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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 · Nov 16, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

I was driving my daughter to school going 25-30 miles per hour and the car engine shut off as we were moving on the road. I didn’t realize it was off until I couldn’t move the steering wheel. The car stopped in the middle of the road disrupting traffic. The lights on the dashboard were on but the engine wouldn’t start. The dashb…

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I was driving my daughter to school going 25-30 miles per hour and the car engine shut off as we were moving on the road. I didn’t realize it was off until I couldn’t move the steering wheel. The car stopped in the middle of the road disrupting traffic. The lights on the dashboard were on but the engine wouldn’t start. The dashboard message said “place the car on Parking, press the break and push the button to turn on the car”. I attempted several times to place the car in Parking but it wouldn’t recognize the shift. Finally after several harsh attempts of going from Drive to Parking on the shift, the lights went off and the car recognized being on Parking. I was able to turn the car back on and drove it to the dealer. This is the second time that the car shuts off, the first time I wasn’t driving it though. It stopped working while warming up with the Auto Start feature and parked. It was asking for the same “to place the car on parking” but the car was already on parking. Eventually we unplugged the battery and plugged it back on and after 20ish minutes the car turned on again. No code was detected by their computer scanner. Mechanic claimed I may just need oil. No diagnosis as of today.

NHTSA ODI #11493752

Mileage unknown · Nov 13, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

My car will flash a "Coolant Temperature Too High" message, vehicle shuts itself down. There is no way it’s too hot and it is really unsafe for my car to just shut down.

NHTSA ODI #11493338

Mileage unknown · Nov 11, 2022
Electrical SystemService BrakesSuspension

1. The car will stall while driving at highway speeds and/or will turn on the emergency brake after stopping due to a stop sign or traffic. Yes this is available for inspection. 2. Not as of yet, Jeep said it was a battery problem. 3. The vehicle has been inspected by Jeep. 4. There were no signs or symptoms of the problem pri…

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1. The car will stall while driving at highway speeds and/or will turn on the emergency brake after stopping due to a stop sign or traffic. Yes this is available for inspection. 2. Not as of yet, Jeep said it was a battery problem. 3. The vehicle has been inspected by Jeep. 4. There were no signs or symptoms of the problem prior to failure. It occurred from one day to another and has not stopped.

NHTSA ODI #11493230

Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2022
Electrical SystemService Brakes

About two weeks ago got to my destination ok. As I was leaving I tried to start the car and the brake pedal was hard to push. The car would not start but it would turn on. Nothing was left turned on before I started it. I looked at the voltage and it said 12.0. I kept turning on and off and the car would not start just turn on(…

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About two weeks ago got to my destination ok. As I was leaving I tried to start the car and the brake pedal was hard to push. The car would not start but it would turn on. Nothing was left turned on before I started it. I looked at the voltage and it said 12.0. I kept turning on and off and the car would not start just turn on(radio and lights). Finally said maybe a jump would help. I found someone who could jump my car and it finally worked. Voltage went up to 14.2. My battery was changed exactly one year ago by a jeep dealer. Then this week I was driving on a local street and at a red light I stepped on the accelerator to go, the run stop feature stalled my car and shut it down. My breaks went hard, the voltage went down again. I was stuck on the street. I turned my hazards on to notify other cars. My son was in the car with me too. My anxiety level shot up. Ive had one too many issues with this car. I left the car off for about 10 mins and tried starting it again. Finally it turned on, weak, and all the lights went wonky but then it got stable and started running. I prayed that I get home safely. I did, and made an appointment to the service dealer. It is at the shop right now and they are trying to diagnose my car. Definitely a safety concern.

NHTSA ODI #11493028

Mileage unknown · Nov 10, 2022
Electrical SystemService BrakesVehicle Speed Control

My car lost acceleration on nj Garden state highway driving 65 miles. Luckily I was driving in the right lane as this happened. I quickly flashed my hazards as soon as I noticed, to alert drivers behind me. My car slowly moved onto the side of the highway. My breaks would not fully stop the car. It finally stopped on its own luc…

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My car lost acceleration on nj Garden state highway driving 65 miles. Luckily I was driving in the right lane as this happened. I quickly flashed my hazards as soon as I noticed, to alert drivers behind me. My car slowly moved onto the side of the highway. My breaks would not fully stop the car. It finally stopped on its own luckily. I stayed on the side of the road for about a few good long mins trying to figure out what to do or WHO to call. I then tried turning on the car again to see if it would start. It turned on and the oil warning blinked for like one second. That was it. Never stayed on like other cars do. Not one warning beforehand. From my experience of owning other cars, if your car is running low on oil, a warning light comes on and stays on until the oil is changed. Not this car, only this one second. I was heading into nyc and I just prayed my car wouldn’t shut down on me again until I got to my destination. Luckily got home safe and made an appointment to a mechanic. They told me my car consumes more oil than the average car and therefore I would have to change it more frequently. This is the reason my car malfunctioned. How is this safe? Especially that the car doesn’t give a warning, this has given me so much anxiety. I could have gotten into a major accident. Now I have to guess whether I’ve driven x amount of miles and now I have to change the oil. Such a safety hazard.

NHTSA ODI #11493021

Mileage unknown · Nov 4, 2022
Electrical SystemPower TrainUnknown Or Other

My 2018 Jeep Compass, Limited stalls out as I am driving. The headlights have never worked and when they do work they are intermittent.

NHTSA ODI #11492297

Mileage unknown · Nov 1, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior LightingLane Departure

My Jeep has had intermittently headlight issues, along w/ blind spot not working on driver side, + start/stop doesn’t work. I’ve had the headlights replaced, didn’t work. Been told that because issue isn’t happening when in dealers care, then they can’t fix for other issues. 
this didn’t start happening until UCONNECT bricked…

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My Jeep has had intermittently headlight issues, along w/ blind spot not working on driver side, + start/stop doesn’t work. I’ve had the headlights replaced, didn’t work. Been told that because issue isn’t happening when in dealers care, then they can’t fix for other issues. 
this didn’t start happening until UCONNECT bricked my radio system with an update and I had to get it repaired (took two months) — I firmly believe it’s a electrical issue that stems from that but nobody (Jeep) is listening.

NHTSA ODI #11491848

Mileage unknown · Oct 31, 2022
Electrical SystemUnknown Or OtherVisibility/wiper

The Jeep started to get vertical lines in the 7 inch u connect screen. At first you could tap it and it would reset. Now, it is completely covered with vertical lines, the radio works, however the problem is the back camera does not show what is behind you due to the screen covered in vertical lines. It also does not show any …

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The Jeep started to get vertical lines in the 7 inch u connect screen. At first you could tap it and it would reset. Now, it is completely covered with vertical lines, the radio works, however the problem is the back camera does not show what is behind you due to the screen covered in vertical lines. It also does not show any information it is suppose to.

NHTSA ODI #11491705

Mileage unknown · Oct 31, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

Car is stopping while driving at highway speed (second time in a little over a month). Car was taken to Spartanburg dodge after first incident. They claimed it was due to unknown factor and then claimed it was low on oil, which was not true as there was no warning or low oil warning. this car belongs to my daughter and the deale…

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Car is stopping while driving at highway speed (second time in a little over a month). Car was taken to Spartanburg dodge after first incident. They claimed it was due to unknown factor and then claimed it was low on oil, which was not true as there was no warning or low oil warning. this car belongs to my daughter and the dealerships think that women are not knowledgeable enough to know of the oil situation. On public forums, there are many sites telling of exact problem and the dealerships will not take responsibility for the situation.

NHTSA ODI #11491554

42,000 miles · Oct 28, 2022
Electrical System

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated he was unable to start the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he replaced the battery and alternator himself. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System) howe…

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The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated he was unable to start the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he replaced the battery and alternator himself. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V524000 (Electrical System) however, the VIN was not included. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

NHTSA ODI #11491340

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.