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 2016 Jeep Patriot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that upon accelerating uphill, the RMPs revved up but the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the temperature sensor had failed and damaged the transmission. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the temperature sensor, head gasket, water pump, radiator, and unknown hoses and clamps were replaced. A transmission flush was performed, and the transmission was rebuilt. Additionally, the contact stated that upon parking the vehicle after driving 45 MPH, she noticed that the driver's seat headrest had partially been deployed independently. The contact pushed the headrest inside the seat; however, the headrest was completely deployed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the head rest detached and pooped off. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, it felt like a kick to the back of the head. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, the contact was informed that the repair coverage was for ten years of ownership of the vehicle. The contact stated that ownership was four months over the ten years. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. In addition, the contact was informed that the failure was a known failure of the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
The contact's fianc owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger's side head restraint deployed without impact. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while her fianc was driving at an undisclosed speed, the failure reoccurred with the driver's side head restraint. The contact's fianc did not sustain any injuries. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
The passenger-side active headrest on my 2016 Jeep Patriot deployed randomly while I was driving. There was no warning prior to the incident. The plastic surrounding the pin broke away and caused the front cushion of the headrest to spring forward. If someone had been sitting in the passenger seat, they could have been struck in the back of the head, and if the driver's seat were to deploy in this manner, it could have caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The headrest has not been inspected by a dealer or service center, but the cause is clearly visible. The problem occurred suddenly and without warning.
While driving down the highway the head rest deployed on the driver side. There was no rear ended accident or anything like a warning, it just went off. I've seen that this has happened to a lot of Jeep vehicles and this is extremely dangerous. Someone else was driving my car and hit them in the beck of the head very hard. Thankfully nothing serious came from this such as, us crashing since the highway we were driving on speed limit was 75mph. It's not fixable at home and should be recalled ASAP as it's extremely expensive to get this fixed as well as extremely dangerous to randomly go off while driving!!
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Patriot. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, her son touched the headrest and it exploded without warning. There were no reported injuries. The check engine warning light illuminated after the failure. The contact called Mopar who stated the vehicle was covered, however, canceled the order. The contact called the local dealer where a headrest was ordered but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
The headrest deployed over night while sitting in the garage. There is a plastic piece that keeps the headrest from deploying. That piece is under 75 pounds of pressure and will eventually break. I have read of several people that had the same thing happen to them. Some deployed overnight while parked in their driveway or garage. I read where one person said his deployed while driving and hit him in the back of the head. He said he was lucky that he didn't hit anyone. The Jeep Corporation knows about this flaw but refuses to issue a recall.
Headrest on passenger side of car. We drove it and parked it in the garage. We got up the next morning and the headrest had deployed. Nobody was in the vehicle. If someone had been in the passenger seat they would have been injured. We took it to a car repair site, when they looked at it they said they don't know how that could have happened as we were not in an accident. We sent an email to Jeep and are waiting for a response. We had no warnings of anything being wrong and we have not any recall bulletins or service bulletins.
While I was driving, driver's headrest suddenly popped off and hit me hard on the back of the head while driving. I have two children in my car who were startled from the sound. Head has been hurting since the incident.
Not sure if Takata inflators are involved. On Thursday 1/12/2017, I was stopped on the freeway and was rear-ended by a semi truck which didn't stop going approximately 35 MPH. It pushed me into the vehicle in front of me which was a car length away. The seat broke backwards, the headrest broke off completely and I hit the rear veiw mirror breaking it off. None of the 6 airbags in the vehicle deployed,
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 2016 Jeep Patriot?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the seats of the 2016 Jeep Patriot, 4% of the model year's 458 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Jeep Patriot seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2016 Jeep Patriot, though it has 1 recall 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 2016 Jeep Patriot seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 3 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.