Newt, my 2014 with about 95 K miles has been very trouble free (knock on wood, lol). I've posted here many times that after FCA took over in 2009, many improvements were made. The Patriot had numerous changes between 2011 and 2014. The engine is simple and solid. The 6 speed tranny introduced in 2013 is also solid. Many Patriot problems are annoyances vs. real problems in my opinion. These annoyances are due to the entry level build quality of the Patriot, again in my opinion. Squeaks here and there. Plastic seat side trim breaking, etc.. Nothing compared with engine design problems of other vehicles.
If you study any of the other brands on the net, you will uncover huge problems. Our Patriot sub frame corrosion in early models.....Google rust for many other brands and you will be shocked. Subaru has plenty of problems, their engines especially. Honda, where do I begin? Google Honda Variable Cylinder Management. Even the venerable Toyota brand has plenty of skeletons in the closet. Hyundai/Kia have recent engine problems plaguing them.
Another thing - model specific forums tend to attract people seeking problem fixes. My adult son has a 2014 Kia Soul that has stellar reliability ratings - his car has superb build quality and his has been extremely reliable at 190,000 miles. When I go to the Kia Soul forums, the majority of posts are people seeking problem solving.
The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. If you are having some latent buyer's remorse, put it aside. LOL, I tend to do buyer's remorse often, but am very satisfied with my Patriot.
