The Jeep Patriot is a reminder of the older vehicles from the American carmaker’s stable and is now overshadowed by the larger Jeep Cherokee. The Patriot still goes strong and has sold more than 118,000 units in the last year. The rugged SUV goes against the likes of the Honda HR-V, the Subaru Forester, and the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport. The sales are pretty good till now but the owners have a lot of points to discuss and criticize the SUV on. The NHTSA lists one recall, two investigations, and 318 complaints! The investigations are made because of the airbags while the complaints list down a lot of inherent issues with the SUV. The most commonly reported issue is the crankshaft sensor for which the company has already issued a recall. Does the Patriot provide trouble-free ownership or is it a pain to maintain? Let’s find out.
2016 Jeep Patriot Problems
Electrical issue:
- Crankshaft sensor malfunction: The most common issue faced by the Patriot owners is the crankshaft sensor malfunctioning. More than 90% of the complainants on the NHTSA have the same issue and have visited the dealership to get the same fixed. The crankshaft sensor is also responsible for stalling the SUV while moving and has been criticized a lot by the owners. The American manufacturer was listening to the issues and issued a recall (NHTSA Campaign Number 16V907000) for the Jeep Patriot, the Jeep Compass, and the Dodge Journey.
- Radio issues: When compared to the crankshaft sensor issue, the Patriot radio issues are minute. There are frequent disconnections from the connected smartphone. Many people complained about the system shutting itself off and then rebooting back. These inconsistencies cause a lot of distractions to the driver.
Mechanical issues:
- Engine stalling: The majority of the mechanical complaints in the Jeep Patriot state engine stalling as their primary reason. The stalling happens because of varying factors, the most common of which is the crankshaft sensor issue which we’ve discussed above. Apart from this, there are several reasons like fuel supply disruption and other sensors malfunctioning.
- Throttle body sensor issues: Many owners report the Patriot throttle body malfunctioning and causing the SUV to not respond to throttle inputs. People complain about flooring the throttle without accelerating because of the disconnect between the pedal and the throttle body.
- Transmission issues: The Jeep Patriot transmission issues mostly consist of the transmission slipping gears. People complain of the transmission slipping to neutral from drive and causing unintended acceleration. Some people report that the gears get stuck and don’t shift to drive from neutral. To bypass this, owners say to shift to drive and then come back to neutral and then again to drive to be able to engage the gears.
- Steering issues: Many people report the Patriot steering wheel to not lock itself when the ignition is off and the key is taken out. Another issue with the steering is that it swerves the SUV to the left while driving at highway speeds. People say that they have to constantly correct the steering wheel and provide input to keep the SUV straight.
Safety features issues:
- Airbag deployment issues: The Patriot airbags are reported to not deploy properly in a collision. Reports claim that the airbags did not deploy even after clear deployable circumstances which caused injuries to the occupants. On the other end of the spectrum, the headrest airbags are said to deploy at the slightest touch. Both the situations are injurious to the occupants and have been reported to the NHTSA.
2016 Jeep Patriot Recalls
|
S. No |
Date |
NHTSA ID |
Issues Noticed |
Additional Remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. |
December 16, 2016 |
16V907000 |
Engine and Engine Cooling |
Intermittent working of the crankshaft or camshaft sensor may stall the engine, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Chrysler will notify the owners and initiate the recall on February 8, 2017. The dealerships will replace the crankshaft or camshaft sensor for free. |
Should you buy the 2016 Jeep Patriot?
The 2016 Jeep Patriot lives to see another successful model year of its production with all the hip and tradition it brings in. the owners are pretty content with their purchase but the mentioned issues do take a toll on the positive image. As such, the most common issue is solved via a recall and the other issues have an in-house remedy available at the dealerships. That said, if you want a proper SUV in the sensitive price bracket, the Jeep Patriot is a commendable option. If you want a pre-owned bet, mandatorily check for any electrical issues especially relating to the faulty sensors. Apart from that, proper due diligence is the way to go!
