I should add that the initial diagnosis from the transmission repair shop was that the CVT had a bad fluid motor, it wasnt getting the correct fluid levels to shift. I had ONE instance where the jeep didnt seem like it was shifting at all, or if it was, it wasnt shifting beyond 2nd or third gear, just revved right around 3500k rpm. The transmission guy said it was normal for CVT transmission, but i couldnt really tell ya. Im no mechanic, i do ride a motorcycle and ive driven stick vehicles in the past, so im familiar with how the power fluctuates between gears when you’re higher up in the RPM range, but to be honest, this is the weirdest car ive ever had the displeasure of driving - right when i think im used to it - it does something weird. Definitely not familiar with CVT automatic transmissions, though.

 

Very sorry to hear of your problems. I feel your pain (a little). I had the tranny on my last Caravan rebuilt. For the next 4 months it was back to the tranny shop multiple times to attempt to figure out why it was "slipping", yet throwing no codes. Finally, the owner drove around with me for an hour with a scan tool plugged in to read live data. He finally concluded that a $30 part was causing all the problems. It was a throttle position sensor (maybe speed sensor) that was sending erroneous data to the tranny computer.

There's so many interconnected computers on today's cars. You need a real whiz at diagnostics to sometimes find the root cause. Sorry again. Best of luck to you.

 

I drive a 2014 Jeep Patriot since new has 70k miles on it. The jeep you bought probably never had the transmission fluid changed and was driven very poorly. The tran fluid doesn’t need to be changed until 120k but if you do any type of rough driving then it should be changed at 60k like I did. Sounds like you got a lemon nothing you can do, don’t buy used next time

 

By FCA's definition, even temperatures below freezing qualify as severe service! I'm not sure what the high temperature range is, but I bet it's around 80F. Most CVTs should have the fluid & filters changed at least every 50,000 miles. Some even say more frequently.

 

CVT doesn't have gears, it's literally a Continuously Variable Transmission. In this case, a steel belt between two pulleys. Think of the different available ratios you can get mixing up the position of a bike chain on the variety of gears at either end, but here you get all the ratios in a defined range because the pulleys just change their angle. So long story short, it doesn't actually shift like you might think. Rev it up to 5500-5700 RPM and see if you can hold it there while it accelerates. And maybe look into Amsoil or Valvoline CVT fluid so you have some ready in 30k-50k miles.

 

Hello all, here in South Florida and im having the absolute worst experience regarding the 2015 Jeep Patriot. Purchased used off the dealer lot at 107k on the tach. Less than a month passed and then the check engine light came on. Drove it over to the service center and they immediately tell me the transmission is shot and needs replacing. Took the Patriot over to another transmission shop for a look and they agreed. Rebuilt the transmission about 3 weeks ago. Since then ive had it back three times, all three times it lasted about a day and a half and then light comes back on.

1st time i took it over to advanced auto and they were able to pull a “incorrect gear ratio” code. Took it after that over to the jee dealership and thats when they told me i needed a new transmission. Quoted me 7k for a new one.

Paid a little under 6k for a rebuilt transmission at a local transmission shop - well rated, good reviews, guy seemed to know his stuff. He went ahead and plugged in his scanner. Not throwing any codes. Checked gas cap, all that good stuff. No change. The light actually would come on and off at random, it took some time to even get the check engine light to flash for him. He kept it for a few days, drove it around a bit, got the check engine light, still no code. Right now its back at the transmission shop, they cant figure out what the check engine light code is. The mechanic mentioned a shorted wire but honestly it didn't sound conclusive at all. Any way of troubleshooting this myself or am i just screwed? I ordered a scanner online but was hoping the transmission shop would have a better diagnosis after having it for so long.
The thing is, the Jeep has been driving fine. When the light first came on - the behavior of the gears shifting never seemed to change or anything - i was just nervous about driving with the check engine light on. A few days ago i went on a test drive with the transmission mechanic and the shop owner, and they drove that Jeep harder than i have in the entire time I've owned it. It was actually surprising to see how quickly it was able to get up to speed and shift through the gears when they drove like that. But my confidence is a little low in this vehicle after having paid so much money for something that seems to have had a negligible effect on the overall performance of the vehicle.

Boy, one thing I do know about Patriots is there's always something throwing a fault code to the ECM. There's so many grounding issues with the ''Jeep Lines'' l.e. Compass, Liberty & Patriot there could be a hundred reasons for giving your Patriot the fault code. I'm still battling with the 4WD! light popping on, or ABS/AIR BAG/ ESP light coming on whenever they decide to start throwing fault codes lol. This 2010 Patriot sits on the side of the driveway & gets used whenever someone in the family is having their daily driver worked on, so they have something to take to work... I drive my 1993 Cherokee instead. Screw that Patriot..... Also there are no gears in a CVT. Ya gotta google it and watch a video on how they work. The whole concept is so different than what I am used to driving since I started back in 1973. It's like learing all over again with those transmissions. That was the reason I bought the Cherokee, ''Call Me Old School''....... I enjoy driving a vehicle that only has like 8-10 fault codes, instead of 200. And when it acts like it's running out of gas, it's the pump or filter. Not 10 to 20 different sensors that are all tied to the same function.... A Big Shout-Out to those Idiot European Auto Companies that took over Chrysler. That's 80% of the problem with their vehicles. The other 20% is cheap-ass wiring that corrode easily, along with some really stupid engineering, like putting relay boxes where they can get soaked with water, dirt &/or salty slush every winter..... I gotta go, it's getting to hard to type & try and hold a gun to my head for buying that junker..................... Oh yeah, good luck with your Patriot..........

 

OMG, how much did you pay for the car that it was worth putting an additional 6k into it? I bought my 2017 Patriot in 2019. It had been first registered only 18 months prior, 57k miles, basically spotless, like new condition. I paid $8999,00 for the thing and purchased a bumper to bumper warrantee for another 5 years, 60k miles for $1500.00. MIne is a 5spd manual and the tranny was shot at about 65k miles. Thank god for the warrentee, got a new tranny installed for the $200.00 deductible. Super cool dealership noticed that my fuel pump was a bit weak and replaced that as well and it fell under the same warrentee claim so I got both the Tranny and a new fuel pump for that $200.00.
As a side note, I too had a engine warning light come on shortly after receiving the new tranny. I brought it back, no code but they did find a pinched wire, it had been damaged during the tranny install. Got the car back and have put 10k trouble free miles on it since.

 

Soooo just a brief update.... Had the transmission rebuilt - it was right around 7k for the repair. That repair in and of itself seemed to get the vehicle running again for about a week. I picked it up on a Tuesday and by the following Monday the vehicle had a VERY loud high-pitched whining sound as soon as I turned onto the main road from my neighborhood. The jeep wouldn't move once I had completely stopped. After giving it a good amount of throttle, I was able to limp back home, with the jeep shuddering every few hundred feet til I got back to the driveway. Had to have the vehicle towed back to the repair shop, where they tore the transmission apart and found a bearing in the transmission that had basically evaporated and was getting pushed around by the belts or pulleys or whatever housing it was encased in. That took a few days for the guys at the shop to finish, so now I have the Jeep back. No loud noise, seems to be driving okay, check engine light is still on.

So far the shop has had the transmission in and out a few times, they missed that bearing somehow and that took a few more days to fix and rebuild the transmission, and now I'm back to where I started. Shop owner thinks that I need a new computer, wants to have a guy from Chrysler come look at the vehicle to confirm. (He's already looked at the vehicle once before, with no success). Has anyone run into an issue after replacing their transmission where they THEN had to also replace the computer? I'm just about ready to drive this car through the dealership's display window.