NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Jeep Compass. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
I came to a stop for a red light at a hazardous intersection, and waited for the green arrow for my left turn. When the green arrow came I attempted to accelerate but the brakes locked and subsequently the vehicle began drifting into oncoming traffic. I lost power steering. I managed to stop it after getting out of the intersection by throwing the gear into park. The parking brake seemed to have been engaged by the stop/start system. Subsequent research on this issue revealed this is a recurring issue and especially with 2019 Compass, and people have experienced the stop start stalling their cars in highway traffic at speeds of 65 m.p.h. Obviously, this is a severe life threatening defect. Because this happened on a weekend, the mechanics have not yet evaluated the vehicle. Please have Jeep held accountable.
Every 3000 to 5000 miles the car jerks like the transmission is slipping, the coolant temperature warning sign comes on, and the car shuts off while driving. No warranty will fix the issue and it is very unsafe to have your car shut off while on the highway driving 70mph. This has happened several times. Jeep dealer will not fix
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.
I was driving home from work and stopped at the stoplight. When the light turned green, I tried to accelerate and the engine stalled. The service engine, electronic throttle control and the stop/start system warning lights all came on. I waited a few minutes and restarted the engine.
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?
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.
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.
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
screen for climate control, radio, rearview Camara doesn't work
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.
The car caught fire due to the radio and my insurance company screwed me and I need to know what I can do to help me
I bought the car [XXX] they would not let me take the car home until [XXX]. I have had a problem with it ever since. Airbag system light keeps coming on, passenger seat does not work properly, car is hesitant to start or accelerate at times, cuts and have to restart at times, brakes grinding and squealing . I have taken it back to them several times and they refuse to exchange or fix the problems I was told I should use my warranty to have it fixed I even took it to one of their other dealerships in Irving and they refuse to fix it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
A knocking noise has slowly come into play from the hood of my 2019 Jeep Compass. With some research, it appears to be the front driver’s side axle causing this noise while in operation. The knocking sound is caused by the CV joint at the end of the cv axle shaft. As the cv joint wears down, it becomes less able to absorb shock and vibrations. If I were to continue driving with a damaged CV, the joint will disintegrate further, making driving impossible. I will not be able to control the vehicle and may get involved in an accident. This issue is out of my control unless I simply don’t drive it. This is also a stock part that wasn’t expected to need replacing within 5 years of having the vehicle. My current mileage is roughly 76,000 miles to which I don’t drive more than I need to.
When filling the gas tank and it gets near full, the gas will splash back onto the side of the car, the ground and can get on my clothes, shoes, etc. Jeep vehicles have a long history of this specific problem. No recalls for this VIN. Please help. This is dangerous and scary. It happens every time I fill the tank.
I was driving into a busy intersection and briefly stopped. When I took my foot off the brake to go, the car completely froze. The brake pedal was hard and the steering wheel was locked. The lights were on, however I couldn't turn the car off to restart it. It would not move. A police officer had to push the car over to the side. After waiting a while (25 minutes) for the tow truck, I was able to turn the car off. The car was towed to the nearest mechanic, but he can't find anything wrong with it. Despite, hundreds of online complaints about this same thing happening to Jeep Compasses, Jeep will not take a look at it unless I pay $490 for a diagnostic test. I already had to pay for the towing and a mechanic to look at it. Jeep Chrysler needs to recall these cars before someone is killed.
In February I took my car for an oil change. I went out of town and when I returned my car would not start. I replaced my key fob battery and I charged the battery because a jump did not work. Once battery was charged we were able to get my car to turn on. I took the car for battery testing at auto zone and nothing came back. I took the car to the dealership (Jeep Dealer) they said both batteries were original and needed to be replaced. I paid for both to be replaced. A few days later I was driving m, came to a stop light and when the light turned green I went to press the gas the car dashboard glitched and turned completely off I was in the middle of the road. I started the car back up and called the dealer immediately and took it in for service. The dealer said it was a reset that needed to be done and computer update. A few days later my car did the same thing only this time it gave a few messages on the dashboard and I was able to turn it back on. The deal ship kept my car for a couple more days. The did more updates and returned the car. I had no issues for a few weeks with turning off however when I turn the car on it would glitch as if it did not want to start. Also, the start/stop feature stopped working completely. One morning I started my car on my way to take my child to daycare the car glitched again but turned on I drove maybe 500ft and I got a message on the dashboard “stop safely vehicle will turn off soon” I pulled over and turned the car off and back on the message was gone. A month later I got the same message but I kept driving and nothing happened. A week later I drove to drop off my child, the car was off completely and moments later when I returned the car would not start the radio dashboard lights all turned on and I could hear the car trying to start but it did not. AAA came to assist jumping my vehicle and I was able to drive the car to the same dealership. They kept the car for a week and found nothing.
Car stopped in the middle of an intersection, and a ton of dash lights came on. Did this about 2 times x Brought it to Jeep dealership and they said that the diagnostic is coming back that everything is fine with the vehicle. I see a lot of jeep compasses are doing this and i need whatever the issue is to be resolved with a recall or something to prevent this from happening to other and get this issued solved immediately. I’ve been to jeep and NOTHING.
Vehicle randomly blinks coolant too hot, locks up and shuts down. All fluids are full and there is no reason for the warming. Has happened backing out of the driveway, going slow, and on the freeway. Very dangerous
Car continuously shows multiple codes (10+)then won’t shift to neutral or drive and car won’t even turn off. Has happened multiple times with no resolution various codes (dynamic tourque steering, service hill holder , service 4WD, service transmission, anti lock brake system fail, fuel service cut off, U1110, speed control fail, and multiple others
after making a left turn, the engine shut off, an alert on the dashboard read the coolant temperature was too high. Then a second later the coolant alarm went away, the temperature gauge dropped back to normal and the engine started back up. This happened too fast to be an actual problem with the coolant temperature. It happened as described here: [XXX] If this had happened 3 seconds sooner, I would have been stuck in traffic while making a left turn. I'm a little shocked NHTSA has precluded this is not a dangerous issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The motor is constantly burning oil between oil changes it takes 5.5 quarts on an oil change when the oil is changed I get less than 4 quarts out of the oil pan and this time the oil light came on and I checked the oil level and it was about 4 quarts low and I have the oil changed every 5,000 miles like the manufacture recommends I have read multiple complaints online that this is a known issue with the jeep compass and other vehicles with the 2.4 multiair engine in them
High Coolant temperature notice code is thrown causing to lose all power to engine even though the vehicle is not overheating. I am put at risk because while traveling my jeep loses all power and someone could run into the back of my vehicle when traveling down the road.
The auto shut off function while stopped has malfunctioned on a couple occasions. One was when stopped at a red light. The car would not start up again when letting off the gas. The vehicle was new to me and I didn't know how to fix the problem. Sitting there, even with hazards on, is dangerous as I could have been rear ended while trying to figure this out. I ended up having to restart the vehicle. I can disable the function, but I believe it is causing starter issues with the vehicle. The vehicle intermittently will not start right away, and finally will after several attempts. All possible problems that could cause the start issue have been tested by mechanics at an auto shop. All of which were eliminated. There are no warning lights that have come on when either of these things happen. The vehicle is available for inspection, if requested.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that a message that the coolant level was high was displayed on the instrument panel and immediately after the message was displayed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. Additionally, the windows failed to open and close, the doors failed to lock and unlock, and there were other unstated electrical malfunctions. The contact coasted over to the side of the road and turned off and restarted the vehicle several times for the vehicle to operate as needed. The failure was intermittent but had occurred approximately 12 times. The dealer was contacted; however, the contact had not received a callback. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 60,000.
The Uconnect screen has a black line on majority of the screen- happened occasionally at first, then every other time I started the vehicle, and now every time. I am unable to use the screen due to the malfunction which means I cannot use the back up camera, see the maps on the screen for navigation, or control heating/temp including defrost due not being able to see the screen which I feel are all safety issues to both myself and other drivers. So far an independent service center is running diagnostics- and no warning signs.
It is not allowing me to check everything but the bottom line is this. It is highly inappropriate to know that there were three recalls on this vehicle it says 2 were completed there were investigations done and I do not have the ability to view them as a consumer especially whrn I was trying to buy it and now when I am trying to find out if it is related to a problem I am having. I need the full detailed list. I have asked the dealership and not received the documentation, please provide them. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds and turning, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front driver's side and passenger's side control arms were fractured, and the inner and outer tie rod had failed. The mechanic determined that the parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
My engine has killed 3 times while in motion but coming to a stop. I get an alert that the coolant temp is too hot and the engine immediately shuts off while everything else (radio, lights, etc.) remains on. After I put the vehicle in park and shut it off, I'm able to restart it right away and the coolant temp is completely normal. I took the vehicle to a mechanic for a full diagnostic check and they said that this is a known issue with Jeep vehicles and that there's no known solution for it. This happens without warning and there are no alerts or error messages before the vehicle shuts off. Luckily, each time this has happened has been while I've been coming to a stop in a quiet residential area but my concern is that it could happen while I'm on a busy highway. Here is a link to the inspection report I got back from the mechanic: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Car stalls while driving. While car is in drive it will stall and steering becomes limited. Works again once car is restarted.
A few minutes into the drive, the “Coolant Temperature Too High” warning appeared on the dashboard screen and the temperature gauge shot all the up and then immediately all the way down before correcting itself. This occurred while accelerating after a turn.
Temperature gauge spiked momentarily, the car lost power for 2 to 3 seconds, then restarted by itself. This occurred while driving at approx 10 mph. This is a very dangerous situation. I have read online that others have had similar issues, and that dealers cannot resolve it.
The gear selection lights near the gear shift go on and off for no apparent reason. I can not see which gear I am in at night. I am afraid that this is indicative of a more serious electrical problem. I am still under warranty because I purchased Added Care Plus from directly from Jeep that covers me through the end of December 2024. I took the vehicle to Jeep Dealer CH Urness Motors in The Dalles, Oregon. The owner and service manager told me that my car "Is not broken enough" for them to repair. The owner, Tim Urness, stated that they only repair items with warning lights and that they do not honor the Added Care Plus warranties sold by Jeep dealers unless they've sold it. Additionally, my auto stop start battery is malfunctioning, and the engine is making a strange noise. Stellans Jeep Cares is not responding to my calls concerning the warranty or getting the car towed to a different dealer for service. I live in a rural area, so I will need to travel 200 miles round trip to have my car serviced and I have been advised that I will need to make the trip at least twice to have the car first diagnosed, then serviced. I know that NHTSA does not normally handle these sorts of problems, but it is a safety issue, also I would like direction on where to report the dealership and Stellantis for not making necessary safety repairs covered under warranty. I had a previous issue with the same car's seatbelt webbing and had to fight to get the repair made. Thank you
I bought this vehicle as a CPO. After a few months the vehicle was intermittently having issues with the start stop being disabled when using the remote start. Subsequently the vehicle wouldn’t engage to start without being powered back down and restarted which would reset the start stop as well. Last week I went to remote start the vehicle and everything cycled through like it would start but never turned over. Now the start stop is just disengaged. From reading the various forums on this vehicle the start stop is a common problem with no resolve.
This 2019 Jeep Compass, has mixed the coolant and oil causing a blown head gasket, according to the dealership, it needs a new engine, and something that is too common on the Jeep Compass, as mine is shy over 8k it is not covered under warranty. No warning lights came on, no lights of high temperature in the transmission, oil or coolant. The car did stall in the middle of the road, causing risk for myself and the child I had in the car. As this is a common problem with the Jeep Compass, how is this major issue not a recall? Why is Jeep/ Chrysler waiting and endangering many of their consumers lives, and not fixing this issue??? The vehicle is available for inspection, with towing being invovled as I am terrified to drive this vehicle.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving approximately 20-30 MPH, the vehicle went into anti-theft mode and stalled in the middle of the road. The ABS warning light and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a parking lot. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated, and the contact was informed that the battery was low. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving 65-75 MPH. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, Preston Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM of Wilmington (3807 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington, DE 19808), where both batteries were replaced, and the electrical system was reprogrammed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred 12 days later. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after 10-15 minutes, and the contact drove to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a third dealer, Ourisman Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Baltimore (124 North Point Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224), where it was diagnosed and determined that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist due to the mileage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 127,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the message that “Vehicle Will Shut down - Please Pull Over" was displayed. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the auxiliary battery. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The contact stated while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 22,000.
Complete vehicle shut down while driving. You can be driving and it shuts off on its own which is so dangerous almost caused A severe accident. Took to dealer prior nothing is wrong with any parts on my vehicle this is some malfunctioning with the design. I have a 2019 jeep compass Trailhawk. This is the 6th time doing this to me. After a few days it restarts with no issues.
Car stalled out while idling at red light. Car had to be towed to dealer!!replaced battery !! Stalled again dealer said the cause was faulty door latches!! Car stalled again, had to be towed to dealer , kept for 5 days!! All codes cleared , incident never repeated!!!
Took it for regular maintenance and was told both batteries needed to be replaced. Replaced them a month later car wouldn’t start, got it to start and completely shut off while going 60 mph.
My vehicle randomly stopped on the freeway one morning. I had no warning signs or lights on at the moment. This has occurred for the second time in the past few months. I took it to the dealership, and they acted strange as if they did not want to be held responsible for diagnosing the vehicle. I took it to another mechanic, and he stated that the car has a major electrical issue. This is something extremely dangerous, not only to myself but to other drivers around me.
As I was exiting one interstate and merging onto another one the engine stalled. A message displayed telling me the cruise had shut off (my cruise was on but not in use when the engine stalled). This is the second time this has happened - both on the highway.
Car jerks/bucks violently when accelerating, to the point of being unable to control steering and slamming me into steering wheel. This has happened numerous, numerous times. Was towed to dealership, who claimed it was a loose battery cable, charged me, and said it was good to go. The very same day I picked it up, it continues to do this, every time I drive it. It also will die completely and not restart when in park idling. This has happened at least 20x, which was also attributed to the loose cable. However it continues to do the exact same thing as before the dealership "fixed" it. I drive in the middle of nowhere, 40 miles to work in the early morning hours, making this especially unsafe as I have been stranded on a country road alone several times, which is highly unsafe as a female. I cannot continue to drive this as it is right now as I dont know when it may just stop running or not start, or start bucking violently causing me to crash or become injured. I do have videos of this happening several times over the course of less than two hours. There has also been a couple warning lights that have come on randomly (Electronic Throttle Control Warning Light, Electronic Stability Control Active Warning Light, Service Stop/Start Warning Light) and a message (Dynamic Steering Torque). I just bought this used from a dealership July 25, 2023. It is only December 26, 2023. I dont feel safe driving this vehicle and have given the dealership an opportunity to address and fix whatever may be causing it, to no avail. I do not wish to keep this vehicle, nor do I feel safe trusting in the dealership to make it a safe vehicle for me to continue to drive.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while idling at a red traffic light, the Auto START/STOP system engaged, causing the parking brake to erroneously engage. The contact released the brake pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact restarted the vehicle for the vehicle to respond as needed. The Auto START/STOP warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated while at a green traffic light, the parking brake unexpectedly engaged, and the vehicle failed to move. The contact restarted the vehicle, depressed the brake pedal, and released the parking brake. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently turned off while the vehicle was idling. The contact shifted the gear shifter into park and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and slowing for traffic, the contact lightly depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle almost came to a complete stop. The contact stated that he observed that the brake service warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was a recurring failure. Additionally, the contact stated that the parking brake had also stopped engaging and the "Service Electronic Parking Brake" illuminated and was constantly illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear calipers and actuators and the electronic parking brake system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V523000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was 21,722.
UNKNOWN Was driving while decelerating when engine stuttered and emergency brake light came on. The car then stalled and would not restart until 3rd try. This is the second time this incident has happened.
The vehicle will be shut off via auto stop start system at a traffic light, I'll let off the gas and the vehicle will sometimes take several tries to start or totally stall out and have to be manually restarted, it's dangerous.
engine is over heating and now the transmission is having problems its only 5 years old. My safety is important the car could have caught fire and it slowed down while i was on the highway that could get me in an accident
Multiple incidents over the last 5-7 weeks up to and including today 11/05/2023. When walking out and starting my Compass the engine/vehicle initially would not start. When initially pressing the start button all the dashboard lights, gauges and annunciators would illuminate but I would receive a “coolant temperature too hot” message on the dashboard and the car ultimately would not turnover and start but rather just shut down completely. Upon waiting a couple seconds I tried to start it again and this time it would start up just fine all normal without any messages on the dashboard. In other occurrences I’d receive multiple dashboard messages which included the ESS system but after turning off and trying to start again my Compass would not and I’d have to jumpstart the battery In order to successfully start the vehicle. From what I have researched and read on myjeepforums and Reddit it seems that many Compass owners going back to 2019/2020 are currently having or have gone through this same problem ultimately spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on part replacements and dealership visits only to be told that they cannot find the problem or know what may be causing the problem even though they are well aware of these issues. Some complaints have stated that this issue has happened while driving on major expressways or busy roads at random causing them to just come to a complete stop in the middle of traffic on expressways or during turns! I am taking my Compass to the dealership tomorrow morning 11/06/2023 at 7am to make them known of these issues I am having but I’m not holding out any hope. Jeep has not issued any recalls since this problem was brought to late in 2020. I do not feel safe driving this vehicle any longer and I will not spend thousands of dollars on random part replacements when dealerships or outright telling other compass owners that they can’t locate or college the problem. My next step after tomorrow may be to consult a lawyer.
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026