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2019 Jeep Compass

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Compass years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Jeep Compass are substantially higher than the model-year median of 126.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

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 · Oct 23, 2024
Steering

The steering gear has failed and is making a popping noise every time you steer to the left or right. The steering gear has been recalled for certain models but not all, my car has the exact same issue but its not listed on the recall. This problem could lead to loss of steering and a crash per the Safety Recall V99/NHTSA 19V-63…

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The steering gear has failed and is making a popping noise every time you steer to the left or right. The steering gear has been recalled for certain models but not all, my car has the exact same issue but its not listed on the recall. This problem could lead to loss of steering and a crash per the Safety Recall V99/NHTSA 19V-637. The car has been inspected by a Jeep dealer and they confirmed the steering gear is the problem. The symptoms have been present for at least a year, and has been getting worse. I am concerned for my safety and I do not have to means to pay for this repair.

NHTSA ODI #11621454

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2024
Engine

Stop/start stalling and shutting down at intersection. When lifting foot off the brake, vehicle may start up again just briefly but then stalls out. The vehicle has been stuck in traffic, at high risk for an accident. I have been successful in restarting the vehicle thus far to resume driving. Behavior can occur multiple times …

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Stop/start stalling and shutting down at intersection. When lifting foot off the brake, vehicle may start up again just briefly but then stalls out. The vehicle has been stuck in traffic, at high risk for an accident. I have been successful in restarting the vehicle thus far to resume driving. Behavior can occur multiple times a day or once a week but it has been present for >2 yrs. Problem has been reported and inspected by local dealership but, per the dealership, unable to replicate on demand. Solution provided has been to replace both batteries but remedy is short lived. Dashboard error: Auto Stop/Start Not Ready/Unavailable . This error appears after the engine stop/start stalls and engine shutdown but goes away when car is restarted

NHTSA ODI #11620814

Mileage unknown · Oct 10, 2024
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

The UConnect screen that comes with the Jeep Compass purchased and many other Jeep models during this time period has an apparent systematic lifetime problem. The vehicle has less that 40K miles on it and the screen started to appear discolored with lines distorting the images a couple of months ago, and would get progressively …

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The UConnect screen that comes with the Jeep Compass purchased and many other Jeep models during this time period has an apparent systematic lifetime problem. The vehicle has less that 40K miles on it and the screen started to appear discolored with lines distorting the images a couple of months ago, and would get progressively worse as the car heated up. The screen has gotten progressively worse to the point where it now does not display anything after ~30 seconds of being in the car. We are bringing the vehicle to a Jeep dealer today, but from looking online this seems like a very prevalent issue with Jeep Compasses and Jeep models. Without the screen, several safety features and namely the requirement of a backup camera display are completely unavailable.

NHTSA ODI #11619049

Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2024
Visibility/wiper

I Just left the dealer regarding a wiper related recall and my wipers continue to malfunction. They turn on intermittently. When I slow down and then begin to accelerate the wiper system turns on. I have video after leaving the dealership that performed the recall. *I'm not able to upload video here. Also note: The recall …

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I Just left the dealer regarding a wiper related recall and my wipers continue to malfunction. They turn on intermittently. When I slow down and then begin to accelerate the wiper system turns on. I have video after leaving the dealership that performed the recall. *I'm not able to upload video here. Also note: The recall was out during covid, which at the time I could not take in, and 1-2 years after covid aftermath, I forget about any letters for a recall. Had I done the recall repair then I might not be having this issue which may have progressed and now I'm out of warranty (?) I just don't think it's fair. The recall is wiper related. How can they not offer to fix it 100%. Had the recall not addressed "wiper" malfunction then I could see not arguing. I believe this recall is related somehow. Is it a safety concern? You bet it is. My engine power flickers. I could be in a risky situation crash and now Chrysler- Jeep risks a multi million dollar law suit. I have video. Who can I send this to?

NHTSA ODI #11617774

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2024
Electrical System

screen for climate control, radio, rearview Camara doesn't work

NHTSA ODI #11614242

Mileage unknown · Sep 11, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

The vehicle will randomly show a coolant warning temperature light, then suddenly the engine will turn of. The car must be completely turned off to start it again. This happens when the car is not hot, there is plenty of coolant etc. When this happens the fobs also will not work. It has happened 4 times the last two weeks. My sa…

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The vehicle will randomly show a coolant warning temperature light, then suddenly the engine will turn of. The car must be completely turned off to start it again. This happens when the car is not hot, there is plenty of coolant etc. When this happens the fobs also will not work. It has happened 4 times the last two weeks. My safety was put at risk because I was in the middle of driving when my car died in the middle of the road. Yes the vehicle was inspected and the batteries were replaced. The issue was not reproduced when it was in the shop.

NHTSA ODI #11614023

Mileage unknown · Sep 10, 2024
Unknown Or Other

I was taking my jeep through an an automated car washe and the car engine turned off. The car was in neutral and when I was supposed to drive the car away at the end of the wash, it would not let me put the car in drive. Somehow I got the car restarted after several attempts and was able to put the car in drive before the car be…

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I was taking my jeep through an an automated car washe and the car engine turned off. The car was in neutral and when I was supposed to drive the car away at the end of the wash, it would not let me put the car in drive. Somehow I got the car restarted after several attempts and was able to put the car in drive before the car behind me hit me.

NHTSA ODI #11613779

Mileage unknown · Aug 29, 2024
EngineUnknown Or Other

High coolant temp warning lights spike for about 2-3 seconds and the car powers down but does regain power when the coolant temp light goes off. We have replaced the coolant sensor and flushed everything and replaced the pcm 2 times. Still the same problem. A safety issue as you lose power when this happens. Service was a…

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High coolant temp warning lights spike for about 2-3 seconds and the car powers down but does regain power when the coolant temp light goes off. We have replaced the coolant sensor and flushed everything and replaced the pcm 2 times. Still the same problem. A safety issue as you lose power when this happens. Service was all done at an authorized Jeep dealership. The majority of the time this happens is during a turn. Today I lost power on a turn with oncoming car. We have spent $1400 trying to repair the problem with new replacements and the problem remains. The car is available for inspection. No advance warning when this happens. The last incident date happened August 29, 2024

NHTSA ODI #11611570

Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2024
Electrical System

The vehicle intermittently has issues starting .. if the automatic start/Stop isn’t disengaged you get stuck at stop signs/ stop lights . I have repaired everything I can think of when it comes to this issue . I turned to the internet for more ideas/ootions … turns out there is sooooooo many more jeeps especially the compass tha…

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The vehicle intermittently has issues starting .. if the automatic start/Stop isn’t disengaged you get stuck at stop signs/ stop lights . I have repaired everything I can think of when it comes to this issue . I turned to the internet for more ideas/ootions … turns out there is sooooooo many more jeeps especially the compass that have the same issue … how can this not have a recall … my kid who is only 16 and just got his license almost got rear ended at an intersection because the car shut off and wouldn’t start … he had to wait over 10 minutes before it started again so he could move the car .. it has been to the garage many times and not one can pin point what the issue is .. I just get told it’s a jeep thing ! I’m afraid to shut my car off when I stop at the store or bank … if I know I’m going to be somewhere for a while I have to ask for a ride because I don’t know if my car will start … i have to try to start my car way before I need to , to give it time to “Reset” then it will start …

NHTSA ODI #11610762

56,800 miles · Aug 5, 2024
Engine And Engine CoolingSteering

The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated the steering wheel seized and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the fai…

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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The coolant temperature warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated the steering wheel seized and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the failure could not be replicated. The local dealer informed the contact that the coolant temperature warning light was inaccurately illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,800.

NHTSA ODI #11606416

Official recalls

2

20V208000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:linkages

Apr 9, 2020

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.

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.

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.