needed, probably not. Suggested.. Probably yes.

It's in place to keep the exhaust from melting the plastic gas tank, although I don't know how much actual heat is transferred there.

 

I found a thread on here in the exterior section that this happened to someone else too. I guess the porr design on how these things mount to our undercarrage they are prone to this happeneing. Any who I think I might attmpt to fix it it looks to be pretty simple if not I might tear it off and get a sheet of exhaust wrap and tie it up to that part of the exhaust.

 

Your Patriot is still under warranty, isn't it? Try to see if a dealer would replace it.

 

Yup still under warranty... I needed a quick fix cause I am going camping next weekend and I don't have time to take it into the dealer next week.

 

Just finished fixing it... UGH!!! It was a pain in the ass too... Took a few trys but it bent into place... Total time was about 45 minutes.. laying on my back on the wet pavement to do it... just because I wanted to drive through puddles on my way home... Never doing that again... Now I hope it holds up...

 

They are going to tell you it's road damage, not a manufacturer defect, and they are probably right.

 

I doubt that Jeep would have bothered to engineer and put it on if they didn't think it were needed. Getting a plastic gas tank hot doesn't sound like a great idea.

IMO and FWIW and YMMV. Especially if it conflagrates.

Although the last three days here in San Antonio, the entire Patriot needed a heat shield.