2013 Jeep Compass — Known Issues & Recalls

Your transmission has failed for the second time in less than a year. While driving on the freeway, your transmission made a noise and locked up suddenly with no warning lights, causing you to hit a curb at high speed and resulting in injury. Your vehicle is now disabled and requires another transmission replacement.

Your transmission is unexpectedly shifting into limp mode (reduced power/performance) without warning, and you cannot override it to regain full control of the vehicle. The transmission eventually fails completely, often with a whining noise before entering limp mode permanently. Replacing the transmission is so expensive that it's not worth repairing.

Your transmission is overheating during normal driving and unexpectedly dropping into limp mode at highway speeds without warning, which limits your ability to accelerate for safety. The transmission eventually failed completely, producing a whining noise and staying stuck in limp mode. Replacing the transmission is extremely expensive and may not be worth the cost. A transmission replacement or complete fluid flush and filter service may be necessary, though the extent of internal damage needs professional diagnosis.

Your transmission has experienced multiple overheating episodes at highway speeds, causing sudden deceleration to about 10 mph without warning. The first incident in May 2021 resolved on its own, but repeated episodes in October 2021 required a complete transmission replacement along with a new transmission cooler and spark plugs. The repair involved replacing the transmission, installing a transmission cooler, and replacing spark plugs to resolve the overheating and power loss issues.

Your Jeep's transmission has experienced multiple failures: it stopped shifting at 89,000 miles, overheated at 100,000 miles (requiring fluid and filter replacement), and made a whining noise before failing completely at 130,000 miles, requiring a tow. The owner reports this is a known issue affecting multiple vehicles of this model and believes the transmission should be subject to a manufacturer recall.

Your Jeep started overheating about two weeks after you bought it with very low mileage. At 100,000 miles, the transmission failed completely and needed to be replaced at a cost over $3,000. You've heard of other Jeep Compasses experiencing transmission failure at similarly low mileage, suggesting a possible manufacturing defect. A transmission replacement typically involves removing the old transmission and installing a new or rebuilt unit.

Your transmission heats up and loses power while driving, forcing you to pull over and let it cool down every 10 miles or so before you can continue. This is a recurring issue that happens repeatedly during normal driving. The transmission may need to be serviced, flushed, or repaired to fix the overheating problem.

Your Compass is burning through oil excessively — consuming about 3 quarts every 2 weeks even after replacing spark plugs and switching to synthetic oil. The oil level dropped dangerously low during a 40-minute drive, causing the oil warning light to come on and ultimately destroying the engine. The engine will need to be completely replaced, which typically involves removing the old engine and installing a new or rebuilt 2.4L engine.

Your engine suddenly revs and a lightning bolt warning light appears on the dashboard, then your car loses power and won't go faster than 5 mph. After pulling over and restarting, it works fine again — but this problem keeps repeating every few months. The dealer has reset your computer multiple times but can't find the underlying cause, leaving you unable to trust the vehicle for reliable driving.

Your check engine light keeps coming on repeatedly, and it's now happening every day. Your mechanic has diagnosed a faulty front catalytic converter that's integrated with the exhaust manifold. The fix will involve replacing the catalytic converter and exhaust manifold assembly.

While driving at 40 mph and pressing the accelerator, your engine failed to accelerate normally and made an unusual noise. Your check engine light came on. An independent mechanic diagnosed that your catalytic converter needs to be replaced. The repair will involve removing and installing a new catalytic converter.

Your Jeep Compass has a defective driver-side door handle where the metal wrapping is peeling apart and becoming sharp, which has caused an injury. The passenger-side handle is showing signs of the same problem. Your dealer has confirmed this isn't normal wear. This is a safety hazard that needs to be repaired.

Your car's headrest is deploying on its own when there hasn't been any crash or impact. This is a safety concern since the headrest should only activate during an actual collision to protect your neck and head. The headrest mechanism may need to be inspected and repaired or replaced to prevent unexpected deployment.

Your electronic throttle control and stability control warning lights turn on, causing your Jeep to enter "limp" mode where it won't accelerate faster than 10 mph. This creates a serious safety hazard, especially when pulling into traffic or merging on highways where you can't reach safe speeds. The problem started around 50,000 miles and has progressively worsened, with your CVT transmission also overheating and triggering limp mode. Fixing this will likely require diagnosing the throttle control and transmission systems, possibly including sensor replacement or transmission service.

You've been trying to get recall work done on your airbags and seat belts since spring 2019, but the dealership has delayed ordering and installing the necessary parts for over 7 months. Since these are critical safety systems, you're worried that if you were in a crash, they might not work properly. Getting the recall completed involves the dealership ordering and installing the manufacturer-specified airbag and seat belt repair or replacement parts.

Your passenger seat headrest suddenly ejected or popped out while the car was parked and being hand-washed, even though the vehicle was working normally before this happened. Now the passenger seat is unsafe to use because the headrest won't stay in place. The repair will likely involve replacing the headrest mechanism or the entire headrest assembly.

Your transmission temperature warning light has come on multiple times since May 2021, causing your vehicle to suddenly slow down to 10 mph on the highway without you commanding it to do so. This has happened at least twice, with the most recent incident in August 2022 also triggering a service engine light. Even after the dealer replaced the transmission filler tube, the problem returned, suggesting a deeper transmission or cooling system issue that needs diagnosis.

Your passenger headrest suddenly split apart with a loud popping sound while you were entering the vehicle, even though no one was sitting in that seat. Upon inspection, you discovered the headrest has an active safety feature designed to deploy during a crash, but it's held in place by two small plastic retention pieces — one of which had cracked and failed. This caused the headrest to partially deploy on its own. The fix will likely involve replacing the headrest assembly or the broken plastic retention clips that keep the safety mechanism from deploying unexpectedly.

During routine service, your mechanic discovered rust on your Jeep's subframe (the metal framework that supports your vehicle). While Jeep has an extended warranty for this issue on some vehicles, your specific VIN isn't covered, and customer service won't help despite it being a known premature rusting problem. If left unrepaired, the rust will continue to spread and weaken your vehicle's structural integrity and handling. Fixing this typically requires replacing the subframe, which costs over $1,300.

Your car's electrical control module (TIPM) has a short circuit causing multiple problems: the cooling fans won't turn off even when the engine is off, and the AC blower fan turns on and off erratically. The dealership replaced relays and sensors but identified a short in the TIPM itself, requiring a $1,500 replacement part. The fix will involve installing a new TIPM module, though Chrysler hasn't guaranteed this will resolve all the issues.