I don't worry about JD Power or GM or Chrysler or Jeep.

I don't even worry about my Jeep.
If something wears, breaks, falls off...I'll fix it...or not.
Then I'll keep the vehicle..or not.

My CJ7 didn't have a lick of anything wrong with it in all the years i had it, unless it was inflicted by me. Ditto, so far, for my Patriot.

And, yes, I've read all the threads about this or that. My reaction? So what. Stuff happens. warranty or not, I'll deal with it if and when it happens.

meanwhile, I think I'll have another beer.

 

I don't know what Jeep could possibly do to make Jeeps more reliable. My Patriot is the most trouble free car I've ever owned.

 

Now that is what I want to hear

Cheers mate

 

The only weak spot in the Patriot is the front steering/suspension usually need some work at 50,000 miles. Tie rod ends and possibly lower control arms. Not major stuff, but good to know it needs to be done before you are slapped with a repair bill you didn't expect.

 

The only weak spot in the Patriot is the front steering/suspension

*cough*waterleaks*cough*

 

Around that mark, 50-80,000 miles is when you should, on any vehicle, be looking hard at the front end and suspension. You may not have to R&R anything, but you should start looking.

Modern cars shield the driver from all sorts of shimmy, shake, rattle and roll that I grew up with. You may not feel it, but it is there.

I passed my bought new 2001 XL7 to my wife when I bought the Pat and before I did I had an alignment after replacing rear shocks, front struts and a tie rod end. At 300,000+ kms it now runs like a brand new vehicle.

That is the second time I've rebuilt the suspension in it but longer tire life, driver comfort and just knowing that everything has been looked at hard made it worth it to me.

That and lifetime guaranteed parts the first time, bought on a two for one deal from Canadian Tire. All I paid was labour...except for the tie rod end.

So, cheap enough for what it gives you.

I'm actually looking forward to doing my Pat...we'll see how far in that is.

 

I bought my Patriot for the long haul.
I'm planning to drive it for at least 10 years.
I figure any repairs will come after the Jeep is paid off, and repairs are cheaper than car payments.

 

My '11 Patriot is the 7th Jeep I've owned and so far (6,200 miles) has been trouble free. Jeep products HAVE had a history of having more mechanical, electrical and interior problems than most US cars. I had lots of problems with my 2000 Grand Cherokee, but it turned out to be one of my favorite cars. I believe Jeep turned things around starting with the 2005 version of the Grand. Plus the brief ownership by Mercedes produced improvements throughout the Chrysler family. In fact, I think I read that JD Power had rated the Patriot the most reliable American car! Still, things break. Or wear out quickly. But you don't hear about them catching fire, as is the case with several cars now in the news. So, it could always be worse.

 

I have a '10 at 33K miles. The only thing that has ever been wrong was a lump under the leather on the steering wheel. I kept thinking there would be some warranty issue that this could be added to but I finally got the wheel replaced, recently before hitting 36K.

I keep hearing about ball joints. I'm ready for an allignment and will check for wear, again before hitting 36K. After 36K I will likely get one of those "puncture" lube needles and lube all the wear points.

 

Chrysler's response to that survey was that it was based on 2009 model year vehicles, which was the year of their bankruptcy. They've improved overall vehicle quality since then.

 

I wouldn't call that a good excuse. If you aren't going to make a good car, dont make one. Also, this just really does not make sense. Are they putting this on workers who may have thought their jobs were in jeopardy? Or management being so busy dealing with looming bankruptcy?

On my Pat I occasionally notice fitment issues and I know with certainty the suspension is starting to go on the passenger side. I know Chrysler used to be plagued with trans problems. A friend of mine had a '94 or '96 Intrepid and that thing had 3 transmissions and then got traded for a Hyundai, which had a great warranty, and was in the shop every other week for warranty work lol. The thing about these surveys is many people who fill them out, are not happy when they do. The people who are happy may not even look at the survey. I got a survey from JD power after we got our Pat. I tossed it.

A forum like this is a better gauge for a vehicles quality and any major or minor issues. Its why I came here before I bought one!

Thanks guys!

 

My old Jeep Cherokee had 461,703 miles before it died. Not sure you can get more reliable than that.
I love my new Patriot...

 

If the Patriot was unreliable I doubt my Insurance company (USAA) would have it labeled as a preferred vehicle in their new car buying program.

 

Consumer reports is practically owned by toyota... where were they when they recalled those millions of vehicles for acceleration out of control. where were they when they tried to cover up the problem... yeah thats right. I don't believe the bs out there.

 

Cover up what problem?

The "problem" gets the headlines but the final answer seems to not.
turns out, black box readings, extensive third party testing, NHTSA investigations, etc. etc. all come to driver error.

same, same with the Audi situation a few years ago...Ford and Firestone more recently. Sure there maybe was one or two failures but the thousands of these issues have way more to do with mass hysteria, media and the US legal system.

Same as those who repeat the Big Three make junk. Not true, then or now. Maybe once upon a time they made a larger proportion that was junk but not for years.

But we keep on repeating what the media feeds us.

 

I have worked for Honda in the early 90s, and am currently employed by Chrysler LLC. The only thing I have noticed is the domestic automakers now are more proactive in suggesting routine maintenance. Honda always pushed the 15000 and 30000 schedules and would often catch an issue before it became a problem, like a bad CV boot before an axle went bad. At that time domestic auto makers were suggesting spark plugs and other items didnt need replacing for 100,000 miles, so people wouldnt bring their cars in for routine maintenance, then something breaks which could have been noticed during a routine inspection and the car is suddenly a piece of **it.

 

I can't speak for Jeep or Chrysler in general, but I have found the Patriot to be below average in build quality. Any vehicle will come with it's share of problems, however a good base is important when sticking with a vehicle for the long haul. I purchased the 'Riot because it was cheap, and good on fuel, and like the saying goes: you get what you pay for. Just my $0.02.

 

Jon there, in the video, looks like he might treat himself to a glass of white wine after work.
With an ice cube.
Before eating some tofu.

And then chugging a glass of Metamucil before going to bed, hoping his morning elimination will go better than all the others prior.

I'm not fussy about folks, takes everyone to make up the world.
But before you get to telling me how I should act and do, you'd best look comfortable with a beer in one hand and big old chunk of home made pepperoni or jerky in the other.

And have a dog. A real dog, not one of those emergency back up dogs.
You want to walk around with a tampon on a string, fine, but don't be telling me how to go about my business!

And one last thing: as I'm passing you in your Prius, I'm going to gear down so you can hear all the gas I'm burning on my way to getting ahead of you.

Sanctimonious twit.

 

I think the JD Power 2012 survey is for the most part meaningless because the vehicles in the survey are newly purchased vehicles still under warranty so the results may speak more to poor factory quality control inspections for fit and finish or poor dealer pre-delivery inspections. Also the grouping of vehicles by manufacturer doesn't sit well with me because there are undoubtedly models within a manufactures group that rated better than others. Many parts on the Patriot may be identical or supplied by the same vendors as the vehicles in the top 10 because most vendors supply more than one manufacturer with parts.

I'm sure the folks that bought 2012 Ford Fusions with the problem six speed dual clutch automatics are scratching their heads wondering how Ford made it to number 8 in the survey.

The survey fails to speak to long term reliability and costs for maintenance and repair once off warranty. I would prefer to replace brakes, tie rod ends and ball joints rather than transmissions, engines and rusted out sub-assembles once off warranty.

Just for the record, my 2011 Patriot hasn't seen the dealer for any warranty or non-warranty repairs since purchased new in May 2011. I do my own service so I can keep an eye on things and address any issues before they become a problem.

Before the Patriot, I had a 93 Dodge Shadow and replaced it with a 2002 Corolla. The Corolla had for the most part an identical off warranty repair history as the Shadow. The real differences between the vehicles was the Shadow had better handling and ride, went through snow better, and had a superior heating and AC system but used a bit more fuel.

My 1990 Dodge Club Cab is still going strong and has required less after warranty repairs than the Shadow or Corolla but was repainted in 2004 because I pretty much wore the paint off it in a few spots.

My final thought on the subject of the JD Power survey is that I can't put much faith in a survey that indicates Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge as the worlds poorest manufacturer while the sales figures for the past couple of years indicate otherwise. Obviously the public knows something JD Power doesn't.

 

Bought my Patriot in 2009, have 55000km done with it, now and then some soft roading, and I have no abnormal costs (yet) .. He is always parked outside, and he has never let me down ..so far so good

 

I'm really surprised that Jeep is ranked so low. From my own personal experience owning Jeeps and all the people I know that have Jeeps I would have guessed Jeep would be ranked towards the top. I can't even count how many 10-15 year old Cherokees I see driving around on a daily basis. Not to say that the Pat is built as well as the Cherokee...

 

My experiences are only anecdotal as well but my Jeep owning friends over the years have long complained about reliability. It was never serious issues but more of a long stream of mid-level expensive repairs.

That said, I knew what I was getting into when I bought a Jeep so I only mildly complained when I had to replace control arms at about 50K a few months ago. I was annoyed -- even my piece of crap 2002 Nissan Sentra made it to over 80K -- but expected it.

 

I ignore all the consumer based reports because they are mostly based on consumers perception of quality,not facts.

Just ask a honda owner or toyota,they will say they are great even if its on fire.
The reason is they rationalized the purchased based on a misguided perception of quality and because of that, they never can admit they were wrong.

People buy chryslers because they want them, and if something breaks they tend to be dissapointed and report it.

Thus, even though toyotas are no beter, thier owners can.t bring themselves to report a problem because it goes against why they thought they bought it.

Its human nature and thus JD and CR reports are useless.

 

Nobody will admit that Jeep (Chrysler) is low build quality, as long as they own one, unless something catastrophic has happened, so good luck getting real answers. Personally, my Patriot hasn't had any MAJOR issues, but seeing as it's brand new, with almost no miles, and pampered, it has had way too many issues that shouldn't be present at this point in time.

Just read some of the recent postings up here about engines, suspensions, interiors and don't forget the infamous water leak.

Again, I'm not really bashing Jeep (Chrysler) because when you get these vehicles at such low prices, it has to be coming from somewhere. Cheaper parts, and lower build quality. That's the price you pay. As far as people being surprised at Jeep/Dodge/Chrysler ranking, Chrysler did go bankrupt for a reason. Chrysler has had like 5 reorganizations (dissolving companies and creating a new company) in the past 20 years. Now it's owned by Fiat. Reputations are gained for a reason. I doubt you will find anyone on this board who can honestly say they purchased the Patriot for reliability/quality. They all purchased it because they liked the styling, liked the price point, and didn't want some compact Ford Focus or Hyundai.

For the money, these cars are good. Just make sure to do routine maintenance (I get oil change and the inspection stuff every 3 months) to avoid any major issues. You'll notice that Toyota and Honda are creeping up in price, because that quality costs money.

 

didnt Consumer Reports, for what little its worth, name Jeep the most reliable North American brand for 2011, and Pat the most reliable Jeep?

http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83801&highlight=reliability

Jeep has been ranked the most reliable North American brand according to the Consumer Reports 2011 Annual Auto Survey (based on subscribers experiences with 1.3 million vehicles).

They are still number 13 on the list however, but moved up 7 spots this year. Not bad considering Ford dropped 10 spots this year...

"Jeep has moved up seven spots to become the most reliable domestic brand, and all its models for which we have sufficient data scored average in predicted reliability. Chrysler and Dodge moved up 12 and three spots in ranking, respectively."

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...y-findings.htm

 

And mysteriously the CR link no longer works.... someone must have paid them off

 

My wifes family have been Jeep lovers for years, from Cherokees to Wranglers. My mother in law just got a brand new Wrangler, after putting almost 200k miles on her 04 Wrangler which she had very few if any issues with. I came from a VW background, which I will never go back to. My family has been Chrysler converts for the past couple of years, with my mother driving a 300, and my father a Hemi Ram, with basically zero issues or problems. My Patriot has had a few problems so far, but nothing major, and has been warrantied.

 

Speaking of Prius, don't forget this guy! His Prius out powered his brakes

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Runa...ta-stuck-accelerator-hits-94-mph-driver-rescued/story?id=10046912#.Tz_tM-XCtHw

Said Neibert, "When I saw him, I could smell the brakes."

"I was standing on the brake pedal," said Sikes, "looking out the window at him."

 

By this point, we are all familiar (if not overly familiar) with Toyota's troubles with floor mats, unintended acceleration, biggest-ever recall, etc. And if you're not familiar with Toyota's woes from reading this site, perhaps you've heard about Consumer Reports' investigation into ToMoCo's troubles. Well, guess what? The gang over at Car and Driver decided to launch their own inquisition into FloorMatGate.

Here's how they set up the tests. C/D took a V6 Camry, a Infiniti G37 Convertible and a supercharged, 540-horsepower Roush Ford Mustang. The Camry is identical very similar to the Lexus ES350 that crashed in San Diego and set off the current brouhaha. Similar in that it has an electronic throttle and push button start. Same brakes, too. The Infiniti also has electronic throttle and push button start, though it's more powerful and has bigger brakes. Also, the Infiniti has a throttle interrupt that cuts fuel when the brake is applied. The Camry – and as far as C/D knows, all Toyota models – does not. As for the Roush, why the hell not? No, actually the reason is to see if a mega-power engine can overwhelm a car's brakes at high speeds.

Here's the methodology: First they recorded each car's 70-0 mph braking distances with a closed throttle (i.e. foot off the gas). Then they recorded 70-0 mph braking distances with an open throttle (foot on the gas). Next, they upped the ante to 100 mph for both closed and open throttle tests. The results are actually quite interesting, and we will share with you that a Toyota Camry under wide open throttle can stop from 70 mph one foot shorter than a 2010 Ford Taurus under normal braking. Also, it's best to take your foot off the gas in a 540-hp Roush when you're going 100 mph and want to stop. Unless you have 903 feet to spare. Just sayin.'

[Source: Car and Driver]

Just Google it up...or keep spreading misinformation.
Other than sticking floor mats (which I attribute to driver error...who drives with a mat like that?) the vast, huge, significant majority of Toyota complaints were found to have no issues with the vehicle, its systems or any engineering. almost all were found to be human error on the part of the driver.

Period. Either read the results or call me a liar, don't matter to me.
I'll stand with my first statement: this was/is the result of media, lawyers and idiot drivers.

If you can stop a 500+ HP Rousch Mustang under full throttle, you can stop any vehicle under full throttle.

Back in the day I used to sand and mud drag and we truly did get throttles stuck at WOT. If it didn't happen you weren't pushing hard enough to win. We always stopped them, even if it took a while. You don't go down the road for miles under WOT without stopping unless you want to. Or are incredibly stupid.

 

Just Google it up...or keep spreading misinformation.

I did. That's how I found the article I referenced

Other than sticking floor mats (which I attribute to driver error...who drives with a mat like that?) the vast, huge, significant majority of Toyota complaints were found to have no issues with the vehicle, its systems or any engineering. almost all were found to be human error on the part of the driver.

I'll go on:

According to Sikes, he held on to his steering wheel and tried to pull the accelerator pedal back with his right hand. "I thought it was maybe stuck," he said. "Somehow the pedal was stuck. But it wasn't stuck on anything that was visible."

Sikes said that he also checked his floor mat during the incident, and the mat was "perfect."

Period. Either read the results or call me a liar, don't matter to me...

...If you can stop a 500+ HP Rousch Mustang under full throttle, you can stop any vehicle under full throttle.

Try telling that to the guy in the article who was standing on his brakes as his economy car carried him away

'I Won't Drive That Car Again'

Just sayin'

 

From Jalopnik, via Google.

ames Sikes, the San Diego runaway Toyota Prius driver, filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and now has over $700,000 in debt. According to one anonymous tipster, we're also told he hasn't been making payments on his Prius. UPDATE!

We received an email earlier today from an anonymous tipster who claims James (Jim) Sikes, the driver of the runaway Toyota Prius, was in financial trouble and even behind by five months on his payments for the Prius. If that's true, it's potential motivation for wanting to find an out — any out — on paying for the vehicle.

We did some public records searches (thanks to the help of Gawker's John Cook) and found Sikes and his wife Patty found themselves, like many in the California real estate business, on the bursting side of the real estate bubble last year. The two declared bankruptcy in June of 2008 and have a combined liability of over $700,000 dollars in debt.

Among the list of creditors holding secured claims is none other than Toyota Financial Services for a lease on a 2008 Toyota Prius with 7,200 miles on the odometer. Total value of the lease at the time of bankruptcy was $20,494.

So, with almost three-quarter million dollars in debt there's obviously the potential for financial motivation here. But, for his part, when we questioned Mr. Sikes over email earlier today, he denied being behind on his Prius payments.

Mr. Sikes also has not shied away from cameras appearing on CNN and numerous other television programs. In each, he's stated numerous times he's not going to sue and isn't looking for any financial remuneration from Toyota other than a new vehicle.

We've asked the law firm representing him to furnish us with an up-to-date copy of his Toyota statement and we'll post that as soon as we receive it — to either debunk this myth or add fuel to any fire.

We'd also like to point out Toyota itself sent out a tweet yesterday showing how a Prius of that generation can easily be stopped if it's accelerating out of control. But, for the moment, we'll ask you to again listen to the full 911 tape and tell us what you think — does that sound like a man faking or genuinely afraid for his life?

And from Left Lane Auto blog:

A newly released six-page congressional memo outlines NHTSA’s inability to reproduce any form of unintended acceleration after testing the vehicle alongside Toyota technicians and engineers. The driver who reported the incident, James Sikes, maintains that he is not seeking monetary damages but stands by his claim that the event was not a hoax.

To date, neither Toyota or NHTSA have been able to verify a single claim of electronic-based unintended acceleration by reproducing the incident during testing, causing some to cast doubts on the possibility of computer-sourced problems.

from ABC news:

A technician drove the Sikes car for two hours, trying to recreate his experience without success. During the test drive, when the technicians pushed both the gas pedal and the brakes to the floor, the car shut off. This was true in both Sikes' car and in the identical Prius.

"It does not appear to be feasibly possible, both electronically and mechanically," said David Justo of Toyota Motor Sales, who was present for the test, "that his gas pedal was stuck to the floor and he was slamming on the brake at the same time."

"Decisions regarding the safety of America's drivers must ultimately be driven by fact and candor," said Kurt Bardella. "Once NHTSA and Toyota release a detailed conclusion based on their inspection, we will hopefully reach a fact-based resolution that will provide some peace-of-mind.

John Gomez, Sikes' attorney, said he didn't think the tests had proven anything.

"I don't think it's surprising that neither the NHTSA investigators nor anyone from Toyota was able to replicate the event," Gomez said. "They've been unable to replicate any sudden unintended acceleration event ever."

again, Jalopnik, later edition:

We first raised doubts about the financial motivations and character of Jim Sikes, the runaway Prius driver, last week. Now there's evidence, in a draft memorandum obtained by Jalopnik from sources familiar with the investigation, that Sikes perpetrated a hoax. (snip)

Although unable to duplicate the unintended acceleration, investigators were, however, able to test the brake override system installed on the Prius on both the Sikes car and a test vehicle of the same year. The memo states:

Every time the technician placed the gas pedal to the floor and the brake pedal to the floor the engine shut off and the car immediately started to slow down. NHTSA and Toyota field representatives reported the same results with the 2008 Prius owned by Mr. Sikes. (snip) "These findings certainly raise new questions surrounding the veracity of the sequence of events that has been reported by Mr. Sikes," said Kurt Bardella, a spokesman for Darrell Issa (R-CA), the ranking Republican on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform who was present at the investigation.

I got more...lol