43% is definitely very high but what were the reasons for the failed inspection?

 

The link above just states the most common reason, "front axle", but here's the full list from the transport safety agency (.XLS file and in Finnish, sorry...): XLS file
Now here we can see three of the most common reasons:

1. Front axle 2. Steering joints and bars 3. Rear axle


The same reasons for Dodge Caliber, just 1. and 2. being in different order. Within 10 of the worst models listed, there are 5 Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep models, all with one same problem: steering joints and bars.

Agreed, if there aren't many Patriots in the survey, even a couple bad ball-joints could skew the statistics.

According to transport safety agency (source thread) the year 2008 was the most successful for Patriot: 245 registrations. Meaning that 107 failed and 138 passed.

For comparison, the most popular Toyota models had 3000 - 3500 registrations at the same year. But if we take a look at some of the other unpopular models we can still see the clear difference:
Make&Model Reg. Rejection%
Ford Kuga 215 0,47
Peugeot 206 281 1,17
Suzuki Swift 346 1,23
Volvo XC60 177 1,29
Nissan X-Trail 579 1,70
Audi A5 184 1,99
Honda Jazz 385 2,77
Opel Vectra 255 3,34
Mitsubishi Outlander 436 3,61
Subaru Forester 423 3,81
Chevrolet Aveo 286 4,98
Dodge Avenger 345 12,26
Seat Cordoba 149 12,40
Chrysler Sebring 276 12,45
Dodge Caliber 356 34,03
Jeep Patriot 245 43,64

I bet the headlights being too bright would be another leading reason.

Even if there wasn't a list I don't think they would've given "failed" for that reason. Those kind of things are usually handled with milder judgment here, it's called "repair suggestion". (And I don't know about the North American models but the export model's headlights with H4 bulbs don't look very bright to me, especially compared to xenon gas-discharge lamps that many other models use nowadays?...)

 

The reading is a little tedious, but since I don't read a word of Finnish I can't complain about Google's translation.

Agreed, if there aren't many Patriots in the survey, even a couple bad ball-joints could skew the statistics.

I bet the headlights being too bright would be another leading reason.

 

well i have to agree with Johnny, the Patriot ball-joint, tie-rod-end, sway bar bushing, etc. is very bad quality.

 

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=92889

 

I really wish each state required inspections, and that the standards were more stringent. I see so many cars on the road here that are nothing but rolling death traps for its occupants and anyone around them. So many cars are not roadworthy. Over in Germany, people actually respect and take care of their vehicles and if there's even the slightest bit of body damage, it's not roadworthy.

 

Do they salt the roads in Germany?

When our state gov'ts respect our $20,000 investments and stop rotting them away with their cheap solution to road clearance more of us would be willing to fix minor or major body damage. Seems like a conflict of interest to me, they collect 6% tax on repairs and new vehicle sales.

There has got to be a better solution...can you imagine if they decided they had the right to destroy your house while they did their civil duties?

 

back in the USSR

too much government control really sucks and the North Europeans are just nuts about their incpections

 

The British MOT is known to be one of the strictest in the world . next to the Japanese . Cars on their first Uk( 3yrs after 1st registration ) test have quite a high failure rate , the worst being French / Italian cars ( 27--30% fail ) second are German /Other Euro cars ( 8--11% fail ) . The best are the Japanese /Pacific rim cars ( 0---5% fail )

Cetain model of Ford /GM dont come off too well & Jeep/Chrysler is such a minor player I dont have much info .

But all things are relative ...you could have a Rental Jap car that has been punished , or an Italian car that has molly coddled & serviced 6 times in 3 years !!

 

Our state inspections are every year.

Patriots do have weak front end parts. My advice to any new Patriot owner would be to buy the Moog parts up front, and the first time one goes bad, replace them all and get the 4 wheel alignment, and be done. Considering the low cost of the Patriot, it would be a small investment in parts.

 

If you can get them. I haven't had any luck.

First owner, 2007 Patriot FDII, 65K miles. I've had the front and rear control arms, ball joints, tie rods, the works replaced TWO TIMES. Front coils spring broke too. I have never had this turkey off road. You'd think a vehicle rated for off road, would have a rugged suspension. Now the crossmembers and axles are severely rusted. Any day now the car may fall on the road. Jeep won't replace the cross members UNTIL they fail. The catalytic has started to leak. All four brake rotors, calipers and pads have been changed three times. The antilock hasn't worked since 28K miles, and the dealer couldn't fix it. The rear brakes are currently inoperative. (It's been rare when the rear brakes have worked.) The wheel arches and doors have large rust holes. I paid $23K for this turkey, and have stuck another $7K into it, just in major repairs. Add oil changes, minor maintenance, insurance and my crappy MPG, and I figure it costs me $1 per mile to drive this turkey. I would trade it in a heartbeat if I could get anything for it. Actually most dealers here don't want Patriots.

Sorry. Once I get started on this car, I can't stop..... I wish everyone who owned one would write Jeep and give them an earful.

 

Texas requires it, and it seems pretty strict. Our civic once failed because the brand new battery showed too weak of a charge... even though it started right up. They suggested it needed to be driven a little bit to get it fully charged. We drive it around for a little bit and took it back a couple of days later and it passed. There don't seem to be a lot of clunkers on the road here...

Oklahoma on the other hand, they used to require it, but it was easy to get around. For example, someone with an illegal exhaust could find a podunk place that would pass it. I guess it seemed to be pointless so they got rid of it, and left it to police to do an inspection or ticket someone that's driving a dangerous heap on the road...

 

Oh boy and I get pissy about emissions testing. I can't imagine the rage I'd feel if I had to have the vehicle safety inspected every year or so as well. How mod friendly are these test centers? Say you lift you Patriot, since it's not OEM will they fail you?

 

Well the illegal exhaust I'm talking about is doing things like removing the catalytic converter. I see lifted Jeeps and trucks around here all the time with no issue. I think the test is more about checking blinkers and pollution. They have no idea what the stock height is, but they can make sure your not dripping fluid all over the road, your headlights work, and your horn sounds

 

Funny, I have state inspections, but no emissions tests, although some parts of PA do have those too.

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/inspections/pub_45.shtml

 

Mine is at 36000 miles. I wanted to get the alignment checked before now to check for wear but couldn't find the time. Now any parts will be on me.

JMHO: My state doesn't have inspection. I am glad for that. While inspection does keep junkers off the road it has very bad side effects. I have lived in various places around the country. In those states that required inspection, it was little more than a cash cow for inspection stations. My soulution was to NEVER allow the inspection station to make repairs.

 

While there is no excuse or comfort in this, by 2007 Daimler had gutted Chrysler and sold it off to Cerebus, who started bankruptcy proceedings not too long after. Buying a first year model under these conditions proved to be disastrous.

My professional Mopar mechanic friend said he noticed a huge improvement in the company (quality control, etc.) after Fiat took over.

Let's face it, Chrysler has had many bumps in the road over the years. It's sad that these old threads get bumped up. Knock on wood, but complaints about the front suspension post 2011 seem to be few, if any.

 

Ignatz- CT is still pretty much that way, EXCEPT there are NO inspections whatsoever now. Even with vehicles over 10 years changing ownership (like before). SO, if you go on Craigslist and look for a car, you will undoubtedly find lots of Massachusetts vehicles for sale in CT, having flunked MA standards. So, yeah, there are quite a few deathboxes rolling around here- even more than when I lived in TN.

Back to Patriot/Caliber- When Calibers had been out a few years, I made a point of asking many owners what they thought (with a eye toward buying a used one). I never once got any negative response- only very positive. I ran into one couple that had TWO. I never did buy one, mostly because I thought the cargo area looked very small.