NHTSA Complaint #10776616 — 2011 JEEP PATRIOT

WHILE DRIVING UP A LONG HIGHWAY HILL ON A VERY HOT DAY, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED MAKING A HIGH PITCHED WHINING SOUND. I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER TO SEE IF I COULD SEE ANYTHING LEAKING ETC. AFTER FINDING NOTHING OBVIOUS I REENTERED TRAFFIC AND IT WAS FINE UNTIL WE HIT THE NEXT HILL, AND THE WHINING STARTED AGAIN. ON THE DOWNSIDE OF THE HILL THE SOUND WENT AWAY. ONCE I GOT TO MY DESTINATION I LOOKED ONLINE AND SAW COMPLAINTS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID OVERHEATING CAUSING THE SAME ISSUE. THE RIDE HOME WAS AT NIGHT AND AFTER I DROPPED OFF MY PASSENGERS AND THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS. SINCE THAT TIME I'VE NOTICED OCCASIONAL "BUCKING" WHEN DRIVING ON FLAT SMOOTH HIGHWAY. I MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT MY LOCAL DEALER TO CHECK THIS OUT. I EXPLAINED BOTH THE BUCKING AND THE WHINING, BUT THEY DIDN'T SEEM TOO CONCERNED. THEY UPDATED THE SOFTWARE AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT THERE IS A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION AND JEEP IS NOT ADMITTING TO IT. THERE ARE MANY INDICATIONS ONLINE AND ON THIS SITE... I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THIS VEHICLE, ESPECIALLY ON WARM DAYS.