INTERMITTENTLY JULY 15, 2016 WHILE DRIVING I SMELT SOMETHING BURNING. LOOKED BEHIND ME AND THE BACKSEAT WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE! PULLED OVER AND CALLED 911. FIREFIGHTERS DETERMINED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW HAD SHORT CIRCUITED. WHEN I TURNED OFF THE CAR IT HAD STOPPED THE WIRES FROM BURNING. THE FIREFIGHTERS DISCONNECTED THE WIRES AND I CAREFULLY CONTINUED ON MY WAY. DURING THIS TIME I ALSO HAD AN ISSUE WITH THE DOOR LOCKS CONSTANTLY LOCKING AND UNLOCKING, EVEN WHEN NO ONE WAS IN THE CAR. ALSO, THE HORN AND STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS, SUCH AS THE CRUISE CONTROL AND RADIO CONTROLS, WENT OUT. I JEEP ABOUT THE FIRE/SMOKE AND ALSO TOLD THEM ABOUT THE OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING. I MET WITH A CHRYSLER INSPECTOR AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP. SHORTLY AFTER I RECEIVED A LETTER STATING THAT THEY WERE NOT AT FAULT FOR THE ISSUES HAPPENING WITH MY PATRIOT. .

NHTSA ODI 11066781

Working with the data? Download all 120 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 24, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2013 Jeep Patriot verdict →