Six problems related to check engine light on have been reported for the 2016 Jeep Renegade. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Faulty thermostat causing heating/ cooling problems. Check engine light came on at 16000 miles. A engine diagnostic revealed a faulty thermostat at 16000 miles which is premature.
On two occassions while the vehicle was in drive operating on a two lane highway and remained in the drive position with the vehicle in motion the transmission indicator on the display shifted to neutral and the rpms revved without the accelerator pressed and the engine cut off. No codes or check engine lights indicated. The shifter remained in the drive position. The car had to be guided off the roadway and placed into park to be restarted. Vehicle was slow to restart both times. Both incidents occurred after entering a highway into the flow of traffic and accelerating and presented a danger to all drivers.
The check engine light came on when driving, when checked it stated it was thermostat is not working on a 2016 car.
While driving at 36120 miles I noticed a burning smell inside my passenger cabin. Shortly thereafter I noticed the engine temperature gauge went to its hottest reading and my check engine light came on. After pulling over and turning the vehicle off I opened the hood to the engine compartment and noticed that although the engine appeared to be extraordinarily hot, the electric fan was not operating. I then went into my house and did some online research and discovered that it quite possibly was a defective electric engine fan that was prone to failing due to no proper heat shield. This had been noted by many owners of the same vehicle. I made arrangements to have the vehicle brought to my Jeep dealer who then confirm that this was indeed the case.
I was driving roughly 15 miles per hour when my car made a ratteling noise. I stopped and could not see anything physically wrong with the engine. With in 5-10 minutes I could smell burning coming from my engine. My engine began smoking. My coolant level had dropped. I was luckily able to refill the coolant and make it back to town. The next morning my coolant had dropped again. I refilled it then smoke came from the engine again with a check engine light a 1/2 block away from my starting location. The coolant fan system needs to be replaced. The vehicle only has 36,000 miles on it. After much research I have learned this is a well know issue with this type of vehicle. So well known the parts have been on back order but the manufacturer has not recalled the vehicle. How quickly the engine smokes and faulters is a safety hazzard. The vehicle quickly stops working due to this issue potentially stranding passengers on highways or in areas unaccessible by help because it is an offroad vehicle.
This vehicle had a check engine light come on while driving in a neighborhood at low speeds and the etc light come on, when this happened the vehicle immediately became sluggish and switched to manual mode for gears. This is very unsafe if driving at highway speeds because the vehicle slows down on you with no warning. Also the airbag lights have come on and the thermostat housing needs replacing so they ask you to watch your thermostat to make sure it doesn't overheat since the part is on backorder for months. Check engine light constantly coming on for computer updates definitely not safe.