Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Jeep Patriot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2015 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at various speeds with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted to park and turned off. After waiting for several minutes, the vehicle was restarted and regained power; however, the vehicle was sputtering while starting. The check engine warning light illuminated with a red lightning bolt flashing when the failure occurred. The failure reoccurred after being repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the electronic throttle body had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred a second time and the vehicle was returned to the mechanic but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000.
On 5 occasions at various speeds and types of roads, my vehicle suddenly goes into limp mode, the engine shuts off and power steering goes out. I have very limited time and control to move off the road before the car behind me slams into me. The majority of the instances this has happened, the orange anti-skid light comes on though road conditions were fine. I found a recall of 2016 Jeep Patriots (s89/NHTSA 16-v-907 Crankshaft/Camshaft Sensor Wire Harness) and many complaints I've found experiencing the same thing I experienced were included in this recall. Mechanic ran my Jeep's code and it showed a number of things were triggered but he couldn't pinpoint what exactly could be the cause based on the code errors. I have a young child in a car seat in the back of my car and feel extremely unsafe taking her anywhere, let alone when it's just me in the car. …
Power steering hose kept leaking repeatedly. Got checked by couple of local mechanics. But the issue kept reoccurring. The leaked fluid has damaged the serpentine belt and the belt tensioner. I had to get them both replaced. The issue still keeps reoccurring.
My car will pull to the right no matter what I do. Tires rotated, air filled, etc it always pulls to the right hard. My electrical system, lights and radio, flicked on and off by themselves one night and now my radio is dead and lights are dim.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Jeep Patriot. While driving 10 MPH, the contact noticed smoke under the hood of the vehicle. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and turned off the engine. At that point, the contact noticed flames coming from under the hood. An off duty police officer was able to extinguish the fire. The fire department was not notified and a police report was not filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and then towed to an independent mechanic. The technician informed the contact that the failure was caused by NHTSA campaign number: 15V878000 (steering) and advised that the vehicle be towed to the Jeep Chrysler dealer. The vehicle was towed to safford Chrysler Jeep Dodge of springfield (7611 loisdale rd, springfield, va 22150) where the technician informed the contact that it was a difficult case. …
While driving the vehicle will randomly, without warning or any dash notification icons alerted, turn off engine- radio, lights, a/c everything else is still on but engine is off. This occurred 4 times in less than a 2 mile distance without any check engine or notification lights on the dash before, during, or after the event. This issue originally started about a week ago, when the check engine and throttle system notification icons came on, followed immediately by the car going into what seemed to be limp mode. Car was towed to the jeep dealership, they said issue was the battery and that an oil change was needed. Had issues addressed took the car how two days later, same issue occurred again. While driving same two icons suddenly came on then car went immediately into limp mode and was not driveable. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH and avoiding a crash with a vehicle in front, the brake pedal was depressed and the brakes seized. In addition, the steering wheel was difficult to maneuver in order to veer to the side. As a result, the contact crashed into the rear of the vehicle in front. The air bags failed to deploy. There was a police report filed. The contact sustained neck and right shoulder injuries which required medical attention. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 10,000.
I was turning onto my street and my wheels locked up. I parked car (my son was in the back 3.9 years old) and noticed smoke under the hood, opened the hood and saw a huge fire. Went to store so had water - poured 6 water bottles on the fire to put it out. Consumer stated incident occurred 5 hours after the oil change that day.
On 11/5/18, my fianc was driving on the freeway, about 65 miles an hour, when the car engine completely shut off. This caused the power steering to stop working. She was barely able to coast off of the freeway, struggling to steer it, without hitting other vehicles on the busy freeway. It sat for four hours, and then it started again. It has shut off while driving at least four times in a week, on city streets and stop lights, and wouldn't start numerous times the car only has about 35,000 miles on it. It was taken to the Jeep dealership in woodbridge va., for a sensor chip replacement on 11/10/18. That evening, after taking it home, it wouldn't start. It will be towed back to the Jeep dealership on 11/12/18. There seems to be numerous complaints about this vehicle shutting off while driving. This is an extreme safety concern, especially on the freeway or with children in the car. …
2015 Jeep Patriot had a problem starting two days prior to the event. It would not turn over while parked. After waiting five minutes, I turned the key again and it started. Then, two days later while driving about 60 MPH on the freeway, the vehicle stalled while I was accelerating. For the next 20 seconds it oscillated between accelerating and coasting while I held my foot on the gas pedal. As I coasted towards an upcoming off-ramp, I lost power steering. Once I was off the freeway, I had to coast into a parking lot and had the vehicle towed to a Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram dealership. They ran their "diagnostic tests" and found nothing. They test drove the car for 10 miles and were unable to recreate the issues. They updated the PCM and TCM and ran their computer diagnostic tests again. Nothing was found. I feel incredibly unsafe driving my Jeep Patriot now. …
Related recalls
Steering › Hydraulic power assist › Hose, piping, and connections
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2015 Jeep Compass and Patriot vehicles manufactured January 1, 2015, to May 11, 2015. During assembly, the power steering hose retention clamp may have been installed at an incorrect location, resulting in the detachment of the low pressure return hose.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the return power steering hose clamp, repositioning the clamp as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2016.
Steering complaints in other Patriot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2015 Jeep Patriot?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the steering of the 2015 Jeep Patriot, 10% of the model year's 315 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Jeep Patriot steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-878 (hose, piping, and connections, Dec 23, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2015 Jeep Patriot steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 30% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 1 injury to steering 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.