Steering Tie Rod Assembly problems of the 2007 Jeep Patriot

Car purchased in WI and driven in TX. Car has been taken regularly to mechanic for maintenance for front suspension problems. At 77k, two outer tie rods and two lower ball joints replaced, at 133k, replaced one lower ball joint and one outer tie rod again. At 136k replaced inner tie rod. At 143k replaced two front control arms. Currently, both control arms and outer tie rods need to replaced again, current mileage is 198k. Mechanic has reported noise coming from front suspension and has noted heavy amount of rust on the front cross member. Structural integrity of the metal in front cross member is weak and further compromised if driving in areas where salt is used to DE-ice road. In addition tires have needed to replaced each time due to uneven wear resulting from this problem. Car is main driven in city environment.

July 2011: submitted my vehicle to my local mechanic for a scheduled oil change and was advised that the ball bearing assembly was so structurally inept that the front wheels could be detached from the vehicle. Repairs were made as was a major safety issue. Nov 2011: about 4,000 miles later our Jeep was scheduled another oil change, and the same mechanic noticed that since our last service the tie rods were in need of replacement. My mechanic advised that this is not typical of a vehicle that has total 49,000 miles and could not have predicted such issues between routine service appointments.

The contact owns a 2007 Jeep Patriot fwd. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, a loud noise was heard from the front end of the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle for inspection by the dealer where they informed the contact that the tire rods and ball joints were failing and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no known recalls for the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.

I started noticing a vibration and steering wheel shimmy. I took it in to get new tires and alignment. I was told (and shown) that both front passenger and driver side lower ball joints were bad and the front outer tie rod on the drivers side was bad. I was told that with only 41100 miles on the vehicle the parts should not be bad. I was quoted a price of around $1000. 00 to replace the defective parts. They could not do the alignment because of the defective parts and now I have a vehicle with $700. 00 worth of new tires sitting in the driveway. I have an appointment at the dealership in two days. I purchased an extended maintenance plan when I purchased the vehicle. We'll see if the dealer honors the agreement. I decided to investigate and have found numerous others who have had the same problems as I. I purchased the vehicle new and it's only been driven on paved streets and highways, never "off road".

Took my 2007 Jeep Patriot in for a oil change, was told that the tie rod's were very lose. The mechanic did not want me to drive it home for fear of the tie rods breaking lose and causing me to crash. My warranty has expired and I did not have the 700 00 to fix it. Mechanic said this should not happen on a vehicle with only 55,000 miles on it.

Problem was isolated on a routine oil change. I had noticed handling problems coming down hill and applying brakes earlier in the month. Dealer says both front tie rod ends are shot, as well as lower right ball joint and control arm. They want $600 to repair it. I have researched this and it can cause rapid tire wear, or loss of control. The failure is apparently endemic with Jeep Patriots, as I have found many complaints from other owners as frequent as every 12k miles on the Jeep Patriot online forum. Some owners have almost lost control of their car. Some owners have reported multiple failures. I have never had a car which required a tie rod or control arm, let alone at 32k miles. This vehicle is supposed to be a rugged off road vehicle, and I have yet to take it off the road. So why did it fail so soon? if this faiure occurs this frequently, and if each occurence carries a potential loss of control, wouldn't that be a serious safety hazard?.

Premature failure of tie rod ends on 2007 Jeep Patriot. Have replaced two (2) outer and one (1) inner tie rod end in 33,000 miles of purely on road use. Tie rod ends are not servicable and are inadequate to the task. The first failure was noted at an annual motor vehicle safety inspection at less than 24000 miles.

2007 Jeep Patriot - 58,000 miles - never been off road - highway driven 90% have to completely replace front components - ball joints / tie rods, etc. Rear wheel bearing needs replaced told by mechanic we were lucky we didn't have an accident - they were that bad. Can't believe Jeep has not been forced to recall and fix this terrible problem.

This vehicle is my daughters and when we took it in to have new tires installed they discovered the defects. In April 2010 my daughter complained of a clunking noise when she would hit a bump in the road. She called me and I assured her that it was safe to drive with only 35000 miles on the vehicle. During this same timeframe she took this Jeep in for a regular oil change and at billion motors in sioux falls,sd and they tell her she has a bad tie rod end. Again I assure her that with only 35000 miles it is okay to drive. I have been a mechanic for over 30 years, but I was wrong. When we took this "Jeep" in to new tires installed the technician informed us that the right front lower ball joint and the left front outer tie rod end were defective. We went to the tire shop and he showed me the defective parts, so I had new parts installed. At this time the vehicle was four years old or "new" and had 44,000 miles. If this vehicle had been abused maybe these parts would be bad, but it never leaves the highway. Maybe Jeep needs to install grease zerks in their parts. Ball joints useed to last 150,000 miles, these must be new and improved -huh!!! having bad ball joints and tie rod ends on a vehicle three years old is just wrong. How many of these parts have failed and caused accidents?.