Four problems related to automatic transmission control module have been reported for the 2008 Jeep Patriot. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Ecm / pcm issues. Mechanic at pep boys told me there was a recall on this. But the dealership is telling me no, there is not.
Tl- the contact owns a 2008 Jeep Patriot 4x2. The contact stated that a non-programmed key was used to start the vehicle and activated the anti-theft system. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission control module had failed and needed to be replace. In addition the vehicle keys needed to be re-programmed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 91,000. Jo.
While traveling at highway speed (70 mph) in michigan, the cvt transmission overheat warning light came on. After a few miles, the Jeep would not go faster than about 45 mph. This is a real safety hazard when everyone on the highway is driving 70 mph or more. After pulling over for 30 minutes, the light did not reappear when the Jeep was restarted, but rpms had to be kept below 2100 to avoid the overheat light coming on again. This low rpm limited speed to about 55 mph on flat terrain. The light came on again in PA on the return trip, speed was restricted as before, and the warning light did not reappear after restarting the Jeep after a 30 minute rest stop. However, keeping rpms below 2100 on the PA turnpike resulted in a top speed of only about 45 mph, a real hazard when even trucks are going much faster. First dealer found the fault code of 0208 and did a software update to the pcm. The problem happened again. The second dealer could not find the transmission overheat code because it was not saved. The dealer had the vehicle for 4 days and said the transmission was not serviceable and had a lifetime fluid. The dealer said to bring the Jeep right back in if the problem occurred again so that the code would be stored. The problem happened again and the Jeep was brought directly to the dealer. This time the dealer found the 0208 transmission overheat code. After 5 days of waiting, the visiting Chrysler tech said to open the transmission and replace the fluid. The two Jeep dealers seemed to be completely confused about whether this cvt transmission has lifetime fluid or whether it could be serviced. The cvt transmission on this 2008 Patriot has a lifetime warranty, but Chrysler appears to have no interest in replacing it even though this is a safety hazard. Internet searches show other owners of Chrysler vehicles with cvt transmissions have had a similar problem.
This car feels like the transmission is slipping, and stalls all the time when driving down the road. We have to put the car in neutral and restart the car. The 2009 model has a recall that says the power train-automatic transmission control module is defective. We feel like this is what is wrong with our vehicle and it's a 2008.