2018 Jeep Renegade: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
62%
261 of 422 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
62% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2018 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 82% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 20 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 59%).
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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE07/29/2021FIRE1 INJURED
The contact owned a 2018 Jeep Renegade. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, she smelled a burning odor and noticed dark smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that as she opened the driver’s side door to exit the vehicle, the engin…
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/18/2026
I was driving down the interstate at a low speed due to traffic being backed up and my vehicle started stalling as I was driving at a lower speed. The week before I was driving at a low speed in a parking garage and my vehicle stalled while driving. And I was at a stop sign a couple months ago and it stalled on the hil…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE06/24/2026
Car has 66,000 miles. Description of the Safety Defect and Incident:Component Malfunction: The radiator cooling fan motor and the low-speed resistor circuit suffered a complete internal electrical failure. The defective part is being removed and is available for inspection upon request.Safety Risk: While idling station…
Three of 261 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)
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Jeep Renegade 4X2 flex fuel/E85 vehicles equipped with a 2.4L engine. In certain operating conditions such as high p…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Duran…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2018 Jeep Renegade
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
2 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
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.
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.
