2018 Jeep Compass Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,624 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Jeep Compass, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 20,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2018 Jeep Compass sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2008–2013, 2015, 2020–2021.
Avoid
Where 2018 sits among all Compass years
What owners report
“The engine quits running and will not restart. This happened on a busy city road.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Compass
“My head lights go out and will not come on while driving and the parking brakes turns on by itself”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Compass
“The car stopped (completely) shut off while i was driving on the highway. There was no warning, nothing. Just shut off while i was going 55+”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Compass
“While driving this vehicle on the freeway the "service shifter" message came up on dash. All lights on the shifter came red. Car has only 15,199 miles on it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Compass
“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 report to NHTSA, 2018 Compass
“Car stalls after stopping and will not restart as if its not getting gas. The oil pressure gauge will not register. The car has also shut off while driving slowly (less than 10mph) and acts the same way.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 Compass
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 716 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 21,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 8,100 and 37,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (6)
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…
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…
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,…
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 (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.
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…
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…
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 (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.
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…
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.
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…
Technical service bulletins
332 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 2018 Jeep Compass. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2018 Compass TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2018 Jeep Compass reliable?
The 2018 Jeep Compass drew 1,624 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2018 Jeep Compass problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Jeep Compass are engine (475 complaints), electrical (436), and other (219).
At what mileage do 2018 Jeep Compass problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Jeep Compass problems around 21,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 8,100 and 37,000 miles.
Does the 2018 Jeep Compass have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Jeep Compass. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.