Two problems related to gas recirculation valve (egr valve) have been reported for the 2008 Jeep Patriot. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
This problem first happened a few years ago when I was driving on the interstate highway at 65 mph. It was summertime and it was about 80 degrees. I had bought the vehicle used about 6 months earlier in the fall. As I was driving the engine began to make a "whining out" noise and suddenly began to lose power. A light came on the dash area and my speed suddenly dropped down to about 40 mph and I was losing power to keep up with traffic. A tractor trailer that was traveling behind me had to slam on his brakes and almost lost control from trying to avoid running into the back of the car. I pulled off the interstate and called a tow truck. After waiting a couple of hours and letting the engine cool down, I started the car back up when the tow truck driver had arrived. He told me that this type of vehicle has a problem with the transmission overheating and causes the engine to lose power until it cools. I took the car to my local Jeep dealership and paid $100. 00 for a diagnostic test which did not reveal any other problem other than what I had experienced. The dealership told me that the light that came on in "normal" and is explained in the operating manual. They explained that it is "normal" for this to happen and there wasnt any defect or anyway to fix it. Since that time my car has done this continuously in hot weather when I am traveling on the highway. It has become dangerous for me to travel on the highway and risk breaking down on the side of the road or being collided with.
I live and drive in the new york area. Often when I go on drives of 20 miles or more in the summertime months, and it could be anywhere between 70 to 90 degrees fahrenheit outside, the 2008 Jeep Patriot becomes a dangerous vehicle to drive. When travelling with this vehicle on a freeway or interstate at a legally high rate of speed, the vehicle often experiences some malfunction that causes a shut down. The vehicle automatically reduces its speed to below 30 mph without any warning or sign of stress. Imagine driving down I-95 with huge trucks behind you and the vehicle suddenly stops responding to the accelerator but rather automatically slows and there is nothing I (or anyone) can do to prevent it because there is no warning. My first instinct is to get to the side of the road as quickly as possible so I don't get rear ended from large trucks, but sometimes this occurs where there is no place to pull over. It is extremely dangerous. This has happened to me at least 10 times since I bought the Jeep in September of 2008. I am fearful to drive the Jeep long distances on warm days, especially on highways. There is no indication that the Jeep is going to shut down from what is apparently an overheated transmission because the "transmission temperature warning light" illuminates at the same time the vehicle begins automatically slowing down. Further, the mechanics I have brought the car to do no¿¿t understand why it happens. I have researched this issue on the web and learned that there are hundreds if not thousands of other Jeep owners who have experienced the same issue. This vehicle should be recalled as it proves a dangerous hazard to the occupants of the vehicle as well as other drivers on the road, and because it poses a serious risk to motor vehicle safety. The manufacturer tries to cover up the above dangers of the car with a line in its owner's manual, page 174.