Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
2018 Jeep Compass — Known Issues & Recalls
Complaints from Jan 2025 to Dec 2024
The most reported issue is engine problems (181 complaints). 28 complaints involved crashes. 5 involved fires.
Open Safety Recalls (6)
NHTSA Campaign: 18V279000
Component: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
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.
Risk: If the lower control arm separates, it can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA Campaign: 17V740000
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
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."
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA Campaign: 18V524000
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FRONT UNDERHOOD
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.
Risk: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA Campaign: 18V523000
Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
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.
Risk: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA Campaign: 17V670000
Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
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.
Risk: If the oil pump fails, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
NHTSA Campaign: 17V732000
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Owner-Reported Issues (20 of 915)
Electrical System,unknown Or Other →2 issues
While driving I stopped at a light and an issues occurred where my stop start light appeared on dashboard. The car turned off for a minute and eventually started back up.
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Warning lamp:"stop safely. vehicle will shut off soon" the car will shut off while driving. The warning is not sufficient enough to ignore that fairly new cars are shutting down on the road for no reason. There are numerous complaints about this same issue and I am wondering what is it going to take for jeep to take accountability and fix this. We should not have to pay for this repair. Resolution unknown. We are supposed to guess. No information is offered through a diagnostic check. As you can see this vehicle has 46,000 miles on it. Regular maintenance. Serviced at the dealer numerous times.
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Engine And Engine Cooling →2 issues
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that a month after the vehicle was purchased, the vehicle started to experience several failures. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the coolant temperature gauge rose, and the vehicle experienced reduced power or stalled. The check engine warning light and two other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart at first attempt on some occasions. The contact stated that the failure had also occurred while at a complete stop at the stoplight. The contact stated that the failure nearly caused other vehicles to crash into the vehicle on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where coolant hoses and tubes were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
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The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The driver was able to restart the vehicle after several minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed, and the vehicle passed the oil consumption test. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was currently experiencing excessive oil consumption and required 2 quarts of oil after driving 5,000 miles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
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Electrical System →2 issues
My car has the start/stop when it turns off when your idle, well sometimes when you release the brake to go it will hesitate to turn back on and or even not start again at all and you have to fully turn the car off and back on.
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The vehicle will turn over but does not go into gear. With all emergency systems lighting up. When vehicle was running it would randomly turn off or stall in the middle of the road.
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Power Train,structure,engine →1 issue
Your transmission jerks violently when shifting into gear, especially when accelerating from a stop, hard enough to physically jolt you and your passengers. The dealership has replaced the transmission multiple times, but the problem keeps happening even after repairs. This unpredictable shifting behavior creates a safety risk and could lead to loss of control. Resolving this will likely require a complete transmission replacement or internal diagnosis to identify why the transmission keeps failing.
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Electrical System,exterior Lighting →1 issue
Your passenger side headlight stopped working, and replacing the bulb didn't fix it. Around the same time, your START/STOP system failed to restart the engine after an idle stop, and your dashboard displayed a "Battery Charging System Failure" message. The issue likely stems from an electrical or charging system problem rather than just a burned-out bulb. A dealer diagnosis of your battery, alternator, and charging system will be needed to identify and repair the root cause.
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Electrical System,unknown Or Other,visibility/wiper →1 issue
Your car's touchscreen malfunctions during normal driving, including when reversing and driving at low speeds, which can interfere with safe operation in parking areas and traffic. The touchscreen issue affects your visibility and wiper controls. The repair will likely involve diagnosing the touchscreen software or hardware and either updating the system or replacing the display unit.
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Engine →1 issue
Ok I purchased this vehicle on 09/24 three weeks later the coolant gage keep going up to high the car will starts slowing down & sometimes just stop while I’m driving ok this been going on since I got it & the same problem is still happening & it’s been a year & the jeep service seems not able to fix the problem and this is my 50th visit so can someone help me with this matter cause it’s dangerous to keep driving my car & not knowing when it going to cut off on me while driving I pray for help before this vehicle hurt me
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Unknown Or Other →1 issue
Hello my truck is having issues stalling, noise like grinding, rattling, or some kind of clunking sounds especially during acceleration. It jerking movement. My car will shift into neutral by itself and sometimes it won't even shift into gear at all when trying to put it into drive.
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Air Bags,engine →1 issue
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the engine was running and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact made several attempts to move the vehicle; however, the steering wheel and the gear shifter were seized. The contact called a neighbor to the scene for assistance, and after several attempts, the vehicle restarted, and the contact drove the vehicle to the residence. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer failed to determine the cause of the check engine warning light being illuminated; however, the contact was informed that the steering rack was loose and needed to be repaired. The steering rack was covered under warranty and was repaired. Recently, upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and an appointment was scheduled to have the vehicle diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000
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Forward Collision Avoidance →1 issue
I was driving up a hill and coming to a light. Another car was asking the turn at the light. I let off the gas to slow the car down and there was no way I was going to hit the car turning. The Automatic Emergency Braking engaged, slamming on the brakes, causing an abrupt stop in traffic. I was almost hit from behind because this system took over my car and did not allow me the driver to co trol the car.
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Unknown Or Other,engine,fuel/propulsion System →1 issue
Car starts just fine, I let it warm up, it idles just fine. It is a 6 speed manual, I can reverse out of my driveway and drive 1 block to the stop sign and the car will stall immediately. This has happened more than 10 times in the past month. I have replaced the spark plugs as of yesterday 1/14/2026 and it ran fine all day through busy city and many purposely made stops along my drive and back home. Today 1/15/2026 I went to go to our gas station in town, and the car stalled again at the same stop sign. This time, it would not restart, it shut itself down, and I had to open the drivers door and close it for it tonregister the carvwas shutnoff, and then attempted to restart. No go. We tried the old fashioned push start and pop the clutch and this failed also. I ended up holding the pedal down for it to even sputter. I then waited a minute and retried starting the engine. It sputtered so much I had to give it more gas to keep it running. I made it back to my house and it died turning into the driveway. It will be parked until a solution can be found.
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Electrical System,forward Collision Avoidance →1 issue
When coming to a stop at a stop light or stop sign sometimes the car will stall and the automatic stop/start will turn off and put the cars emergency brake on. This is typically in the middle of traffic. I put the car in park and the car won't turn off. I have to take my foot off the brake while it is in park, turn off the car that way. Then to turn it back on, put my foot on the brake and start the car all over again. All while cars are behind me and it is taking me minutes to get my car moving. This is happening very often. It can happen in dangerous places in the road as well. This cannot be normal.
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Power Train,electrical System,engine →1 issue
Unknown / Check engine lights came on, and then a warning saying stop safely, the engine will shut down soon, now it will not start. Leaving me stranded. This happened multiple times but now the car won’t start and will need to be towed. I have asked several repair shops and done research online, and nobody knows how to fix this issue.
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Electrical System,engine →1 issue
When I first purchased my car, for some reason it kept starting, and then the engine would turn off in the middle of driving. As of lately the Key fob has been undetected in the car or battery is low. I have replaced my key fob twice. I have also replaced my batteries in both of the key fobs. After I replace the key fob, the check engine light came on in the car is stalling not starting properly. Sometimes I have to press the multiple times for it to start up. Recently I was driving and my car just stalled and I could not get it to start again. I have had this happen to me over 10 times. There was a recall for exactly what was happening to my car. NHTSA Recall 18v-524 just that my car was not recalled. I am now without a car and it clearly is experiencing EXACTLY what the recall says. over 5 times I was on the road when the car stalled / stopped while I was driving. It just stopped in the middle of the road. Now my car will not start at all. I have not even had the car for two years. The car has 40,000 miles on it. I got the car at 20,000 miles. They have been 6 recalls for cars like mine however my specific VIN was not included. The recalls that I am most concerned with. u87 and w20.
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Unknown Or Other,engine →1 issue
Check engine lights came on, and then a warning saying stop safely, the engine will shut down soon, now it will not start. Leaving me stranded. This happened twice, but now the car won’t start and will need to be towed. I have asked several repair shops and done research online, and nobody knows how to fix this issue.
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Power Train,electrical System →1 issue
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, and while stopped at a traffic light, several unknown warning lights illuminated with the message to “Park the Vehicle” displayed. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running and shifted from park into drive, the vehicle failed to move. The contact stated that while shifted into park, the vehicle failed to turn off. The failure persisted, and the contact made several attempts to move the vehicle. The contact was eventually able to start the vehicle and drove to a parking lot, after which the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.
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Electrical System,lane Departure,forward Collision Avoidance →1 issue
My car has had an ongoing issue where it doesn’t start and has even stopped while I was driving before and not turned on again. I had the battery changed and still the same issue. My gps is not locating the correct location of my car, also the warnings are wrong (blind spot, etc.) they go off sometimes when there is nothing there. It’s an angojng issue, I only added one incident date but there have been many and I think it is associated to the recalls on this model.
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