2008 Jeep Patriot

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
21–25 mpgcombined; city 20–23, highway 22–28; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$12,990–$15,470U.S. average; Ohio $11,610–$13,820 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedlowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
447filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2008 Patriot. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 447 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Patriot. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Suspension110121
Fuel/propulsion system89100
Structure88221
Engine60100
Power train60110
Steering53301
Electrical system45000
Unknown or other36000
Vehicle speed control17000
Exterior lighting16000
Service brakes16110
Fuel system, gasoline14010
12 more parts
Wheels14010
Air bags11101
Engine and engine cooling10000
Electronic stability control (ESC)9000
Tires7000
Visibility6000
Seat belts4000
Service brakes, hydraulic3201
Interior lighting2000
Seats2000
Equipment1000
Visibility/wiper1000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2007270
  2. 2008447
  3. 2009275
  4. 2010188
  5. 2011326
  6. 2012354
  7. 2013120
  8. 2014548
  9. 2015315
  10. 2016458
  11. 201759

Every Patriot year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2008 Patriot. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 54 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2008 Patriot, the latest on Aug 15, 2025. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (12), power train (10), structure (9), electrical system (8), engine and engine cooling (8).

NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2008 Patriot.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2008 Jeep Patriots for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: sport utility vehicle. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
Patriot
Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylManual 5-spdRegular Gasoline23 / 28 / 25
Patriot
Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline23 / 27 / 24
Patriot
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylManual 5-spdRegular Gasoline22 / 27 / 24
Patriot
Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline21 / 25 / 23
Patriot
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline21 / 24 / 22
Patriot
4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline20 / 22 / 21

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data