NHTSA Complaint #10468892 — 2011 JEEP PATRIOT

MY 2011 JEEP PATRIOT (LIMITED, TRAIL RATED) SUDDENLY STALLED WHILE TRAVELING 70-75 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. THE CAR HAD BEEN TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE/HIGHWAY FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT, WITH NO STOPS OR PROBLEMS. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING IN THE PASSING LANE, NOTICED THAT THE CAR STARTED SLOWING DESPITE PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL. HE MANAGED TO MERGE THROUGH TRAFFIC TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE HAD COMPLETELY DIED BEFORE HE CAME TO A STOP. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. NO SPUTTERING OR SHUDDERING OCCURRED. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE CAR HAD OVERHEATED. THERE WAS NO INDICATION ANYTHING WAS WRONG UNTIL THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW. HE DID HAVE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVE AT THE TIME. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED AS IT WOULD NOT RESTART AFTER THE INCIDENT. (HE TRIED TO RESTART SEVERAL TIMES WITHIN THE 30-45 MINUTES IT TOOK FOR THE TOW TRUCK TO ARRIVE, IT WOULD TRY TO START (IT WOULD TURN OVER?) BUT WOULD NOT ACTUALLY START) ADDITIONALLY, I HAVE NOTED TWICE THE CAR TOOK SLIGHTLY LONGER TO START AFTER SITTING IN THE SUN ALL DAY, BUT THIS IS REALLY A NON "ISSUE" SINCE IT HAS ALWAYS STARTED. IT JUST TOOK MAYBE .5 SECONDS LONGER THAN NORMAL ON TWO OCCASIONS. I DO NOT KNOW IF THE START TIME IS RELATED, AT ALL, TO THIS STALLING INCIDENT. THIS CAR IS LESS THAN 1 YEAR OLD, AND HAS ALMOST 18,000 MILES ON IT. THIS EVENT COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THANKFULLY, THERE WAS NO OTHER VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE CAR WHEN THIS EVENT OCCURRED. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE TOMORROW. *TR