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Endless Nightmare

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chaleyster

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2017 Jeep Patriot
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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
Exactly one year ago, I became the proud owner of a 2017 Jeep Patriot (Latitude, 4x4, Auto) with only 60k miles. It was a great deal and I loved every minute of driving it. I even gave her a name. Serena. Perfection…or so I thought.

At the 65k milestone, Serena transformed into the most vile “la tóxica” I ever had the displeasure of being with. In the last 7 months of ownership, problems have erupted in a way I’ve never seen:

Alternator replaced twice (possible third time?)
Battery replaced twice
Rear strut constantly leaking even repaired
Electrical problems on the daily (windows, lights, locks)
AC went out in the first 5 months, heater now gone
Jeep dies randomly but starts right back up
Door locks fell inside
Mysterious sour smell permeates the interior
Alignment never straight, death wobble at 60+
Driver doors hard to close
Paint peeling off driver door from light rain

I have had it with her. She drives me crazy and I still owe 11k. I’m thinking of fixing what I can then selling her to break even. California gas prices are so high now I might as well pedal to work. Maintenance is on time for the most part but I truly think she’s possessed. I drove to a dealership the other week and she decided to not start when the quote came through, then mysteriously started when my girlfriend stopped by to jump her. I’m losing my mind more every day and even had the crazy idea to have her exorcised to ease my paranoia. I forgot to rub the dash one night (as is my typical ritual before driving) and she wouldn’t start until I literally caressed the dash and she fired right up like it was the first time. I had my battery charger hooked up for 7 hours and she wouldn’t take the charge until I voiced how much I adored driving her.

Long story short… HELP

P.S. My mechanic is baffled as are the other two in my area. One of them jokingly does the sign of the cross whenever I bring her in.

P.P.S. Sunk over 5k in one year. Sometimes she codes with issues, other times no codes but tons of aforementioned issues.
 
#2 ·
Sounds like a loose ground or 2
 
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#3 · (Edited)
What is the pre-purchase history of this vehicle? Was it a deal too good to believe? Is it possibly a flood salvaged vehicle? "Rear strut constantly leaking and even repaired" makes no sense. Paint peeling off the door from rain??? $5,000 dollars in repairs in one year? Something is very odd here and it seems that you might be a victim of being taken advantage of on many levels.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
Treegrower said:
What is the pre-purchase history of this vehicle? Was it a deal too good to believe? Is it possibly a flood salvaged vehicle? "Rear strut constantly leaking and even repaired" makes no sense. Paint peeling off the door from rain??? $5,000 dollars in repairs in one year? Something is very odd here and it seems someone took advantage of you.
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I purchased it from a used dealer, Truckmax USA. Everything seemed in order, drove fine off the lot. Never had any issues until after the first couple months.
 
#7 ·
Sounds like if NellyBelle was a Patriot. If you don't get the reference, look up the Roy Rogers show.
 
#8 ·
RossoRacer said:
Sounds like if NellyBelle was a Patriot. If you don't get the reference, look up the Roy Rogers show.
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I once won a game of Trivial Pursuit with the question, "What was the name of Pat Brady's Jeep?" When I got the answer my Wife screamed and threw the card in the air. Hey, I used to watch the show. She was probably too young.
Happy Trails!
 
#12 ·
I'd have to agree with the first responder.
It really sounds like you've got a loose or bad ground somewhere...
That would cause both battery and alternator issues and it looks like most of the other issues are caused by besides the strut, door paint, etc...
You're going to want to find a good auto electrician to trace it down.
Most mechanics aren't familiar enough with the electrical system and wiring.
 
#13 ·
MIboozeman said:
I'd have to agree with the first responder.
It really sounds like you've got a loose or bad ground somewhere...
That would cause both battery and alternator issues and it looks like most of the other issues are caused by besides the strut, door paint, etc...
You're going to want to find a good auto electrician to trace it down.
Most mechanics aren't familiar enough with the electrical system and wiring.
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Electrical problems are a mechanic's nightmare, too. It is time consuming to track down the problem, then the fix is cheap -- maybe a wire nut or an inch of electrical tape. Then you go ballistic when you get a bill for a couple hundred bucks because he spent half a day looking for the little gremlin (my apology to AMC owners).

This might be a place where you're better off at a dealership because they work on nothing but Jeeps all day and are more likely to know the possible weak points because they've seen them before.

Sam: "Hey George, didn't you have a Patriot with these symptoms last week?"
George: "Yeah, I spent 6 hours finding it. The wire connecting the assilator to the fragilant was grounding out on the bokar support."
Sam: "Thanks George, I owe you a beer."

At the local shop it goes like this. (An actual conversation I overheard at a garage where I went to schedule a repair)
Sam: "Hey George, what's this thing?"
George: "I dunno. Where'd you get it?"
Sam: "I dropped the pan on that Ford out there and this fell out."
Me: "Can you tell me how to find Maple Street?" (I was also driving a Ford)
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
If worst comes to worst, we might try to fix what we can then trade it in and attempt to rollover the loan. It’s been one thing after another this year and my savings are pretty much drained.
 
#15 ·
chaleyster said:
Update: limped it to my mechanic and this is what was found.
View attachment 95300
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Maybe consider subscribing to Haynes Autofix. Here is an example from putting in one of the codes from your list (but it is for my 2007 so not correct for your model)

Image
 
#16 ·
chaleyster said:
If worst comes to worst, we might try to fix what we can then trade it in and attempt to rollover the loan. It’s been one thing after another this year and my savings are pretty much drained.
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I dumped my '93 Cherokee that way. It was 6 months old with multiple problems, then a serious collision with a lousy repair job from the shop the local Jeep dealer farmed it out to. When the recurring clutch problem struck again I traded it. I picked up 6 more payments that were roughly equal to what I was paying. I was so-o-o glad to be rid of it.

Most people loved their Cherokees, but not I. Didn't matter if it was covered under warranty. I was doing sales & service work on the road. That vehicle was my rolling office, repair shop, and delivery truck -- I couldn't just slide into a rental for a day or two. If that vehicle wasn't working, neither was I.

It was running OK the day I sold it, but I told the dealer where I traded it that they would do best to wholesale it and not sell it to a customer they ever wanted to see again. Somewhere somebody bought that bucket of bolts.
 
Discussion starter · #17 ·
Ignatz said:
I dumped my '93 Cherokee that way. It was 6 months old with multiple problems, then a serious collision with a lousy repair job from the shop the local Jeep dealer farmed it out to. When the recurring clutch problem struck again I traded it. I picked up 6 more payments that were roughly equal to what I was paying. I was so-o-o glad to be rid of it.

Most people loved their Cherokees, but not I. Didn't matter if it was covered under warranty. I was doing sales & service work on the road. That vehicle was my rolling office, repair shop, and delivery truck -- I couldn't just slide into a rental for a day or two. If that vehicle wasn't working, neither was I.

It was running OK the day I sold it, but I told the dealer where I traded it that they would do best to wholesale it and not sell it to a customer they ever wanted to see again. Somewhere somebody bought that bucket of bolts.
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Update: the shop says they can’t replicate the issue but will continue trying to duplicate the issue. Rental prices are insanely high in NorCal right now, $450+ a week, so I’ll have to figure something out.
 
#19 ·
chaleyster said:
I really appreciate everyone chiming in advice and possible ways of fixing the issue.
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Np. May I also recommend escaping the People's Republic of Commiefornia to someplace with lower taxes and better attitudes about terms like 30-06 and 30-30?
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
RossoRacer said:
Np. May I also recommend escaping the People's Republic of Commiefornia to someplace with lower taxes and better attitudes about terms like 30-06 and 30-30?
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It’s actually really funny you say that because I originally moved here to get away from the ex-wife (young marriage at its finest) because my parents were here but they bounced back to the East Coast when Covid hit 🤬. Only thing keeping me here is my cushy apprenticeship and my girlfriend. Once that’s over, I’m moving out of this dump.
 
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chaleyster
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