The Renegade is Jeep’s smallest crossover SUV. It is a subcompact assembled in Italy in collaboration with Fiat. Stellantis has sold well over a million Renegades worldwide since the vehicle’s 2014 launch, as well as many Fiat 500X crossovers on the same chassis. But despite the incredible global popularity of the Jeep Renegade, this vehicle is not without its problems. Hundreds of Renegade drivers in the United States reported problems with their 2015 Jeeps (the first model year available in the U.S.). But that number has steadily decreased for every year of production. Here are the three most common problems as reported on the Car Complaints website.
Jeep Renegade engine problems
2022 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk | Stellantis
According to CarComplaints.com, 44 owners of a 2015 Jeep Renegade reported that their car had engine problems. Another 22 reported that their engine wouldn’t turn over but categorized this as an electrical problem.
The most common 2015 engine problem reported was “Lost power while driving” (9) and “Stalls/dies while driving (8). Nine more drivers reported their check engine light came on, while seven drivers reported excessive oil consumption.
Overall, the number of reports Car Complaints filed for 2016 Jeep Renegades dropped. But 43 different 2016 Renegade owners did report engine problems. Seven more owners reported that their engine wouldn’t start, but categorized this as an electrical issue.
11 of the 2016 Renegade owners actually said their vehicle stalled while driving. Five reported their check engine light came on while 11 noticed excessive oil consumption. The NHTSA also opened a file on the 2016 Renegade and recorded 175 engine problem complaints of its own.
For the 2017 Renegade, the number of engine problems reported dropped to 38. Only 16 owners reported that their Renegade stalls while driving. In addition, 18 owners reported excessive oil consumption. It seems that the oil consumption issue is one of the few problems that gets worse with every model year: 34 owners of a 2018 Jeep Renegade reported excessive oil consumption. Only six owners of a 2018 Renegade reported it stalling while driving while two specified a “loss of acceleration.” In total, 43 owners of a 2018 Renegade reported some engine problems.
Jeep Renegade transmission problems
2023 Jeep Renegade | Stellantis
The Car Complaints website also recorded 61 complaints that 2015 Jeep Wrangler owners made about their transmissions. For the 2016 model year, this number dropped to just 14, it rose to 18 complaints for 2017, then fell to just 4 for the 2018 model year. Interestingly, the NHTSA recorded no transmission problem complaints when it studied the Renegade in 2016.
A total of 24 owners of a 2015 Jeep Renegade reported general automatic transmission problems. An additional 20 owners specified surging or hard shifts. An additional 10 owners specified that their transmission hesitated to shift when they accelerated. Had shifting and lunging continued to be the primary type of transmission issue owners encountered for the next few model years.
Jeep Renegade brake issues
2023 Jeep Renegade | Stellantis
Another common problem reported by Jeep Renegade owners is squealing brakes. In 2015 alone, 27 drivers reported squealing brakes. Four classified the problem as “brake noise when applied” instead. Two specified uneven rotor wear.
For the 2016 model year, 19 owners reported brake problems to Car Complaints and 45 more owners reported brake problems to the NHTSA. Only three of these 2016 owners reported excessive brake noise. Eleven of them reported that their traction control came on when it shouldn’t have. The NHTSA reported 21 problems with the 2016 Renegade’s electronic stability control and two problems with the traction control system.
By the 2017 and 2018 model years, the number of brake issues recorded by Car Complaints dropped to almost none.
Next, read about Jeep’s current hybrid SUV lineup or see the top 5 Jeep Renegade problems for yourself in the video below:
Keyword: 3 Worst Jeep Renegade Problems According to Hundreds of Owners