Hello! My family are not much of car experts and they just got a 2012 Jeep Patriot with a 4cyl 2.0 liter engine. The car has no mechanic issues and is very low mileage (35k miles). It drives fine and no issues so far but I have been reading a lot of terrible things about the CVT transmissions and their reliability. I know Scotty mentioned Nissan CVTs are awful, but have not heard much about Jeep’s. Should we be concerned with this car?
My parents drive like most old people, very slowly and carefully and are retired so this is more of an errand running car and for weekend trips, not a commuter. If you have had any cars with a CVT I would appreciate any advice you might have... how long they last for you? Any special maintenance to keep it running the longest time possible? Any nightmare experiences? ... or perhaps something good, I mean my parents are going to drive that thing so slowly they might be able to keep it for a very long time with good maintenance...
Thanks!
If you are concerned about reliability then you shouldn't have bought a Jeep Liberty. Having said that CVT transmissions are still much better than DSG transmissions. How good or bad the CVT is on your Jeep is really hard to determine because Chrysler is constantly changing their transmission supplies so it would depend entirely on who made your transmission. Unfortunately the engines and electronics are really weak.
I did not buy it, parents did, and as adults they don’t consult their decisions with their kids. I’ll keep an eye out for engine and electronics thanks.
I would get rid of it if they still can. See below at 11:11 by Master Mechanic The Car Wizard. Otherwise, I would change the transmission fluid every 20,000 miles and just baby it when you drive (don’t be hard, obviously no towing or off-roading) - it seems like they drive it slow and so that will help. But, I still recommend for them to sell it while it is still running good. Let it be someone else’s problem.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ1_VdP1YQU
I doubt they’ll want to sell a car they just got. I’ll share the fluid feedback, thanks!
I believe they were using Nissan (JATCO) transmissions in those years.
The only maintenance is to drain and fill the transmission fluid every 30,000 miles.
Without good fluid, CVT belts will start slipping and eventually fail.
Luckily, it's not a strong engine. That should help.
jeep liberty have JATCO CVT. i mean if you could get anything decent id sell if not change cvt fluid every 30k religously with proper fluid. do not flush only drain and fill
if not done before do it 3 times now, 1st time drive it, next gas fill up again and once more. dirty fluid/friction is the cvt worst nightmare
Thanks for the feedback!
I just drained and filled my trans oil in 2010 Jeep Patriot probably for the first time in 120,000 miles, bought it used at 52,000. First thing I noticed is that it stopped that whining noise on long drives. Also would show that transmission heat warning light in the summer. We’ll see how that goes in the summer. Anyways, I agree with the people saying to change the trans fluid every 30,000 miles. Good luck!
Okay so I kinda get the picture why they bought jeep but as everyone one else they aren't gonna be that much reliable no matter how much love you are gonna put in their jeep. If possible sell it whole it still holds value and get them togota 4 runner or Tacoma trd
If they say no just drive it really slow don't 0ut to much pressure on transmission like going on offroad or at high speeds keep changing transmission fluid and pray
Other than that JEEP are not what they suppose to be now they are made by fiat chryslar ....
