NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
329 reportsMileage unknown · Jan 6, 2026
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other
My vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of sudden engine shutdown while driving, accompanied by a dashboard warning stating “High Coolant Temperature.” These shutdowns occur without warning and while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in loss of engine power and creating a dangerous situation in traffic. The error immedia…
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My vehicle has experienced multiple incidents of sudden engine shutdown while driving, accompanied by a dashboard warning stating “High Coolant Temperature.” These shutdowns occur without warning and while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in loss of engine power and creating a dangerous situation in traffic. The error immediately goes away making it difficult to record in enough time. Authorized repair centers have been unable to recreate the issue due to no fault codes present
NHTSA ODI #11709251
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…
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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 · Dec 17, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train
There is a large system failure in the Jeep Compass, in which the oil is getting mixed with fluid, causing the transmission fluid to become like chocolate milk. This failure is all in the way the vehicle is manufactured that it causes damage to both the transmission and engine costing approximately more than 14k in repairs. The …
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There is a large system failure in the Jeep Compass, in which the oil is getting mixed with fluid, causing the transmission fluid to become like chocolate milk. This failure is all in the way the vehicle is manufactured that it causes damage to both the transmission and engine costing approximately more than 14k in repairs. The problem has been confirmed at a dealership, as well as too other 2019-2020 Jeep Compass owners and Jeep has done nothing. It is a safety issue as the vehicle stopped in the middle of the fwy, and needed to be towed. All oil changes and maintenance done at dealership on time and nothing was ever caught, was told this is a common problem for this year's models. A warning lamp popped up the same day I had an oil change appointment. It has not been inspected as no one seems to care to help. I was even charged for the oil change that I didnt get and was never refunded. Car is still not drivable as no repairs have fixed issue.
NHTSA ODI #11705651
Mileage unknown · Dec 17, 2025
Electrical SystemEnginePower Train
Three times since 8/2025 the vehicle flashed a “coolant temperature too high” warning despite the gauge reading normal and no check engine light. Coolant reservoir was at appropriate line. This immediately caused the vehicle to enter limp mode after idling in the drive thru. The vehicle remained in drive with full power but woul…
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Three times since 8/2025 the vehicle flashed a “coolant temperature too high” warning despite the gauge reading normal and no check engine light. Coolant reservoir was at appropriate line. This immediately caused the vehicle to enter limp mode after idling in the drive thru. The vehicle remained in drive with full power but would not allow me to drive or shift to park until i turned the vehicle off. It would restart and allow me to drive. The 4th incident happened 12/13/25. I was at a red light, idling, and when green light came my vehicle flashed the coolant temperature warning and would not allow me to drive. I was stuck in traffic for 5 mins and had to shut my car off to be able to drive. Thankfully in this situation the person behind me was paying attention and did not slam into me. I recently had the main battery replaced. On my way home last night the warning flashed and my car abruptly went into limp Mode while I was actively driving in busy traffic. Thankfully it did not stall and I was able to turn right into a business parking lot. The last two situations could have resulted in accidents and / or injuries and should not be looked over.
NHTSA ODI #11705537
141,000 miles · Dec 5, 2025
EngineEngine And Engine Cooling
The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, and the coolant hot warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle was pulled over and allowed to cool down, and then coolant was added. The vehicle was taken to th…
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The contact owns a 2019 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated, and the coolant hot warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle was pulled over and allowed to cool down, and then coolant was added. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that a cylinder had failed, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 141,000.
NHTSA ODI #11703282
Mileage unknown · Nov 13, 2025
Seat Belts
my daughter hit a deer and had her 3year old daughter in the back seat and the seat belt come unhooked my grandbaby could have gotta hurt
NHTSA ODI #11699274
Mileage unknown · Nov 8, 2025
Electrical System
The Electric throttle body malfunctioned and as a result the vehicles battery completely died, the vehicle was reported not going over 45mph and the break pedal was not going down and not starting the vehicle. After vehicle was stated "it felt unsafe to drive", the problem was confirmed by a vehicle code scanner. Dashboard was l…
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The Electric throttle body malfunctioned and as a result the vehicles battery completely died, the vehicle was reported not going over 45mph and the break pedal was not going down and not starting the vehicle. After vehicle was stated "it felt unsafe to drive", the problem was confirmed by a vehicle code scanner. Dashboard was lit up like a Christmas tree.
NHTSA ODI #11698314
Mileage unknown · Nov 6, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other
Car will intermittently get a message saying coolant temp high and the vehicle completely shuts down. It takes about 30 seconds before it is able to be restarted and is able to drive again. It appears to be related to the start/stop feature, because that is the only time we see it. It can happen within one mile of driving fro…
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Car will intermittently get a message saying coolant temp high and the vehicle completely shuts down. It takes about 30 seconds before it is able to be restarted and is able to drive again. It appears to be related to the start/stop feature, because that is the only time we see it. It can happen within one mile of driving from home, so the vehicle isn't even up to full temperature. I have replaced both the primary and AUX batteries, the issue remains. The coolant level is fine. I took it to the dealer a couple weeks ago and they found no trouble and did a coolant flush, but the issue happened again today. My main issue with this is that the vehicle is my [XXX] daughters car and I don't want something to happen when she is on a busy road with drivers going 50 mph or more. I have read online and it looks like several people are experiencing this problem. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11698014
Mileage unknown · Nov 3, 2025
Unknown Or Other
On several occasions, the check engine light comes on, the temperature gauge goes all the way up and it states “coolant temperature too high” before the car powers off. I had taken the car to a mechanic who said that it was a sensor issue and replaced the sensor. It has continued to happen on a regular basis while I’m driving. I…
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On several occasions, the check engine light comes on, the temperature gauge goes all the way up and it states “coolant temperature too high” before the car powers off. I had taken the car to a mechanic who said that it was a sensor issue and replaced the sensor. It has continued to happen on a regular basis while I’m driving. I have contacted Jeep and have an Appointment for them to “assess” the car. This is beyond dangerous, has happened while driving on the highway, and I see that it’s happened to other compass owners as well. Something needs to be done to address this before someone gets killed
NHTSA ODI #11697269
Mileage unknown · Oct 28, 2025
Electrical System
Touch Screen radio is selecting items on its own including altering vehicle settings and making phone calls.
NHTSA ODI #11696094
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.
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