NHTSA Complaint #11128461 — 2012 JEEP PATRIOT

THE TRANSMISSION TEMPERATURE GAUGE HAS COME ON WHEN TRAVELING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS, CAUSING AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF POWER AND REQUIRING ME TO PULL OVER AND LET THE ENGINE COOL DOWN. 2 JEEP DEALERSHIPS HAVE ASSESSED THE VEHICLE IN THE DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENTS, NEITHER OF WHICH COULD OFFER ANY REMEDY. BOTH DEALERSHIPS' SERVICE MANAGERS MENTIONED THAT THESE VEHICLES' TRANSMISSIONS ARE OFTEN PROBLEMATIC AND DO NOT HANDLE HIGH TEMPERATURES WELL, BUT WITH NO ACTIVE RECALL, NEITHER COULD OFFER ANY RECOURSE OR EVEN A REMEDY. THIS IS CLEARLY A CASE OF A POORLY ENGINEERED PRODUCT (THE JATCO CVT) THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS AVOIDING DEALING WITH, AT THE EXPENSE AND SAFETY OF ITS CONSUMERS. IN FACT, JEEP NO LONGER USES THIS TRANSMISSION - THEY REPLACED IT IN 2014 - CLEARLY THEY KNEW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THIS ISSUE IS A BLATANT SAFETY HAZARD AND NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED MORE THOROUGHLY AND THE MANUFACTURER HELD TO ACCOUNT FOR THE UNSAFE CONDITIONS THEY KNOW THEIR CONSUMERS ARE IN. UNACCEPTABLE!!!