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2018 Jeep Compass

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Compass years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Jeep Compass are substantially higher than the model-year median of 126.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

478 reports with mileage · 463 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 473 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 375 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 151 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

28 crash reports5 fire reports14 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

375 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 20, 2023
Electrical System

When vehicle in park mode it will not start. Seems to be an issue with Start/Stop system. Must place in neutral to start car. Auxiliary and main battery replaced. Seems to be bringing auxiliary battery down

NHTSA ODI #11539629

Mileage unknown · Aug 8, 2023
Electrical System

I purchased a 2018 Jeep Compass 4 months ago with around 52,000 miles. The first month went smooth but going into the second month it began having system problems. The Jeep would stall out and turn off in my job parking lot, traffic, and the drive thru line. Seems as if the auto start/stop system would cause the Jeep to shut off…

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I purchased a 2018 Jeep Compass 4 months ago with around 52,000 miles. The first month went smooth but going into the second month it began having system problems. The Jeep would stall out and turn off in my job parking lot, traffic, and the drive thru line. Seems as if the auto start/stop system would cause the Jeep to shut off so I would always try to disable it after starting the Jeep up. The entire dashboard and display would just flicker and turn off but I could still hear the radio. The windows would lock themselves when I would try to roll them down due to the heat from the hot weather. I would have to keep jumping the battery numerous times even after changing the aux battery. The Jeep would drive perfectly for a few days and then go right back to not starting up and the lights flickering.

NHTSA ODI #11537152

Mileage unknown · Jul 25, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

UNKNOWN

NHTSA ODI #11534437

83,348 miles · Jul 25, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mile…

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The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,348.

NHTSA ODI #11534296

Mileage unknown · Jul 24, 2023
Electrical SystemPower Train

Latest incident (7/21/23) resulted in check engine light code: P1DD2 - “Torque Request Signal from TCM denied”. Check engine light came on - Jeep felt like it was going to stall. For several months now, I’ve had intermittent issues with the Jeep “shifting” on its own while driving without me touching the shifter. I then get…

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Latest incident (7/21/23) resulted in check engine light code: P1DD2 - “Torque Request Signal from TCM denied”. Check engine light came on - Jeep felt like it was going to stall. For several months now, I’ve had intermittent issues with the Jeep “shifting” on its own while driving without me touching the shifter. I then get an alert that I can’t change gears while driving & I have to pull over to try to resolve the issue. This has happened to me several times but when I’ve reported it, the mechanic / Jeep dealer couldn’t make the issue happen again. In addition, since owning this Jeep, the most I can drive is 3000 miles before needing an oil change. My oil is being “burned through”. Most recently I didn’t even make it 1000 miles after an oil change without losing atleast 2-3 quarts of oil. Not sure why this is happening as I should be able to go between 5k-6k miles between oil changes.

NHTSA ODI #11533986

Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

Stop/Start system We took the car to get it checked out within the first month due to hard shift and for warning light. We were told the warning light for stop/start was on because it needed an update. It came back on within a few months. Then our car battery had died, changed it out, and within maybe 6 months the new one died. …

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Stop/Start system We took the car to get it checked out within the first month due to hard shift and for warning light. We were told the warning light for stop/start was on because it needed an update. It came back on within a few months. Then our car battery had died, changed it out, and within maybe 6 months the new one died. We changed out both batteries this last time, and the within a week the stop/start warning came back on. Now it comes on and off sporadically for the last month. So we are clueless about this stop/start and what to do about it.

NHTSA ODI #11533836

Mileage unknown · Jul 16, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

When stopping at a red light the start/stop system activated and the truck would not restart. There was an alert saying service ecs system and the parking brake activated on its own. It took about 10 minutes for us to be able to deactivate the parking brake and for it to start again. This has happened 2x and only when the start/…

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When stopping at a red light the start/stop system activated and the truck would not restart. There was an alert saying service ecs system and the parking brake activated on its own. It took about 10 minutes for us to be able to deactivate the parking brake and for it to start again. This has happened 2x and only when the start/stop happens. My check engine light has come on and now I'm getting a service engine notification.

NHTSA ODI #11532599

Mileage unknown · Jul 13, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

We purchased our 2018 Jeep Compass in December 2022, we started having problems with the headlights in January 2023 only 1 month after purchasing it. The headlights stopped working completely. We took the jeep to our local jeep dealership and they couldn't figure out what was going on with the headlights but confirmed it was the…

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We purchased our 2018 Jeep Compass in December 2022, we started having problems with the headlights in January 2023 only 1 month after purchasing it. The headlights stopped working completely. We took the jeep to our local jeep dealership and they couldn't figure out what was going on with the headlights but confirmed it was the electrical system. They called their Electrical Engineer in and it was confirmed it was something going on with the electrical system via the headlamps so we replaced them along with the bulbs and it went again 3 months later. Meanwhile, because this is an issue with the 2018 everywhere the parts were on back order. It took us 2 months to get our car repaired. Currently, our jeep is in the shop again as it went out while my daughter was driving home from work at night in the county (where there are no street lights) and she almost ran off the road. This is a serious and dangerous issue and situation. I've seen a ton of complains for this same issue with the 2018 Jeep Compass model but I don't see where there has been a recall. I guess the recall will happen after someone loses their life per usual. Our jeep is in the shop yet again awaiting repair for the same issue. It appears we will be out of a car for another 2 months.

NHTSA ODI #11531972

Mileage unknown · Jul 6, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

As I was pulling my 2019 Jeep Compass Trailhawk to a light off the highway exit, the vehicle did its automatic stop the engine function. After about 4 seconds a "high coolant temp, shutdown vehicle" note appeared. The engine turned off and I lost complete control. The car would not move, e-brake engaged automatically, and the ve…

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As I was pulling my 2019 Jeep Compass Trailhawk to a light off the highway exit, the vehicle did its automatic stop the engine function. After about 4 seconds a "high coolant temp, shutdown vehicle" note appeared. The engine turned off and I lost complete control. The car would not move, e-brake engaged automatically, and the vehicle would not restart. 30 minutes later someone came by to jump start the battery and the car started. I was able to drive to a safe location but I am worried this problem will continue. There was no real explanation online and I have read countless accounts of the same problem happening to others, some while driving at high speeds.

NHTSA ODI #11530585

Mileage unknown · Jun 29, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

Key fob not detected since I bought certified pre-used. There’s an oil consumption issue. There’s a stall issue that completely cut my Jeep off in the middle of rush hour traffic almost causing an accident. I’ve replaced batteries 2x and had to dealer 3x with them unable to reproduce symptoms. They didn’t do the oil consumption …

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Key fob not detected since I bought certified pre-used. There’s an oil consumption issue. There’s a stall issue that completely cut my Jeep off in the middle of rush hour traffic almost causing an accident. I’ve replaced batteries 2x and had to dealer 3x with them unable to reproduce symptoms. They didn’t do the oil consumption test. Just changed oil. This Jeep is a serious hazard!!

NHTSA ODI #11529505

Official recalls

6

18V523000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper

Aug 9, 2018

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Dodge Grand Caravan and Jeep Compass, 2018 Dodge Journey, and 2019 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have an insufficient coating causing gas pockets to form, potentially reducing rear brake performance.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will bleed the vehicle's brake system, free of charge. The recall began September 29, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U86.

18V524000 · Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood

Aug 9, 2018

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 Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall or a no start condition.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.

18V279000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Arm

May 1, 2018

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Compass vehicles. The front lower control arms may be incorrectly welded, potentially resulting in a control arm separation.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the lower control arm separates, it can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the front lower control arms, free of charge. The recall began May 31, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U42.

17V732000 · Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Nov 21, 2017

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Compass vehicles. The passenger side air bag assembly may have inflator mounting nuts loose within the module assembly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, unsecured inflator mounting nuts outside of the cushion assembly are potential projectiles that may strike the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began December 28, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T73.

17V740000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Nov 21, 2017

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2017-2018 Jeep Compass vehicles. The brightness of the backlighting for the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) cannot be adjusted. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An instrument cluster that is too bright, and cannot be dimmed, can reduce the driver's ability to see at night, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update IPC software, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 8, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T70.

17V670000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine

Oct 24, 2017

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Cherokee and Compass vehicles equipped with 2.4L engines. The engines may have a cracked oil pump housing that can result in oil pump failure.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the oil pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the oil pump, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began December 5, 2017. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T65.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.