10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,979 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2018 Jeep Compass electrical problems

electrical problem

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2018 Jeep Compass Owner Comments (Page 1 of 15)

problem #292

Jun 262024

Compass

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I will be driving at any speed and the engine will lose power and stall. Very similar conditions as the U87 recall. I have had my vehicle at the Jeep dealership multiple times and still have yet to fix the issue. When the vehicle loses power and stalls I pull over however sitting on the side of any road is dangerous, that if I can get the compass over to the side of the road.

- Mammoth , AZ, USA

problem #291

May 082024

Compass

  • miles
Random shiggling when driving between 20 ad 35mph specifically goin up slight inclines or hills, hardshifting randomly some times light some no noise times catches u off guard and makes metal noise, power dips only to 12v wall and cigarette plug stops charging what ever is plugged into it or restarts the item when engin starts back up at a stop sign or stop light with autostart stop activated,

- Champlin, MN, USA

problem #290

Jan 312024

Compass

  • miles
radio software prevents the rearview image from displaying on the center screen when in Reverse.

- East Orange, NJ, USA

problem #289

Jun 102024

Compass

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

About years ago I was driving my 2018 Jeep Compass, when all of a suden the lights on the dashboard went crazy blinking on and off and the radio too, then the engine turned off and the steering wheel was to hard, I took the car to the dealership to get it checked up. After a few days the dealership said there is nothing wrong with the car. But days later the car did the same thing again. Took the car back to the dealership and they kept the car for a over two weeks they said car was fix two months after that car did it again went back to the dealership and they kept the car for more than six months, they could not find the problem they change some wiring, batteries and the radio and they said its fix but no. The car keep doing the same thing, over and over no I dont feel safe driving this car specially in the highway because when it shuts off the steering wheel is very hard to maneuver and is not safe at all.

- Carpentersville, IL, USA

problem #288

May 162024

Compass

  • miles
We realized a headlight malfunction where the headlights randomly and intermittently turn off. Sometimes they both work, sometimes one or the other works. A year ago, we seemed to notice a headlight go out, then they both worked. It happened again, so we replaced the bulb. Just last night, my wife happened to be following me home at night and her right headlight wouldn't turn on. In the middle of driving, both headlights went out. Then, shortly after, her left headlight went out and the right one came back on. I searched Jeep forums and discovered this is actually a very common problem and is not unique. This is an extremely hard issue to recognize due to the intermittent nature and poses a serious safety hazard driving at night. Given that it is obvious (took me 5 minutes) to realize there were countless other Jeep Compass owners having the issue, and the fact that headlights are a serious safety issue, I strongly recommend the NHTSA take a look into the issue. If you have any inspectors in the Dallas Fort-Worth area that would like to inspect this vehicle, please let me know.

- North Richland Hills, TX, USA

problem #287

Jan 092021

Compass

  • 9,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Jeep Compass. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the headlights independently turned off. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed; however, the contact was unaware of the result of the diagnostic test. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was serviced under Customer Satisfaction Number: W20 (Reprogram Power Train Control Module) however, the failure with the headlights persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

- Kingwood Area, TX, USA

problem #286

May 012024

Compass

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The auto stop/start feature on this vehicle continues to have issues after parts such as; alternator, batteries and cables were replaced twice!

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #285

Apr 092024

Compass

  • miles
Connect screen delamination. Screen is hitting all kinds of things on its own, calling 911 while I'm driving causing me to have to take my eyes off the road to frantically hang up the calls every few seconds.

- Springfield, MA, USA

problem #284

Nov 072023

Compass

  • miles
The driver side headlight went out approximately 8 months after purchasing the vehicle used which was out of the 6 months that the dealer had a warranty. I have replaced the headlight and ballast and it is still not working properly. I have checked and confirmed voltage by testing the driver side against the passenger side which does work and all voltages match going into the rear plug of the headlight assembly. Looking on forums, I am not the only individual with this problem and the dealership wants to charge $170 dollars to run a diagnostic. This problem is certainly not due to lack of preventative maintenance, this appears to be a defect in the vehicle itself.

- Oakmont, PA, USA

problem #283

Feb 282024

Compass

  • miles
While driving I often get an oil warning light and have had my engine system entirely and randomly shut down while driving. I have the oil changed regularly and serviced regularly and still have this problem. The entire system shuts down while driving and I-??m left unable to move. It-??s incredibly dangerous!

- Pottstown, PA, USA

problem #282

Feb 132024

Compass

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My Radio has formed a bubble in it which is causing it to glitch and my backup camera to malfunction when driving and backing up I hit my fence because my radio glitched and keep having to replace the auxiliary battery in my jeep it-??s been replaced several times

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #281

Jan 272024

Compass

  • miles
With absolutely zero prior indication of a problem, the car became completely immobilized in drive while attempting to turn after being stopped at a traffic light on a busy four lane road. Every imaginable code was cycling through on the dash and all warning code lights came on. I was unable to shift the car into any gear. Meaning, I could not shift into neutral to push the car safely out of the way of traffic. Additionally the car could not be turned off. I could not roll down the windows and the touchscreen was inoperable. After approximately 6-8 minutes I was able to shift into neutral to push the car to a safer area. The same immobilization issue happened 3 days later after the battery and alternator were replaced. This time, I put the car in reverse and it became immobilized in exactly the same way. The car turned itself off after approximately 10 minutes and was towed to the dealership where it has been for 30 days. The dealership scanned the codes on the car and the result was 300+ error codes. The dealer cannot diagnose the problem but they have been able to replicate the issue. The car is well maintained and there were no warning messages or other symptoms of any problem prior to the first incident January 27, 2024. The car remains at the dealer and it is available for inspection.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #280

Feb 232024

Compass

  • miles
Multiple times now while driving the vehicles emergency park comes on by its self. The vehicle stops and turns off while in the middle of the road. Other vehicles have had to quickly stop and go around. Recently the engine light has appeared. It happens 1-3 times while driving. Mainly while turning a corner.

- Bedford, OH, USA

problem #279

Jun 102023

Compass

  • miles
Sway bar links are unsafe. Electrical system makfunctions after idling vehicle and at other random times, causing vehicle warning lights to illuminate abd vehicle won't function properly. Vehicle loses oil, 2,000 miles after each oil change a quart or more must be added then the same after each 1,000 miles after.

- Allison Park , PA, USA

problem #278

Feb 102024

Compass

  • miles
Car randomly shuts off while driving regardless of speed

- Tyrone, PA, USA

problem #277

Jan 312024

Compass

  • miles
I leased a 2018 jeep compass in the month of September that year brand new. light kept appearing on my dash that I was not familiar with. Basically it had to do with parking on a hill indicator, the radio wouldn-??t always work either, and a loud boom on Highway. However we parked the car on flat grounds at all times. That was the beginning of the malfunctioning with this vehicle. I had just got an oil change end of 2019, one day driving in an alley area with my 2year old daughter, my car literally shut off on me while driving at speeds of 10 mph. Everything shut off. Fortunately I was able to turn it back on and the next day took it to the dealership. The result was I needed a brand new engine. WHAT, it-??s a little over a year old how can this be? The oil was gone all cylinders were shot, not sure what that meant but a month without my car I received it back with a new refurbished engine. Fortunately all was covered under the manufacturer warranty. Thought the problems were solved. Nope it constantly has malfunctions with the radio, reverse camera doesn-??t always work, a loud bang happens when I-??m on the highway at the highway speed, let my foot off the accelerator and a loud bang happens. On [XXX], in the middle of an intersection my foot was on the brake and the on/off engine thing went off. Then I proceeded to accelerate and the car shut off. This time all the lights were on inside the dash area but my brake locked up so hard and the steering wheel along with the windows wouldn-??t work. I placed the car in park and the e brake and for 15 minutes tried turning it back on. It was terrifying, it turned on and brought it to the dealership and explained the situation. It-??s currently there now and at the moment they say it-??s the battery. I DO NOT feel safe in this car being that I always have my children in the car all the time. An investigation needs to be seriously opened with these vehicles. I-??ve been paying for a car that has potentially risked my families life. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORM

- West Covina, CA, USA

problem #276

Jan 162024

Compass

  • miles
I have spent over $2500 on my HID headlights. They keep blowing I have replaced the headlight assembly along with bulbs many times. From what I can read it is an ongoing problem with this model. Also my lane departure system goes from side to side does not keep my jeep centered in the lane.

- North Dinwiddie, VA, USA

problem #275

Jan 152024

Compass

  • miles
Driving at freeway speed, the engine dies. Steering wheel locks up and I coast to a stop. Very dangerous. After 10-15 minutes, Jeep will start and drive an unknown amount of time and same thing will happen. I took to a local garage because it is out of warranty. The shop manager said there is no engine code or direction for them to determine what is wrong. Internet search shows this is a huge problem with 2017-2019 Jeep Compass. However apparently not enough people know they can file a report with NHTSA or there would be a gigantic number more complaints than there are. Someone will die in a crash because of this well known issue. Hopefully something will be done before its too late. Batteries replaced, car serviced, and still continues to happen. Has happened around 5 times in last 2 weeks. An issue all over the internet and clearly a fault in manufacturing.

- Gilbert, AZ, USA

problem #274

Dec 302023

Compass

  • miles
I was getting my car serviced, I was getting a State inspection the mechanic told me they could not inspect the vehicle due to the fact that a headlight was not working.. they tried replacing the headlight it still did not work.. I had to leave without getting my vehicle inspected!! I was going to try to take it to the dealer to try and get it fixed.. I checked on line and found several other Jeep owners of this make and model also 2018 Jeep Compass had electrical problems involving the headlights.. at times I would turn vehicle on and both lights would be on. On other times only one headlight would be working. Some times if I would cycle thru the switch both lights would come on, other times not.. This is unsafe driving around with one headlight and not knowing when it will happen.I have spoken to both dealerships in the area, and they are no help.. they want me to bring vehicle in to troubleshoot the problem openended I do not have the money for this and Since it is happening to other people with this particular year and make vehicle I think it is a problem that should be looked into..by Jeep! This just started on my vehicle when the mileage reached approximately 32,000 miles I have owned this vehicle since 2019. Thanks for any help available..

- Richford, VT, USA

problem #273

Nov 012023

Compass

  • miles
Jeep Compass shut off without warning at highway speeds, in the middle of highway route 1 while I was going 50 miles per hour. State police had to stay while I got car towed out of road hazards way. When this has happened, the vehicle was no longer able to accelerate, and the power steering did not work. Loss of power steering made the vehicle difficult to steer off the roadway to safety.

- Ruther Glen, VA, USA

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