Three problems related to gas recirculation valve (egr valve) have been reported for the 2011 Jeep Patriot. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The engine shuts off while driving on the highway/interstate. This has happened 5x now with no warning. Today I was traveling approx. 70 mph - the engine turns off by itself. Had to wait 90 minutes for a tow in 94 degree weather.
While traveling approximately 3 hrs at highway speed, with the cruise control on and in 108 degree weather, the motor shut down. If felt as if the vehicle ran out of fuel. No lights, no warnings, and over 1/4 tank of fuel. After stopping on the shoulder the motor would turn over, but not start, made me think that the fuel pump was bad. 5 minutes later it started, but when the throttle was pressed it died again. Another 15 minutes of sitting the vehicle started, but felt "sluggish". I started moving slowly down the shoulder, and the vehicle began to respond normally, and finished the last hour of the drive without incident.
I was driving in wausau, my Jeep stopped, I accelerated-nothing. I had cars behind me honking and the one direclty behind me was coming up fast, I steared to the right and managed to make it into a snowbank. I turned my car off, restarted it. Sat for about 10 mins with hazards on and was able to drive back home to eau claire. In February I replaced my transmission. My transmission never went out. My vechile would just get stuck in reverse, I'd have to put in drive, back to reverse, then to drive again to go. In addtion I had two more episodes, one with my twelve year old in the vehcile with me where it just stopped accelerateing. So I have a new transmission in. I have also filed a seperate complaint regarding tread wear on now tires, but it's a few weeks later and something still isn't right. I'm not getting stuck in reverse anymore, it's only been a month, but I haven't had the Jeep stop, but it feel like the (excuse my lack of mechanical jargen) fuel isn't getting to wear it needs to go fast enough because sometimes it doesn't excelerate (it's been over 30 degrees all week, it's not due to not having the car warm up). Then when it does choose to excelerate it "jumps" to it. Overall it's just noisy.