Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
630–25K
2225–50K
1050–75K
375–100K
5100–150K
0150K+
103 reports with mileage · 226 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 160 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 143 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports2 fire reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
329 reports
Mileage unknown · Mar 3, 2022
Steering
While driving on the highway, my car shut down and when I attempted to restart I got a “power steering system hot, performance may be limited” message. Had no steering control and unable to power on until the system cooled. It happened a few times while driving home and almost got rear-ended. Currently unable to drive the car be…
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While driving on the highway, my car shut down and when I attempted to restart I got a “power steering system hot, performance may be limited” message. Had no steering control and unable to power on until the system cooled. It happened a few times while driving home and almost got rear-ended. Currently unable to drive the car because it continues to power off while driving with the above message appearing. I took the Jeep Compass to the dealership and was not told what the issue could possible be.
NHTSA ODI #11455089
55,000 miles · Feb 23, 2022
Engine
The contact's wife owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The contact's wife was able to restart the vehicle. The contact's wife stated no warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure; however, the oil pressure light …
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The contact's wife owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while his wife was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road. The contact's wife was able to restart the vehicle. The contact's wife stated no warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure; however, the oil pressure light illuminated afterward. The contact stated that the vehicle also occasionally stalled after being shifted into reverse. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an oil change. Additionally, the START/STOP battery was replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
NHTSA ODI #11453670
Mileage unknown · Feb 14, 2022
Engine
Engine stops during operation on the road. Occurs sporadically. Engine light illuminates, "High Coolant Temperature". Not able to restart vehicle and must wait a few minutes before starting. The illuminated light gauge turns off. Coolant levels in reservoir normal. Has occurred 12-15 times since ownership. No illuminated lights …
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Engine stops during operation on the road. Occurs sporadically. Engine light illuminates, "High Coolant Temperature". Not able to restart vehicle and must wait a few minutes before starting. The illuminated light gauge turns off. Coolant levels in reservoir normal. Has occurred 12-15 times since ownership. No illuminated lights to take to mechanic.
NHTSA ODI #11451921
Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior LightingSteering
Will not start, it’s not the car battery or fob battery
NHTSA ODI #11451062
Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or Other
Error message on the dash about the coolant being very hot the vechicle stops and shuts off while being on the road. I was on the high way and the vehicle just decided to shut off. Very dangerous
NHTSA ODI #11450919
Mileage unknown · Feb 2, 2022
Seat Belts
The webbing on my passenger side seat belt is inexplicably worn and ripped. It looks as if it became worn over time by the seat belt latch vibrating against it. The webbing fabric may have been irregular too. It is very strange, I will attach photos. I don't know when or how the damage occurred because I rarely have passengers i…
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The webbing on my passenger side seat belt is inexplicably worn and ripped. It looks as if it became worn over time by the seat belt latch vibrating against it. The webbing fabric may have been irregular too. It is very strange, I will attach photos. I don't know when or how the damage occurred because I rarely have passengers in my vehicle. It was discovered yesterday when I did have a rider. The damage is too high up on the belt to have been chewed by the dog. The dog has never been left unattended in the car, is too small to have reached the belt, and is secured in the back seat with a harness and locking tether while traveling. One dealer, C.H. Urness Motors in The Dalles, OR, wanted to charge me over $300 for repair and make me wait 3 months for the part despite my car being under warranty. They offered to expediate the process to five days for an additional fee. Supposedly the part is out of stock but for and additional charge, it can become "in stock" in five days. University Auto in Ellensberg, WA is attempting to make the repairs under warranty. I should hear back from them in the next few days. I am concerned that I can not safely transport passengers until the repair is made, that one dealer is attempting to overcharge and make me wait for the repair, and that there may be an issue with the manufacture of the seatbelt itself. Thank you.
NHTSA ODI #11450058
Mileage unknown · Jan 19, 2022
Electrical SystemService Brakes
2019 Jeep Compass Limited - around May 2021 brake light comes on stays on for awhile then turns off and on at random while driving and while stopped. Then the brake fluid low light comes on randomly while driving or stopped. Then has to go away since it’s where speedometer is then the brake light stays on. Then the auto start/s…
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2019 Jeep Compass Limited - around May 2021 brake light comes on stays on for awhile then turns off and on at random while driving and while stopped. Then the brake fluid low light comes on randomly while driving or stopped. Then has to go away since it’s where speedometer is then the brake light stays on. Then the auto start/stop light said unavailable. Then the 4 wheel drive unavailable light randomly pops up not as often as the brake lights which are daily actually like 15+ times a trip which also means it is dinging every time a light goes off. I have been to the dealer several times and nothing is ever fixed. This is a safety hazard I can not have my family in this Jeep if I have a faulty brake and electrical system !!! There are lots of issues posted online about this faulty electrical system. How can Jeep excpect me to drive around with possible faulty brakes?? seems a recall needs to happen as this is a safety hazard!!! I will not even be able to pass emissions and get it registered if I have error messages! Almost 10 months and still having this ONGOING daily error message issue and dealer is of NO help as well it is reported to Jeep customer care. Which they don’t care either. Seems everyone knows about this electrical issue and from what I read it just gets worse !! How can brakes and faulty electrical system not be a hazard??!! I do not feel safe and don’t even want this Jeep at all. Come on Jeep Do you want your children/spouses/parents driving such a death trap?
NHTSA ODI #11448126
Mileage unknown · Dec 18, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineSteering
The vehicle will suddenly shut off while driving, randomly and without warning. Every dash light will illuminate, power steering goes out, the engine will shut off and will not start back up for 5 minutes or more. This has occurred while stopped at a stop light and while going 60mph in a tunnel. It is a hazard to the driver, pas…
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The vehicle will suddenly shut off while driving, randomly and without warning. Every dash light will illuminate, power steering goes out, the engine will shut off and will not start back up for 5 minutes or more. This has occurred while stopped at a stop light and while going 60mph in a tunnel. It is a hazard to the driver, passengers, and all surrounding drivers. The vehicle is still under factory warranty, the dealership is offering no assistance, jeep corporate is also unhelpful. The vehicle is UNSAFE.
NHTSA ODI #11444244
Mileage unknown · Dec 17, 2021
Electrical System
I was driving and my car completely shut down for “high coolant temperature” and then just turned back on like nothing happened
NHTSA ODI #11444094
Mileage unknown · Dec 4, 2021
Unknown Or Other
The Uconnect 8.4 system in my vehicle frequently locks up, and causes the reverse camera to remain on even when the vehicle is not in reverse
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ram 1500, 1500 Classic and Jeep Compass vehicles. The windshield wiper arm or arms may loosen, possibly causing the wipers to not operate properly and reduce the driver's visibility in certain weather conditions.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Reduced visibility increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper nuts, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W25.
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.
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
1
PE22013 · False Overheat Leading To Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Dec 2, 2022 · Closed Dec 10, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine; Engine And Engine Cooling
On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22-013 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power accompanied by high coolant temperature messages on the dashboard of Model Year 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. At the time this investigation was opened, ODI was aware of fifteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) for Model Year (MY) 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles alleging a loss of motive power (LOMP) while driving. The LOMP events were often accompanied by a high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high message appearing on the dashboard of the vehicle. In most incidents, the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages spontaneously self-corrected or were corrected after the vehicle was stopped and restarted. One complainant alleged no immediate restart, and the vehicle was towed. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) was opened to assess the frequency and potential safety consequences of these engine shut down events. On January 19th, 2023, ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler US LLC (FCA) requesting pertinent information on the subject 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. FCA provided its full response on March 2nd, 2023. ODI has reviewed the information FCA provided as well as new reports submitted to NHTSA’s Vehicle Owner Questionnaire database. Based on a review of available information, ODI has identified 173 subject vehicles that likely experienced a shutdown event associated with the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages. ODI found the 2019 Model Year (MY) Jeep Compass as having the highest failure rate while also being the oldest group of vehicles in this investigation. The 2019 Jeep Compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.09%. The 2020 Jeep compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.04%. After reviewing the information available at this time, ODI identified one allegation of a crash and no allegations of injury, fire, or fatality. The alleged crash occurred at a stop light and was able to be restarted immediately. In its response to ODI, FCA provided its assessment of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. FCA believes the alleged defect does not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. FCA stated that allegations related to this investigation involve the vehicle notifying the driver of an overheat condition, via a message and telltale lights, followed by an engine shutdown. FCA goes on to say that once the engine shuts down, the driver is instructed via an instrument cluster message to place the vehicle in park. After the vehicle is placed in park, it can then be restarted and immediately driven with no issues. This is consistent with ODI’s observations. Based on the analysis conducted by ODI indicating a low failure rate and given that the vehicles normally can be re-started immediately after the shutdown event, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. NHTSA reserves the right take additional actions if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling
On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22-013 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power accompanied by high coolant temperature messages on the dashboard of Model Year 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. At the time this investigation was opened, ODI was aware of fifteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) for Model Year (MY) 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles alleging a loss of motive power (LOMP) while driving. The LOMP events were often accompanied by a high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high message appearing on the dashboard of the vehicle. In most incidents, the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages spontaneously self-corrected or were corrected after the vehicle was stopped and restarted. One complainant alleged no immediate restart, and the vehicle was towed. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) was opened to assess the frequency and potential safety consequences of these engine shut down events. On January 19th, 2023, ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler US LLC (FCA) requesting pertinent information on the subject 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. FCA provided its full response on March 2nd, 2023. ODI has reviewed the information FCA provided as well as new reports submitted to NHTSA’s Vehicle Owner Questionnaire database. Based on a review of available information, ODI has identified 173 subject vehicles that likely experienced a shutdown event associated with the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages. ODI found the 2019 Model Year (MY) Jeep Compass as having the highest failure rate while also being the oldest group of vehicles in this investigation. The 2019 Jeep Compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.09%. The 2020 Jeep compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.04%. After reviewing the information available at this time, ODI identified one allegation of a crash and no allegations of injury, fire, or fatality. The alleged crash occurred at a stop light and was able to be restarted immediately. In its response to ODI, FCA provided its assessment of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. FCA believes the alleged defect does not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. FCA stated that allegations related to this investigation involve the vehicle notifying the driver of an overheat condition, via a message and telltale lights, followed by an engine shutdown. FCA goes on to say that once the engine shuts down, the driver is instructed via an instrument cluster message to place the vehicle in park. After the vehicle is placed in park, it can then be restarted and immediately driven with no issues. This is consistent with ODI’s observations. Based on the analysis conducted by ODI indicating a low failure rate and given that the vehicles normally can be re-started immediately after the shutdown event, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. NHTSA reserves the right take additional actions if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Engine
On December 2, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE22-013 to investigate allegations of loss of motive power accompanied by high coolant temperature messages on the dashboard of Model Year 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. At the time this investigation was opened, ODI was aware of fifteen Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) for Model Year (MY) 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles alleging a loss of motive power (LOMP) while driving. The LOMP events were often accompanied by a high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high message appearing on the dashboard of the vehicle. In most incidents, the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages spontaneously self-corrected or were corrected after the vehicle was stopped and restarted. One complainant alleged no immediate restart, and the vehicle was towed. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) was opened to assess the frequency and potential safety consequences of these engine shut down events. On January 19th, 2023, ODI sent an information request letter to Fiat Chrysler US LLC (FCA) requesting pertinent information on the subject 2019-2020 Jeep Compass vehicles. FCA provided its full response on March 2nd, 2023. ODI has reviewed the information FCA provided as well as new reports submitted to NHTSA’s Vehicle Owner Questionnaire database. Based on a review of available information, ODI has identified 173 subject vehicles that likely experienced a shutdown event associated with the high coolant temperature or coolant temperature too high dashboard messages. ODI found the 2019 Model Year (MY) Jeep Compass as having the highest failure rate while also being the oldest group of vehicles in this investigation. The 2019 Jeep Compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.09%. The 2020 Jeep compass vehicles that experienced a failure represent an incident rate of about 0.04%. After reviewing the information available at this time, ODI identified one allegation of a crash and no allegations of injury, fire, or fatality. The alleged crash occurred at a stop light and was able to be restarted immediately. In its response to ODI, FCA provided its assessment of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles. FCA believes the alleged defect does not pose an unreasonable risk to motor vehicle safety. FCA stated that allegations related to this investigation involve the vehicle notifying the driver of an overheat condition, via a message and telltale lights, followed by an engine shutdown. FCA goes on to say that once the engine shuts down, the driver is instructed via an instrument cluster message to place the vehicle in park. After the vehicle is placed in park, it can then be restarted and immediately driven with no issues. This is consistent with ODI’s observations. Based on the analysis conducted by ODI indicating a low failure rate and given that the vehicles normally can be re-started immediately after the shutdown event, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist. NHTSA reserves the right take additional actions if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
2019 Jeep Compass Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year
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