2019 Jeep COMPASS: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
327 owner complaints analyzed
2 distinct recall campaigns
12,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 2019 model year. Data snapshot: . 103 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Engine is the most frequently named component, appearing in 160 of 327 complaints (48.9%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Braking behavior | 81 | 24.8% |
| Engine operation | 76 | 23.2% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 54 | 16.5% |
| Steering behavior | 26 | 8.0% |
| Transmission and shifting | 20 | 6.1% |
| Fuel system concerns | 3 | 0.9% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Engine | 160 |
| Electrical System | 138 |
| Unknown Or Other | 83 |
| Service Brakes | 37 |
| Power Train | 34 |
| Steering | 17 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 15 |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 11 |
Engine: 160; Electrical System: 138; Unknown Or Other: 83; Service Brakes: 37; Power Train: 34; Steering: 17; Vehicle Speed Control: 15; Fuel/Propulsion System: 11
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 63 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 22 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 10 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 3 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 5 |
| 150,000 and above | 0 |
Under 25,000: 63; 25,000 to 49,999: 22; 50,000 to 74,999: 10; 75,000 to 99,999: 3; 100,000 to 149,999: 5; 150,000 and above: 0
Under 25,000 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (63). 224 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 47 |
| 2020 | 19 |
| 2021 | 26 |
| 2022 | 43 |
| 2023 | 70 |
| 2024 | 53 |
| 2025 | 40 |
| 2026 | 29 |
2019: 47; 2020: 19; 2021: 26; 2022: 43; 2023: 70; 2024: 53; 2025: 40; 2026: 29
Pattern summary
Engine leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 81 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 76 complaint narratives. Electrical and battery issues appears in 54 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 11174741 · 2019-02-06 (February 6, 2019)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 JEEP COMPASS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED MORE THAN 35 TIMES WITHOUT WARNING. LESTER GLENN CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM FIAT (1199 ROUTE 37 W, TOMS RIVER, NJ 08755, [phone removed]) WAS NOTIFIED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT HAD BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE TO PROVIDE A PERMANENT REMEDY. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER MAY BE THE SOURCE OF THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER UNTIL MID MARCH OF 2019. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. A LOANER VEHICLE OPTION WAS NOT PROVID…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11174741 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11180596 · 2019-02-17 (February 17, 2019)
PARKED CAR NEAR STORE. CAME OUT FIVE MINUTES LATER AND STEPPED ON BRAKE AND PUSHED START BUTTON. CAR THOUGHT IT WAS RUNNING. PUT IN REVERSE.CAR DIDN'T MOVE.I SPENT A FEW MINUTES TRYING TO START. GOT OUT OF CAR AND DASH LIGHT SAID ENGINE WAS RUNNING. FINALLY STARTED AFTER A FEW MORE MINUTES. 130 MILES ON THE CAR. GLAD I WASN'T ON RAILROAD TRACKS.
Owner-reported narrative. 130 miles reported. Look up ODI 11180596 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11182130 · 2019-02-23 (February 23, 2019)
VEHICLE WON'T START. IT'S THE THIRD TIME IN A WEEK. THE FIRST ONE TAKE 10 MINUTES TO START, THE SECOND TIME 15 TO 20 MINUTES AND THE THIRD TIME I CALL THE DEALER AND THEY SEND A TOW TRUCK(ALL TIMES THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY). THEY USE JUMPER CABLES. THEY SAID IN THAT MOMENT THAT BROBABLY IS THE BATTERY BUT THEY LEAVE UNTIL NEXT DAY. NEXT DAY CALL ME TO PICK MY COMPASS AND THEY SAID THAT IT'S NOT THE BATTERY THAT THE BATTERY IT'S OK AND THEY DON'T FIND NOTHING. I'M WORRIED BECAUSE I SEARCH ONLINE AND I'M NOT THE FIRST ONE WITH THE PROBLEM.
Owner-reported narrative. 526 miles reported. Look up ODI 11182130 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11185922 · 2019-03-11 (March 11, 2019)
THE CAR RANDOMLY FAILS TO START WITH THE PUSH OF THE START BUTTON. IT SAYS TO PRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE BUTTON TO START, HOWEVER IT WILL NOT WORK. NOTHING HAPPENS. EVENTUALLY IT WILL START, COULD BE 1 MINUTE, COULD BE 10 OR 15 MINUTES. SOMETHING IS OBVIOUSLY WRONG. SERVICE OF COURSE COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, SO NOTHING WAS FIXED. IT HAS HAPPENED AROUND 5 TIMES IN THREE WEEKS. CAR IS BRAND NEW. I ASSUME THIS IS SOME ISSUE AFFECTING MORE THAN JUST MY VEHICLE. IF THE START BUTTON DOESN'T WORK, THERE IS NO OVER RIDING WAY TO START THE CAR.…
Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11185922 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11187288 · 2019-03-16 (March 16, 2019)
THIS IS A RAND NEW VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 100 MILES. INTERMITTENT STARTING. WILL NOT START CONSISTANTLY. KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE, NEEDS A SOFTWARE UPGRADE BUT STILL DO NOT HAVE ONE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE, AS YOU CAN PUT THE VEHICLE IN GEAR WITHOUT THE ENGINE E RUNNING AS THE VEHICLE THINKS THE ENGINE IS RUNNING BUT IT IS NOT!. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM BUT DOES NOT HAVE A FIX. STAR CASE S1808000285 NO REPAIR
Owner-reported narrative. 100 miles reported. Look up ODI 11187288 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11187310 · 2019-03-17 (March 17, 2019)
THE JEEP COMPASS IS EQUIPPED WITH A VERY DANGEROUS ESS START/STOP SYSTEM. FIRST YOU MUST DEACTIVATE IT EVERY TIME YOU START THE VEHICLE. SECONDLY WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF AT A STOP LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, IT FEELS MORE LIKE IT STALLS THAN SHUTS OFF, A SHUDDER GOES THRU THE VEHICLE AND THE ENGINE SPUTTERS AND DIES. TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND MAYBE IT WILL RESTART THE VEHICLE, MAYBE NOT. MINE SPUTTERED TO LIFE BUT HAD NO POWER, VERY SLOWLY THE VEHICLE SPUTTERED INTO THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AND I THOUGHT THE CAR WAS GOING TO STALL AND QU…
Owner-reported narrative. 700 miles reported. Look up ODI 11187310 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11187488 · 2019-03-18 (March 18, 2019)
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 JEEP COMPASS. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START. THE FAILURE LEFT THE CONTACT STRANDED ON THREE OCCASIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KENDALL DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM (LOCATED AT 13355 SW 137TH AVE, MIAMI, FL 33186, [phone removed]) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE DEALER WAS NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS …
Owner-reported narrative. 2,216 miles reported. Look up ODI 11187488 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 11191089 · 2019-03-23 (March 23, 2019)
WE RECENTLY HAD 3 INSTANCES WHERE OUR BRAND NEW 2019 JEEP COMPASS FAILED TO START. THE CAR IS ONLY 4 WEEKS OLD AND HAS LESS THAN 500 MILES ON IT. WE TRIED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON EVEN THOUGH THE DASHBOARD INDICATED THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING. WE SAW ONLINE THAT THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN REPORTED BY SEVERAL PEOPLE. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND APPARENTLY THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH "STARTER CONTROL". THEY APPLIED A PCM UPDATE UNDER ITEM TCB 18-035-19. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY, IF THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH A FIX, THE DEALERS…
Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11191089 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
2 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
18V523000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Caliper
Reported: 2018-08-09 (August 9, 2018)
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.
Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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 record ↗20V208000 · Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Linkages
Reported: 2020-04-09 (April 9, 2020)
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ram 1500, 1500 Classic and Jeep Compass vehicles. The windshield wiper arm or arms may loosen, possibly causing the wipers to not operate properly and reduce the driver's visibility in certain weather conditions.
Consequence: Reduced visibility increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper nuts, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W25.
NHTSA campaign record ↗