2016 JEEP RENEGADE CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY. CAUSE OF FIRE IS UNKNOWN. FIRST SAW SMOKE WHILE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH. FIRE WAS SEEN COMING FROM THE DASH AND IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. THE FIRE QUICKLY SPREAD, BASICALLY BURNING EVERYTHING INSIDE THE VEHICLE.
2016 Jeep Renegade
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Renegade years
Owner complaints for the 2016 Jeep Renegade are substantially higher than the model-year median of 79.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Renegade years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
306 reports with mileage · 123 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 172 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 119 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 73 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
429 reports'TAKATA RECALL' COOLING FAN WENT OUT IN DECEMBER 2017 RECEIVED VEHICLE BACK 2018. HEARD NOISES FROM VEHICLE TOOK IT BACK AND THEY SAY THE BRAKES & ROTORS NEED TO BE REPLACE (HOW WHEN IT WAS WITH YOU ALL FOR TWO MONTHS). NOW IT'S OCTOBER 2018, THERMOSTAT IS GOING OUT. WHY WASN'T THIS CAUGHT AT THE TIME OF THE REPLACEMENT OF THE…
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'TAKATA RECALL' COOLING FAN WENT OUT IN DECEMBER 2017 RECEIVED VEHICLE BACK 2018. HEARD NOISES FROM VEHICLE TOOK IT BACK AND THEY SAY THE BRAKES & ROTORS NEED TO BE REPLACE (HOW WHEN IT WAS WITH YOU ALL FOR TWO MONTHS). NOW IT'S OCTOBER 2018, THERMOSTAT IS GOING OUT. WHY WASN'T THIS CAUGHT AT THE TIME OF THE REPLACEMENT OF THE COOLING FAN. THEN THE SEAT BELT MYSTERIOUSLY HAVE A CUT OR SOMETHING IN IT AND THEY DON'T COVER IT SO IT WILL BE AN OUT OF POCKET FEE. IT'S UNSAFE TO HAVE A THERMOSTAT GOING OUT AS WELL AS A SEAT THAT HAS A CUT/SPLITTING.
I'VE HAD TWO SEPARATE OCCURRENCES HAPPENED TO ME. THE FIRST ONE I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AND MADE A COMPLETE STOP, WHEN I WENT TO ACCELERATE MY ACCELERATOR, BRAKE PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, I HAD TO PUT THE CAR ON PARK AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, WAIT A MOMENT, TURN IT ON, IT TOOK A WHILE TO TURN ON …
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I'VE HAD TWO SEPARATE OCCURRENCES HAPPENED TO ME. THE FIRST ONE I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AND MADE A COMPLETE STOP, WHEN I WENT TO ACCELERATE MY ACCELERATOR, BRAKE PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, I HAD TO PUT THE CAR ON PARK AND TURN THE ENGINE OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, WAIT A MOMENT, TURN IT ON, IT TOOK A WHILE TO TURN ON BUT THEN EVERYTHING WENT BACK TO NORMAL AND I CONTINUED MY JOURNEY. THE SECOND TIME, I WAS I WAS DRIVING AND SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN, AS I STARTED TURNING MY CAR COMPLETELY STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, AGAIN, EVERYTHING LOCKED, AND I ALMOST GOT IT WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ONCE AGAIN I HAD TO PUT THE CAR ON PARK AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC AND WAIT FOR IT TO TURN BACK ON. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS CAUSING THIS BUT IT'S VERY DANGEROUS AND I COULD'VE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED AS WELL AS OTHER PEOPLE.
THE RADIATOR FAN IS WOBBLING AND CAUSING A RATTLING NOISE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AMONG OTHER RENEGADE OWNERS. IT MAY CATCH ON FIRE OR RUPTURE THE RADIATOR. IT WILL CERTAINLY LEAD TO OVERHEATING IF IT ISN'T REPLACED.
I WAS DRIVING ROUGHLY 15 MILES PER HOUR WHEN MY CAR MADE A RATTELING NOISE. I STOPPED AND COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG WITH THE ENGINE. WITH IN 5-10 MINUTES I COULD SMELL BURNING COMING FROM MY ENGINE. MY ENGINE BEGAN SMOKING. MY COOLANT LEVEL HAD DROPPED. I WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO REFILL THE COOLANT AND MAKE IT BACK TO…
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I WAS DRIVING ROUGHLY 15 MILES PER HOUR WHEN MY CAR MADE A RATTELING NOISE. I STOPPED AND COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING PHYSICALLY WRONG WITH THE ENGINE. WITH IN 5-10 MINUTES I COULD SMELL BURNING COMING FROM MY ENGINE. MY ENGINE BEGAN SMOKING. MY COOLANT LEVEL HAD DROPPED. I WAS LUCKILY ABLE TO REFILL THE COOLANT AND MAKE IT BACK TO TOWN. THE NEXT MORNING MY COOLANT HAD DROPPED AGAIN. I REFILLED IT THEN SMOKE CAME FROM THE ENGINE AGAIN WITH A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT A 1/2 BLOCK AWAY FROM MY STARTING LOCATION. THE COOLANT FAN SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 36,000 MILES ON IT. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH I HAVE LEARNED THIS IS A WELL KNOW ISSUE WITH THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. SO WELL KNOWN THE PARTS HAVE BEEN ON BACK ORDER BUT THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT RECALLED THE VEHICLE. HOW QUICKLY THE ENGINE SMOKES AND FAULTERS IS A SAFETY HAZZARD. THE VEHICLE QUICKLY STOPS WORKING DUE TO THIS ISSUE POTENTIALLY STRANDING PASSENGERS ON HIGHWAYS OR IN AREAS UNACCESSIBLE BY HELP BECAUSE IT IS AN OFFROAD VEHICLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 JEEP RENEGADE. THE CONTACT DETECTED A BURNING ODOR COMING FROM THE AIR VENTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS BURNING HOT BECAUSE THE FAN FAILED TO COOL OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MAC HAIK DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 JEEP RENEGADE. THE CONTACT DETECTED A BURNING ODOR COMING FROM THE AIR VENTS INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS BURNING HOT BECAUSE THE FAN FAILED TO COOL OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MAC HAIK DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM (3207 S GENERAL BRUCE DR, TEMPLE, TX 76504) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FAN ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,200.
WITHIN A FEW WEEKS INTO PURCHASING THE NEW 2016 JEEP RENEGADE VEHICLE IN DECEMBER 2016, AND INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THEN, WE HAVE HAD "DEAD PEDDLING" ISSUES, EXAMPLE: WE ARE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT TO TURN RIGHT, TRAFFIC CLEARS WITH ENOUGH CLEARANCE TO ALLOW A SAFE ACCELERATION TO TURN RIGHT AND ENTER WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, HOWE…
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WITHIN A FEW WEEKS INTO PURCHASING THE NEW 2016 JEEP RENEGADE VEHICLE IN DECEMBER 2016, AND INTERMITTENTLY SINCE THEN, WE HAVE HAD "DEAD PEDDLING" ISSUES, EXAMPLE: WE ARE STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT TO TURN RIGHT, TRAFFIC CLEARS WITH ENOUGH CLEARANCE TO ALLOW A SAFE ACCELERATION TO TURN RIGHT AND ENTER WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, HOWEVER, WHEN THE GAS PEDDLE IS MASHED TO GO FORWARD, NOTHING HAPPENS, SOMETIMES FOR A FEW MOMENTS, AND THEN THE CAR MOVES FORWARD AT THE, NOW, WRONG MOMENT, WHEN IT IS UNSAFE TO TURN RIGHT, SINCE TRAFFIC HAS CAUGHT UP AND THE GAP TO ENTER THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC IS NO LONGER A SAFE DISTANCE FROM ONCOMING TRAFFIC, CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO HIT THE BRAKES. ALSO, ACCELERATING ONTO THE HIGHWAY FROM AN EXIT/ENTRANCE TO ENTER THE HIGHWAY (GOING 25-35 MPH FROM THE ON RAMP, WHEN ENTERING ONTO A 65 MPH HIGHWAY), PRESSING HARDER ON THE GAS PEDDLE TO ATTEMPT TO ACHIEVE A HIGHER SPEED TO MOVE ONTO THE HIGHWAY WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, IS DELAYED OR DOESN'T HAPPEN AT ALL UNLESS WE LET OFF THE GAS AND PRESS AGAIN, SOMETIMES MULTIPLE TIMES, AND THE VEHICLE IS STILL TRAVELING AT AN UNSAFE SLOWER SPEED THAN THE FLOW OF HIGHWAY TRAFFIC GOING 65+MPH. THESE ISSUES HAPPEN RANDOMLY BOTH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS AT A COMPLETE STOP, AND AT A LOWER SPEED WHEN WE WANT TO SPEED UP. WE HAVE NO ISSUES BRAKING OR SLOWING DOWN. ANOTHER SAFETY FLAW IS THE VEHICLE DOES NOT SHIFT GEARS WHEN NEEDED, IT WILL "RED-LINE" OCCASIONALLY BEFORE SHIFTING WHEN ATTEMPTING TO SPEED UP. ALL OF OUR ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED BOTH ON THE HIGHWAY AND IN THE CITY. WE HAVE ALMOST BEEN HIT OR REAR ENDED BY A SEMI-TRUCK OR OTHER VEHICLES DUE TO THESE FLAWS. EVERY TIME WE BRING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WITH THESE COMPLAINTS, OR FOR NORMAL OIL CHANGES, WE HAVE MENTIONED THESE ISSUES AND THEY HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED AS SUCH, HOWEVER, THE DEALERSHIP DOESN'T HAVE FIXES FOR THE ISSUES, AS THEY CAN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 JEEP RENEGADE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO AVOID OTHER VEHICLES, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SLIGHTLY STRUCK THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. ALL THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS IN THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 JEEP RENEGADE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO AVOID OTHER VEHICLES, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE SLIGHTLY STRUCK THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. ALL THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS IN THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE DEPLOYED. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS SLIGHTLY DAMAGED AND WAS PUSHED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TOWED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AND IT WAS UNDETERMINED IF IT WAS CONSIDERED TOTALED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.
PROBLEM WITH COOLING FANS. TOOK TO TWO DIFFERENT PLACES AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS THE PROBLEM AFTER A DIAGNOSTIC WAS RUN ON THE CAR. HAVE NOW LEFT THE CAR WITH A JEEP DEALERSHIP SO DO NOT CURRENTLY KNOW WHAT THE FINAL RESOLUTION WILL BE.
RADIATOR COOLING FAN MADE HORRIBLE NOISE AND STARTED SMOKING. FAN MOTOR WILL NO LONGER COME ON AND JEEP OVERHEATS
Official recalls
116V545000 · Trailer Hitches
Jul 20, 2016
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 optional trailer hitch package. The trailer hitch assembly may have been attached with only a single fastener per side, not three per side as required.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Without the proper amount of fasteners, the trailer hitch assembly may separate from the vehicle, and any towed vehicle may no longer be properly connected, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install two additional fasteners per side, free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S62.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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