Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Jeep Patriot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that the front passenger's side headrest unintendedly deployed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed and determined that the headrest needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact had not received a callback. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while stopped, the driver's side seat headrest deployed without warning. The contact suffered a concussion and sought medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 128,000.
The active head restraint on the passenger side spontaneously deployed while parked. There was no impact leading up to this event. The head restraint appears to have failed due to a faulty plastic clip that split in half. The head restraint is at the height of my passenger's head and, if they had been seated in the chair, the deployed headrest would have hit them at the base of the skull or delivered a blow to the left or right cheekbone and eye. I took the vehicle to my nearest Jeep dealership (Rhythm Jeep in Madison, TN) and they confirmed that the clip holding the release pin in place spontaneously failed. They documented the damage and ordered a new headrest which has not yet been fulfilled (a 9-month wait so far). There were no warning signals or any other indication that the head restraint would fail. …
The vehicle was parked in front of my house, completely away from all traffic or other probable causes. The driver's side head rest deployed for no apparent reason. My vehicle had no scratches or dents. If you need to come see it, let me know. Now if I do have an accident, I'm at risk of head and neck injuries. I spoke to a certified Jeep dealership mechanic that told me replacement parts were no longer available. He did not inform me of any recalls or issues with this make and model and made it sound like an expensive repair. After looking this issue up on the internet, it seems to have happened to others. The deployment did not activate the airbags or turn on the warning light on my dash.
On 5-19-23, while driving slowly in a residential neighborhood, (without any warning or prior incidence) my driver side headrest suddenly popped open hitting the back of my head. There is now an approximately three inch gap or opening at top of headrest. I was the sole occupant in the vehicle. I continued driving without incident. Additionally, I was wearing my seatbelt at the time. I plan to visit my dealership Monday to question why this occurred and to gather information about repairing the headrest (or closing it back up, if that is the solution).
My driver and passenger headrest deployed for no reason. They deployed at separate times. It is a safety concern because I am not able to position my neck properly when driving. Due to the head rest being deployed my head is positioned forward making it difficult to see my surroudings. Had I not been parked when my driver side headrest deployed, I stronly believe that it could have caused an accident. I am not able to fix this issue on my own due to the actual pieces that would allow you to reset the head rest are broken.
Active head rest deployed while the car was sitting unattended and unoccupied in my work parking lot. Came out of work to drive home and found my driver's side head rest had deployed. No signs that the car was hit. No warning signs previous to this. Scary to think it could've happened while I was driving, especially after reading stories of people facing concussions. Taking it to a dealer tomorrow but otherwise no inspections yet.
The passenger headrest with the active restraint system popped open yesterday 7/27/22. This vehicle has not been in any accidents or any reason for it to open. When investigating, the plastic piece that holds the latch was broken. The safety concern is if it happens on the driver side while the driver is actually driving the car, it can cause injury to the driver as well as potential for car accidents to happen.
Customer Report: Initial report from customer to GSA Field Service Rep on May 18, 2021. Active head restraint deployed not due to accident. Per customer: "One employee was injured and filed a workers comp due to the head restraint inadvertently deploying." Note: Stellantis and its Special Investigations unit are involved. Consumer stated manufacture has been contacted.
On July 25, 2024 the front passenger headrest randomly deployed while the vehicle was parked. I was seated in that seat when it happened. Because I was leaning to the side I was not injured. Today, July 26, 2024, I brought the vehicle in to a Jeep service center to confirm that is what happened, it was confirmed that this is a problem.
NHTSA investigations
Active Head Rest Inadvertent Deployment
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19014 on September 9, 2019, to investigate 128 consumer complaints alleging that the Active Head Rest (AHR) inadvertently deployed without the occurrence of a crash or other rear impact event in model year (MY) 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango vehicles.When ODI opened the investigation, ODI was aware of thirteen alleged injuries.A small number of Early…
Seat complaints in other Patriot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2014 Jeep Patriot?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the seats of the 2014 Jeep Patriot, 6% of the model year's 548 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Jeep Patriot seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2014 Jeep Patriot, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2014 Jeep Patriot seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 13% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to seats problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.