Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Jeep Renegade owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The traction control on this vehicle will engage at random when turns are made. When this happens, the vehicle will lose power and it's momentum will cease. I believe this behavior caused an accident I was in which resulted in the total loss of the vehicle. I was making a dog leg turn merging into traffic, with the lost of momentum I was hit on the right rear. The traction control engaged the day before as well. This issues is reported by other individuals on various web boards. It was fortunate that there was no serious injury. Consumer stated vehicle was totaled.
My car "service engine" light came on as well as a message on the dashboard with the words "safety assist" and "security". I immediately brought the car to the dealer. After 2 days in the shop, they said it was (as posted on the paperwork released to me) "cylinder 3 misfire and cold start rough start. Found cylinder 3 plug fouled out poss from moving vehicle all winter without ever driving vehicle. Replaced #3 spark plug, swapped coil #3 with coil #2 to see if misfire moves to cylinder #2. This way if condition is not resolved, I will know if coil is bad or engine has a mechanical problem. Rfh flashed and ABS flashed" they released the car to me and said it was fixed and safe. Upon driving to work at 5 am, in the dark, I had no exterior lights and could only use my high beams if I held them on. I had no back lights. Cars approached very close to my car and I had no idea why. …
My traction control light will start blinking and cut my acceleration, while turning left sporadically whether at a complete stop or still moving and normally just on dry asphalt. I have had the vehicle into the dealership 3 times. The first time was for 2 days, and they said there was an update, this didn't fix the issue. The next time was 1 week later for 5 days where they drove my vehicle and advised they could only produce this incident once, and said the problem was with the ABS software having the wrong download.the dealership also advised that the vehicle did not know there was a problem because there was no error code in the computer. The 3rd time was 2 days after I picked up, and the vehicle was kept for 7 days, where they drove my car all week and were not able to replicate. After having the vehicle back for 4 days it started up again, and now does it almost every day. …
I believe there is a problem with the electrical system with this 2016 Jeep Renegade trailhawk which I bought new in 01/07/2017. These problems below happen at random times: driving city, highway, parked. Started around 1300 miles which was around 02/12/2017; last time I picked it up from the dealer was 06/30/2017 which they had it for 10 days. Freezing cluster, rear reverse camera staying on while in drive, alarm going on and off on its own. The main safety concern I have and have been back to the dealer three times in 6,000 miles with no solutions: is the alarms of 'service electronic parking brake' alert going on which is 90% time paired up with 'service airbag system' alert going on, and the seatbelt warning system flashing on. Sometimes it will clear itself, other times it will clear when I stop turn the car off, and then back on. …
Multiple issues since I purchased new. Dealer confirmed computer sending codes to transmission causing it to not shift properly. At times, you could not accelerate or extremely low gas mileage. On an interstate going up and down mountains with 18-wheelers, this is terrifying. All lights shutting off randomly including headlights, brakes, blinkers, dash, etc while driving down the road. The worst issue is I have had is the doors locking my child in. I put him in the vehicle as normal, when I went around to get in, all the doors had locked and would not open. The police busted a window to get him out. After confirmed he was OK, I went out to see what was going on with the vehicle. The dash was blinking a message and the locks were still acting up. After cranking, everything returned to normal. Updated 9/12/18
For the last year on and off the warning lights illuminate( service air bags, parking brake, electronic throttle cable, check engine light, power steering light), etc. Last week we were driving with the kids, went to park, got back into the vehicle, started it and all the lights started going off. My husband turned the key to off, pulled it out, and the car kept running. We brought it into the dealer only to have them replace the seatbelt. We got the car back and it happened again today. We were driving, all the lights kept going off, including the power steering light which turns off the power steering so we pulled into a gas station only to turn the key to the off position, pulled the key out and the car kept running. We called the dealer and brought it back in to be serviced. The car is dangerously unsafe!
This happened 2 times today. The first occurrence happened when turning left at an intersection to merge onto a highway. At 15 MPH during the (obtuse) left turn I switched the vehicle to 2nd gear and the traction control light blinked a few times while cutting power to my engine. The vehicle behind me saw this and thankfully didn't hit me. The 2nd time happened as I was taking a left into a shopping center. While stationary I started releasing the clutch while applying gas in 1st gear. The traction control light blinked a few times and cut power again while in the middle of traffic, but this time there were vehicles coming towards me. Luckily the vehicle restored power in time for me not to get t-boned. This is a good vehicle but the traction control is seriously flawed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 Jeep Renegade. When the contact started the vehicle after filling up the fuel tank, the check engine and electronic stability control warning indicators illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was able to restart on the first attempt; however, the failure recurred. In addition, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and the emergency brake would not release. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed. The dealer recommended to have the oil changed every 3,000 miles and to check the dip stick every time the vehicle was filled with fuel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,870.
On 3 or 4 occasions while driving my Jeep Renegade latitude 4 x 4 9 speed less than 2,000 miles. In dry conditions my jeeps anti traction light will come on the dash, and I lose all power for 5-10 seconds. It stops, no gas . It doesnt shut off, it loses all power. Last time I was approaching a red light and slowing down, the lights changed to green, I turned on my blinker to turn left going less than 10 miles an hour and it happened in the middle of the turn with a car behind me my Jeep stopped in the middle of the street dead for 5-10 seconds. I thought I would be rear ended since it was abrupt.
On several occassions now, my Jeep Renegade has suddenly lost power /acceleration after making routine turns into traffic. The last incident was particularly scary,as I lost power while crossing traffic at an intersection and was almost t-boned by a truck in dc. I have mads an appointment with service at the dealership where purchased. After,researching,I see this has happened to other Renegade owners. This is dangerous beyond belief!!!
Traction Control complaints in other Renegade years
Frequently asked questions
How common are traction control problems on the 2016 Jeep Renegade?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the stability & traction control of the 2016 Jeep Renegade, 5% of the model year's 431 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2016 Jeep Renegade traction control problems?
No. NHTSA lists no stability & traction control recall for the 2016 Jeep Renegade, 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 Renegade traction control problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 4,000 miles, and 77% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to stability & traction control 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.