Problems · by component
2012 Jeep Patriot engine problems
114 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Jeep Patriot cite engine, 32% of all 354 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
114
32% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the engine
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the lights inside the vehicle were flickering and the vehicle shuddered. Additionally, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and then stalled. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled an abnormal odor, and the vehicle failed to accelerate while the accelerator pedal was depressed. Additionally, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the exhaust was clogged. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. Additionally, the contact became aware of a coolant leak. The contact stated that the vehicle made an abnormal sound and shuddered. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.”
“The contact owns a 2012 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was restarted; however, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled again. The contact stated that due to the failure, the vehicle was undrivable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.”
“I cannot put gas in my car, continuously shuts off and spits fuel back out like its full. It takes about 20 minutes to get enough gas in it to feel like I can drive a little distance without worrying I will run out since It always acts as if its full. It also seems as if it wants to stall out at times and I just give it more gas. I have had this car for a few months now and Im scared its going to stall and cause an accident. Having a difficult time with getting someone to work on it, codes will not diagnose. After reading I saw this had recalls in the past. Should this car have been recalled?”
“Intake manifold flow valve was replaced and so was the manifold. One month later my vehicle threw an engine light for code p2015 for the same issue. I then replace the valve again three days after thinking it was a faulty part and almost a week last same code with the engine light. It give very bad idling and with jump the rpm to almost 4k before the vehicle even moves. Needless to say pulling out in traffic would be impossible unless I was to be hit by multiple vehicles.”
“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…”
“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…”
Showing 6 of 114 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.