NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Forward Collision Avoidance complaints
10 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Feb 4, 2026
Forward Collision Avoidance
While driving my Jeep Compass's emergency parking brake engaged on its own. I thought I was hit by another vehicle since it was so abrupt. I was able to disengage it after several minutes and as I turned my hazards on and drove home, the emergency brake engaged again on its own. This was a major safety issue and after getting th…
Read full complaint
While driving my Jeep Compass's emergency parking brake engaged on its own. I thought I was hit by another vehicle since it was so abrupt. I was able to disengage it after several minutes and as I turned my hazards on and drove home, the emergency brake engaged again on its own. This was a major safety issue and after getting the vehicle home, I was able to call and get it into a mechanic who was unable to find a code stored for the issue. He recommended I take it to a Jeep Dealership as they have softwares to run for the computer. The jeep dealership only was able to locate a code to replace the starter and replaced the starter but are unable to determine the issue for the e brake, unable to duplicate it, and are unable to tell me the Jeeps emergency brake won't turn on again on its own. I reached out to Jeep Cares on a jeep compass forum and was called by a representative who told me Jeep is aware of a rising number of people with the exact same issue as I stated.
NHTSA ODI #11715681
Mileage unknown · Dec 25, 2025
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or Other
My Jeep says it’s going to shutdown to pull over somewhere and cut off car. If we pull over in time, restarting car has solved problem until next time it decides to occur. Multiple times the car has shut off with me driving down road and I have no control over the vehicle. Plugged up at O’Rileys and AutoZone. Diagnostic referre…
Read full complaint
My Jeep says it’s going to shutdown to pull over somewhere and cut off car. If we pull over in time, restarting car has solved problem until next time it decides to occur. Multiple times the car has shut off with me driving down road and I have no control over the vehicle. Plugged up at O’Rileys and AutoZone. Diagnostic referred to voltage surge with battery and the ABS. I took it to a local mechanic that has a higher quality diagnostic machine. It won’t recognize my Jeep. We tried it multiple times on two different days.
NHTSA ODI #11707038
Mileage unknown · Jun 25, 2025
Forward Collision AvoidanceService BrakesVehicle Speed ControlCrash
ABS light came on, took to mechanic, was advised he needed to order part, picked up vehicle while waiting for part to come in. While driving to work was using cruise control and put on my brakes and had no brakes, I ended up rear ending into another vehicle. Causing extensive damage to my car.
NHTSA ODI #11669090
Mileage unknown · Nov 1, 2023
Forward Collision AvoidanceUnknown Or Other
Emergency brake system is randomly engaged while stopped and/or during driving. Engine stalls out and will not move unless engine is shut off and turned back on and emergency brake is disengaged.
NHTSA ODI #11553014
Mileage unknown · Jun 25, 2023
Electrical SystemForward Collision Avoidance
My emergency brake engages while my vehicle is in drive during auto assist feature is on. My vehicle stalls. I have to put my vehicle in park, then shut my car off and restart it while in traffic. I have been in several near collisions. I have been a victim of road rage. My 2019 Compass has been experiencing this issue since Jul…
Read full complaint
My emergency brake engages while my vehicle is in drive during auto assist feature is on. My vehicle stalls. I have to put my vehicle in park, then shut my car off and restart it while in traffic. I have been in several near collisions. I have been a victim of road rage. My 2019 Compass has been experiencing this issue since July 2020. After 11 service visits, my vehicle is still not fixed and the dealership is no longer willing to help. They say there is nothing that can be done. I have copies of all service repair orders from 2020-June 2023
NHTSA ODI #11528786
Mileage unknown · Apr 26, 2023
Electrical SystemForward Collision Avoidance
The vehicle flashes that it is overheating and then shuts off, no matter what speed the vehicle is at. You then have to pull over and restart the vehicle. It is a very dangerous situation and I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of similar stories online with the 2018-2022 jeep compasses. This issue needs to be resolved and Je…
Read full complaint
The vehicle flashes that it is overheating and then shuts off, no matter what speed the vehicle is at. You then have to pull over and restart the vehicle. It is a very dangerous situation and I’ve seen hundreds, if not thousands, of similar stories online with the 2018-2022 jeep compasses. This issue needs to be resolved and Jeep needs to recall these vehicles before someone is seriously hurt.
NHTSA ODI #11519171
Mileage unknown · Jul 26, 2022
Electrical SystemForward Collision Avoidance
The Compass randomly stalls when the auto stop start is engaged and the car is stopped. It stalls when we press the gas and the emergency brake automatically engages. The car has to be put in park, emergency brake turned off and then restart the car. It has happened at stop signs, lights, traffic and intersections. It does not h…
Read full complaint
The Compass randomly stalls when the auto stop start is engaged and the car is stopped. It stalls when we press the gas and the emergency brake automatically engages. The car has to be put in park, emergency brake turned off and then restart the car. It has happened at stop signs, lights, traffic and intersections. It does not happen when we press the stop start button so it does not go on. Brought to the dealer and they could not recreate and never heard of problem. They had it for 10 days.
NHTSA ODI #11475989
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
31,000 miles · Feb 19, 2021
EngineForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes
TODAY MY CAR STOPPED (AGAIN) IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AS I WAS DRIVING AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT WENT ON. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME AND I AM LITERALLY SCARED OUT OF MIND TO DRIVE THIS CAR THAT I PURCHASED FOR MY BIRTHDAY. I'VE ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR 6 MONTHS AND THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD.
NHTSA ODI #11396951
Mileage unknown · Feb 4, 2021
Forward Collision AvoidanceService BrakesSuspension
I PARKED MY CAR IN MY DRIVE LASTNIGHT JUST LIKE EVERY NIGHT; AND I WALKED OUT THIS MORNING AND THE BACK END OF MY CAR WAS IN THE STREET! IT ROLLED BACK MORE THAN HALF OF MY DRIVEWAY! PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT YES IT SNOWED HERE IN NJ HOWEVER THERE WAS ROCK SALT (A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT ON MY DRIVEWAY - TOWNSHIP GRADE) THERE WAS A VERY…
Read full complaint
I PARKED MY CAR IN MY DRIVE LASTNIGHT JUST LIKE EVERY NIGHT; AND I WALKED OUT THIS MORNING AND THE BACK END OF MY CAR WAS IN THE STREET! IT ROLLED BACK MORE THAN HALF OF MY DRIVEWAY! PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT YES IT SNOWED HERE IN NJ HOWEVER THERE WAS ROCK SALT (A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT ON MY DRIVEWAY - TOWNSHIP GRADE) THERE WAS A VERY LIGHT AMOUNT OF SNOW NOTHING CRAZY THAT WOULD'VE CAUSED THIS. MY DRIVEWAY IS NOT A HILL OR HARSH SLOPPING AT ALL. I'M CONCERNED FOR NOT ONLY MY SAFETY AND OF COURSE FOR MY CAR, BUT WHAT IF THAT ROLLED FURTHER?... WHAT IF IT HIT SOMEONE WALKING THEIR DOG.. OR ANOTHER VEHICLE PASSING BY?
NHTSA ODI #11394598
NHTSA investigations
1PE22013 · 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.
Illustration