My Patriot has pulled to the right since new. I noticed it driving home on HWY. Dealer says they can't check alignment because they don't have the specs yet. Does this make sense? Anyone else have similar experience? I'll be checking back w/ dealer to see if they have any new info. If not I think I'll call DC and ask whats up.

Mine runs straight down the road. I would keep after them, they should be able to call someone for the specs??

I could see this happening. The Patriot is a fairly new vehicle and their alignment machine may not be completely updated. This happens sometimes at the shop I work for.

I am having the same issue with mine, it is a very subtle pull to the right but it does pull. I thought that it was just me for a couple of weeks.

Got my brand new trail rated sport today. While driving home on the freeway in Phoenix, pulls right with only 7 miles on it. Will keep you all posted.

Mine pulls to the right.
I got the first oil change yesterday and they checked it, blamed the roads and not the car, they want me to give it 2500 more k and if its still bothering me they will look after that..

they checked and said everything is tight

OK - I haven't checked the pull to the right thing. I have a different issue but it could be related. I have noticed a very faint speed related vibration on my brand new Pat. At first I thought that it was perhaps a wheel out of balance. However, its getting harder to detect by the day.

I had another idea about what it could be. When the car is shipped, they strap the car down really tight on the rail car or the truck. Perhaps this could make flat spots on the tires as is known to occur when cars have been parked for a very long time.

A flat spot on the tires could I think make the vehicle pull one way or the other (since for a portion of the rotation the radius of the wheel is smaller).

As you drive the car and the tire is "exercised" it should come back into round (as this is the easiest and natural shape for it) and this would explain why it seems to be going away.

I'm watching this closely on my car and will check also for alignment issues. I'll report back if the problem goes away or gets better.

It seems interesting that they all pull to the right or not at all. I haven't noticed any vibrations though. My Pat has about 1100 miles on it. I hope it can be aligned before I head out on a 3000mi. road trip in July.

My patriot pulls to the right as well... it's not horrible - just enough to be annoying!

I have the same small problem, just a little bit pull to the right. I am on the road all week (drive 18 wheeler) , so had someone take it in for me, and they said that according to the toe-in machine it was alright and didn't do anything.


Guess I will go to another jeep place.

Has anyone tried exchanging the front tires from side to side. I have seen where a slight difference in rolling resistance will affect the steering. Also try this this on the freeway to confirm it is just road crown. Drive in the left lane where the crown should be to the left. My Compass is very sensitive to road crown, as is also my 04 Intrepid. We wanted a Patriot but it was to difficult to get a FWD so we went with the Compass and love the new Jeep.

By the way this board has great activity and it nice to see the new Jeeps doing so well with their owners.

Well, I've got the subltle vibration - but I can report no pull in either direction. Alignment-wise, my 4x4 trail rated is fine.

However, I have from time to time noticed the road crown effect noted by lewis4246 on my other car (Mazda Protege5) from time to time.

it is just road crown. Drive in the left lane where the crown should be to the left.

Yes - it is most likely road crown. On a two-lane road the slope from the center line to the side of the road can be as much as 10 or 11 degrees - on a straight-away.

On what ever stretch of two-lane road that you notice it the most - with no traffic - cross the center line and see if it now pulls left.

JimmyXRay it pulls right in all lanes even with road crown sloping left. I'm gonna try swapping the tires like lewis4246 suggested.

The service guys at the dealership told me that many new vehicles are designed to pull slightly to the right. Some sort of safety thing if you fall asleep at the wheel. Better to run off the road than into oncoming traffic I suppose!?

The service guys at the dealership told me that many new vehicles are designed to pull slightly to the right. Some sort of safety thing if you fall asleep at the wheel. Better to run off the road than into oncoming traffic I suppose!?

BULLCRAP. Most cars don't have the fine adjustments so that you can perfectly align them but that is nothing new.

Ok after getting my tires rotated for the 1st time with 8k miles on it I noticed mine pulls slightly to the left. The dealership just switched the 2 front tires and told me it may pull to the right now. Sure enough it does! What gives? He states I was 2k miles over the time period of getting them rotated. I also noticed it pulls way more to the right at any speeds. When it pulled to the left it was only at 60mph, then at 70mph the steering wheel would have a subtle shake to it. Any ideas would be helpful before my 12,000 mile warranty expires on alignment! tia

When the KJs first came out...we had the same problem...and it was not a pull caused by the crown of the road...it was more prevalent than that. They (Jeep) have to fix any alignment issues up to 12,000 miles, so keep on them. A good alignment guy should be able to take current measurements and your diagnosis and fix the problem...and if the dealer can not do it, they should pay for the alignment...or new tires...lol.

My patriot is pulling to the right aswell, I've already rotated the tires(3k oil change) and it's still pulling. I guess I'll add an alignment to my list of issue to talk to the dealership about next trip.

Jimmy TJ,
I rotated my tires at 5K and it didn't fix problem. I brought Pat to a different dealership in my area and they happily aligned it. Problem sloved. Be sure to have dealership align your Pat before 12K, that's when the warranty ends for alignment.

I took mine in to have the tires force BAL …There was a sight vibration in the steering wheel. The tire shop brought to my attention that the tires were starting to cup and the vehicle needed realignment only 9000 miles on it. I took it to the dealer they did realignment for free….goes real straight now. I need to still have the tires BAL…still has a slight vibration in the steering wheel.

Ok after getting my tires rotated for the 1st time with 8k miles on it I noticed mine pulls slightly to the left. The dealership just switched the 2 front tires and told me it may pull to the right now. Sure enough it does! What gives? He states I was 2k miles over the time period of getting them rotated. I also noticed it pulls way more to the right at any speeds. When it pulled to the left it was only at 60mph, then at 70mph the steering wheel would have a subtle shake to it. Any ideas would be helpful before my 12,000 mile warranty expires on alignment! tia

Mine pulled to the right, did an alignment and swapped the 2 front tires, now pulls to the left. Steering shakes at 60-65mph.

I have been told the same thing about the designing them to pull slightly to the right. Both my 07 Pat and my 06 Town and Country pull ever so slighlty right. I hate it, but my wife claims it is safety feature. The shop I took the Town and Country to said the same thing. Dam safety...

Update on my pulling: I took Patriot to a Good Year Tire Dealership. They concluded that after my tire rotation rear to front the 1st time, then front R to front L the 2nd time and still pulling that I have two front bad tires. The Good Year dealer said distribution center is out of this size and will take 2 days to get with no charge to me which is wonderful! He said they are about $130 a tire.

Anyways if I do this will there be any kind of abnormal wear/tear to transfer case or any other part of Jeep being that I will have 2 front new tires and two rear tires with 11,500 miles on them? The Good Year dealership said I barely had any wear on the front tires and wouldn't be a problem.

I just want other's opinions here since my Jeep Dealership wouldn't help me resolve this issue. They kept telling me the 3rd time around that they couldn't even feel it pull! I feel like calling them and telling them odd because the Tire Dealership test drove for only 5 minutes and determined bad tires.

BTW I called Jeep and they told me Dealership won't warranty a tire that I'd have to call Good Year. This is how it's done I guess. Upset that the Service manager didn't lead me into the right direction & tell me to call Good Year from the start!

I just picked mine up last week and no problems but I will keep an eye on it

I thought I was the only one with this problem. First off I am glad I know I am not the only one, secondly, it is getting me mad that the dealerships are giving a hassle. I plan to take my Pat in this Saturday to get it aligned. I have a slight to barely minimal pull to the right. Just like another poster said, "[just enough to notice]".

I had a problem with a dealership where I bought my last vehicle.
I ended up calling and writing to crysler about the vehicle and the dealer.
About a week later,I recieved a call from the dealer that everything would be done and covered.
Sometimes you have to talk to the big guy.

Hi,

At least I am not the only one having this problem. Maybe someone can help me!!!!
I purchased my 2007 Patriot in July of '07. Everything was great, except about a month after I bought it, it began pulling to the right. Since I had to travel an hour away to where I bought it, I thought I could take it to the Jeep Dealer 10 minutes from my house. What a mistake!! They ended up telling me it was the crown of the road and that no pull was felt. Well, I ended up writing down the milage when I dropped it off and checked it out when I picked it up, not even a mile difference! Enough to drive it from the parking spot, to the garage (if that) and back to the parking spot.
About 3 days later I decided to drive the hour to where I bought it. They had it over night, and I had to come back the next day to pick it up and it was fixed! They adjusted the toe, and said that they centered the steering wheel. Also check the tire pressure and sensors. "It was fixed! YAY!!!" and then I thought this was over.
NOPE!!!
It lasted for about 5 months, then it began again. So I thought it was just from driving it. Last week I had to take it in to get an oil change, and have my clutch pedal looked at also because it would make a "squeak" or "grinding" sound (best way I can discribe it) so I also had them do an alignment and hopefully it would be fixed. No! They said they adjusted the toe, and centered the steering wheel because it was to the left. They also checked the tire pressure, everything was good. It was still very noticable! So, now I have to take it back this Tuesday (This is the 4th time now!!!!!!!) so they can replace my clutch pedal assembly. If it is not fixed this time, I don't know what to do. I am starting to worry because the warranty will be up in July because of the 12 months. I refuse to pay for alignments for something that has been looked at a lot already!!!

I would appreciate ANY suggestions, or help!!!
Don't get me wrong, I love my Jeep and wouldn't trade it for anything, but I don't want all of these headaches either!!!!

Thanks!!!

That story that they are aligned to pull to the right for safety is the oldest pile of BS in the barnyard. That has never been the case and will never be the case. They are designed and should be aligned to be straight and true.

I don't have the problem, but I would suspect the tires myself. Has anyone checked the inflation? I'm not talking about the 35psi rule or relying on the flat sensor. Just for the heck of it, I would suggest pumping them up to about 40psi or whatever is marked on the tire and see how it is.

It's like that old joke.....


Detroit auto makers only have three requirements for tires.

1. They're black
2. They're round
3. They're cheap

... and the first two are optional.


By the way, for the person with the sqeaky clutch. There is a service bulletin on that. You don't need the assembly replaced. It just needs to be lubricated with a tube of white, lithium grease.

My Patriot has pulled to the right since new. I noticed it driving home on HWY. Dealer says they can't check alignment because they don't have the specs yet. Does this make sense? Anyone else have similar experience? I'll be checking back w/ dealer to see if they have any new info. If not I think I'll call DC and ask whats up.


OK. Everyone listening? I had my '07 Sport 4x2, 20,000 miles, aligned about a month ago. It was pulling to the right just a bit which generally means there's a problem on the opposite side. I took it to a tire dealer/alignment specialist I actually trust (he's done 4 of my vehicles in the past and the fellow's a freak for detail). There's only one adjustment available. That's toe. The other set points are factory set and locked. Look on the inside tread of your left front tire. It's probably feathering or wearing a bit too much. Anyway, that fixed the pulling. He also X rotated the tires (without rebalancing, and no, there's no problem with Xing these tires). Now in 5 or 6000 miles, I'll have the tires balanced and rotated again.

Get this checked out. Besides the annoyance of pulling to the right, the condition is wearing out your tires.

I have had the same problem with my new 08 Pat. Pulls to the right in any situation. When I took it to the dealer and asked them to check the alignment, they called and said it was "tire pull". I've never heard of this, but let them work on it. After three days in and out of service, they had replaced two tires and claimed it was good. Drove it home... same pull to the right. I been waiting for an opportunity to take it back again.

An alignment deals with 3 main measurments. Camber Caster and Toe. Caster is the main measurment that can cause the vehicle to pull to either side. Also if you have a severe camber issues you can get a pull. As far as I know Caster is non-adjustable in the Jeep Patriot which is why a lot of you are having problems getting the pull fixed. Tires can also cause a pull. HUNTER makes a wheel balancer that can measure tire pull. Call tire shops in your area and ask if they have hunter model GSP9700. The balancer can measure the pulling force in each of the tires and the direction in which they pull. The balancer will show where to put each tire so that you won't have a pull, the bad thing is that when you rotate your tires the pull can come back...

I am a Jeep Tech. Most of the pulls now days are tire related even if brand new. Try crossing the front tires. If it goes straight..then it's ok. If it goes leftthen it is a bad tire and go to the Goodyear, Firestone dealer etc.

I think it's probably the case with decreasing profit margins that the auto companies try to shave pennies here and there, and one way is on crappier tires. I've never been happy with the tires put on by the factory, they generally suck in snow and have no other redeeming qualities. I noticed on my '08 North Edition that there are large weights on the rims which is indicative of the quality of the tire. The better the tire, the true'er it will run and therefore shouldn't require much lead on your rim to balance.

I haven't noticed the pull to the right, but my fiancee has, so maybe I'll pay closer attention to it. I tend to drive 9-3 all the time so I mostly have a firm grip on the wheel so maybe that is why I haven't noticed. Once these tires are done I'm putting some Yokohama Geolanders on, had those on my Pathfinder and loved them.

I picked my Patriot LTD up on May 1st.
I notice a slight pull to the right.
I had the dealer perform an alignment at 300 miles.
All the specs were dead on.
It still pulls slightly to the right.
If I'm driving on the extreme left lane of the interstate it pulls slightly to the left, in the middle lane it rolls straight.
If I drive on the left side of a one way street it pulls left.
I'm blaming the crown of the road.

I am a Jeep Tech. Most of the pulls now days are tire related even if brand new. Try crossing the front tires. If it goes straight..then it's ok. If it goes leftthen it is a bad tire and go to the Goodyear, Firestone dealer etc.

My steering wheel is no longer level after my first visit to dealership for oil change + tires rotation. They'll schedule for an alignment, but probably I'll try this first.

Well, my Patriot still pulls to the right! Took it to the dealership seven times, they had done everything. Alignment after alignment, X crossed the tires....didn't work. Crossed the front two tires...Jeep ended up pulling to the left because the tire was worn so bad, so they ended up giving me 4 brand new tires since they thought it was the tires.....NOPE! Still pulls. So I met with a Chrysler Rep and he couldn't even drive my 5 speed! :Racing:
This is so pathetic! I called AND emailed Jeep/Chysler and nothing was done. I am so mad at Jeep, and this dealership I am dealing with. The Service Advisor I am dealing with made me come back up the 7th time for an alignment because they "couldn't find" the specs from the other ones. Does anyone know if that is something they keep? I would imagine they would keep it on the computer, especially if a Jeep has been in there multiple times for the SAME PROBLEM!!!
Is anyone still having the same problem??
Sorry I'm venting, I'm just VERY UPSET with JEEP now! :mad: :mad: :mad: