2009 Jeep Patriot

Typical pattern

3.4% of complaints about the 2009 Jeep Patriot came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2009 vehicle — around the middle of the 212 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 7.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is structure (49 complaints), typically at 7.2 yr or about 75,000 miles.

Complaints: 292
Median age at failure: 7.8 yr
Median mileage: 79,320 n=233
Crash / fire / tow: 4.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Structure

49 reports · 75,000 mi

7.2 yr

Power train

38 reports · 87,000 mi

9.0 yr

7.9%

Suspension

38 reports · 63,000 mi

7.5 yr

2.6%

Engine

35 reports · 108,000 mi

9.0 yr

2.9%

Electrical system

24 reports · 90,000 mi

6.2 yr

4.2%

Fuel / propulsion

21 reports · 79,000 mi

11.1 yr

4.8%

Other

18 reports · 86,000 mi

8.3 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

08V528000 2008-10-09

Power train:automatic transmission:control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

CHRYSLER IS RECALLING 712 MY 2009 SEBRING, DODGE CALIBER, AVENGER, JOURNEY, JEEP PATRIOT, AND COMPASS VEHICLES. A NEW ADHESIVE USED IN THE POWER TRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) MANUFACTURING PROCESS CAN CAUSE THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD TO BREAK.

THIS CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL AND CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

In owners’ own words

Structure 1,200 mi 1.1 yr in service

I PURCHASED A 2009 JEEP PATRIOT ON AUGUST 1ST AND AFTER IT RAINS I HAVE WATER POURING FROM THE DOME LIGHT AS I APPROACH A STOP SIGN. WELL, I NEARLY RAN INTO SOME ONE DUE TO THE WATER RAINING DOWN ON ME. I HAVE GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND TO MY DISMAY, NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM TO THE POINT OF ENACTING STATE LEMON LAWS. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT REALLY NEEDS ATTENTION. *TR

Structure 11,185 mi 1.8 yr in service

ROOF LEAKS WATER COMES OUT OF DOME LIGHTS DURING STORMS. DEALER HAS REPLACED SUNROOF AND ROOF STILL LEAKS. *TR

Structure 30,000 mi 2.2 yr in service

2009 JEEP PATRIOT. ONLY HAS 30,000 MILES AND BOTH FRONT BALL JOINTS NEED TO BE REPLACED. AND PARTS ARE ON BACK ORDER!!!! *TR

Power train 150 mi 1.2 yr in service

REPEATED HESITATION, AND POPPING OUT OF GEAR. THIS VEHICLE HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, THE TRANSMISSION HAS ALREADY BEEN REPLACED ONCE FOR THE ISSUE, BUT PROBLEM CONTINUES. THE GEAR SHIFTER POPS OUT OF FIRST GEAR, AND MAKES A LOUD NOISE WHEN DOING CLUTCH AND GAS FROM A STAND STILL. THE GAS PEDAL, AND ENGINE RESPONSE LAGS, AND BUCKS ON OCCASION, WITH OUT SETTING A CODE. THESE COMBINED MAKE PULLING INTO TRAFFIC DANGEROUS. *TR

Other Patriot model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.