Wrench.Pro

2016 Jeep Renegade Recalls, Problems & Maintenance

The 2016 Jeep Renegade carries 2 open NHTSA recalls — most recently covering rear and trailer hitches. Owners report 8 recurring issue clusters, led by “Engine cooling fan failure and overheating.” Jeep vehicles use the Oil Change Indicator system to signal when oil is due. Wrangler and Gladiator owners who actually use 4WD off-road should treat the schedule below as Schedule A (severe) — water crossings, sand, and rock crawling demand differential and transfer case service at half the published intervals. Grand Cherokee and Cherokee follow the standard Mopar schedule.

Save this car as:

2 Open Recalls

Source: NHTSA

SUSPENSION:REAR

Campaign #16E013000 · Feb 18, 2016

Issue: Daystar Products International, Inc. (Daystar) is recalling certain aftermarket replacement rear control arm brackets included in Daystar's 2015-2016 Jeep Renegade 1.5" spacer kit, part KJ09168BK, shipped from Daystar to distributors between October 27, 2015 and November 5, 2015. The affected spacers may have improper or incomplete welds on the top flange on the rear control arm bracket, that can allow the rear axle to shift while driving.

Risk: If the axle moves there could be an increased risk of a crash.

Fix: Daystar will notify owners, and direct them to repair shops to have the brackets inspected and replaced as needed, free of charge. The recall began on March 11, 2016. Owners may contact Daystar customer service at 1-623-907-0081 or by email at Jbilyeu@daystarweb.com. Daystar's number for this recall is 16-01.

TRAILER HITCHES

Campaign #16V545000 · Jul 20, 2016

Issue: 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.

Risk: 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.

Fix: 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.

Recall data refreshed Sep 20, 2026.

Known issues & problems for this vehicle

What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 2016 Jeep Renegade.

Reported to NHTSA

Engine cooling fan failure and overheating

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

26 NHTSA complaints · 2019-09 → 2026-06

“The engine cooling fan failed. The vehicle was repaired by Firestone, and we have the old parts in case an inspection is needed. This failure put myself and others at risk because had I not been close to home when the engine light came on, the engine would have overheated”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11665433
“COOLING FAN WENT OUT AT 42,700 MILES. FAN WOULD MAKE NOISE AND RATTLE ANYTIME THE VEHICLE WAS AT A STOP, ACCELERATING OR WHEN SHUTTING THE VEHICLE OFF, FAN WOULD SHAKE THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. ENTIRE COOLING FAN ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11326385
“The vehicle was diagnosed with fan bearing and spindle failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that after leaving the dealer, the engine started to overheat, and the coolant temperature gauge moved into the red zone”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11744762

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Transmission shift to neutral and jerking at takeoff

POWER TRAIN

16 NHTSA complaints · 2019-09 → 2025-03

“WHILE THE CONTACT;S SON WAS DRIVING 35 MPH, THE GEAR SHIFTED FROM DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL ON ITS OWN. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO SHIFT BACK INTO DRIVE TO CONTINUE TO HIS DESTINATION”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11254745
“THE VEHICLE JERKS AT TAKE OFF AND PERIODICALLY WHEN ACCELERATING. YESTERDAY, WHILE TAKING OFF FROM A RED LIGHT, THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. HAD TO SHIFT TO PARK AND BACK TO DRIVE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11317322
“TRANSMISSION #2 FAILED ON MAY 31ST LURCHED FORWARD FELT LIKE SOMEONE SLAMMED INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR AT ALL AS I LOOKED FOR A SAFE PLACE TO PARK IT SO IT COULD BE TOWED”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11327349

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Swollen wheel lug nuts and studs

WHEELS

6 NHTSA complaints · 2019-11 → 2026-07

“The wheel lug nuts are ballooned. This makes it impossible to remove the wheel without breaking the wheel stud”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11487661
“Dealer could not remove wheels, as the lug nuts on all 4 wheels were in a swollen state. Dealer mentioned that this is a known design defect in many Chrysler vehicles, and it would cost me $233 to have them replaced”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11521120
“THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BOLTS ON EACH WHEEL WERE CORRODED AND EXPANDED”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11282476

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Loss of motive power while driving

ENGINE

40 NHTSA complaints · 2019-09 → 2025-09

“My car just shut off out of now where while I was driving, tried to turn it on and wouldn’t start, get u I was in the middle of the road bc it just shut off”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11684681
“My 2016 Jeep Renegade (36k miles) keeps dying suddenly, sometimes when parked and sometimes while driving. My battery and alternator work like they should. No warning signs occur before the car dies. It usually requires a jumpstart before it's able to run again”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11678017
“DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH UP A MINOR INCLINE, THE VEHICLE STARTED HESITATING/CHUGGING AND THEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STOPPED RESPONDING. VEHICLE STALLED AND COASTED TO STOP WHERE THE IDLE WAS ROUGH AND THEN DIED. INITIALLY, WOULD RESTART, BUT THEN STALL OUT”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11373853

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Excessive oil consumption between oil changes

ENGINE

11 NHTSA complaints · 2019-10 → 2025-06

“This vehicle is constantly burning through oil between oil changes. It has stopped several times while driving only to find out it has no oil. It has been on the W80 recall list for 2 years and the dealerships in my area just say the parts are on allocation”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11579541
“MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN BURNING OIL AT AN ABNORMAL RATE. I HAVE TO TOP IT OFF SEVERAL TIMES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. IT ALSO RUNS EXTREMELY ROUGH WHEN IN DRIVE/REVERSE, BUT NOT MOVING(STOP SIGNS, DRIVE THROUGHS). IF I PUT IT INTO PARK OR NEUTRAL, IT RUNS FINE”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11375294
“THE ENGINE BURNS THROUGH OIL WAY TO FAST AND CREATES UNNECESSARY COST. ALSO IT ALWAYS FEELS LIKE IT'S GOING TO SHUT DOWN WHEN I TURN RIGHT SLOWLY. POWER CONSTANTLY FLUCTUATES”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11349691

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Rear lamp wiring connector melting and lamp-out warnings

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING

29 NHTSA complaints · 2019-10 → 2026-06

“Problem with the rear tail light bulb assembly wiring. This is a poor design with intermittent failures that causes your brake, side marker, and blinkers to fail and not work. The wiring harness / plug assembly shorts out and stops working”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11648530
“ALL RIGHT REAR LAMPS FAILED DUE TO WIRING HARDNESS WITH CENTER GROUNDING WIRE BURNT. REAR LAMPS ARE NO LONGER FUNCTIONAL. ALSO THIS WOULD HAVE CAUSE A SPARK, ENOUGH IN THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES TO CAUSE A FIRE, AND CONSIDER IT A SAFETY CONCERN”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11324226
“THE CONNECTOR TO THE BRAKE LIGHTS (WHERE THE WIRES MEETS BULBS) MELTED AND HAS CAUSED MY RIGHT REAR LIGHTS TO MALFUNCTION”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11338193

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Traction control activation with power loss in turns

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

7 NHTSA complaints · 2019-10 → 2023-01

“The traction control light will come on and the engine will lose power while the vehicle is making a turn at normal low-speed turns on dry pavement”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11483632
“When making slow left hand turns Traction Control warning light comes on and complete power loss with engine still running. I have discovered if I lift my foot off gas pedal and quickly return it I regain power”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11504206
“JEEP'S SKID CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS. IT ACTIVATES IN PERFECTLY DRY WEATHER WITH DRY PAVEMENT, AS I'M ACCELERATING. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO SLOW TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP AT EXACTLY THE TIME IT SHOULD BE ACCELERATING”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11317259

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Airbag, seat belt and parking brake warning lights

AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, SERVICE BRAKES

10 NHTSA complaints · 2019-11 → 2026-04

“I had a service airbag warning go off days prior which was then followed by my parking brake warning and a constant seatbelt warning chime that happened concurrently. The vehicle had these issues cleared by my mechanic but hasn't been able to be resolved”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11709558
“INTERMITTENTLY SEATBELT, AIRBAG AND PARKING BRAKE SENOR KEEPS GOING OFF AND WILL NOT STOP WHILE DRIVING. I FEEL UNSAFE TO DRIVE MY CAR WHILE ALL THESE SENOR ARE GOING OFF”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11326320
“WHEN DRIVING CAR, BEEPING OCCURS (AS IF SOMEONE IS RIDING AND NOT BUCKLED) AND PARKING BRAKE AND AIR BAG LIGHTS FLASH ON DASH BOARD”
— Owner report, NHTSA ODI #11405323

Read all complaints on NHTSA →

Issues on other model years

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 20, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 20, 2026.

We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.

Raw data + downloads for this vehicle →

Essential maintenance

Critical for safety and preventing major damage

Engine Oil & Filter

Every 8,000 mi

Pentastar 3.6L: SAE 0W-20 every 8,000 miles. Wrangler 392 6.4L HEMI: SAE 5W-20 every 8,000 miles. EcoDiesel 3.0L: 10,000 miles. 4xe plug-in hybrid: 8,000 miles or annually.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$120–$160

Shop

~$85–$115

DIY

~$25–$55

Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.

Tire Rotation

Every 8,000 mi

Rotate tires every 8,000 miles. Wrangler with 33+ inch off-road tires: rotate every 5,000 miles to prevent uneven wear from solid axles.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.

Brake Inspection

Every 8,000 mi

Inspect pads, rotors, and parking brake every 8,000 miles. Wrangler and Gladiator pads wear faster than Grand Cherokee due to higher curb weight per axle.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$85

Shop

~$60

DIY

Free

Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.

Front Differential Fluid

Every 60,000 mi

Replace front differential fluid every 60,000 miles. Wrangler off-road use (water crossings, sand): inspect every 30,000 miles for water contamination.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$150–$195

Shop

~$105–$135

DIY

~$20–$50

Rear Differential Fluid

Every 60,000 mi

Rear axle fluid every 60,000 miles. Limited-slip differentials require Mopar friction modifier. Wrangler Rubicon with locking differentials: same schedule.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$150–$195

Shop

~$105–$135

DIY

~$20–$50

Transfer Case Fluid (4WD)

Every 60,000 mi

Replace transfer case fluid every 60,000 miles. Use Mopar ATF+4 for NV3500 and NV245. Wrangler Rock-Trac: 60,000 mi normal, 30,000 mi with regular off-road use.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$105–$140

Shop

~$75–$100

DIY

~$15–$40

AWD/4WD vehicles only. Easy drain-and-fill on most platforms.

Brake Fluid

Every 24,000 mi

Replace DOT 3 brake fluid every 2 years regardless of mileage. Wrangler off-road use accelerates moisture intake — annual fluid testing recommended.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$180–$200

Shop

~$125–$140

DIY

~$10–$25

DOT 3 or 4 — match the cap. Vacuum bleeders make this a one-person DIY.

Important maintenance

Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently

Automatic Transmission Fluid (ZF 8HP)

Every 60,000 mi

Severe service: ZF 8HP fluid every 60,000 miles. Normal: 120,000 miles. Use Mopar ATF+4 — never substitute.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$330–$500

Shop

~$235–$355

DIY

~$60–$180

Some sealed transmissions have no dipstick — fill is precise and best left to a shop. Many drivers can still DIY drain-and-fill.

Engine Air Filter

Every 30,000 mi

Replace engine air filter every 30,000 miles. Wrangler driven in dust or sand: inspect at every oil change and replace early.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.

Spark Plugs

Every 100,000 mi

Pentastar 3.6L: 16 spark plugs total, replace at 100,000 miles. Wrangler 392 6.4L HEMI: 16 plugs at 100,000 miles. EcoDiesel: glow plug inspection only.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$390

Shop

~$200–$275

DIY

~$25–$100

Iridium plugs cost more but last 100k+ miles. V6/V8 access varies wildly — some are tough.

Mopar HOAT Coolant

Every 50,000 mi

Mopar HOAT (purple) for gas engines: first change at 100,000 miles, then every 50,000. Do not mix with green or orange coolants.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$285–$330

Shop

~$200–$235

DIY

~$25–$60

Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.

Recommended maintenance

Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort

Cabin Air Filter

Every 20,000 mi

Replace cabin air filter every 20,000 miles. Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, and Compass: behind the glove box. Wrangler/Gladiator: optional cabin filter on later models only.

Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges

Dealer

~$60–$95

Shop

~$45–$70

DIY

~$15–$40

Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.

Fatal crash history & reported problems

Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)

29 crashes 1990–2024

How the 29 occupant deaths break down

23

driver deaths

6

passenger deaths

29

occupant deaths

Crash years covered: 1990–2024 This model year first appears in 2016 crashes. Older models have had more years on the road to appear in these crashes, so a higher count here does not by itself mean a vehicle is less safe.

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number

FARS 2024 data is an annual report file. NHTSA revises these records when the final file is published, so this count can change.

Why we show driver deaths too

Every vehicle has exactly one driver seat, so driver deaths line up fairly when you compare one model to another. Occupant deaths include passengers, so a three row SUV can show a higher number than a two seat car simply because it carries more people.

Both figures are plain counts, not rates. A rate would need to know how many of each vehicle are on the road, and that registration data is not public, so we do not publish rates or scores of any kind.

IIHS publishes driver death rates using this same driver only idea, paired with a registered vehicle years denominator we do not have. Their rates and these counts answer different questions, so do not read either number here as a safety rating.

Owner-reported problem signals

Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.

9

complaints mentioning a crash

10

complaints mentioning a fire

Reviewed known issues for this vehicle·Open recalls for this vehicle

Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.

How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.

This maintenance schedule for the 2016 Jeep Renegade reflects Jeep's published service intervals and the Oil Change Indicator system. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.

Check another vehicle →