NHTSA Complaint #10584446 — 2008 JEEP PATRIOT 4X4

I LIVE AND DRIVE IN THE NEW YORK AREA. OFTEN WHEN I GO ON DRIVES OF 20 MILES OR MORE IN THE SUMMERTIME MONTHS, AND IT COULD BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 70 TO 90 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OUTSIDE, THE 2008 JEEP PATRIOT BECOMES A DANGEROUS VEHICLE TO DRIVE. WHEN TRAVELING WITH THIS VEHICLE ON A FREEWAY OR INTERSTATE AT A LEGALLY HIGH RATE OF SPEED, THE VEHICLE OFTEN EXPERIENCES SOME MALFUNCTION THAT CAUSES A SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE AUTOMATICALLY REDUCES ITS SPEED TO BELOW 30 MPH WITHOUT ANY WARNING OR SIGN OF STRESS. IMAGINE DRIVING DOWN I-95 WITH HUGE TRUCKS BEHIND YOU AND THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPS RESPONDING TO THE ACCELERATOR BUT RATHER AUTOMATICALLY SLOWS AND THERE IS NOTHING I (OR ANYONE) CAN DO TO PREVENT IT BECAUSE THERE IS NO WARNING. MY FIRST INSTINCT IS TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE SO I DON'T GET REAR ENDED FROM LARGE TRUCKS, BUT SOMETIMES THIS OCCURS WHERE THERE IS NO PLACE TO PULL OVER. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME AT LEAST 10 TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE JEEP IN SEPTEMBER OF 2008. I AM FEARFUL TO DRIVE THE JEEP LONG DISTANCES ON WARM DAYS, ESPECIALLY ON HIGHWAYS. THERE IS NO INDICATION THAT THE JEEP IS GOING TO SHUT DOWN FROM WHAT IS APPARENTLY AN OVERHEATED TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THE "TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT" ILLUMINATES AT THE SAME TIME THE VEHICLE BEGINS AUTOMATICALLY SLOWING DOWN. FURTHER, THE MECHANICS I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR TO DO NO??T UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENS. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS ISSUE ON THE WEB AND LEARNED THAT THERE ARE HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS OF OTHER JEEP OWNERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED AS IT PROVES A DANGEROUS HAZARD TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE AS WELL AS OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD, AND BECAUSE IT POSES A SERIOUS RISK TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY. THE MANUFACTURER TRIES TO COVER UP THE ABOVE DANGERS OF THE CAR WITH A LINE IN ITS OWNER'S MANUAL, PAGE 174. *TR