Table 1 shows one common visibility related problems of the 2017 Jeep Patriot.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wiper problems |
Because they have not sealed the screws on the interior side of the roof that hold the rails on top of the Jeep it now leaks since we have attached a kayak rack to those Jeep factory placed rails. Jeep is not willing to repair it and it requires tearing out the complete interior headliner to repair. After it rains the water sits in the door frame and leaks into the floor of the backseat causing molding issues (last good rain we got I ended up with an inch of water sitting in the back floorboard). It also collects in the front interior light fixture so when you drive and come to a stop there is water coming down all over the dashboard and the electrical/computer components of the dash. I called Jeep customer service and they won't repair it even though it is a very common problem (per google search to try and see what the cause and repair entails, this is how I found out that the rail screws are the issue). Since it is a common problem and Jeep doesn't want to repair it and it is not only ruining my headliner and the carpet, but it also poses a risk when driving that it distracts as you try to sop it up as it's leaking from the light fixture as you drive and there's no other way to get it out without taking the whole inside of the Jeep apart.
The sunroof leaked into the lights above the driver and passenger seats. As soon as the vehicle started to move this cause the water to dump out of the lights onto the occupants of the vehicle and the vehicle controls. The sunroof can also be triggered to open randomly due to the water buildup where the electrical controls are located.
Blower motor for hvac fails without notice on all speeds. Results in "foggy" windshield and lack of defrost feature and DE-ice features. This can result in the vehicle restricting vision while driving or cause the driver to begin a trip only to realize that they can't see. In rapidly changing climates - the failure of the blower motor may result in sudden and unplanned restricted vision. Issue appears to be related to blower motor resistor as a tested failure point. It should be noted that many other owners within the Jeep community have experienced similar failures across many models of Jeep products based on research.
Frost was on windshield and back window. I turned on the rear window defroster to clear window. The rear window has an embedded wiper. After driving approximately 10 miles we parked the vehicle. Just after exiting the rear window exploded like a gunshot. The center of the window had disintegrated leaving a roughly rectangular shape. The bottom of the missing glass rectangle went down to the imbedded wiper. The Jeep Patriot was rented from enterprise car rentals. License number hmj3405 unit number 7n3mkq.