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2016 Jeep Renegade: engine and transmission complaints

VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
61%
236 of 387 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

61% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2016 Jeep Renegade are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.

Worse than 81% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

Excludes 42 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 55%).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
236
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
429
this model year
Fires reported
10
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
2
9 crashes · 15 injuries

Complaints by component

ENGINE172 · 40%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM119 · 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER75 · 17%
POWER TRAIN73 · 17%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL29 · 7%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING27 · 6%

The years either side

2010
no data
2011
no data
2012
no data
2013
no data
2014
no data
2015
67%
321 of 511
2016
61%
236 of 429
2017
73%
384 of 564
2018
62%
261 of 442
2019
33%
22 of 79
2020
56%
30 of 62
2021
25%
15 of 66
2022
58%
14 of 26
2023
too few complaints

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

Cleaner alternatives

Same car, a better year

Other subcompact SUVs with no elevated signal in 2016

The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.

What owners reported

STEERING,POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/29/2016CRASH6 INJURED
VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED MAY 16, 2016. ON AUGUST 6, 2016 THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE TRAVELING 60 MPH DOWN THE INTERSTATE. THE ELECTRONIC TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON AND THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE LIGHTS SHUTOFF COMPLETELY. IT ONLY TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 20-30 FEET BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. ALL THE LIGHTS O…
POWER TRAIN04/26/2016CRASH1 INJURED
VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. DRIVER TOOK FOOT OFF THE BRAKE FROM DEAD STOP AND THE RENEGADE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR. THE INSTURMENT PANEL FLASHED AND FLICKERED VARIOUS TROUBLE INDICATIONS AND THEN STOPPED WITH THE MESSAGE TO SERVICE THE ELECTRIC EMERGENCY BRAKE.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING06/17/2026
The contact owns a 2016 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound while the cooling fan was in operation. The contact stated that the sound became louder over time. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with fan beari…

Three of 236 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (2)

SUSPENSION:REAR
Daystar Products International, Inc. (Daystar) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement rear control arm brackets included in Daystar's 2015-2016 Jeep Renegade 1.5" s…
TRAILER HITCHES
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Jeep Renegade vehicles manufactured August 25, 2014, to June 25, 2016, equipped with a factory-installed o…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2016 Jeep Renegade

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.