What breaks most · 2007 to 2026 model years
Jeep Compass problems by year
Owners have filed 3,680 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Jeep Compass across model years 2007 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2018 for engine complaints, 2019 for engine complaints and 2014 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2023 and 2024.
- Years to check closely: 2018, 2019, 2014
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2023, 2024
- Complaints on file
- 36802007 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2018936 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 15248 fires · 116 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 46kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 38Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 259 | 9 | 3 | Suspension (80) | |
| 93 | 3 | 0 | Body and structure (30) | |
| 44 | 2 | 1 | Suspension (15) | |
| 71 | 5 | 2 | Air bags (18) | |
| 187 | 7 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (37) | |
| 184 | 3 | 4 | Engine (36) | |
| 80 | 7 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (27) | |
| 306 | 20 | 2 | Engine (91) | |
| 113 | 4 | 1 | Engine (30) | |
| 293 | 9 | 1 | Engine (135) | |
| 228 | 10 | 4 | Electrical system (86) | |
| 936 | 28 | 6 | Engine (469) | |
| 327 | 13 | 2 | Engine (160) | |
| 138 | 3 | 1 | Engine (79) | |
| 77 | 5 | 0 | Electrical system (32) | |
| 220 | 11 | 4 | Electrical system (102) | |
| 45 | 2 | 2 | Electrical system (13) | |
| 52 | 6 | 0 | Forward collision system (25) | |
| 24 | 5 | 0 | Electrical system (11) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Electrical system (2) |
What fails on the 2018 Jeep Compass
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 50% |
469 | 7 | Shop engine parts for the 2018 Jeep Compass |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 40% |
374 | 3 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2018 Jeep Compass |
| Unknown or other | 21% |
192 | 1 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 16% |
151 | 7 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
64 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2018 Jeep Compass |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 7% |
63 | 1 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2018 Jeep Compass |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 7% |
61 | 5 | Shop brakes parts for the 2018 Jeep Compass |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 4% |
38 | 1 | Shop all forward collision system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
As I was driving my vehicle, it stalled on me and my parking brake engaged. I had to put my vehicle in park, open my door to dis-engage the brake to restart. it has happened twice now, once on Saturday May 30th and June 2nd 2026.
-
When driving it will randomly stall out/shut off in the middle of an intersection or just while driving in general. While also giving a message about the coolant temperature
-
Car would turn on all lights in car while driving and shut off, recently the car will not start at all and is having engine issues.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Jeep Compass years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2018, 2019, 2014 carry the most filings on the Jeep Compass. The 2018 alone has 936 complaints, led by engine.
What is the most common Jeep Compass problem?
On the 2018 model year, the most-reported component is engine with 469 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Jeep Compass problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Jeep Compass complaints that include mileage is about 46,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.