You are here: Forums SUVs Jeep Patriot Jeep Patriot

Jeep Patriot

24 messages,  Last post on Feb 13, 2009 at 9:53 AM

You are in the Jeep Patriot Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester

What is this discussion about? Jeep Patriot, Car Buying, SUV

Messages Page 3 of 3 1 2 3 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

#19 of 24 One Year Later and 30K miles Report by djp_63 Aug 08, 2008 (6:44 am)
Here is a 30,000+ mile report on my Patriot. I purchased an 07, 2.4 litre, FWD, CVT Sport with all the basic popular options and alloy wheels. First, I have only had it back to the dealer to update the CVT software and have had no other problems to date. I drive about 75% on the highway and get 26 to mid 28 mpg consistently. The ride is smooth and quiet with good handling and manoeuvrability.   The Exterior:   The paint seems good (mine is light khaki), but the sheet metal is noticeably thin. I had a plastic trim piece come loose from along the bottom of the windshield. Everything else seems very solid, tight doors and nice lift gate. I use Turtle Wax Ice for polish with good results because it works on the plastic parts too. I will eventually add a hitch to attach a bike rack. There is also an issue with the hood flexing at highway speed. Mine does this a little, but I understand that the hinges were redesigned to fix the problem. I may get mine fixed.   The Interior:   The front seats are very comfortable (I'm 6'2" 180 lbs) and the YES Essential fabric is great (Florida). The back seat can hold three adult sized children fine, but two is better of course. Overall, the interior is good with a nod to Jeep utilitarianism. My complaint is it scratches too easily. Also the beige colour is a bit unappealing but okay. I think the grey looks better. Carpet is nice, and the plastic stowage area cleans easily. The rear and passenger seat folds flat making it possible to put 8' lumber inside and close the hatch. Plywood and the like must go on the roof. The A/C works well in conjunction with the tinted windows. The knobs and controls feel of lower quality but placed well and intuitive. The fog lamp switch is clumsy and the turn signal stem is stiff. I hope they improve these. Radio is very good for factory. Visibility is good to okay, as the A and B pillars are a bit bulky. However, good mirrors and a higher sitting position help a lot.   Engine and CVT:   The 4 cylinder is strong and reasonably smooth. The oil, air filter and spark plugs are easily serviced with a well organised engine compartment. One of my hesitations with buying this was the CVT and its reliability. I watched the Dodge Caliber for over a year to see how they were doing and read of testing that showed a 300,000 mile durability cycle. I am hoping for at least half that at a minimum. After driving the CVT for a while, I think I am a convert, and will be completely won over if they prove to be reliable. It does take some getting used to, but once you do, they are great. However, if you are the gas-mashing type and aggressive, it will fight you and make a lot of noise. I routinely pull away from everyone at stops with very little pedal and passing at highway speed is easy with only a little nudge. The CVT shines with mountain driving as the RPMs ramps up without straining the motor at all. I find myself passing lots of cars on my way up, and on the way down, the CVT pays back again by applying engine braking keeping the car at speed without using your brakes much at all. Again, it is very fluid when you learn how to drive it. My wife's Scion xD will hunt for the right gear and thrash the engine. The CVT steel belt is supposedly good for the life of the vehicle and requires no service until 100,000 miles (fluid change).   Safety:   Front and side air bags, ESP, ABS, roll mitigation and four wheel disc standard on a $15000 vehicle. The body looks and feels stout with multi-layered steel with internal bonding structural foam in-between key areas. The door thresholds are box beams with sturdy looking A and B pillars forming a cage around you. It has very good crash test ratings and my insurance company actually lowered my rates.   Overall, I am very happy with my Patriot, but time will tell as it is too new of a vehicle. My last Cherokee gave me 170,000 trouble free miles. Before that I milked over 300,000 out of a Dodge Dakota with very little trouble. So my expectations are high. I have read where many Dodge Calibers are on car lots with over 100,000 miles still running strong. That's a good start, and I have not heard of any pandemic CVT failures. These CVTs are made by JATCO and have been used in Japan for many years now with good results. Ford's CVT seemed problematic at the onset. Understand this is an economy vehicle starting under $16K going into the low 20s. Mine was under 19K and optioned well. So this Jeep represents a good value to me, is solid driving, nice on the eyes, decent fuel economy and inexpensive respectively. I would gladly drive a stripped version 5 speed, crank windows, vinyl seats and steel wheels if all I could afford was $15k. Replies to this message: irismg (Feb 13, 2009 9:53 am)
#20 of 24 Impressions so far Jeep Patriot 11,000 miles by sedalia Sep 03, 2008 (12:16 pm)
Bought our Patriot end of Oct/2007. We endured an exceptionally hard winter in Colorado 2007/2008. I am very happy to report our Jeep Patriot 4x4 Trail-Rated (w/CVT) proved exceptionally stable and stout in many trips up and down and over the Continental Divide, even over rugged Hoosier Pass (Breckenridge-to-SouthPark) about 11,00-ft elevation, above tree line.. Patriot muscled right over in the worst possilbe conditions - extremely heavy winds, blowing/drifting snow, low to non-existent visibility: zero complaints, steady as a rock, great grip, nice and tight. The only problem the whole winter was when newly-licensed teenager was able to 'break the wheels' making a turn on icy street and hit the curb in an awkward way - which expensively boogered up the suspension and steering. Runs fine now after the fix. Jeep also ran great during the hot summer. That thing likes to get up hills, for sure. Can't wait to take it off-road this Fall at Kenosha Pass.   Only real complaint is during a slow deceleration there is a definite dead spot at about 12 - 15 mph. Local dealership techie said this was because of the way transmission software is set up. He said that this dead spot comes about because of exigencies built in to the CVT protocol that need to account for a quick acceleration should it occur in that range, He was going to check with "his people" to see if there would be fix for this, but I never heard back.   All-in-all, I like this vehicle, especially all the interior room and the way it handles on-road during inclement situations.
#21 of 24 press request by kirstie_h HOST Oct 27, 2008 (11:16 am)
An advertising agency would like to speak with satisfied Jeep Patriot drivers. If you own or regularly drive one of these vehicles, please respond to jwahledmunds.com with your daytime contact information no later than Friday, October 31st.
#22 of 24 Leaky Patriot by smellypatriot Nov 07, 2008 (9:42 am)
I purchased an 08 Patriot in March .We have been very happy with all round performance and service etc. I noticed the other day that the car was begining to smell musty and after a particular heavy downpour I found water leaking through my rear interior cargo light .I checked out the net and found many similar stories . Can any body tell me, even if the leak is fixed what the long term effects could be after all of this water sloshing around in my vehicle? What is the normal recourse in Canada should you feel your vehicle is a lemon? Can I ask for extended coverage on warranty for electrical /structural or aesthetic deficiencies caused by interior corrosion?
#23 of 24 2007 Patriot CVT Problem by justin17 Dec 16, 2008 (2:22 pm)
I bought a 2007 4x4 Patriot in Feb. 2007. I really enjoy the Patriot for the most part and feel it is much more stable than my 2002 Grand Cherokee was.   I was hesitant at first about the CVT but after researching it I trusted it since it has been in use for a while by other car companies. Everything had been going great until last August. I took the car in for an oil change when the mechanic told me there was something leaking that was not oil and appeared to be transmission fluid. I took it to the dealership. At first they couldn't find the leak but acknowledged that there was definitely a leak happening. The trans fluid level was low and they could see the leak residue. They put a tracer dye in and sent me on my way. I took it in 2 days later after noticing that there had been some major leaking in the parking spot I was in. That's when I got the shock.   The jeep only had 36600 miles on it. They discovered that there was a leak in the CVT casing. After contacting JATCO, the maker of the CVT, they were told that they do not make a replacement part for this casing. So, the whole CVT assembly needed to be replaced. At first JATCO was going to replace it even though it was not under warranty because they couldn't believe it would go bad so quickly. A few days later JATCO changed their mind and decided they weren't going to cover it because it was out of warranty. Luckily for me, the dealership decided to honor it since it was only 600 miles past the expiration of the warranty (missed the lifetime warranty by about 6 months!)   So, we ended up agreeing on me paying $100 to cover the repair. This was a $3800 repair by the way. So, while I am happy with the dealership for helping me out, my concern is-has anyone else heard of anything like this? I am a very easy driver on this car and only use the 4x4 for the snow. I don't offroad or cause any other stress to the car so did I just get a bum part or should I be worried for the future? This new trans only has a 12000 mile warranty so I don't want to find out in a few months that I will be out a lot of money.   Thanks.
#24 of 24 Re: One Year Later and 30K miles Report [djp_63] by irismg Feb 13, 2009 (9:53 am)
Replying to: djp_63 (Aug 08, 2008 6:44 am) I've been investigating the Jeep twins, Compass and Patriot for secondhand purchase. This is invaluable information, so thanks for the jingo-free details. That transmission is also in the Nissan Rogue, but for whatever reason seems to act differently in it (better?), at any rate it has a good track record, but as you say, it requires relearning how to drive a car that's got it. The bad reviews that refer to sluggishness seem to indicate even the professional reviewers haven't learned how to do this yet, lol.   The '09s have improved the padding on the armrests, but I wonder whether the objection to the harder plastics in the '07 wouldn't be alleviated by wearing clothing! I understand totally about being spoiled by a car you've had for years and having to lower expectations a tad. Velour is nice, but sometimes you have to make do with something else.   Anyway, thanks for the detail, you didn't really mention average mileage, but perhaps you could post these results on another thread?

Messages Page 3 of 3 1 2 3 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

You are here: Forums SUVs Jeep Patriot Jeep Patriot