JEEP Compass Reliability by Year
Best & Worst Years, Problems & Recalls — NHTSA Data
Comparing used JEEP Compass options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
Model-year trends show patterns. Run a VIN check for the exact JEEP Compass you plan to buy.
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the JEEP Compass has 1,989 owner complaints and 19 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is ENGINE. 2018 drew the most complaints; 2025 drew the fewest.
- Make
- JEEP
- Model
- Compass
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 1,989
- Safety recall campaigns
- 19
- Crash-related complaints
- 81
- Fire-related complaints
- 14
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2018 (920 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2025 (17 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ENGINE
- Reliability signal
- Poor
JEEP Compass: Which Years to Avoid & Which to Buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
⭐ NHTSA NCAP Crash Test Ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
What the Complaint Data Suggests
PoorThe JEEP COMPASS has 1,989 NHTSA complaints and 19 recalls on record. 81 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 1,989 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 19 federal recall campaigns
- 81 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
🔔 NHTSA Safety Recalls
19 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
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Safety Recall
Safety Recall
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Safety Recall
Safety Recall
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Safety Recall
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Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Safety Recall
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
🔧 Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 1,989 NHTSA complaints.
📋 NHTSA Complaint Reports
1,989 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
While cruising at 36mph, we decided to initiate the cruise control. Upon reaching a slow-down traffic ahead, the brakes were applied to slow the vehicle, however the cruise control did not disengage and the brakes did not stop the vehicle. The brakes were pressed three times and still the car could not stop. We were in a two-lane road with an opposite direction lane on the other side of the grassy median. We saw an opening in between the stopped vehicles and crossed over from right to left lane into the grassy median, hit a ditch, and did a sharp turn into opposing traffic, almost hitting another vehicle as they moved out of way, and stopped the vehicle on the opposite side of the road. When the vehicle hit the ditch crossing the median, the right front tire popped and helped in stopping the vehicle. Four family members including myself were in the vehicle and there were several cars already stopped in the lanes. This incident caused great safety concerns for my family and the vehicles around us. Had we hit the cars while crossing over, it would have caused a chain reaction of "hits" as the cars were already lined up and stopped. We brought the car to the Jeep dealership and they did confirm that the internal valve body failure and TCM fault contributed to improper communication within the transmission. They did replace the TCM and valve body assembly, reprogrammed the module and road tested the vehicle. The auto stop/start warning light came on after the incident. They performed a battery test for the main and auxiliary, and both failed load test and read at low voltages. Both batteries were replaced and fault codes cleared. Upon receiving the vehicle, I tested the cruise control component and it has been working for the past three months now.
Vehicle has a major safety defect unknown as to component causing. While driving at freeway speeds the vehicle suddenly has sudden jolt as if vehicle switched into park suddenly. This causes seatbelt tensioner to lock and for the 0.5 to 1 second speed reduced instantly as if slamming on brakes causing vehicles behind to almost hit me. This has now happened on 3 separate occasions but cannot be replicated on demand by anyone. No warning lamps no indicators of anything like open door, parking brake, or any forward collision system showing on instrument panel.
The contact's husband owns a 2025 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop on several occasions. The ABS and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the failure could not be diagnosed, but an unknown recall repair was performed; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the failure was caused by a defective steering module. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the dealer had recently diagnosed the vehicle with an electric parking brake system failure, a stuck electric parking brake switch, and a potential signal failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied the contact’s request for buyback assistance. A case number was provided. The vehicle was not repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
See attached document for complaint.
The contact owned a 2025 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH on the expressway, the traffic came to a stop due to a stalled vehicle in the fast lane. The contact slammed on the brakes to avoid rear-ending the vehicle in front. When the vehicle behind the contact's vehicle could not stop on time and rear-ended the contact's vehicle, from the impact, the contact's vehicle was pushed into the vehicle in front, where it came to a stop. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard, and afterwards, the insurance company towed the vehicle to one of their locations to inspect it and deemed it a total loss. The day after the accident, the contact went to the hospital, where the doctor diagnosed that the contact had sustained four bulging discs due to the accident. The contact was prescribed medication: steroids, anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxers, and the contact was scheduled for physical therapy. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,218.
We were driving on the highway when the car simply stopped worked. The steering wheel became hard and the gas stopped working while in the middle of the highway. Now the cars is driving but all of the safety lights are on and the safety features are not working. Last week the oil was changed and they reviewed the car and everything was ok, now I need to keep going with my roadtrip in a car I don’t feel safe in, until we can get to a dealership. It’s a car that has 8840 miles on it, less than 6 monte and was taken in to repair the park break 3 times.
12/16/25 I almost was hit by a Mac truck the car kept saying my blind spot was temporarily unavailable and also states auto high beam unavailable service required, in which my screen went black, and the car completely turned off. I took the car into have services on 12/19/25. My car was kept for a week and the service department stated they were unable to created it. My car kept having the service lights come on every day that I drove it. On 12/31/2025, I brought the car in again with a picture of the incident that kept occurring several times on 12/30/25. The service department is stating that they were unable to duplicate the issue, and I picked up my car on 01/09/26. My car continued to have the same problem when I almost home. On 1/11/26, the error message for the blind spot and high beam errors came on 13 times when I was out and about. It seems to happen when making turns, going over small bumps, switching lanes, going around curved ramps, and when picking up speed. I need an email from the corporation to send the video clip to that happened on 01/11/26.
3 times the Emergency Braking has shut off during braking. The Emergency braking system goes offline and displays a “Needs Service Indicator” It has been to the dealer for repair 3 times. Each time I was told that there is no current repair solution. They simply reset the system and send me off. Each time the reset works for a few miles but does not solve the problem. The indicator is on again for a 4th time! I have only owned this car for 9 months! This is a major braking problem and needs to be addressed as I feel the company cares little for this safety issue.
On 6 occasions in varying driving conditions “Service AEB System Immediately” message and warning lights has appeared on instrument cluster. When this occurs all safety features are also disengaged. Furthermore, on a different occasion the vehicle was parked for 4 hours and after starting the vehicle I received a “Power Steering Overheat” message and warning light on the instrument cluster. Due to this the steering also became stiff. Finally, on 4 occasions now a “Parking Light Out” message has appeared on the instrument cluster. When exiting the vehicle it is observed that the DRL in the passenger headlight will frequently turn off during operation and just go black. Then after restarting the vehicle will come back on. This vehicle has already been in service twice (and is going in a 3rd time this week) for these issues and have shown no signs of resolution. I am seriously wanting to lemon law this vehicle at this point as it does not feel safe to operate with the many electrical faults.
I purchased a brand new 2025 Jeep Compass Latitude, and shortly after, I started getting repeated error messages for several safety features, lane departure unavailable, blind spot monitoring unavailable, auto high beam unavailable, and automatic emergency braking unavailable. These warnings appear randomly: sometimes as soon as I start driving, other times 5–10 minutes later, or even after 30 minutes to an hour of driving. There’s no consistent pattern, and when they activate, all the affected systems stop functioning until I restart the vehicle. I’ve taken the vehicle to the dealership three times for this issue. The first time, I was told there was nothing they could do because no active code showed at that moment. The second time, they said they couldn’t look at it because they had no loaner available. The third time, I left it for nearly two weeks. They said they test-drove it, the error never came on, and that Jeep engineers have acknowledged this is a known issue with some Jeep and Dodge models. I was told there may eventually be a recall or software update, possibly within a year, but no fix is available right now. I don’t feel safe driving a new vehicle with unreliable safety features that turn off unexpectedly and can’t be repaired. I rely on these systems for highway and night driving, and it’s unsettling that the dealer and manufacturer both admit to an issue but expect me to continue driving and just wait for a future update.
The contact owns a 2025 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while her son was driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that her son observed that the check engine and the Forward Collision Avoidance warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that her son stopped and turned it off and restarted the vehicle, but after shifting to drive(D) and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact called for a tow truck, and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated the vehicle lost power again, with the check engine and Forward Collision Avoidance warning lights illuminated, with several other unknown warning lights. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer who advised the contact that a software update had been performed, but had not informed the contact what software had been updated. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact that there was an electrical spike or surge intermittently coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,300.
I have this 2025 jeep compass and while driving in highway I’m getting the Auto emergency brake is unavailable notification in my cluster window and i’m unable to turn it on. Tried to service multiple times but no fix has been found. I have all the documents handy with the video showing the issue duplicated and still no response from The manufacturer and dealership. It’s a serious safety hazard for me and my family to drive this vehicle in highway. Now the dealership is refusing to provide anymore repairs on this vehicle for this issue and still it remain unfixed. Need help to fix this issue or investigate on this issue.
Accident On [XXX] at [XXX], I headed out of the Timberlane Estates neighborhood to go to volunteer at the NWR in Crystal River and was behind 3 other cars going out of the same neighborhood. As I started to turn from [XXX] (25 mph) to [XXX] (decelerating to about 10), I had to fight the steering wheel trying to straighten it out but instead the car continued left and hit a car at the stop sign. This shook me up quit a bit. When I got out, the driver of the hit car and I traded information. We both have State Farm Insurance. Called State Farm to report the incident and took pictures of the front of both cars and of the skid marks. Called my husband and as we waited for the tow truck, we realized that the CV joint (?lower all joint) was totally out, which also caused the tire to flatten as well. We realized from the skid marks that this occurred as I was starting my turn. That’s why I lost control. There were no injuries, though I was shook up thru the next day and sore in my right wrist, shoulder and neck. Car went to Jim Hudson Collision Center Crystal River, FL. Car was inspected by them and the State Farm Insurance adjuster. The attached photos are from the Hudson Collision Center. I have a few taken at the accident site if you want them too. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact leased a 2025 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that the vehicle had failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the vehicle could not be restarted, and the cause of the failure could not be determined. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer was notified of the failure and had sent a field technician to diagnose the vehicle, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 550.
The contact owns a 2025 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while his son was driving 65 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost power. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The battery was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred four times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 10,731.
The defective part is: the air bag under the steering column or in that area, on the driver's side. Date of accident: [XXX] --There is a police report but I don't have it yet. Report number [XXX] I hit a parked car in the middle of the road after turning a corner on [XXX] .. This info may be relevant for speed questions, I think around ten MPH. The airbag deployed and became detached from the vehicle, hitting my lower legs causing a severe wound in my left lower leg. I was in the hospital for five days and had plastic surgery to repair a deep wound. After the collision, I got out of the car. I got back in to retrieve my purse and noticed that airbag was laying on the floor under the steering column attached to a large black nut detached from the vehicle. Reports and inspections: --Avis Corporation owned the vehicle, I assume they inspected the damage to the vehicle after the accident. The Liability Insurance Certificate name is Aon Risk Services, Inc. in the state of Florida --Tetra Tech was my employer and insurer of the vehicle and myself, I'm sure they inspected the vehicle --Sedgwick manages claims for Safety National Casualty Corporation on behalf of Tetra Tech, Inc.. I'm sure a Sedgwick representative is aware of the vehicle condition and inspection. --I do not have knowledge about the extent or focus of their investigations. Sincerely [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Traveling [XXX] on [XXX] from flagstaff to phoenix in the far left lane going 80 miles, when a deer ran through the interstate and collided with the vehicle. After impact with animal, pulled off to the emergency lane. No airbags were deployed. Car was undrivable INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My [XXX] mother (JEEP enthusiast) bought a 2025 JEEP Compass. One week after she bought it the RPM light started flashing. The dealer stated the main computer (electrical system) completely failed. There is no stability in the car. There's no braking system, no power steering, no cruise control, no nothing, the seat moves without her adjusting it, the automatic dimmer switch turns on without user intervention - the JEEP is a complete lemon. It is UNSAFE to drive. It's like an octopus without a head. They said they'd buy it back from her for $14,000 LESS than she paid - a week ago. The part is on back order. She recently moved interstate and is forced to between states - 5 hours each way. I am beyond livid. She's been a lifelong JEEP owner who has been treated horribly by this company. What is the recourse??? She bought it [XXX] and has 4,000 miles on it. What can we do? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The heating unit isn’t working. It blows out cold air when on hot and sometimes it switches to different setting for the heating unit.
The car sways back and forth and the steering wheel shakes.
Showing 20 of 1,989 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Before You Buy, Check the Exact JEEP Compass
These pages show model-year patterns across 10years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
📖 Understanding This Data
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The JEEP Compass has 1,989 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The JEEP Compass has 19 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 81 of the JEEP Compass's 1,989 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all JEEP Compass vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two JEEP Compass vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The JEEP Compass has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.