One problem related to vehicle shudder has been reported for the 2012 Jeep Patriot. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
While on the mountainous interstate we lost our acceleration and didn't know why. We were in a dangerous location just beginning to cross a bridge and we pulled off the road as far as we could. We did know that stopping on the bridge was a very dangerous location. At this point I was shaking and very scared. After a few minutes, I put the vehicle in 1st gear, and we actually moved. At this point I was just trying to get us past the bridge to a safer location. But as I went from 1 gear to another, we were slowly gaining momentum, so I kept going. Then June 9, 2014 we lost acceleration while traveling on the interstate again going through mountainous roads in nm. We were able to move slowly till we got to an off ramp and pulled into a gas station. I figured my fluid levels were good due to just having a $300 service performed with oil, etc. 2 weeks prior just before leaving on vacation. I then pulled out the owners manual to see just what that light was for. It was the transmission fluid overheating due to the mountainous terrain we were in. I had never heard of that before, so I called the dealership service area at Jeep in w. Bell rd in peoria, az. The gentleman I talked to had no good answers for me. Then he mentioned that the certain type of transmission that was in the Jeep Patriot can overheat. We just needed to follow the instructions in the manual and sit in neutral till the temperature dropped. The vehicle loses acceleration as a protection for the transmission so it doesn't overheat and cause damage. Well, then. . . What about to the occupants that are in the vehicle being suddenly stranded in very unsafe locations.