2018 Jeep Compass Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 20,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

I have a 2018 Jeep Compass that is experiencing an intermittent engine stall while I am driving. The engine cuts off, particularly when I am sitting in traffic or maintaining the same speed for an extended period of time. There is currently no check-engine light illuminated. This is a serious safety concern because the vehicle is losing…Owner complaint, filed 2026

I have a 2018 Jeep Compass that is experiencing an intermittent engine stall while I am driving. The engine cuts off, particularly when I am sitting in traffic or maintaining the same speed for an extended period of time. There is currently no check-engine light illuminated. This is a serious safety concern because the vehicle is losing…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 21,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that on multiple occasions, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a service center, where the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that when the failure occurred, multiple warning lights…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 104,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message that the vehicle would shut off was displayed several times, requiring the driver to pull over. Additionally, while the contact's husband was driving, the vehicle stalled. The driver pulled over to the side of the road, and the…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 21,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

While driving car started to shake and buck and all the dashboard lights starting going off telling to service everything and then the gear shift wouldn’t workOwner complaint, filed 2026

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 4 times. My car is currently at the Jeep Dealer and they charged me over $700 telling me it was wiring. It happened again on 11/24/2025 and they have had my car since then and they keep telling me they cannot figure out what was…Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 14,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

UNKNOWN. Saw there was recall in past for rear piston but mine was not affected. But I’m having issues with the brakes. When slowing down or coming to stop when using the brake, the whole car shakes and rattles.Owner complaint, filed 2025

While driving on a busy road the car could not accelerate and the emergency brake turned on by itself causing the car to stop abruptly. This has happen 2 times in 1 week.Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 2,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, there was a loud booming sound coming from the vehicle. The contact parked and inspected the vehicle and discovered that the liftgate glass window had exploded, causing shards of glass to fall onto the rear seat of the vehicle. The cause of…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 80,400 miles

Headlights work intermittently. Driver side comes on but passenger side doesn’t or vise versa. Also sometimes neither come on. No warning messages or anything. Yes the jeep dealership saw the issue with the lights and so did an independent mechanic.Owner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 17,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

So I know there was a recall for this year make and model and engine type and even before I knew about this recall I noticed this jeep is burning oil like crazy I have to get an oil change sometimes under every 3,000 miles and its bad I take it to my oil change place they tell me it shouldnt be burning this much oil. I called Jeep to try…Owner complaint, filed 2025

When I fill up with gas, the car will shake and die, upon starting. Due to this, I no longer fill up the car - I merely put $20 in gas - at a time.Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 50,000 miles. Parts named most: Automatic emergency braking (29), Warnings (10), Rearview system braking (5).

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rear-view camera was inoperable, and the audible alert failed to sound while reversing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was concerned that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 79,000 miles

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the rear backup camera screen had malfunctioned and was unreadable with lines and a whited out image displayed. The was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 35,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 18,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

My gas pedal stuck flat to the floor and the plastic gas pedal broke causing me to hit a cement pillar in front of Knick tripOwner complaint, filed 2023

I have been experiencing the same issues with the high temperature warning as mentioned for the 2019-2021 Jeep Compass. If this occurs at higher speeds, I am able to release the accelerator, and coast for 2-3 seconds, which allows the temp to show back to normal, and continue normal driving conditions. If this occurs as I begin…Owner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 19,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact's daughter owns a 2018 Jeep Compass Latitude. The contacts daughter stated while driving approximately 20 mph when the vehicle pulled to the right without warning, which resulted in hitting a parked vehicle. The air bags were deployed minus the rear driver-side air bag. The contacts daughter sustained some bruising on her…Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 30,000 miles

While driving 80 down the freeway with cruise control on, when cruise control was turned off, it then shut off my power steering and stability controlOwner complaint, filed 2021, at 40,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 27,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at various speeds over a bumpy road surface and over a pothole, the vehicle shuddered and made an abnormal clunking and rattling sound. The contact stated that the failure progressively worsened while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was…Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 11 miles

I was driving on a local street when all of a sudden I started hearing a rattling sound coming from the front of the car. Next day, I took it to a mechanic. They notified me the struts needed to be replaced. Struts replaced and fine for awhile. 2 months later im on the highway heading to work. I hear the same sound starting again. I take…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 37,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

I was hit from behind on the interstate 2 weeks ago. My Jeep Compass was stopped in heavy traffic on the interstate. A large white pickup truck hit my car first going at least 80 mph. He did not see that traffic was stopped. This caused my jeep to roll and come to a stop on the passenger side on the ground and the driver side in the air.…Owner complaint, filed 2023

Drivers side impact at approximately 40mph and side, floor and overhead airbags failed to deploy causing serious injury. Vehicle was parked at a stop sign when full impact occurred. There was 2 children in the rear seats and only a driver in the vehicle. There was none in the front passenger seat and only the airbag in the steering…Owner complaint, filed 2023

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

For at least two months the driver's seat belt buckle intermittently unlatches or won't stay latched in my 2018 Jeep Compass. Because it's a critical safety component, I hope that Jeep may offer a goodwill repair or replacement, especially because the failure is due to a defective buckle.Owner complaint, filed 2026

Seat belt buckle rear left, yes Child buckled up and noticed it came unbuckled. No, I have purchased another own that also failed No NoOwner complaint, filed 2025

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 17,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (8).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed in a heavy rainstorm, the front driver's side floor and rear passenger’s side floor became flooded with rainwater, that had entered the vehicle from a failed floor seal. The contact stated that while attempting to depress the brake pedal…Owner complaint, filed 2023, at 42,000 miles

I believed I had locked my doors on 2 occasions using my electronic key fob. The car beeped and lights flashed indicating that the doors were locked. Twice after thinking doors were locked I was robbed of approximately 55.00 hidden in my glove box and center console. After 2nd time, upon investigation of the locking procedure I was able…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 34,500 miles

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

After having my jeep for less than 7,000 miles, I noticed that my front two tires were completely bald on the insides. Brought it to multiple shops and the dealership where I got it, I was told I needed to rotate my tires more and that new cars get poor quality tires put on them. I was also told to monitor my inflation and it has been…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 7,000 miles

Alignment went out on camber, no factory adjustment is available. The choice is wear tires uneven and risk a blow out or put in after market [VIN]. Alignment is a normal part of the maintenance of the vehicle, not making the [VIN] available is wrong and makes the vehicle unsafe to drive without greater cost to the consumer.Owner complaint, filed 2021, at 100,256 miles